Nate Sudfeld was back.
That was the news that struck the IU fan base with optimism Homecoming night, as the senior quarterback had missed the last game-and-a-half with an ankle injury, leaving the Hoosiers without their leader in games against the toughest defenses in the Big Ten.
At first it appeared to be the cure-all solution as Sudfeld went 5-for-6 for 65 passing yards in the first drive and recorded a total of 301 passing yards and two passing touchdowns in the first half.
Sudfeld was making throws across the middle of the field, along the perimeter and even in the flats the team hadn’t seen in the last two weeks, and junior wide receiver Mitchell Paige noticed.
“I thought Nate played really well today,” said Paige, who recorded career-highs in catches (8) and yards receiving (126). “He was throwing great balls. I thought he was really in rhythm. He had some strong throws. Some of those hit me pretty good. I think maybe last week might have freshened up his arm a little bit.”
Sudfeld finished the day going 32-for-42 with 464 yards passing, nearly breaking the single-game school record of 480 yards, and five total touchdowns, four passing and one rushing.
But it was the two interceptions that turned Sudfeld’s return from historic to heartbreaking.
“We threw it well today,” Sudfeld said. “Guys were getting open, protection was good. But then I just made two bad decisions at the end.”
When the Hoosiers took a 52-33 lead into the fourth quarter and were looking to drain the clock, a snap went over senior punter Eric Toth’s head and was recovered by Rutgers for a touchdown, bringing the IU lead to 52-39.
Starting its second drive of the quarter with 14:50 to go, Sudfeld took the Hoosiers down the field on two consecutive junior receiver Ricky Jones first downs.
But on third-and-9, Sudfeld was flushed from the pocket and forced to throw off-balance, resulting in a throw that did not lead intended-receiver Jones enough and was intercepted by Isaiah Wharton deep in Rutgers territory.
The Scarlet Knights drove down the field following the interception, and running back Robert Martin ran in his third touchdown to cap off a 68-yard drive and bring the Hoosiers’ lead down to 52-46.
“On that crosser, I didn’t really see it,” Sudfeld said. “I guess I didn’t lead him enough or maybe should have put a little more on it. I guess it kind of floated.”
With Rutgers within one score, after having been up by 25 points earlier in the game, IU needed to put together a scoring drive. But on the first play, Sudfeld underthrew the ball on a deep route to junior receiver Mitchell Paige. It was intercepted by Anthony Cioffi in Rutgers territory again.
“We got the look we wanted on the post,” Sudfeld said about his second interception. “The safety came down on the run fake, so I thought it was one-on-one with the safety on his back. I got hit as I threw it and stalled a little when I threw it, so I kind of underthrew it. I’ll never make that mistake again.”
Following the interception, Rutgers drove down the field once again, stalled to a third-and-1 and Rutgers running back Paul James found a seam for 40 yards and a touchdown, pulling the Scarlet Knights into a tie with the Hoosiers 52-52.
After an IU three-and-out in the next drive, Rutgers ran 13 plays to the IU 9-yard line and kicked the game-winning field goal as time ran out, winning 55-52.
“We are a mature team,” Sudfeld said after the loss. “We were just exposed tonight. We got too cocky on the sideline, and we weren’t able to make a play when we needed to or stop anybody when we needed to.”
While IU had a 5-2 record dead to right, it will take a 4-3 record to East Lansing next week as it takes on top-10 Michigan State.
“Everybody is disappointed with it,” Sudfeld said about the loss. “But we’re not going to dwell on it. It’s up to me as the leader of the team to make sure we have a fresh focus this week, because we have a great opportunity this week.”
