Column: It's always something with these Hoosiers

Before the season, I predicted an IU win against Northwestern.

How could the Hoosiers not win? I thought.

All they needed to do was show up for one series in the second half last year, and they would have beaten a better Northwestern team at its place.

How naive of me. This is IU football, after all.

I should have known redshirt freshman kicker Mitch Ewald, who has been reliable for most of the season, would miss a huge 40-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter and that Northwestern’s senior kicker Stefan Demos would hit from 45 yards going the same direction only minutes later.

I should have known quarterback Ben Chappell, who scrambled around as if he was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for much of the afternoon, would miss open receiver after open receiver. His receivers beat their men on fade routes multiple times, but Chappell overthrew them.

I should have known the IU passing offense, which was the best in the conference coming in, would struggle to score points against the Big Ten’s 10th-best passing defense. Crazy of me, right? The Hoosiers went more than 30 minutes between the second and fourth quarters without scoring a single point.

I should have known Northwestern backup quarterback Evan Watkins would come in and promptly throw a dart to convert a big third-down play.

I should have known that when it comes down to it, the Hoosiers (4-4, 0-4) won’t make the game-winning plays in a close game against a Big Ten opponent. They never do.

Chappell and the offense wasted a great performance from their defensive teammates.

Linebacker Jeff Thomas was all over the field. Defensive end Darius Johnson was too.

For one of the first times all season, we learned that IU really does have a secondary. Junior cornerback Matt Ernest not only stayed with his man, but knocked balls away in coverage. Senior cornerback Richard Council, who looked to be a liability against Michigan earlier in the year, saved a touchdown right before the half.

The defense was solid. But for the third time in as many weeks, the offense was anything but.

“A couple plays Ben didn’t make the passes, and a couple plays we didn’t make the catches. When we’ve got a chance to make plays, we’ve got to make plays,” junior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher said. “It’s really frustrating. The defense played good and at the beginning of the season they started out slow. They are making the changes they need to make, and they doing better each week.

"The defense does good, and then we can’t put up no points. We kind of need to get on the same page.”

It’s becoming more and more obvious as we move through the season that this program isn’t in any better shape now than it was last year. Or the year before that.

The players insist the team is closer now than it was a season ago. Does “closer” translate into wins?

Clearly not.

At least suspended junior defensive back Andre Kates provided some comic relief. Kates, who missed the game because he criticized the coaching staff on his Twitter account, tweeted throughout the game.

After a Northwestern touchdown, he wrote: “Thats Da Weak Spot Of Da Defense!! Skinny Post!!!”

I have a feeling he won’t be seeing the field any time soon.

Another week, another opportunity that simply slipped away. The last two games were certainly winnable, especially with the talent the Hoosiers have on the offensive side of the ball.

Perhaps sophomore defensive tackle Mick Mentzer described the Hoosiers’ season best when he talked about grabbing Northwestern quarterback Dan Persa’s facemask.

“He just slipped underneath me. He was real elusive. I grabbed it and let go of it, but it was too late.”

Too late, indeed.