Memorial Stadium was silent. Fans were on their feet, but the stadium was silent.
The replay had been shown over and over again — the possible fumble by Nebraska junior running back Terrell Newby and the subsequent recovery by the IU defense.
IU had another top-ranked opponent backed against the ropes. The score was 24-22 and the clock showed 1:35 left in the game.
The Hoosiers needed the turnover if they wanted to move into field goal range and upset the Cornhuskers.
That’s why when the replay looped on the jumbotron in the south endzone, there were 48,254 pairs of eyes glued to the screen.
Then they moved to the north endzone, where umpire Ed Feaster would reveal the decision. If the call stands, Nebraska has the ball in the red zone. If it’s reversed, IU takes over.
Memorial Stadium was silent.
Feaster said the ruling on the field would stand.
Boos rang down on the field as the Nebraska offense took the field and capped its 15-play drive with a field goal, pushing the score to 27-22 and leaving IU with just 45 seconds to score a touchdown.
Two plays into the potential game-winning drive, though, junior quarterback Richard Lagow threw an interception, and Nebraska ran out the clock.
IU had lost yet another game to a top-15 team in Memorial Stadium.
“We’re confident that we’re going to make the play, make the stop,” IU senior receiver Mitchell Paige said. “We didn’t tonight. There’s no hoping — there’s confidence that we’re going to make the plays.”
For the most part, IU was making the plays.
Whether it was a Chase Dutra blocked punt for a safety or a 39-yard punt return by Paige to set up a Devine Redding 33-yard score. Junior cornerback Rashard Fant and freshman cornerback A’Shon Riggins had three deep pass breakups between the two of them.
Even backup junior quarterback Zander Diamont made plays. He relieved Lagow at various times throughout the game, threw for 49 yards and ran for 31.
The Hoosiers had limited a record-breaking Nebraska quarterback in Tommy Armstrong to 10-of-26 passing — his worst completion percentage of the season — and 36 yards rushing — his third-worst on the season.
He hadn’t thrown multiple interceptions in a game yet this season, but the Hoosiers forced two Saturday night.
Nebraska went 39 minutes and 36 seconds without scoring a point. IU was making the plays.
But the offense struggled.
“We’ve got to find some run game,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We’ve got to get into some manageable third downs, and when we do, execute on the third down. We’ve got to execute the scores on them.”
Aside from the 33-yard fake reverse by Redding, the IU offense had just 55 yards rushing. That involved bringing Diamont in for his first action of the season for 31 of those 55.
It’s nothing new to IU, though. The Hoosiers are ranked 11th in the Big Ten in rush offense, 11th in third down efficiency and second-to-last in red zone offense out of 14 teams.
The answer is simple, Wilson said when answering what his concern with the offense was.
“Score.”
