Where has all the offense gone?

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — This was supposed to be a vaunted offense – an offense that intimidates its opponents.

Scoring points, creating yards and a talented wide receiving corps were supposed to be IU’s staple points this year. Factor in an improved running game and the implementation of the no-huddle offense, and everything looked up for IU in August.

But all of that has been traded in for a faint whisper – Saturday’s 55-13 loss to Illinois being the latest of disappointing offensive outputs.

“We put together little drives,” said IU coach Bill Lynch, “but we couldn’t finish anything.”

Instead of lighting up the scoreboard, the IU offense has hemorrhaged profusely throughout a miserable five-game losing streak. A team that was built to score points has done just the opposite, all the while dissipating as the calendar turns.

The Hoosiers have averaged 15 points per game throughout their losing streak and only two points in the second half.

“One of the things is third down conversions,” said Lynch – the Hoosiers were 3-of-16 in that category. “We’ve got to do a little better to stay on the field and give ourselves a chance to score.”

Sophomore Ben Chappell, subbing for injured junior quarterback Kellen Lewis, struggled as orange shirts continued to hassle him all night long. The Illini sacked Chappell – who went 12-of-29 for 172 yards – and pressured the backup in his first career start.

“I didn’t think we struggled that bad on offense today,” Chappell said. “I think we moved the ball decently well. We didn’t finish our drives – that was a huge problem.”

Even the kicking game was off – yet again. Senior Austin Starr, who at the start of the season was in consideration for the prestigious Lou Groza Collegiate Place-Kicker Award, missed two field goals against the Illini before making two chip shots.

Slightly conservative play calling has seemed to hurt the Hoosiers more than help them of late in addition to the statistical woes. Down 34-7 at the 8:58 mark in the third quarter, Lynch opted to kick a field goal on fourth-and-goal rather than try for a touchdown as precious time waned away.

“I felt like we needed to at least get some points,” Lynch said. “I didn’t want us to come up empty like we did on the other two field goals.”

Injuries in nearly every offensive position certainly have not helped. Lewis, considered by many to be one of the more dynamic players in the conference, sat on the bench with a high ankle sprain. The offensive line has resembled a patchwork quilt rather than a unified front, while skilled position players have battled injuries as well.

The Hoosiers entered the game ranked 41st in the country in total offense, but those numbers are slightly inflated due to the first two games of the year when IU ganged up on two weak opponents.

“We haven’t played well enough to win,” Chappell said. “I think that’s the bottom line.”