From Junior College to Big Ten, Cam Camper’s Breakout Game Helps Indiana Win Opener

Connor Bazelak did not hesitate to zip a swing move to Shaun Shivers on his first snap as a Hoosier. 

However earlier than Shivers might haul it in and switch his eyes up area, Devon Witherspoon delivered a success that flipped Shivers on his head and elicited an instinctual and communal gasp from the Memorial Stadium crowd. 

Bazelak faked a handoff on the subsequent play, however as quickly as he pulled the ball from Shivers’ abdomen, he was spun to the bottom for a six-yard loss. The brand new-look Indiana offense was off to a shaky begin by two performs.

Bazelak would really show his poise afterward, however he did not panic on third and 16, both. Cam Camper took a couple of onerous steps down the sector, planted his proper foot close to the sideline and used a slick head pretend to show Witherspoon round. 

Bazelak hit Camper in stride for a 40-yard achieve, igniting Indiana’s first drive of the season. Camper is used to enjoying in entrance of massive crowds from his highschool days Texas, however the 44,357 followers packed inside Memorial Stadium was a brand new excessive for Camper. And after his first catch, he was in a position to calm down.

“It is a massive aid, actually,” Camper mentioned. “The play simply occurred for me. We caught them making an attempt to sub. Simply run. It was actual simple, identical to pitch and catch.”

Charles Campbell drilled a 39-yard area purpose a couple of performs later to present the Hoosiers a three-point lead, and Camper racked up 156 yards on 11 receptions in Indiana’s 23-20 win over Illinois. After his first sport of Division I soccer, Camper established himself as a go-to goal for Bazelak. 

Camper obtained praised from coaches and teammates all through fall camp, and Tom Allen wasn’t shocked by his efficiency on Friday evening. When Camper first arrived in Bloomington, fellow receiver D.J. Matthews mentioned he was impressed by Camper’s measurement, palms, catch radius and the way fluid he strikes at 6-foot-2.

“That is virtually like my finest good friend proper there,” Matthews mentioned. “Me and Cam are all the time collectively, we’ve got quite a lot of chemistry, we work loads. That is my man. He had a extremely nice sport at the moment for his first sport, too, in order that was fairly candy to look at him go on the market and make quite a lot of performs and execute at a excessive degree.”

But it surely wasn’t too way back that Camper practically stepped away from soccer. After graduating Lancaster Excessive College in Texas, Camper was undersized and neglected.

“I sort of simply shut it down as a result of I did not haven’t any presents,” Camper mentioned.

He spent a semester as a walk-on at Sam Houston State, however Camper felt undervalued  in a task that he described as a ‘particular groups dummy.’ He determined to go the junior school route at Trinity Valley Group Faculty in Texas, and ultimately landed a scholarship at Indiana. (To learn the full-length function on Camper’s journey to Bloomington, CLICK HERE)

“After I put [Camper’s] movie in from junior school I used to be like ‘How’s this child not a man that everyone is making an attempt to get?’” Allen mentioned. “So we obtained to know him, beloved him as an individual, thought he was an important match for us.”

Camper needed to overcome critical adversity in his Indiana debut, as nicely. Indiana clung to a one-point lead with lower than 5 minutes left when Bazelak discovered Camper 10 yards down the sector. However as Camper fell to the bottom, Tahveon Nicholson jarred the ball free and recovered the fumble on the Indiana 45-yard line.

Illinois gained 15 yards earlier than kicking a area purpose to take a four-point lead with simply over two minutes to play. The Hoosiers’ second half possessions consisted of an interception, 4 punts and Camper’s fumble, and now, a landing was necessary to win the sport. Camper needed to shake off the error.

“Simply the subsequent play mindset, the the ‘so what?’ mindset,” Camper mentioned. “You need to transfer on, there’s nothing you are able to do about it.”

With the sport on the road, Bazelak went to his playmakers – Camper and D.J. Matthews.

Camper mentioned he constructed sturdy belief with Bazelak this offseason, and informed his quarterback on the sideline, ‘I’m going to get to my spot, simply get the ball out and I obtained you.’ Orchestrating a 75-yard two-minute drill, Bazelak stayed calm below strain and hit Matthews 5 occasions for 44 yards and Camper twice for 26. Camper mentioned Indiana practices two-minute drills to the purpose the place the ultimate drive felt pure.

Shaun Shivers plowed forward for the game-winning one-yard landing run, and Camper noticed a brand new aspect of Bazelak on the drive that gave Indiana a 1-0 begin to the season.

“Actually, for the primary time, that was the primary time I’ve seen Connor speak for actual, and I used to be sort of blissful to see that.” Camper mentioned. “It was good to see him retaining us up after sure performs, telling us, ‘We’re good. We’ll get the subsequent one.’ It introduced out [Connor] being a frontrunner, actually … He was pumped up, and that obtained me going.”

Camper credit practising in opposition to All-Large Ten cornerbacks Tiawan Mullen and Jaylin Williams for his speedy improvement and skill to make a direct affect in his leap from junior school to the Large Ten.

“I feel that was the most important factor, they sort of make the sport simple for me,” Camper mentioned. “They’re so good at what they do, they usually’re in all probability one of the best I’ll see this entire season. If I can compete with them, I can compete with anyone.”

Camper wasn’t with the Hoosiers final season, however he might really feel the significance of Friday’s win from the response of the followers and the ‘good vibes’ within the locker room. It was Indiana’s first win since Dec. 5, 2020 at Wisconsin and one that may construct critical momentum for the 2022 season. 

Indiana hosts Idaho and Western Kentucky the subsequent two weeks, representing a possibility to start out 3-0 and surpass final season’s win whole. And if his first sport with the Hoosiers is any indication, Indiana has two explosive playmakers on the surface with Camper and Matthews.

‘[Camper] confirmed the world who he’s,” Matthews mentioned. “There’s much more within the tank. Y’all actually ain’t seen nothing but.”

Cam Camper Racks Up 156 Yards in 23-20 Win Over Illinois

Associated tales on Indiana soccer:

• CAM CAMPER’S JOURNEY FROM JUNIOR COLLEGE TO INDIANA: Cam Camper graduated Lancaster Excessive College with zero scholarship presents, and he practically stepped away from the sport after getting used as a ‘particular groups dummy’ at Sam Houston State. However after grinding by junior school, ‘Coach Cam’ Camper is impressing his teammates and coaches at Indiana. CLICK HERE
• BAZELAK LEADS INDIANA ON GAME-WINNING DRIVE: In his first sport in an Indiana uniform, quarterback Connor Bazelak led the Hoosiers 75 yards down the sector, ultimately handing the ball to operating again Shaun Shivers for a 2-yard landing run to present Indiana a 23-20 win over Illinois of their season opener. CLICK HERE
• WHAT TOM ALLEN SAID AFTER INDIANA’S WIN OVER ILLINOIS: Indiana defeated Illinois 23-20 on Friday evening within the Hoosiers’ season and residential opener at Memorial Stadium. Here is what Tom Allen mentioned after the sport in a press convention. CLICK HERE
• POSITIVES AND NEGATIVES FROM INDIANA’S WIN: Indiana soccer began its season with a 23-20 win over Illinois on Friday evening. Tom Allen mentioned it was a large win for Indiana, however acknowledged areas of obligatory enchancment. Here is what went proper and what went mistaken within the season-opening win. CLICK HERE