COLUMBUS, Ohio – Through the first five games of the 2014 season, “consistency” was a buzzword for IU football.
The Hoosiers were 3-1 in non-conference play. That included a win over then-No. 18 Missouri, but a loss to MAC opponent Bowling Green.
IU couldn’t string together two wins.
That same inconsistency was apparent from quarter-to-quarter in IU’s 42-27 loss to Ohio State on Saturday at Ohio Stadium.
Ohio State scored 14 first-quarter points and 21 more in the fourth and that cost the Hoosiers the game.
“We’ve just had a couple lulls,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Coming here and not getting the W is more disappointing than anything else.”
The Buckeyes opened the game with touchdowns on their first two drives to take a 14-0 lead just midway through the first quarter. On the third play from scrimmage, Ezekiel Elliott went 65 yards untouched for a touchdown. Then, quarterback J.T. Barrett completed a 4-yard pass to Jeff Heuerman just over six minutes into the game.
But Ohio State wouldn’t score again until the second half.
A scramble by IU freshman quarterback Zander Diamont turned into a 53-yard run. It was just the play the IU offense needed.
On the next play, Tevin Coleman scored on a 2-yard touchdown run for the first of 20 unanswered points for IU.
“I was actually thinking about sliding,” Diamont said about the play. “But then I kind of cut right off of Simmie’s hip and I couldn’t believe how open the field was.”
From that point until the end of the third quarter, IU was in a game it never should’ve had a chance in.
The Buckeyes came in 9-1 and undefeated in conference play. They were playing for the title of East Division champions and for a spot in the Big Ten Championship game.
IU was eliminated from bowl contention last week and is winless in the Big Ten.
But between Diamont’s scramble and the end of the first half, the Hoosier defense kept IU in the game. Senior linebacker Flo Hardin stripped the ball after a completion from Barrett to Michael Thomas, which led to an IU field goal to make the score 14-10. Then, Antonio Allen intercepted Barrett twice. The second led to another IU field goal and the Hoosiers pulled within one point by halftime, 14-13.
“The past couple weeks not only are we in the right position, we’re starting to make some of those plays on the ball,” Wilson said. “It’s good to see. It’s good for Antonio and our defense.”
Midway through the third quarter, still trailing by one, Tevin Coleman broke free for a 90-yard touchdown run to give the Hoosiers their first lead of the game.
The score was one of three for Coleman in the game. It was also the second-longest in IU program history and set the all-time single-season rushing record at IU with 1,906 yards.
Trailing 42-20 with under five minutes remaining, the game was out of reach for IU.
“They’re sixth in the country for a reason,” Wilson said. “It’s an eight-point game, four minutes to go. We got them where we wanted them. We were trying to make a play and we came up short.”
