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When Indiana rallied past Illinois in the last minute Friday night, it did so thanks in large part to the transfer portal.
On the game-winning drive — IU scored with 23 seconds left to win 23-20 — Connor Bazelak, the former Missouri quarterback, connected with wide receivers Cam Camper (Trinity Valley CC) and DJ Matthews (a Florida State transfer before last season) for 7 receptions, the last setting up a 1-yard touchdown run from transfer Shaun Shivers (Auburn).
Undoubtedly, coach Tom Allen is going to rely on this group and the rest of the transfer class to help carry the Hoosiers into Week 2 and beyond.
Let’s take a look at 12 who made a big impact in Week 1.
Connor Bazelak
Bazelak shook off some first-half inaccuracy to rally the Hoosiers in the 4th quarter of the win over Illinois.
Down 20-16 with 2:16 left, Bazelak hit 7-of-10 passes, then rushed for 4 yards himself to set up the go-ahead touchdown with only 23 seconds left. The former Missouri quarterback displayed poise, confidence and leadership that Indiana had missed from the position for much of last season, when it rolled through 4 QBs because of injury and ineffectiveness.
Bazelak finished 28-of-52 for 330 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also had a 12-yard rush, the longest of the game for the Hoosiers.
Cam Camper
Camper’s 156 yards receiving are the most for a receiver in his debut for Indiana. The former star at Trinity Valley, who caught 50 passes there in 2 seasons, looked like a big-play outside receiver, something the Hoosiers coveted during the offseason.
After all, Indiana had very little outside production returning.
But Camper erased doubts about the position, finishing with 11 receptions for the 156 yards, with a long of 40.
Jared Casey
Senior Cam Jones is the real deal, but other than the veteran defender, Allen had very few known quantities at linebacker.
Casey, a 6-3, 215-pound junior from Kentucky, is 1 of the 3 linebacker transfers who signed with the Hoosiers, joining Bradley Jennings Jr. (Miami, Fla.) and Jackson Schott (Miami, Ohio). He had 4 tackles for Indiana on Friday night, including one for a loss early in the 2nd quarter that helped force the Illini into a punt.
LeDarrius Cox
A former defensive tackle at Ole Miss, Cox played in a reserve role for the Hoosiers in Week 1, adding depth along the D-line.
He was — most likely — glad to be back on defense, after he had moved to offensive line, but wasn’t playing, in 2021 for the Rebels.
Against the Illini, he had 1 tackle.
Parker Hanna
After transferring in from West Texas A&M, Hanna was likely to settle in as a reserve for Indiana.
But that lasted only a week. Hanna is the likely starter at right tackle Saturday vs. Idaho after veteran Matthew Bedford tore his ACL midway through the game vs. Illinois. Hanna was most frequently a left tackle for West Texas, where he started 13 games over the last 2 seasons.
Hanna replaced Bedford after he had gone out with the knee injury. But the Hoosiers are looking for more from an offensive line that helped IU produce only 32 yards on 26 carries.
Josh Henderson
Allen rebuilt the Hoosiers’ backfield in the offseason, adding Shivers and fellow transfer Josh Henderson from North Carolina.
Henderson is the bigger, seemingly more physical of the 2 backs. The 6-1, 205-pounder was a reserve for the Tar Heels who saw only minimal opportunities there. Perhaps he’ll see an extended role for the Hoosiers. But in Game 1, he was the backup to Shivers and gained only 7 yards on his 6 carries, with a long of 7.
Bradley Jennings Jr.
Jennings transferred into Indiana after injuries had derailed what seemed like a promising career that started at the University of Miami in Florida.
Although he was a reserve, the speedy 6-1, 209-pounder had a fantastic debut for the Hoosiers, making 6 tackles, 1.5 for loss with a sack. The 3rd-down sack early in the 2nd quarter forced the Fighting Illini into a punt, 1 play before Bazelak’s 52-yard bomb to Matthews for IU’s first touchdown.
Jennings might play himself into a starting role.
Brylan Lanier
Indiana needed a bit of depth in its defensive secondary, so it added Lanier, who had redshirted in his only season at Alabama.
Despite Indiana having a veteran secondary, where 3 starters returned, Lanier still found opportunities in Game 1, making 4 tackles.
Patrick Lucas Jr.
Lucas came over from Ole Miss with Cox, his defensive teammate. And like Cox, Lucas is adding depth to a defensive line that absolutely needed it following the ’21 season.
The tackle had played in 7 games as a freshman in 2020, but only 1 last season. He’ll get a larger chance as a junior in Bloomington, where he had a couple tackles vs. Illinois.
Shaun Shivers
In his career at Auburn, Shivers had more than 1,000 yards rushing, but he did so largely in a reserve role.
Looking for a chance at an expanded presence in an offense, the 5-7, 186-pounder came to Indiana, where he earned the starting role for Game 1. But IU will need more production. Against Illinois, Shivers had 28 yards on 15 carries with a long of only 5. It’s not all on Shivers — the offensive line didn’t open many holes — but the back has to help be part of the solution.
Shivers did have one of the game’s biggest plays, when he scored from 1 yard out to give Indiana a late lead and a win.
Emery Simmons
In his debut for the Hoosiers, Simmons had 2 receptions, one of which was a 24-yarder than came on a 3rd-and-9 and helped IU to a critical field goal at the end of the 1st half.
Simmons, a 6-1, 186-pounder, made 14 starts during his 3-year career at North Carolina.
JH Tevis
Perhaps one of the big-gets for the Hoosiers during the offseason, the 6-4, 283-pound Tevis adds versatility to the Hoosiers’ defensive line.
And he showed that in Game 1, when the former Cal defensive lineman had 4 tackles, including 2 for loss. Both TFLs came on 2nd downs, 2 plays before the Fighting Illini were forced to punt.
Kyle Charters, a familiar face at Gold & Black, covers Purdue, Indiana and college basketball for Saturday Tradition.