If you weren't in attendance for Senior Day at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, you missed a thrilling game. The Hoosiers were right there, and yet they couldn't quite get it done.
It's easy to point the finger at wide receiver Damarlo Belcher, who dropped the potential game-winning touchdown pass on a fourth-and-10 play. But Belcher was a big part of IU getting in position to score in the first place. If you remember correctly, he was the guy who made a big third-down reception in front of three defenders earlier in the drive.
Give the players credit because they refused to blame Belcher for the loss. Everybody I talked to said he will pick himself back up and continue to work hard. Belcher did not address the media afterward, but he was seen at a Bloomington restaurant later in the evening, so he must have been taking it decently.
I have been so critical of the coaching staff and of quarterback Ben Chappell for several weeks, but both were great on Saturday. Matt Canada called the best offensive game I've ever seen from him and Bill Lynch -- who appeared to have tears in his eyes at his postgame press conference -- stuck up for his guys all afternoon.
Chappell was a warrior. In his final home game, he hung in the pocket and gave his receivers chances to make plays. On the last play of the game, he delivered a perfect pass to Belcher in the end zone, just over the linebacker but in front of the safety.
It's hard for me to say how much this performance will mean for the last three games of the season. It will be an incredible challenge for Lynch to pick his players up after as difficult a loss as I've ever witnessed.
I still don't think the Hoosiers can compete at Wisconsin next week, which leaves us with games against Penn State and Purdue. Those games are winnable, but at some point the players just have to wonder if they're ever going to get a Big Ten win. These guys have been so close so many times in the last two years, and they always come out on the losing end.
Hep honored
During Saturday's game, "The Rock" was renamed "Hep's Rock" in honor of the late IU coach Terry Hoeppner, who died of brain cancer in 2007.
Defense plays well, again
The IU defense continues to improve, holding a sometimes-explosive Iowa offense to 18 points. The Hawkeyes moved the ball inside the red zone four times, and each time the Hoosiers held them to a field goal attempt.
