This is not to take away from anything accomplished by the 2024 Indiana Hoosiers Football Team. The AP Top 25 came out today and the Indiana Hoosiers are ranked #10 in the land. They should be that or higher. Indiana, I am all for you.
All is not lost! Good grief, man, we are talking about a 10-1 team at a school that went 9-27 in the previous three years. A school that has never won 10 games before. I think the Hoosiers will make this year’s extended college football playoff after they dismantle Purdue next weekend. That is a Cinderella Story that no other playoff-era team can make claim to. Understand, this is phenomenal.
Look, I understand the history. I was in Section 11 of Memorial Stadium the last time IU beat Ohio State, and it has been too long. Ronald Reagan was still President. Talk about good old days that made sense.
This past Saturday a 10-0 Indiana Hoosiers Football team arrived in Columbus, Ohio in a glass carriage and left Ohio Stadium in a pumpkin at 10-1. A self-inflicted pumpkin at that.
Let’s recap.
The Hoosiers led 7-0 after a 70-yard drive that meant business after holding the Buckeyes to an opening three and out. Defensively the Hoosiers were doing well. Defensive back Jaylin Walker fought off an uncalled hold to make a tackle for a loss. For a quarter, the body language and the look in the eyes certainly favored the Indiana Hoosiers. The first quarter ended unlike nine other games with Indiana not being scored on. End of the 1st Indiana 7 Ohio State 0.
To start the 2nd quarter, the Buckeyes had 4th and 1 at the Indiana 2-yard line. The Buckeyes went for it. Indiana HELD THEM!
Indiana has the ball at the 12:29 mark in the 2nd quarter and Indiana had made 4 of 4 3rd down conversions to Ohio State’s 1 out of 4.
At the end of the first half, the Indiana pumpkin started making its way to Ohio Stadium. Kurtis Rourke had been sacked three times. The Hoosiers were looking at 4th and 15 deep in their own territory with 1:47 left in the half with the score tied 7-7. Disaster struck. Here comes the pumpkin.
The punt snap to Indiana punter, James Evans, went through his hands. Ohio State takes over at the Indiana 7. Three hard-fought plays later, Buckeye running back, Treveyon Henderson, was in the endzone celebrating an Ohio State touchdown. The pumpkin gets closer.
I love punters. I get them. God bless James Evans. I know he is hurting. This is where the game really turned. Suddenly the Hoosiers were facing two opponents for the first time this season. They were playing the Buckeyes and the trying to get past themselves. We have not seen that this season. Indiana wrapped a present and handed it to the Buckeyes a month and two days before Christmas. Halftime score: Ohio State 14 Indiana 7.
The second half started with another special team disaster when the Hoosiers punted from their own 27 yard-line with 13:06 left in the 3rd quarter after an Indiana 3 and out. James Evans got the punt away this time. It was fielded by an OSU returner at the Buckeye 21-yard line. Indiana’s Mark Langston whiffed on a tackle at the Buckeye 25 and that was that. 75 yards later the Ohio State Band, in those goofy hats they wear, were cranking up that annoying Ohio State school song. Suddenly, the score was 21-7 thanks to the Indiana punt team that has been nothing but stellar all season leading up to this game. That was the difference. There is not another play in football that can invigorate a team stronger than a punt return for a touchdown. Why? Because the 11 defenders just forced a team to punt and the punt return team, thanks to the defense, just made the other team pay the highest price.
All season long, the Indiana Hoosiers have had stellar special teams play. They still have not missed a field goal or an extra point. The punting game has been amazing until the game in Columbus.
Yes, we can all agree that after Indiana’s first drive, Ohio State certainly made some defensive adjustments that made the offensive line of the Indiana Hoosiers pay dearly along with their beleaguered quarterback, Kurtis Rourke.
Here’s the good thing. All is not lost for the Indiana Hoosiers. They can learn from this experience in Columbus, and I think they will. The Hoosiers have proven (10-0) that they are quick studies. Don’t give up on these guys yet. I won’t. But my dream of watching them in the Big Ten Championship Game just up the road is gone. A miracle would have to get them there now. Penn State and Ohio State would have to lose next week. That ain’t gonna happen.
The silver-lining of the weekend for the Indiana Hoosiers? Well, that would be the cannibalization of the SEC. Ole Miss was beaten by a 5-5 Florida team. The Rebs have three losses, and I hate that. I was not rooting against them. Alabama was beaten by a 5-5 Oklahoma team. The Tide has three losses, and I love that. Get them out of the way. 4-6 Auburn beat Texas A & M. The Aggies have three losses. Get them out of the way. Sorry Paul Finebaum. Your argument just lost a great deal of water. All that is left for you is hot air and there is plenty of that! Keep talking about the Hoosiers as they make the CFP Playoff. I know you need to play up to the SEC.
Speaking of the SEC, I watched games from noon to 2 AM last night when USC finally beat UCLA. I had two TVs going all day and all night. After watching Ole Miss v. Florida, UK v. Texas, Oklahoma v, Alabama, Texas A&M v. Auburn, and LSU v. Vandy, I came to conclusion that the SEC teams in the College Football Playoff don’t stand a chance of winning. After watching this much late season November football, it is not a good look for the SEC when you see that the third leading tackler in the conference is the ref’s whistle. I have never seen so much dancing from runners and defenders… dancing until the sound of the whistle when they stop and move on to the next play. They don’t want to bend their backs and make a tackle. Maybe this is because of the lack of knee pads on players these days? Either way, this spells a portent of doom for the SEC when they meet a team from a league not afraid to tackle. Let Paul Finebaum chew on that.
Yes. This Indiana Hoosiers Football team has been one for the history books. I have tickets to the Big Ten Championship game because of it. I don’t see them there now. I’m not sure I see me there now. But, thanks to the SEC, I see a place for the Hoosiers at the CFP table after a dominating win over Purdue next week.
The Pumpkin did show up for the Hoosiers in Columbus, but guess what? That is not where College Football will have its Final Ball!
Speaking the rights…Go Hoosiers!
Danny Johnson