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Indiana football's unbeaten streak was snapped on Saturday afternoon with a 19-15 loss to Ohio State at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington. The Hoosiers kept it close throughout the matchup, but the Buckeyes simply proved too much in pivotal moments while Indiana failed to make plays. That's saying nothing of the uniquely heartbreaking way in which the game ended.
Either way, here are five thoughts on the matchup: Indiana doesn't have a quarterback problem. It doesn't have a quarterback advantage either, which is still bad.
Josh Hoover doesn't need to be perfect for Indiana to have success. He does need to be able to make the throws that are readily available, something that didn't happen enough during Saturday's matchup. He spent much of the second half dealing with an arm injury, but was sailing passes to pretty open receivers or forcing the ball into coverage before that. Hoover hasn't made any backbreaking errors and, for the most part, has left his turnover habit behind. He just hasn't put any of Indiana's receivers in ideal positions to succeed either, which is still not good. In short, he's not bad at all, he just hasn't been good enough.
Bryant Haines and Mike Shanahan were as good as you could've wanted them to be. Haines' defense (more below) played masterfully. Shanahan schemed up enough openings in the passing game for Indiana to have success, the execution just wasn't there. I think Curt Cignetti made some interesting calls, from the challenge on Chris Henry Jr.'s catch to the long field goal attempt, but Indiana's coordinators called as good of a game as you could've hoped for.
Indiana's defense played more than well enough for this to be a win. Indiana and Ohio State's offenses played about even with remarkably similar stats. It's just that one team has Jeremiah Smith, who broke the game open with that late touchdown reception to put the Buckeyes up multiple scores. Haines' defense forced a pair of interceptions and a fumble out of Julian Sayin with six tackles for loss total. Limiting Ohio State to 19 points should've been enough but, as stated above, Indiana's offense wasn't able to execute at a high enough level to make it so, particularly in the passing game.
There's still plenty of season to go in this era. Indiana's matchup against Michigan looms large, with the Wolverines reeling but talented and capable, especially in the Big House. The Hoosiers would do well to avoid further losses if they want to make it back to the College Football Playoff for the third consecutive season.
Heartbreak. There's something to be said for the uniquely awful way in which this ended for the Hoosiers. That kind of ending is from a script of this sort of game from the Kevin Wilson era or earlier when Indiana came oh-so-close but couldn't pull it off. Forego every other play but that one, when Indiana played Ohio State relatively evenly, and that ending is straight out of the chaos team era.
Key Analysis
Indiana's defense delivered a performance worthy of victory, holding Ohio State to just 19 points while forcing three turnovers. However, the offense's inability to capitalize on scoring opportunities, particularly through the air, proved costly. The Hoosiers' receiving corps struggled to gain separation, and quarterback Josh Hoover's accuracy issues prevented the team from converting key plays. The late touchdown by Jeremiah Smith underscored the difference between the two teams: Ohio State has game-changing playmakers, while Indiana does not. With a crucial matchup against Michigan on the horizon, Indiana must quickly address its offensive execution to keep its College Football Playoff hopes alive.
Originally reported by yahoo.