After Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer said he'd like to establish the run earlier in games and "live with" two- or three-yard gains the morph into five- or six-yard gains, the IU offense reflected that and found success against one of the weakest defenses in the country.
As the focus begins to shift to whether that can be sustained against a Big Ten opponent, it's worth noting the change after a 38-3 win.
Indiana’s final non-conference game was more than a chance to “beat up” – as safety Devon Matthews had hoped to do – on an opponent that is coming off of the worst defensive performance in FBS history. It was a chance to work toward a “style” or “niche,” in offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer’s terms, particularly on offense.
The running game was an issue in the IU offense, even against Ball State and Eastern Illinois, but the roof on the concern was blown off by Ohio State in week three, when the Hoosiers recorded 42 yards rushing and handed the ball to Stevie Scott six times.
The need to move toward a new identity on offense was forced onto the staff, and DeBoer was content in obliging.
“Whether it’s in certain situations or is it that I need to establish it more and earlier,” DeBoer said Mondayabout the running game. “We just need to live with, every once in a while, getting two or three yards earlier in the game and let those plays get to six, seven and then 10 to 15 as the game goes along. I think that’s what good running teams do is they establish it and let it wear down their opponents.”
Related: IU Searches For Answers In Running Game Before Big Ten Play
That’s what the Indiana offense looked like against Connecticut on Saturday, as the Hoosier handed it off to Scott a season-high 21 times for a another season-high 97 yards and a touchdown late in the game. As a team, Indiana ran the ball 40 times and passed it 28 – a complete flip from the first two games against non-conference opponents.
When asked if the higher volume allowed him to get into a rhythm, Scott, who had carried the ball just 37 times in three games, nodded vigorously.
“With more carries, and as the game goes on, that’s just more rhythm for any running back,” he said. “Like especially with quarterback, the more passes they throw, the more rhythm they get in.”
By the end of the first half, Indiana had carried the ball 19 times and passed it 18, and by the end of the third quarter, it was 25-to-25. That commitment to the running game allowed Peyton Ramsey to hit his targets in space – 23-for-27, 247 yards.
The caveat to that success in efficiency is that the offense didn’t break big plays. Rather, instead of plays for little to no yards, IU earned an average of 6.3 yards per play, which avoided the third-and-long scenarios and aided in an 8-for-10 day on third down.
“It’s always okay to be in second-and-six, second-and-five. It’s a lot easier than being second-and-10,” Ramsey said. “Getting those little chunk plays, and we got a couple bigger ones – eight, nine, 10 yards. I think when you pop those smaller ones, the bigger ones come with it.”
Yes, the bigger plays came with the smaller ones, but not because of long rushes – the longest carry by a running back was 10 yards – or by Ramsey’s arm. The 25-yard catch by Ty Fryfogle, the longest play of the day, and the 21-yard catch by Whop Philyor were both reliant on yards after the catch, and the 25-yard catch by Donavan Hale would have been a touchdown with a better throw.
Sure, the efficiency came against one of the weakest defenses in the country and the plays broken for 20-plus yards likely wouldn’t come against a Big Ten opponent like Michigan State, but there were signs of a commitment to an efficient style of offense that can potentially prevent another 51-10 loss. And the Hoosiers did it after losing senior left tackle Coy Cronk to what seemed like a long-term injury in the first quarter.
Whether that leads to wins is another question, but the offense ran against Connecticut in week four Saturday is an offense both Peyton Ramsey and Mike Penix can run.
“They were very systematic,” Allen said about his offense. “Peyton was extremely accurate, and that's what he does really, really well, so you've got to play to his strengths. You want to create those big plays that make it easier to score in chunks, and we want to continue to try to create those. But at the same time, you've got to do what your team does well. This whole thing here, this whole process, we'll continue to evaluate Michael and his situation, and obviously Peyton is extremely talented and is a great leader and led us to another win, so he's done that many, many times.”
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