Marcelino Ball always stands in the same spot in Memorial Stadium before heading to the locker room before kickoff.
The sophomore defensive back isolated himself in the back corner of the north end zone, kicking the turf beneath him, deep in thought.
There was no change in Ball’s routine Saturday night before IU’s game against No. 24 Michigan State, but the atmosphere surrounding him was different compared to other games this season.
The home crowd of over 45,000 people was energetic. In the midst of a chilly, yet tolerable breeze, fans nestled in next to each other to see if the undefeated Hoosiers could take the opportunity to defeat the Spartans for just the third time since 2006.
It all seemed too perfect — until it wasn’t.
IU lost 35-21, a generous final score considering how far ahead the Spartans were for the most of the contest.
Ball managed to be the most productive player on the Hoosiers’ defense, recording six tackles, including two sacks, three tackles for loss and a forced fumble, but he was ejected for targeting midway through the third quarter.
It was ultimately Michigan State, not IU, hocking loogies into the Old Brass Spittoon for a second-straight year.
IU sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey said it felt like a letdown considering the energy and momentum surrounding the team heading into the game.
“I would say there were a lot for missed opportunities for us,” Ramsey said. “It’s tough for us to not put up enough points to win the game.”
The Hoosiers were doomed by a plethora of mistakes and missed opportunities. When big plays were made, they couldn’t capitalize on them.
"Definitely some positives to build off of," IU Coach Tom Allen. "But a good, young football team that didn’t respond to some key situations and made some poor choices.
While IU’s offense struggled mightily to find consistency, the defense turned in a productive performance to keep the Hoosiers from completely falling out of contention.
But even they had their lapses.
When Ball was ejected, instead of rallying and bouncing back, the defense allowed the Spartans to continue to drive down the field. Later in the drive, they were duped on fourth and goal when Michigan State sophomore kicker Matt Coghlin scored on a six-yard run off a fake field goal, giving his team a 28-7 lead.
Later, in the fourth quarter when IU junior Logan Justus’ field goal cut the lead down to 28-21, the defense was burned on the next play from scrimmage on a 75-yard touchdown run from freshman Jalen Nailor.
Despite the defense coming up with four takeaways, it wasn’t enough to lead IU to a victory.
“We didn’t come out with the win, so we don’t think we played well enough,” junior defensive back Khalil Bryant said. “We made strides at times, but we have to finish and play the same way the whole game.”
Even when the Hoosiers tried to make a comeback bid in the fourth quarter with a run that featured a 65-yard touchdown pass from Ramsey to sophomore Whop Philyor and interceptions from Bryant and freshman Cam Jones, the atmosphere wasn’t the same as before.
The once thunderous crowd had trickled to remnants of what it was, with most already in their cars, gridlocked in traffic on 17th Street outside the stadium.
The once colorful sky had transformed to an endless black, draining any last chance of warmth from the stands.
“We had a great opportunity as a program and didn’t take advantage of it,” Allen said.
