My Two Cents: Fighting to Finish Says More about Indiana Than First Four Wins
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Let's get one thing clear right off the bat. I do not believe in moral victories, never have and never will. Indiana coach Tom Allen feels the same way.
But I do believe this. I learned more about the fight and the character and the determination of this Indiana football team on Saturday in a 42-35 loss to No. 3-ranked Ohio State than I did in the Hoosiers' first four wins.
And that's saying something, because the start of this season was historic, with wins over blueblood teams like Penn State and Michigan and Michigan State that have pushed Indiana teams past and present around like that bully on the beach.
So, no, there is no participation trophy for playing the mighty Buckeyes tough. There isn't even a souvenir cardboard cutout to take back on the ride home. What the Hoosiers will take back to Bloomington, though, is the sadness of knowing what might have been, because this game was there for the taking against one of the best college football teams in America.
And it was there for the taking despite being down 35-7 early in the third quarter.
There were many moments in this game when there Hoosiers could have simply folded their tents, dropped their chins and meekly rode off into the sunset. We've all watched enough Indiana football through the years to know that's its happened often in the Hoosiers' ugly football past.
But this group is different. These players are different. This coach — and his coaching staff — are different.
And the quarterback? Man, he's really different.
What can you say about Michael Penix Jr.? The redshirt sophomore from Tampa turned some heads on a national stage, even in defeat.
This game got away from the Hoosiers late in the first half. Just when it looked like they were going to score to pull within a touchdown, sophomore David Ellis fumbled inside the 5-yard line after catching a pass from Penix. Instead, Ohio State went flying down the field and scored with 17 seconds left in the half.
They received the second-half kickoff and did the same thing, scoring a touchdown on their fourth straight possession of 75 yards or more. Just like that, it was 35-7.
“I thought (that sequence) was huge,'' Allen said. "We had a chance to go in and score, and not only did we not score, they get the ball and then drive down the field and get all that momentum going into halftime.
"I thought that was a pretty tough sequence of events there that you hate to have happen. That was probably a pretty critical turning point in the game.”
What was made clear at halftime, though, was that this tough was not going to roll over. To a man, players and coaches alike, they looked each other in the eyes and said this game isn't over.
And they were right.
Even against mighty Ohio State, a team they hadn't beaten since 1988.
Penix fueled the second-half comeback on his career day. He had four pass plays of 50 yards or more. He narrowed the lead to 35-14 on a 63-yard pass to senior wide receiver Ty Fryfogle, who also had a career day, and then they hooked up again five minutes later on a 33-yard score to make it 35-21.
Penix hit David Ellis on a 16-yard score and found Fryfogle again on a 56-yard breakout to get to 35 points.
Those deciding points though? The last seven by Ohio State? Those came off the hands of Penix too, and it was his one really bad mistake of the day. He threw an out route that wasn't really open, and All-American Shaun Wade picked him off and returned it 33 yards for a score.
That one hurt.
"That was a bad mistake. I should have never thrown that,'' Penix said.
Amazingly, the Hoosiers still had a chance late. At 42-35, for some reason on fourth-and-1 at the Indiana 7 with 4:45 to go, Ohio State coach Ryan Day decided to go for it instead of kicking a field goal and going up by 10. They didn't convert, but then the Hoosiers couldn't do anything either. Penix got sacked on third down and they were forced to punt,
They got the ball back with 38 seconds left, but ran out of time. There was a bad drop (Peyton Hendershot) and some throws that just missed. One final desperation play didn't work.
And then it was over. A fifth straight wasn't meant to be.
"I just told them in the locker room that I was so disappointed that we fell short but I was proud of the heart, the fight, and the toughness of this team,'' Allen said. "They did not quit, and you got a chance to see that they truly are special.
"We've just got to play better. That was a really good football team we played. They are a substantially elevated level of play compared to the other teams we have played so far in so many different ways. But for our guys to be able to put ourselves in that position, and obviously give them credit for making plays, but we continued to battle to the very, very end.”
They lost by seven, and that comes with losing two fumbles inside the 10-yard line. Ellis miscue hurt, and defense back Jamar Johnson, who had two interceptions, almost brought the second one back to the house, but he was stripped just sort of the goal line and Ohio State regained possession.
Throw in the missed tackles and coverage breakdowns, and this is one that got away. Still, you loved the fight, and this will help down the road. They know that. We know that.
It's very clear that the Hoosiers aren't backing down from anyone.
“During halftime, we knew we didn't play our best in that first half,'' Johnson said. "When we came out in the locker room, we said we have to fight, make an effort, and play our game. We have to get back to the old Hoosiers that we know. We have to fight and finish these last two quarters as strong as we can. We have to leave the tank empty.
"We fought hard, but we didn't come up with the result we wanted. But it shows that this team will fight until the end, no matter what.”
There's no doubt about that, because this is a team full of leaders. They fought hard, fought for each other. And they gave themselves a chance.
We learned an awful lot about Penix today, too. His 491 yards were a career high and the second-most in program history. It was his third-straight 300-yard passing day, the first time he'd ever done that, too, and the first time an IU quarterback had done that since Nate Sudfeld in 2015. His five touchdown passes were the third-most in school history.
And this wasn't some directional school he was playing. This is Ohio State, a team that's won three straight Big Ten championships and seem primed to win a fourth. Only one other quarterback ever (Purdue's Jim Everett) had thrown for more yards here at Ohio Stadium.
“Mike is very special,'' said Fryfogle, who was the first Big Ten receiver to ever have back-to-back 200-yard games. 'You can look at the tape, and he can make any play on the field. He can do anything, really. He is very special.
"When I go back and look at the film, I see some special throws that Mike makes. Mike is a great playmaker. I just love Mike.”
What we learned today is that Indiana's not quite there yet, but they're close. Very close. A few too many mistakes cost them on Saturday, but they made a lot of great plays, too.
This one, clearly, was there for the taking. Yes, it's still a loss, but this much we know for sure.
This Indiana team is going to fight you until the end. And that's a character trait we can all embrace.
Related stories on Indiana football
- GAME STORY: Buckeyes hold off furious rally to beat Indiana. CLICK HERE
- LIVE BLOG: Relive the Indiana-Ohio State in real time, with highlights of all the big plays. CLICK HERE
