Unlucky 13

Fifteen minutes into the game, the Hoosiers' magical run was over. \nWith the desert sun slowly slipping away into the Arizona night, so did the Hoosiers hopes of winning their first bowl game since 1991. \nInstead of capping their season with the win Hoosier nation has dreamt of for 16 years, Oklahoma State handed IU a heartbreaking loss – a 49-33 blowout at Sun Devil Stadium. \n“It’s disappointing any time you lose a football game, but we played hard and we didn’t quit,” said senior fullback Josiah Sears. “We fell short there, but that’s part of life.” \nEarly on, it looked as if the prognosticators were right when they declared the Insight Bowl a high-scoring affair. A 43-yard Austin Starr field goal gave the Hoosiers early success, but the Cowboys quickly answered with a touchdown. \nOklahoma State’s offensive success continued when the Hoosiers stalled. Mike Gundy’s team scored on its first five possessions of the game – all touchdowns. \nFollowing their first score, the Cowboys went for the jugular when IU’s offense stalled once again. \nQuarterback Zac Robinson found receiver Dez Bryant on a 24-yard pass to make the score 14-3, and ran it in himself from 7 yards out a mere three minutes later. By the end of the first quarter, the Hoosiers already found themselves in an 18-point hole. \nRobinson threw for a second touchdown and ran in another in the second quarter. At the end of the half, the Cowboys were up 35-10. \n“They just controlled the early part of the game,” said IU coach Bill Lynch. “And offensively, we didn’t get any flow.” \nSears agreed, saying the Hoosiers were not as in sync during the opening minutes. \n“They came out ready to play and we came out a little flat,” he said. “I don’t know why, and I’m not going to try and make excuses.” \nJust like they had done many times throughout the year, the Hoosiers gave their fans a glimpse of how good they can actually be. In the second half alone, IU put up 23 points, but it was too late. \nForcing Oklahoma State to punt for the first time, the Hoosiers took advantage of terrific field position, and put together a scoring drive, set up by a reception from an unlikely receiver – Austin Starr. \nWith most of the offensive line lined up on the left side of the field on fourth down, sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis took the snap with Starr lined up to his right. Lewis rolled out of the pocket and threw to Starr, who juked several defenders to get the first down. Two plays later, Lewis ran it in for the score. \n“When we did it in practice, it was supposed to go a lot easier than that,” Starr said. “I wasn’t supposed to juke out three players.” \nBut after gaining some newfound momentum, the Hoosiers succumbed once again to the Cowboys when Bryant caught his second touchdown pass. By the end of the game, Oklahoma State had racked up 513 yards of total offense. \nAll the while, the Cowboy defense targeted junior wide receiver James Hardy, and held the Hoosiers' weapon to five catches for 50 yards. \n“Me and the corners had a couple of conversations out there,” Hardy said jokingly after the game. “They explained to me a little bit what was going on.” \nOklahoma State played with an intensity that overwhelmed a Hoosier team that was new to the idea of playing in a bowl game. Having a stalwart effort from their defense in the first half, the Cowboys saw an easy road to the Insight Bowl championship and took it. \nBut knowing most of their team is returning is encouraging to the Hoosiers. In their minds, they’ve taken the first step. Next year, they will be making even greater strides. \n“We have said over and over again, that we’re going to look back at it and this group of seniors got this thing going,” Lynch said. "That’s the sad part of it, but I think it’s going to be the beginning of something really, really good.”