Last Monday, I called IU quarterback Ben Chappell "average" in my column.
I feel a whole lot better about that statement now.
Chappell overthrew receivers. He ran the ball far too many times. He couldn't lead his team to more than 17 points against the conference's tenth-best pass defense.
His numbers -- 30-of-54 for 308 yards -- make it easy for coach Bill Lynch to talk about the gutsy performer Chappell is.
But he has to be better. The IU defense played remarkably well all afternoon and its effort went for naught because of the offense's lack of production. My bowl guarantee has been all but invalidated at this point.
Kates enjoys Twitter
I hope defensive back Andre Kates likes posting on Twitter more than he likes playing football for the Hoosiers because he probably won't be seeing the field anytime soon.
Kates, who was suspended for Saturday's game after he posted derogatory comments about the IU coaching staff on his Twitter account, Tweeted throughout the game. Looks like the guy learned his lesson.
Johnson, Thomas play well
Defensive end Darius Johnson and linebacker Jeff Thomas looked good in defeat, combining for 21 tackles in the game. Thomas came up to make nice stops on quarterback runs multiple times and helped keep the Hoosiers in the game.
Doesn't get any easier
The Hoosiers play host to No. 18 Iowa next week, and it could be ugly. As I am writing this post, the Hawkeyes lead No. 5 Michigan State 37-0. Uh-oh.
