Crawford's Two Interceptions Lead Indiana
9/19/2015 10:07:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Western Kentucky quarterback Brandon Doughty entered week three without an interception to his name.
Jonathan Crawford changed that.
The true freshman safety had two third quarter interceptions that Indiana turned into 14 points. His efforts laid the foundation for the Hoosiers to outscore the Hilltoppers 21-0 in the quarter, propelling Indiana to a 38-35 win.
"I practiced good this week," Crawford said. "I feel like it showed out there."
Crawford picked off back-to-back passes in the third quarter as part of a 21-0 Indiana run.
The first killed a Western Kentucky drive seemingly poised for the end zone. On an underthrown deep ball to the corner pylon on the goal line, Crawford repositioned himself in front of the errant pass and came up with an interception on the IU 3-yard line.
Indiana drove 97 yards and got into the end zone on the ensuing possession. Then Crawford jumped a route on the first pass he saw and came up with a second interception in as many opportunities at the WKU 17-yard line.
"He's been breaking on my speed-out routes and making plays in practice, so I was waiting on him to come out there and let loose," senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "It was fun to see, because that kid's going to be special. He's just a gamer. He doesn't hesitate and he goes to the next play."
Crawford's short-term memory is exactly what the defensive backs coaches have been preaching at practice the last few weeks.
IU head coach Kevin Wilson has been reminding his players that it's okay to make mistakes. They're going to get burned on some plays, but on others, they're going to come up with game-changing plays.
Crawford's been relied on early and often this season at safety. The true freshman has started all three games and has been forced to grow up quickly.
"I just did what I could," Crawford said. "I wasn't expecting to start. I just came and practiced hard."
Wilson credited Crawford's athleticism for helping him transition as well as he has to the college game.
He said he has good awareness and feel for where he's at on the field. Crawford played wide receiver in high school, which he said helped him read routes and come up with his two interceptions.
"Unfortunately, we could still move it on offense but we turned the ball over twice in a row," Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm said. "Unfortunately, for us, we don't have that margin of error. We can't do that."
Paige scores on special teams
Before Indiana's offense even took the field, the Hoosiers had points on the board.
Redshirt junior receiver Mitchell Paige took a Western Kentucky punt 91 yards for a score with 12:35 remaining in the opening quarter.
Paige's score was the first by an IU punt returner since Shane Wynn's 58-yarder against Indiana State on Aug. 28, 2013. It was the longest return by a Hoosier since Lance Bennett went for 94 yards against Michigan State on Sept. 25, 2004.
"It was just great blocking," Paige said. "That was a whole team return. Once I got through, I had the whole crew with me. It was an awesome play, and it was really cool to be running with all those guys. I didn't have to do much."
Run game continues to pace Indiana
Indiana's running back tandem of junior Jordan Howard and sophomore Devine Redding continued to lay the foundation for the Indiana offense.
The two combined for 282 yards on 54 carries. Together, they've rushed for over 200 yards in three consecutive games.
"I feel like we have shown people what we can do," Howard said. "This is not just about me, it's about all of us, the offense as a whole."
Wilson's word:
"I think the way last year ended, we know it could have gone other directions. Even though we only won one game down the stretch, the way those kids battled, they came out of there feeling, 'We're kind of close and we had some bad breaks, and in time it's going to be good breaks. Let's keep playing hard and make good breaks."
Jonathan Crawford changed that.
The true freshman safety had two third quarter interceptions that Indiana turned into 14 points. His efforts laid the foundation for the Hoosiers to outscore the Hilltoppers 21-0 in the quarter, propelling Indiana to a 38-35 win.
"I practiced good this week," Crawford said. "I feel like it showed out there."
Crawford picked off back-to-back passes in the third quarter as part of a 21-0 Indiana run.
The first killed a Western Kentucky drive seemingly poised for the end zone. On an underthrown deep ball to the corner pylon on the goal line, Crawford repositioned himself in front of the errant pass and came up with an interception on the IU 3-yard line.
Indiana drove 97 yards and got into the end zone on the ensuing possession. Then Crawford jumped a route on the first pass he saw and came up with a second interception in as many opportunities at the WKU 17-yard line.
"He's been breaking on my speed-out routes and making plays in practice, so I was waiting on him to come out there and let loose," senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "It was fun to see, because that kid's going to be special. He's just a gamer. He doesn't hesitate and he goes to the next play."
Crawford's short-term memory is exactly what the defensive backs coaches have been preaching at practice the last few weeks.
IU head coach Kevin Wilson has been reminding his players that it's okay to make mistakes. They're going to get burned on some plays, but on others, they're going to come up with game-changing plays.
Crawford's been relied on early and often this season at safety. The true freshman has started all three games and has been forced to grow up quickly.
"I just did what I could," Crawford said. "I wasn't expecting to start. I just came and practiced hard."
Wilson credited Crawford's athleticism for helping him transition as well as he has to the college game.
He said he has good awareness and feel for where he's at on the field. Crawford played wide receiver in high school, which he said helped him read routes and come up with his two interceptions.
"Unfortunately, we could still move it on offense but we turned the ball over twice in a row," Western Kentucky head coach Jeff Brohm said. "Unfortunately, for us, we don't have that margin of error. We can't do that."
Paige scores on special teams
Before Indiana's offense even took the field, the Hoosiers had points on the board.
Redshirt junior receiver Mitchell Paige took a Western Kentucky punt 91 yards for a score with 12:35 remaining in the opening quarter.
Paige's score was the first by an IU punt returner since Shane Wynn's 58-yarder against Indiana State on Aug. 28, 2013. It was the longest return by a Hoosier since Lance Bennett went for 94 yards against Michigan State on Sept. 25, 2004.
"It was just great blocking," Paige said. "That was a whole team return. Once I got through, I had the whole crew with me. It was an awesome play, and it was really cool to be running with all those guys. I didn't have to do much."
Run game continues to pace Indiana
Indiana's running back tandem of junior Jordan Howard and sophomore Devine Redding continued to lay the foundation for the Indiana offense.
The two combined for 282 yards on 54 carries. Together, they've rushed for over 200 yards in three consecutive games.
"I feel like we have shown people what we can do," Howard said. "This is not just about me, it's about all of us, the offense as a whole."
Wilson's word:
"I think the way last year ended, we know it could have gone other directions. Even though we only won one game down the stretch, the way those kids battled, they came out of there feeling, 'We're kind of close and we had some bad breaks, and in time it's going to be good breaks. Let's keep playing hard and make good breaks."
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