A Saturday of seeking shelter

Do I understand your question, man? Is it hopeless and forlorn?" \nNot exactly, but IU expectations fell face-first flat against the crowned kings of the Bowl Championship Series.\nBefore Saturday, coach Hep likened the upcoming Ohio State game to walking across a 2-by-4 plank more than 100 feet in the air, the idea being that the high risk would lend itself to even higher rewards. It was about 2 p.m. that next day that Ohio State grabbed the 2-by-4 plank and smacked IU across the face with it. \nThe Hoosiers walked into the Horseshoe in Columbus, Ohio, whistling Bob Dylan. The times were-a-changin' for the football program -- with a two-game Big Ten winning streak -- and IU had nothing to lose against the Buckeyes. Instead, the Hoosiers were forced to change their tune. Instead, Ohio State showed up to slaughter. Instead, all game long, Captain Hep and his crew were seeking shelter from the storm. Instead, the whistling soon turned to wailing as IU was given a whooping.\nThe Hoosiers spent a Saturday seeking shelter from a Buckeye bombshelling. There would be no comeback from IU quarterback Kellen Lewis. The Comeback Kid has engineered three fourth-quarter comebacks for victories this season. Instead, Lewis was seeking shelter from the storm. He was burned out from exhaustion making plays with his legs. He was buried in the hail of Buckeye defensive linemen. Oh yeah, and junior quarterback Blake Powers was seeking shelter from the storm -- he got up off the bench, threw two interceptions and, instead, put the entire Hoosier offense back onto the bench with him.\nOn Saturday, freshmen offensive linemen Rodger Saffold and Pete Saxon were seeking shelter from the storm. They offered up their innocence and got repaid with sores. Both blockers represent part of Hoeppner's "Seven Blocks of Limestone" from his 2006 recruiting class. The storm disintegrated both blocks of limestone. \nIt was a cold world of steel-eyed death for Hoosier heroics Saturday, and the IU men were fighting to be warm. I hope this 44-3 Buckeye bombshell does not leave IU shell-shocked because in truth, this game did not matter. \nIU has a bigger challenge coming up. It has a more legitimate goal than beating the Buckeyes in Columbus. The Hoosiers host Michigan State in one week and travel to Minneapolis in two weeks. Both games are winnable. Both games will determine just what these men -- some blocks of limestone -- are really made of. \nBut nothing really mattered much Saturday, for it was doom alone that counted. And if I could only turn back the clock to when games against Southern Illinois University and the University of Connecticut were lost, then maybe IU would be six wins high. Instead, it remains at .500. \nInstead, it comes in seeking shelter from the storm.