Unlike the three games preceding it, there seemed to be no drama through the first three quarters of IU football Saturday.
Rather than the pessimistic commentary typical of Hoosier Twitter users, the social media platform was flooded with proclamations of joy and support.
Instead of a necessary second-half comeback, the Hoosiers led Wake Forest 31-10 with 10 minutes remaining in the game.
But drama implanted itself into the afternoon as Wake Forest freshman quarterback Kendall Hinton led consecutive touchdown drives of 75 and 90 yards.
Drama reached its pinnacle when the Demon Deacons recovered an onside kick to regain possession past midfield, trailing by seven points with 2:33 to go.
Yet the Hoosiers forced a turnover on downs and clinched a 31-24 victory, finding themselves 4-0 for the first time in 25 years.
“It’s nice that we’ve been mature enough, tough enough and good enough to win in all four,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson told media after the game.
But back to those several moments of pure optimism for IU fans. When sophomore safety Tony Fields intercepted an errant Hinton pass and took it 20 yards for a Hoosier touchdown to go up 31-10, an unfamiliar feeling surrounded the program.
And no matter how short that feeling lasted, the messages from the fanbase after the game seemed to remember that feeling more than the uncomfortable ending.
This was a game against a backup quarterback in Hinton and a team ranked 92nd in the nation by Football Outsider’s advanced metrics. Instead of the defense making momentum shifting plays in spite of giving up large numbers — like the first three weeks — the defense was in control through the first three quarters.
IU had three sacks through three games entering Saturday, and defensive line coach Larry McDaniel said earlier in the week that the pressure was getting there but just needed to finish.
Well, the Hoosiers had six sacks Saturday from five different players.
Hinton is an athletic quarterback that evaded several tackle opportunities throughout the game. IU implemented the pressure consistently — from linemen and linebackers.
“It’s good. We needed to,” Wilson said.
While the Hoosiers only scored seven points on offense in the second half, junior running back Jordan Howard could be seen bulldozing through holes throughout.
He finished with 168 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries.
His backfield counterpart, sophomore running back Devine Redding, ran for 48 yards on 10 carries as well.
Going into the game, Wilson was concerned about being able to recreate positive energy on the road, but IU started the game strong to ease his worries.
After the game, he said IU split the season up into three four-game segments — the nonconference games, the first four Big Ten games and the final four of the season.
The Hoosiers have made it through that first segment.
Wilson will try to maintain his squad’s focus when the defending national champion Ohio State comes to town this weekend.
With the toughest part of the season ahead, the players are still excited to be undefeated thus far.
“I’ve been looking forward to this game all year,” senior linebacker Zack Shaw said.
