Football team drops game to Kentucky

LEXINGTON, KY. -- At the end of the fourth quarter, junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El looked very alone in his now-famous No. 11 jersey. \nHe appeared to be pining over the play, as if doing so for long enough might bring the play back. But the sequence was gone. So was the game.\nIn a roller coaster ride for fans and players alike, the IU football team lost its game-long lead against Kentucky and dropped its record to 0-2.\nWith 1:57 left in the game Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium in Lexington, Ky., junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El dropped back to pass with the intention of making another unbelievable play. He had done so all night, matching the Wildcats play for play.\nInstead, with the score tied at 34, Kentucky defensive tackle Dewayne Robertson knocked the ball from Randle El and into the hands of defensive end Matt Layow at the IU 21-yard line. Layow raced to the end zone for what ultimately was the winning touchdown as the Wildcats rallied to beat the Hoosiers, 41-34.\nBeyond that miscue and one other blunder, Randle El had his typical, outstanding performance. He finished the game with 282 yards of total offense while leading the team in passing and rushing. Still, Randle El didn't see the silver lining at the end of the game.\n"I'm disappointed," Randle El said. "I made some big mistakes that I felt cost us the game. I just have to eliminate those mistakes. It's as simple as that."\nKentucky (2-1) defensive back David Johnson said he was impressed with Randle El and gave the credit to his defensive teammates for causing Randle El's two fumbles, the last of which won the game.\n"The second (fumble) was the biggest play of the game," Johnson said. "It is good for our defense to know that we can step up and change the game."\nEven after the big play, IU (0-2) had a chance to march down the field. They did just that. Junior wide receiver Derin Graham, who returned a kickoff 86 yards in the second quarter to set up an IU touchdown, caught two critical passes on the drive.\nIn the end, senior wide receiver Versie Gaddis let the potential game-tying reception slip through his hands at the goal line on second down. On fourth down from the Kentucky 20-yard line with 48 seconds remaining, Gaddis could not corral a low pass by Randle El that would have given the Hoosiers a fresh set of downs.\nIU coach Cam Cameron left the game with a bad feeling for his team and how much effort they had put into the game. \nEven though IU lost, Cameron credited his team's character.\n"I have never been around a group of guys that can play as hard as our guys play and make as many plays as we make and still come up short," Cameron said. "I feel for these guys in the locker room."\nCameron had some reason to be satisfied. IU got out to an early lead, much like they did in its loss to North Carolina State Sept. 9. This time, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 20-7 lead with 4:58 left in the first half.\n Several times in the first half, Randle El changed the play call on the field based on the defense he saw. The result was successful runs by senior fullback De'Wayne Hogan.\nThe first major error for IU was Randle El's first fumble, which Kentucky recovered at the Hoosier 42-yard line with 51 seconds left before the break. From there, Wildcat freshman quarterback Jared Lorenzen moved his team down the field before hitting tight end Derek Smith for a 21-yard goal, making the halftime score 26-21 in favor of the Hoosiers.\n"We just can't turn the football over," Cameron said. "We turned it over twice, and we just can't put our defense in that position."\nLorenzen, who entered the game as a national leader in several offensive categories, had another great game. Showing a great touch throughout the game, Lorenzen threw for 339 yards on 33-48 passing for two touchdowns and no interceptions. Kentucky coach Hal Mumme was pleased with his young quarterback's play.\n"I think he played pretty well," Mumme said. "We were a little out of sync at the beginning of the game, and we had a rough start. I thought we recovered well in the second quarter and played a great second half." \nDespite the poor numbers the Hoosier defense yielded in its first game, Lorenzen said he had expected a tough game. The IU defense showed flashes of their ability throughout the game, but in the end, Lorenzen figured out how to beat them.\n"They have great linebackers and defensive linemen that are really quick," Lorenzen said. "We were ready for that though. We knew that they were going to be tough, and we were up for the challenge."\nThe 31st meeting between IU and Kentucky was similar to the 30th last September at Memorial Stadium. Another offensive show, the Wildcats won that contest 44-35. Cameron said he sees a pattern that extends even farther than that when these two rivals collide.\n"This game is eerily similar to about 10 games with Kentucky," Cameron said.\nWith an offense averaging 36 points per game, things don't seem too bad for the Hoosiers. Still, when the defense allows 41 points a contest, it is much harder to win games. \nAs IU's Big Ten season gets started next week at home against Iowa, the Hoosiers will need to make adjustments on both sides of the ball, moreso on defense than offense. Whatever things might be changed, Cameron said he wants his players to keep the faith in the system.\n"We have kids on this team that really believe in what we are doing," Cameron said. "We still make too many mistakes, but if we are sitting there with a group that won't give up, then we have great character and the guys are still making the effort"