Indiana’s Carter Smith, Bray Lynch Among Nation’s Highest Graded Offensive Linemen in Week 1

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana’s offensive line experienced a few notable changes during the offseason, making it a position of interest in Week 1 against Florida International.

Indiana returned starting left tackle Carter Smith and moved veteran Hoosier Mike Katic to center after he started all 12 games in 2023 at left guard. But as starters Matthew Bedford (Oregon), Kahlil Benson (Colorado) and Zach Carpenter (Miami) transferred out, new head coach Curt Cignetti had spots to fill.

He brought two linemen with him from James Madison, Nick Kidwell and Tyler Stephens. However, Kidwell suffered a season-ending knee injury during fall camp, and Stephens was not one of the five starters against FIU. 

That meant redshirt sophomores Drew Evans and Bray Lynch would be making their first career starts in college football at left and right guard, respectively. Evans and Lynch both committed holding penalties in the game, two of nine total penalties that cost the Hoosiers 90 yards.

Following all Week 1 games around the country, two Hoosiers graded out among the nation’s best by Pro Football Focus (PFF). Smith received an 88.5 pass blocking grade, which tied for seventh in the FBS, and PFF gave Lynch an 87.8 pass blocking grade, which tied for 13th. 

Against FIU, Indiana’s offensive line helped generate 234 rushing yards on 40 attempts, good for 5.9 yards per carry. That included two rushing touchdowns from Ty Son Lawton and a 51-yard rushing touchdown from Elijah Green. Running backs Lawton, Green and Justice Ellison each had at least one rush for 14-plus yards. 

In the pass game, Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke was sacked twice and hurried six times, according to PFF. Cignetti shared his thoughts on the offensive line’s performance in Week 1.

“We had some real nice chunks in the run game,” Cignetti said Saturday. “And most of the pressure I saw was coming off the edge in the pass game. So, you know, we would get the run game going in the second half in chunks, chunks, chunks, kind of breaking their will. Then we’d throw it, you know, and go backwards. Those guys are capable. We’re going to be okay there.”

“Pass pro, we had a couple issues, but nothing that’s not correctable there,” he said Monday after reviewing the film. “We’re not real deep there on the offensive line. We can go probably six deep with veteran guys, seven. So got to keep progressing.”

Here are the rest of the PFF grades for Indiana’s starting offensive linemen in Week 1. The first number is their grade, followed by their national ranking among offensive linemen that played at least 50% of their team’s offensive snaps in Week 1, and concluding with where that grade ranks among their career performances.

Carter Smith, left tackle

Drew Evans, left guard

Mike Katic, center

Bray Lynch, right guard

Trey Wedig, right tackle