The snap went errant and the IU quarterback was forced topick it up on the move, run in a semi-circle and evade several Ohio State defenders. He quickly scampered to the sideline and floated a high-arching pass toward the corner of the endzone.
The pass went incomplete as time expired and IU’s upset bid of No. 1 Ohio State fell just shy of forcing overtime.
The IU quarterback at the time was not starter Nate Sudfeld. It was sophomore Zander Diamont, yet IU still found itself one play away in the 34-27 loss.
Even before the injuries, IU led the defending national champs at halftime, and IU Coach Kevin Wilson viewed this as confirmation for his program.
“You thought you could play,” he told his team at halftime. “Now you know you can.”
Sudfeld and junior running back Jordan Howard, the nation’s leading rusher entering Saturday, left the game permanently in the third quarter. Sudfeld reaggravated an ankle injury he suffered last week against Wake Forest, and Wilson described it as a “minor deal.”
Sudfeld and Howard could have played, Wilson said, and both tried to come back in later drives, but Wilson didn’t think it was the right call.
Diamont was at the helm for 17 points of offense in a quarter and a half and kept the Hoosiers in striking distance of a team favored by 21 points.
“He’s a competitor, got a lot of heart,” Wilson said. “Teammates rally with him. He’s better than he was a year ago.”
It almost seems fitting that Diamont led the Hoosiers in the near comeback because he was playing last year when IU led Ohio State in the third quarter at Ohio Stadium. He started six games as a true freshman while Sudfeld missed time with a shoulder injury.
“There’s no way to describe the difference it would have been,” Diamont said. “If I didn’t have those reps last year I wouldn’t have been prepared for a game like today.”
Wilson said the offense doesn’t change when a different quarterback comes in. But he added that Diamont has different strengths and weaknesses than Sudfeld, and the team might have to run some things that are more appropriate for him.
Take for instance Diamont’s 79-yard run in the fourth quarter to bring the Hoosiers back within seven. He took the snap on the first play of the drive, faked a handoff, broke through several arm tackles and outran an Ohio State defensive backfield occupied by four and five-star recruits.
“I’ve been doing that in practice and in training camp, so I knew I could do it,” he said. “I broke for 60 on them last year.”
This 34-27 loss had IU trending nationally on Twitter, but Wilson and Diamont wanted to win.
“I think we can play with anybody in the country,” Diamont said.
Now IU stands 4-1 and is looking to regain health going into a matchup next week against Penn State in Happy Valley. But for now, the Hoosiers can know they played to the end with the No. 1 team in the nation without their starting quarterback or running back.
“We weren’t even playing our best,” Diamont said. “We aren’t even close yet.”
