My Two Cents: Close isn't good enough, but close still really, really hurts

EAST LANSING, Mich. — First off, let's dispense with one thing immediately. There are no moral victories in the Big Ten.

Period. End of story.

So the fact that Indiana came up to Michigan State and had a lead in the fourth quarter isn't anything to be happy about. Neither is coming back with a freshman quarterback after losing the lead and tying the game with two minutes to go.

It doesn't matter without a victory — a program-defining victory — and the Hoosiers let that slip away, losing to the No. 25 Spartans 40-31 Saturday at Spartan Stadium.

And this one hurt. Really bad.

it hurt because the Hoosiers did enough good things all day to win this game, but a few miscues here and there didn't allow for that to happen. Instead, their frustration at getting over the hump in the Big Ten continues. They still haven't won a road game against a ranked conference opponent since 2001.

But they could have. And when they didn't, it hurt bad. Really, really bad.

"That was a tough way to lose. I thought our kids fought. It was hard to face them in the locker room knowing how hard they played. There were a lot of tears in there,'' Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "There should be, because when you invest like they invest, it ought to hurt. We've got to find a way to make one more play.''

It really did come down to that. The score is deceiving because a last-ditch play by Indiana as the clock was running out wound up in the end zone for a meaningless Michigan State touchdown. The game was actually decided with a field goal with only 5 seconds left.

That came after Indiana had tied the game on a frantic drive in the closing minutes, scoring a touchdown with 2 minutes to go to tie the game at 31.

That said a lot, and that's why it hurts so much.

Especially with the people involved.

Redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix returned to action after missing two-plus games with a shoulder injury. For a freshman making his first start in a true road game, he was sensational. He was 33-for-42 passing (78.6 percent) and set a school record with 20 consecutive completions. It's the second-longest streak in Big Ten history, and the only performance that was better was Iowa's Chuck Long in 1984.

Yep, he was that good.

And his favorite target most of the day was junior slot receiver Whop Philyor, his buddy from Tampa. The two Florida kids couldn't be stopped most of the day. Philyor had 14 catches for 142 yards and two touchdowns.

Penix was a game-time decision by Allen and the coaching staff, and that was legitimate because he had been out since Sept. 7.

"He didn't practice every day, but he practiced enough that we felt comfortable starting him if he felt good,'' Allen said. "I didn't even know if he could play the whole game, to be honest with you, and we had Peyton (Ramsey) ready to go just in case.

"To do what he did in this environment with just a couple of games under his belt was amazing. I was just really impressed by the way he performed. ''

Penix had a career-high three touchdown passes and accounted for the fourth touchdown with a 2-yard run. He played with a lot of courage, and even took a few hits.

But he kept getting up, and kept fighting.

And fighting.

And fighting some more. He wanted it that bad.

"My body was good, and I got a lot of encouragement from my teammates. That meant a lot,'' Penix said. "We didn't get the win, but the coaches put us in the right situations with the right play calls. It was just catch and throw (during the 20-completion streak), and playing our hearts out.''

"In pregame, I felt pretty good so coach made the decision to let me play. I was mentally prepared and ready to go. Even when I wasn't practicing, I was involved and I knew everything I need to know mentally. I got hit a few times, but it wasn't anything. It didn't matter. We didn't come out with the win, though, and that's what we wanted.''

Close, but no cigar.

Close. But close still isn't good enough.

"It was just so disappointing, because we were so stinking close. We're disappointed, but we're not discouraged.''

And that's the thing. Indiana did so many things so well, and played so hard. But in the end, it wasn't quite enough.

Getting over the hump? That will have to wait a little bit longer.

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