Lack of offense after break spells loss for Hoosiers

STATE COLLEGE, Penn. – It was a new week for the IU football team, but the same story as usual for a team now 3-8 in this lost season.

In their penultimate game of the year, the Hoosiers lost to Penn State 34-7.

With a minute left in the first half, the Hoosiers had the ball and were tied at seven with the Big Ten-leading Nittany Lions.

Their drive started deep in IU territory, as many other drives had during the game, and after a few runs and a Kellen Lewis injury, IU was forced to punt. The kick was blocked, giving the Nittany Lions good field position, leading to a field goal and giving Penn State the 10-7 halftime advantage.

After the intermission, Lewis returned, but for naught, as Penn State just kept adding to its lead while IU was unable to dent its half of the board.

By the end of the game, the No. 7 Nittany Lions had put up 27 unanswered points to reach the game’s final tally.

Struggling through the second half after competing in the first is not new for this year’s Hoosiers. Heading into the game, IU had been outscored 174-33 in each second half since the second week of the season.

Since that second week, Lynch has said his team’s struggles were due to inconsistency and, more recently, the rash of injuries that befell his team. But after Saturday’s game in State College, Penn., Lynch had a different reason.

“Honestly,” Lynch said, “I think it was Penn State. They are a really good football team. But we do have to do more than we did.”

IU junior defensive end Jammie Kirlew didn’t know what was to blame for the team’s poor showings after halftime this season.

“If I did, I would definitely say something so we could fix it,” Kirlew said. “We always come out ready to take over and sometimes, things just don’t go our way.”

By game’s end, Lewis and the IU offense managed only 57 yards through the air and 123 on the ground.

On defense, the Hoosiers let up 184 yards on the ground, 258 through the air and four touchdowns, and they forced only three punts.

IU’s only score of the day came on a Marcus Thigpen run up the middle. The back found no space where he originally planned to go, so he bounced to the outside and outran everyone for the score.

IU’s next game will be at Purdue on Saturday, as two struggling teams square off for the Old Oaken Bucket. This will be only the second time this decade IU will come into the regular-season finale with possession of the trophy.