When the clock hit 0:00, the game and the season ended simultaneously with a 23-16 victory for IU.
What makes freshman Zander Diamont’s game-winning touchdown so fascinating are the parallels between this 60-minute game and this 12-game season.
Both included long stretches of ugly football but ended with a score to go out on a high note and to bring some positivity to the ?program.
Both the game and the season had moments of crippling negativity and exciting hope.
This analogy might sound silly. Hear me out.
The first Purdue field goal to go up 3-0 was IU’s loss to Bowling Green. Despite a few good IU drives before it, IU was unable to get off to a good start and get things going in the right direction.
Freshman safety Chase Dutra’s impressive downfield interception was the Hoosier’s upset win against Missouri. Dutra and the defense overcame some frustrating moments to make a big play and get momentum going for the Hoosiers.
Senior receiver Shane Wynn’s attempted diving punt return that turned into a fumble resulted in an unpleasant loss to Maryland, and it began to appear that maybe IU just isn’t good enough. Maybe the good plays before it were flukes.
Then came Purdue senior Akeem Hunt’s 82-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for Purdue to go up 13-3.
This was junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld injuring his shoulder and missing the rest of the season. This was the dagger that would have made it easy for the Hoosiers to accept defeat.
What do we call the ensuing IU field goal and Wynn’s impressive 41-yard touchdown run to tie the game up at 13-13?
I would compare those plays to IU’s close and encouraging games against teams like Penn State, Rutgers and Ohio State.
They were showing fight and ability despite being down and despite having so much going against them. The thing is, they still weren’t winning. They still went down 16-13.
Attention shifting to junior running back Tevin Coleman hitting the 2,000-yard mark when the Hoosiers were losing, well that one is easy.
That is all the attention Coleman and all of his great moments had this season, even though things were not going well for the rest of the team.
This isn’t Coleman’s fault, he is a team player, but that became the story for a little while.
Then, there is that wonderful final act. That moment that left us with a good taste in our mouth for the 2014 season.
That, my friends, is the game-winning 65-yard touchdown drive that had it all.
It had Coleman running the ball. It had seniors Nick Stoner and D’Angelo Roberts having their big moments to move the chains and go off on a high note.
Then, it had the most scrutinized player of the season, Diamont, running in on a QB keeper for the touchdown to send the fans that were left in Memorial Stadium to scream and cheer.
This drive was the win itself. This was the Hoosiers fighting and scrapping along to at least get that one Big Ten victory.
Now, this was an ugly year for IU football. They took a step back from last season, in the win column at least, and there were some really ugly stretches.
This was also an ugly football game. There were moments when I wished I didn’t have to sit through the embarrassing display.
Both the season and the game left off on a strange high note despite all of the unpleasantness that happened along the way.
I’m not sure how we will remember this season.
Most likely, it will be remembered for Tevin Coleman’s absurd performances. It might be remembered as the “what if” year thanks to Sudfeld’s injury.
I really do not know. Time will tell. I do know that Diamont had a similar idea as me as to what IU could be in the future.
“I think Indiana can be special whenever it wants to be.”
brodmill@indiana.edu
