Hoosiers fall to Iowa on final play of game

Finish.

The Hoosiers finally appeared to live up to their season motto with junior receiver Damarlo Belcher wide open in the end zone in the fourth quarter.

But then Belcher dropped the pass.

The Hoosiers (4-5, 0-5) came up one play short of knocking off then-No. 15 Iowa (7-2, 4-1) in Saturday’s 18-13 loss.

“Our kids really battled, and I thought they played very well in all phases, and then we got beat by what I think is a great football team in Iowa,” IU coach Bill Lynch said. “We just came up a play short there at the end.”

The Iowa offense drove 60 yards in six plays on the first offensive series of the game and had yet to face a third down once it entered the red zone.

Then, the IU defense came alive.Facing a third-and-four on the IU 6-yard line, Iowa senior quarterback Ricky Stanzi overthrew senior receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos, and the IU defense got its first red zone stop of the day.

Finished.

The first-possession stop gave the Hoosiers confidence after failing to contain the Iowa offense early.

“I think it was us bearing down and having the bend-but-don’t-break mentality,” IU senior safety Mitchell Evans said. “We just stepped up when we needed to.”

At the start of the second quarter, the IU defense forced another third-down incompletion by Stanzi, and the Hawkeyes again left the red zone with just a field goal.

Finished.

Both teams traded field goals, and the game was tied at 6-6 with the first half winding down. Again, the Iowa offense drove into the IU red zone thanks to the rushing efforts of freshman running back Marcus Coker. The Hawkeyes faced a first down from the IU 6-yard line.

Sensing a trend?

Two stuffed rushing attempts brought up third-and-four for Iowa. Stanzi again failed to find an open receiver, and the IU defense stalled the Hawkeyes in the red zone for the third straight time. Only this time, Iowa freshman kicker Michael Meyer missed the 22-yard attempt.

Finished.

“When you can hold teams to field goals in the red zone, that’s big as a defense,” IU senior linebacker Tyler Replogle said. “If you’re holding them to field goals and then they miss the field goal, that’s just another positive on top of the drive.”
The theme carried into the second half.

After taking two plays to get to the IU 9-yard line, the Iowa offense committed two pre-snap penalties that forced the Hawkeyes to attempt a 17-yard conversion on third down.

The IU defense held Iowa senior fullback Brett Morse to an 8-yard catch, and Iowa again settled for a Meyer field goal.

Lynch credited the third-down stops in the red zone to the development of the defense.
“That’s the mark of a maturing defense,” Lynch said. “Because when you play a team like Iowa, they’re going to gain yards, but if you can hold them out of the end zone and force field goals, you have a great chance of winning the game.”

Following the field goal, IU senior quarterback Ben Chappell led the Hoosiers inside the Iowa red zone and made sure to personally finish the drive. Chappell ran the hurry-up offense and snuck it in from a yard out for the touchdown.Finished.

The touchdown gave the Hoosiers a 13-9 lead at the end of the third quarter.
But the Hawkeyes would finally reach paydirt.

After Meyer’s fourth field goal in the fourth quarter, Iowa junior receiver Marvin McNutt caught a 52-yard touchdown pass to give the Hawkeyes an 18-13 lead. It was the first time the IU defense allowed Iowa more than a field goal.

Chappell responded.

The IU quarterback completed five passes to set the Hoosiers up on the Iowa 18-yard line with 35 seconds left. Chappell dropped back on fourth down, and Belcher appeared to haul in the pass for the touchdown.

Chappell raised his arms. “The Quarry” erupted. The players jumped up and down on the sidelines. It was the storybook ending to a come-from-behind win.

But the ball fell out of Belcher’s arms, and with it went the upset.

After finishing all day, the Hoosiers were one dropped ball away from earning their first Big Ten win of the year and moving within a game of bowl eligibility.

“It’s hard. It’s one of the hardest things I’ve been through,” IU sophomore defensive tackle Larry Black said. “It’s been like this for a couple years where we’re always that one play short.”