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Heading into the 2022 Indiana football season, a lot of questions surrounded the group that makes up the offensive line.
O-line coach Darren Hiller was one of the few members of Indiana's staff to retain their position in '22, a decision made in trust that things would turn around after written-off 2021 campaign that saw Indiana struggle to keep their weapons healthy or develop a consistent running game.
Along with the coaching staff, players also faced questioning of how they planned to flip the narrative, citing smaller victories that would lead to an overall boost in performance.
But as week one has now come and gone, it's safe to say that the offensive line is still under a lot of scrutiny. Against Illinois, Indiana had virtually no semblance of a running game anywhere outside of the opponent's 5-yard line.
Now, with the loss of veteran stalwart and reliable tackle Matthew Bedford for the season to a torn ACL, a group that was already under the microscope now is under immense pressure to show a more concrete version of the turnaround they'd been advertising for the weeks leading up to the kickoff.
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SEE ALSO:
Reeling IU O-line loses anchor Matthew Bedford for season to ACL tear
How an offseason of reflection anchored IU's plans to reimagine the O-line
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"Not good enough to win games consistently," Indiana head coach Tom Allen said of the offensive line's performance following Friday's win. "But, we won this one."
Due to Indiana's inability to rush the ball effectively, Connor Bazelak attempted 52 passes en route to eventually finding a winning formula. Schematically, IU knew it was going to be tough to develop that element of the offense, but the results still weren't promising in that facet of the game.
"You know, as I've mentioned in the postgame, a lot of things to clean up," Allen said on Monday. "[We] didn't run the football well at all. They loaded the box and were determined not to allow us to. There's no question, the film shows that quite a bit. We've got to improve up front in that area without question."
Offensive coordinator Walt Bell was a bit more cautious in his sentiment, but did acknowledge the offense left chunk plays on the table that they weren't able to capitalize on, and that the reliance on the passing game was something foreign even to him.
"Overall evaluation, we were good in spots, we weren't good in spots," Bell said Monday. "We knew that we were going to have to throw the football to win the game... What we asked our O-line to do, they did a good job.
"It's probably the most I've ever thrown the football in a single game."
Bazelak was able to allude pressure nicely and was only sacked once on Friday, a sack that he takes blame for due to not throwing the ball away sooner. Yet, with the concerns Allen and Bell voiced, they are still aware that winning in the fashion they did is not sustainable.
Before the final drive, Indiana had just 27 rushing yards on 24 attempts. The final five yards on the ground did cap off Indiana's 2-minute drive to steal a victory, but it's pretty much the only positive to build off of in the running game.
Of course, as Allen always says, the most important game is the next one. Yet, that saying may carry more weight than ever for an offensive line that lost a big chunk of it's already-short leash in week one. What Bedford provided in both pass protection and run blocking, Indiana must now accommodate for in aggregate.
The first opportunity to do so comes in the form of Idaho, who presents the ultimate opportunity for a tune-up. Coming off a Big Ten win, Indiana has the chance to develop using game footage and build off scenarios that caused concern in game situations.
Essentially, it's a put up or shut up week for the offensive line. Facing adversity early on, if their struggles carry over from Illinois to Idaho, then it could be a long, long year in the trenches when the tougher D-lines in the entire country are lined up on the other side of the ball.
If anything, it would serve as a nice confidence boost for Indiana to be able to show an increased prowess and focus in those elements of the game on Saturday.
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