Column: Glass should not accept humiliating loss to Wisconsin

MADISON, Wis. — IU football coach Bill Lynch never seems to be concerned with his team’s ability to bounce back from a tough loss.

The question comes up routinely at press conferences, and Lynch always dismisses it.

At some point, though, players lose their will to pick themselves off the mat and go back out to battle the next week. After a certain number of losses — the Hoosiers have now lost four straight — doubt has to sink in.

A cold and rainy day in Madison proved to be this team’s breaking point.

The Hoosiers (4-6, 0-6) kept it close for the first 15-or-so minutes, but after that, No. 6 Wisconsin had its way against a beaten-down IU.

Everything came to a head in what had to be the longest 60 minutes for anybody standing on the IU sideline.

It didn’t matter that third-string running back Montee Ball was starting for the injured John Clay. Ball proved to be plenty good enough behind an offensive line that beat up the Hoosier defenders and opened holes wide enough that even Ben Chappell could run through them.

Quarterback Scott Tolzien, who probably had the easiest job on the field — a job comparable to Pat McAfee’s with the Indianapolis Colts — picked apart the Hoosiers through the air whenever he felt like mixing it up.

There’s no way around it: The Badgers humiliated IU. A week after their most inspired effort of the year, the Hoosiers effectively declined to make the trip to Camp Randall Stadium.

“I think everybody just lost a little fire throughout the game. That’s just unacceptable,” IU safety Mitchell Evans said. “Every other game this year we’ve been fighting at least to the end of the game. We shut down a little bit (Saturday).”

While the Wisconsin offense was busy putting up 83 points, IU was beginning to look similar to a team ready for the season to end.

The Hoosiers lacked energy. They lacked execution. And after Chappell left the game with an injury, they lacked manpower.

While IU’s opponent had a lot to do with Saturday’s outcome, IU Athletics Director Fred Glass is going to have a really hard time explaining this loss to the IU
fan base.

The Hoosiers offered absolutely no resistance all afternoon. When Wisconsin wanted to run it, Ball ran for 30 yards. When the Badgers wanted to throw it, Tolzien threw a touchdown. When Wisconsin needed a stop, J.J. Watt got to the quarterback.

“We got beat every way possible by a great football team,” a dejected Lynch said. “We didn’t play well at all in the second half. They played well, but we had turnovers, a turnover for score. We didn’t play.”

Glass continually says this program is ready to turn the corner, and yet nothing I have seen this season — and certainly nothing I saw on Saturday — would make me believe the program has made even modest improvements.

I am still not ready to say that, without a doubt, Lynch should be gone. There are simply too many elements that play into that decision. But it’s hard for me to imagine a scenario in which Lynch is coaching this team next season. Saturday’s game might have sealed his fate.

For now, Glass has to make some sort of change. He can insert a new voice in the locker room by changing coordinators. He can encourage Lynch to make a personnel move.

He has to do something to show an 83-20 loss is not OK. He has to do something to prove he’s not satisfied with mediocrity.  

It’s becoming more and more clear this team is sick of battling, week after week, without results.

After a while, a team loses its will to win, its will to compete.

The Hoosiers responded from a tough loss to Northwestern two weeks ago. A devastating defeat against Iowa last week, however, was too much for this team to come back from.