Hey, we actually learned some new things this week. The Hoosiers lost 34-20 against Ohio State, but the game was much closer than the final score indicated. The game was tied at 20-20 late in the third quarter before OSU quarterback Braxton Miller scrambled for a touchdown on 3rd-and-goal from the 20.
The Hoosiers drove late, but a Tre Roberson interception spelled the end. Without further ado, here's what we learned on Saturday.
1. The Hoosiers were offended...Multiple players cited a headline Coach Kevin Wilson showed them this week saying IU was just another bye week for Ohio State. The players said they took offense to the headline, and used it as motivation.
"We took it as disrespect," running back Stephen Houston said.
2. Fewer big plays...They were still there, just in a smaller number. Miller's 81-yard touchdown run early was a killer, but the IU defense looked better than it has in recent weeks. They got plenty of pressure on the quarterback all day, and actually got home on some blitzes. The Hoosiers had six sacks and forced two turnovers.
3. Roberson is human...The true freshman quarterback has been incredibly poised as a starter, but he made a costly mistake against the Buckeyes. With his team down 27-20, he threw into tight coverage and was picked off. In that situation, with four-plus minutes remaining in the game, Roberson has to be safer with the ball. I understand he's young, but he has to realize he can just throw that ball away and live to play another down.
Roberson is, without a doubt, the quarterback of the future for the Hoosiers. But he has a long way to go before he is leading this team to wins in the fourth quarter.
4. Kofi on a mission...Wide receiver Kofi Hughes looked as good as he has as a Hoosier against Ohio State, grabbing eight catches for 147 yards and a touchdown. A week after Damarlo Belcher was dismissed from the team and Duwyce Wilson was ruled out for the season with a knee injury, Hughes looked like the leader of the receiver group.
Hughes is as talented as anybody on the IU offense when he's right, and he finally looks to be. He has finally fully bought into Wilson's system, and looks to be headed to a prosperous final two years in an IU uniform. When you combine Hughes with Roberson and Stephen Houston, you have a pretty impressive young offensive core going forward.
5. The end is just the beginning...There might be only two games left in the Hoosiers' season, but this is really just the beginning of the Wilson Era at IU. Wilson finally has a roster full of guys that buy into what he's selling, and they are starting to make strides. While the Hoosiers have nothing to play for this year, they now have their core in place going forward and can use these last two games to get ready for next season.
The Hoosiers may be 1-9, but these Hoosiers aren't 1-9. They've only been playing together for a few weeks. If Wilson had this group in place from the beginning, they probably have a couple more wins at this point in the year.
