It was a 45-42 loss to Bowling Green two weeks ago that had everyone thinking the highly anticipated new IU defense was no different than years past.
A week later, hope was restored when the Hoosiers beat then-No.18 Missouri.
The promise of that victory brought 44,313 fans to Memorial Stadium on Saturday, a number that dwindled quarter by quarter as IU (2-2) fell to Maryland (4-1) 37-15 in the Big Ten season opener.
“We’re just trying to be more consistent,” junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. “We know how good we can be and that if we don’t come to play, we won’t be as good.”
Sudfeld was 14-of-37 passing for just 126 yards with one interception in the game.
Multiple dropped passes and nine penalties accounting for 55 yards aided a stunted IU offense, which had 332 yards of total offense Saturday.
That offense was averaging 547 yards per game through the first three games.
IU Coach Kevin Wilson said he thought Sudfeld managed the game well, but he’s going to look better when everyone is working together.
“He’s got to play better, but at the same time I think as a team our offense let him down more than anything he did,” Wilson said. “I’m pretty sure of that, and as coaches we let him down.”
Wilson said the running game, too, wasn’t consistent, something the IU offense has begun to rely on more heavily this year.
Coleman’s one score made it his 13th consecutive game with a touchdown, an all-time IU record. He extended his 100-yard game streak to six, which leads the nation.
Defensive end Bobby Richardson said their week of practice wasn’t as good as it was the week before IU played Missouri, after a loss to Bowling Green.
“I think we lost our edge,” ?Richardson said. “We just played a bad game. We had too many errors. We can’t do that.”
Last week, Sudfeld led a last-minute, 75-yard drive to put IU ahead of Missouri 31-27 in an eventual win. IU was the 14-point underdog entering the game against the Tigers.
Success like last week’s win isn’t something the Hoosiers are accustomed to. Sudfeld said that’s something they need to learn to handle better.
Maybe the most inconsistent dimension of this IU team has been the special teams, which changed kickers in the middle of last week’s game.
Redshirt freshman Griffin Oakes came in to kick off the second half against Missouri and continued to play in place of redshirt freshman Aaron Del Grosso on Saturday.
While Del Grosso was one-of-three on field goal attempts through two and a half games, Oakes was three-of-four against the Terrapins.
Oakes converted from 38, 48 and 58 yards out, missing an attempt from 54 yards.
Even he said consistency is what he needs to improve most.
“I mean, anybody can go out there and kick a field goal like that,” Oakes said. “You just have to keep doing it week after week.”
Against both Bowling Green and Missouri, every time their opponent scored the Hoosiers were able to regain momentum.
That wasn’t the case ?Saturday.
“We really have to come to play every week and execute,” Sudfeld said. “The biggest thing is execution.”
“Eleven people have to work together on every play to make it work, and we didn’t do that.”
