3 reasons IU beat Western Kentucky: Good Michael Penix, strong Stephen Carr, a close call

BOWLING GREEN, Ky. – IU escaped a tricky road game at Western Kentucky with a 33-31 win Saturday night to even its record at 2-2. Here are three reasons why:

Penix finds his feet early

After three weeks of frustration and mistakes, Michael Penix looked like his old self in the first half Saturday at Western Kentucky. The redshirt junior left-hander completed 21-of-33 first-half passes for 218 yards, and might have had more but for a handful of noticeable drops.

More importantly for Indiana, Penix looked as confident and in rhythm as he has at any point this season. His reads were on time, his passes often pinpoint. The same player who looked unsettled too often in the season’s first three weeks delivered throws with confidence and assertiveness, commanded his pocket and shrugged off pressure.

Late in the half, Western Kentucky began to crank up that pressure with a series of blitz packages. But Penix responded with a 68-yard drive in the last 55 seconds of the second quarter to secure the field goal that ensured IU led by two scores at the break, 23-14.

Insider:Michael Penix plays like himself again in game IU had to have

Osterman:IU lifts weight off its shoulders in narrow escape at Western Kentucky

Hoosiers struggle to finish drives

It was largely a good evening for IU’s offense, as a result. Penix’s poise rubbed off on receivers who cut down on drops, while Stephen Carr gashed and slashed through Western Kentucky’s defense with an impressive array of stutter moves and jump cuts.

But that good work was often undone by incomplete drives. After scoring touchdowns on each of their first two possessions, the Hoosiers didn’t find the end zone at all in the second or third quarters. Their five drills following their second touchdown ended with four-straight field goals and a third-quarter punt.

Kicker Charles Campbell performed admirably, nailing multiple kicks from beyond 45 yards and once knocking in a crucial field goal even after a penalty forced him to repeat his try. But against the aggressive, high-scoring Hilltoppers, Indiana paid for its inability to finish drives by losing control of a game it once looked like it might cruise through.

Stars step up

Penix wasn’t alone. IU got big games from Ty Fryfogle, Peyton Hendershot, Stephen Carr, Tiawan Mullen, Micah McFadden and Miles Marshall. The Hoosiers struggled at times, in what was undeniably a difficult game on its merits. But their best players stood up when it mattered most, not least the third-down conversion needing eight yards and getting 10 from Penix to Fryfogle on the game’s final drive to seal a victory.

IU left Bowling Green on Saturday night still an imperfect team, but at least a steadied one, thanks to its biggest stars.

Follow IndyStar reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.