IU's dream ends with nightmarish results

TEMPE, Ariz. – After beating Purdue on Nov. 18, everything had gone the Hoosiers way. Not only did they get to play in a 13th game, but they got to play it in sunny Arizona against a team from the Big 12. \nEven during the pre-game activities things were coming up in IU’s favor. The Hoosiers got to partake in an improvised version of "The Walk" that senior offensive lineman Kyle Thomas called one of the best ever. \nAll that changed after the opening kickoff. Oklahoma State trounced the Hoosiers 49-33, making all of the positive pre-game activities a distant memory. \nAfter the game, there were many theories why the Cowboys had their way with IU. One thought was that the speed of Oklahoma State’s offense overwhelmed the Hoosiers' defense. The Cowboys scored touchdowns on their first five possessions in stunning fashion. \n“They looked fast to me,” sophomore defensive end Greg Middleton said. “That’s pretty much the fastest team we’ve gone up against all year.”\nCowboy playmakers such as running back Dantrell Savage, wide receiver Adarius Bowman and offensive player of the game, quarterback Zac Robinson all had impressive days. The trio blazed past IU defenders with relative ease, but Middleton said the player who impressed him most on OSU’s offense was freshman Dez Bryant. \n“He’s amazing, he made some good catches," Middleton said. "He’s going to be good.”\nAnother faze of the game Oklahoma State also had more experience in bowl games. While none of IU’s roster had played in a single one, virtually the entire Cowboy team had experience from the team's Independence Bowl victory a season ago. \n“Anytime you come out to a bowl trip you’re going to know what to expect – how to control yourself when you have the lay off,” sophomore wide receiver Andrew Means said. “I don’t think this team really knew what to expect in the bowl game.”\nMiddleton said he didn’t think IU’s lack of experience had anything to do with the outcome of the game, and said that when two teams take the field it is just football. \n“We just got outplayed,” Middleton said. “It wasn’t about schemes or personnels. They executed better then we did.”\nWhat the Hoosiers could agree upon was that the loss wasn’t due to a lack of intensity. Playing in their first game since beating rival Purdue, they had the challenge of getting as emotionally invested in the Insight Bowl as they were in the battle of the Old Oaken Bucket.\n“The Purdue game was a big rivalry, but this was another game,” sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis said. “They thought they were going to get to a better bowl game and came out really hard. I don’t think we came out too complacent, we just came out a little flat.” \nNow that the season is officially over and the the team has achieved its goal to "play 13," IU will look to continue this season’s success and get back to a bowl game. Only next year, if the Hoosiers make it back to a bowl game, they hope for a different outcome.\n“(‘Play 13’) was our slogan,” Means said. “We got here and next here I think we’re going to change our slogan to 'win 13.'”