The Indiana passing game shined bright in their first win of the 2023 campaign, but it did not come without sacrifice.
Wide receivers E.J. Williams and Cam Camper both came out of the game after suffering injuries in the first half.
Williams came out towards the end of the first quarter holding his wrist as he walked off. Later, he would be seen in street clothes and his right hand wrapped on the Indiana sideline for the remainder of the game.
Camper remained dressed for the duration of the game. He was subbed out in the second quarter, and got treated by the athletic training staff. Camper was later seen jumping and stretching out his legs, but never returned to action. Camper fell victim to an ACL injury last season, and has still been limited in his touches so far this season.
However, the injuries to two of IU’s top pass catchers paved the way for a breakout performance for Omar Cooper Jr.
The Lawrence North H.S. product put up some great numbers in light of Williams and Camper missing the second half. Cooper tallied 101 yards on seven catches for the Hoosiers, the team’s best in both categories. He finished just ahead of his former high school quarterback Donaven McCulley in each. McCulley had four grabs for 58 yards.
Cooper created great separation on his routes, and also had some tough grabs in traffic.
The redshirt freshman hasn’t seen much action until Friday’s game against Indiana State. Cooper played a very limited role versus Ohio State, and was primarily utilized on special teams his first season. However, according to head coach Tom Allen, this breakout was only a matter of time.
“Not surprised,” Allen said at Friday night’s presser. “I just felt like he was special, I watched him throughout high school and he did the same things…he just has strong hands, he runs strong, he’s tough…love his emergence.”
Now that he has a more than respectable performance under his belt, Cooper is ready to take new heights as a receiver for Indiana’s squad. Whether that be at continuing at a more limited role or seeing more action as time goes, the native Hoosier is ready to be great.
“I just want to be the best receiver I can be,” Cooper said Friday evening. “I want to be the best receiver I can be for myself…and want to keep performing at a good level every game.”
As for Camper and Williams, no official comment has been made on their status. Allen says he will keep it that way until his staff releases the pregame injury availability reports required by the Big Ten.
The Hoosiers’ next contest brings them to Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis on Saturday, September 16th against Louisville.
