BLOOMINGTON — If they are truthful with themselves, the Indiana Hoosiers must concede the Clint Eastwood “Dirty Harry” movie quote, “Do I feel lucky?”

Why yes, they should after escaping last Saturday night’s football game at Memorial Stadium with a 29-27 victory over Akron in four overtimes.

When your coach says he is going to stay up much of the night studying film to determine all of the things that went wrong and that he will contemplate personnel changes, the aftermath feels more like “whew” than “party on.”

In its own way, this match with the 1-3 Zips of the Mid-American Conference was more like survival training, but in no way a showcase for 2-2 IU. This game turned into an epic of suspense at the end, but that was after more than three hours of ordeal.

IU linebacker Aaron Casey characterized the atmospheric conditions in the post-game locker room as, “The mood wasn’t the best, but a win is a win.”

At times, Indiana’s offense, which must rev up as the rest of the Big Ten Conference season looms, was so stagnant the end zone seemed located beyond the parking lot. For long stretches, the Zips held IU to zip.

Overall, Akron ran up 474 yards to the Hoosiers’ 282, just 92 of them rushing. Indeed, offensive line members likely did not sleep comfortably after this game. They did not open holes much for backs and particularly failed in short yardage situations.

Going back a week versus Louisville, Indiana has flunked tests near the opponent’s goal line. The Hoosiers couldn’t push the ball into the end zone to tie the Cardinals.

In the second quarter against Akron, IU could not score after a first-and-goal on the Zips’ four-yard line. In the fourth quarter IU had a first-and-goal from the nine. The Hoosiers were stopped three times and settled for a 19-yard Chris Freeman field goal.

Appreciating the victory, but clearly bugged by the aesthetics, coach Tom Allen concluded, “There is not a lot to be too fired up on that side of the football. We’ve got to look at changes in the things we’re doing.”

A couple of games into his tenure as the No. 1 quarterback, Tayven Jackson did not shine, though he did find Cam Camper on a 12-yard touchdown throw and complete the game-winning pass in the fourth overtime to Dequece Carter.

“Man, I saw him wide open,” Jackson said. “I wanted to shovel the ball to him.”

Actually, the one IU player who regularly seemed immune to Akron’s defensive schemes was Camper. Back from a serious injury a year ago, the 6-foot-2, 195-pound senior keeps distinguishing himself by hauling in the ball however covered. Camper made four catches for 103 yards, two for 40 yards apiece. It made fans yearn for the ball to be thrown Camper’s way more often.

Camper was glad to be on the winning side, but admitted it was one win that didn’t seem worth celebrating very much.

“It definitely wasn’t what we wanted,” Camper said. “We’ve got to figure out what we need to do better.”

After a mishmash of a game that included 10 penalties by Akron immeasurably aiding IU at important times, but also Indiana infractions such as roughing the passer and unsportsmanlike conduct that had to have Allen gnashing his teeth, the contest came down to college football’s wacky back-and-forth overtime rules.

IU led 7-0, 7-3, and 14-10 and there were ties at 17-17 when regulation ended, 24-24, and 27-27. The Hoosiers endured a second-half stretch of four possessions out of five being three-and-outs, three plays and punt. But they also had defensive backs with better hands than Akron’s receivers.

Louis Moore made two interceptions of Akron throws and returned one for 22 yards and a touchdown by running wider and wider right until the Zips ran out of real estate to catch him. Moore, from Texas, played for a junior college in Texas called Navarro. He said this is the first pick six of his career, though he won a game on a fumble recovery for Navarro.

“The first one was zone coverage,” Moore said of his interceptions. “The second one, I think it was the same plan. It (the ball) just tipped off his fingers.”

Under NCAA rules the first overtimes give teams the ball at the 25-yard line and if one team scores, the other team must. Then, after a couple of rounds of that, teams must score on the equivalent of two-point conversions, being given the ball at the three-yard line. That’s how IU won on the throw from Jackson to Carter.

It was nearly midnight when Allen conducted his post-game press conference. “Congratulations,” he said to sports reporters, glancing at his watch. “I appreciate your perseverance.”

No doubt IU fans felt the same about the team’s perseverance.