A great opportunity was met with a disappointing performance.
That’s how IU Coach Tom Allen described IU’s 35-21 loss to No. 24 Michigan State on Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.
Thanks to two turnovers and untimely penalties, IU was unable to get out of its own way, which resulted in the Hoosiers dropping to 3-1 overall and 0-1 in Big Ten play.
“I thought we were inconsistent in a lot of areas,” Allen said. “Definitely some positives to build off of, but we have a young football team that didn’t respond to some key situations and made some poor choices.”
Those poor choices included two penalties for unsportsmanlike conduct and a targeting penalty, leading to the ejection of sophomore husky Marcelino Ball. IU was penalized a total of six times for 85 yards, and that’s not including a defensive pass interference call that was wiped out by a penalty assessed to Michigan State on the same play.
Two big injuries hurt IU before penalties ever could, as redshirt senior receiver Luke Timian did not dress for the game and senior defensive lineman Jacob Robinson dressed but did not play.
The absence of two experienced leaders was felt on both sides of the ball, but sophomore receiver Whop Philyor lamented the loss of one of IU’s most experienced pass catchers.
“We missed Luke a lot,” Philyor said.
Aside from a few bad penalties, the Hoosier defense was solid all night. IU forced the Spartans to punt six times, and held Michigan State’s rushing game in check until freshman wide receiver Jalen Nailor broke free for a 75-yard touchdown run with 3:17 left in the game.
Nailor’s run was a backbreaker for the Hoosiers, as Philyor had just taken a short pass 65 yards for a touchdown to bring IU to within seven points.
“That was an opportunity that we had as a defense to finish the game,” Allen said. “We just didn’t execute. That’s on me.”
As good as the defense was on Saturday night, the IU offense struggled to get going against the Spartans, who boast the top rushing defense in the country.
Michigan State’s dominance against the run was on full display, as the Hoosiers were limited to just 29 rushing yards on 35 carries. Allen said while Michigan State was an elite defensive unit, he expected more from the offensive line.
“It was tough sledding for our offensive line,” Allen said. “They’ve been great so far, but they didn’t have a good night tonight and we’ve got to get better.”
Despite a rough game on the ground, IU was able to take advantage of Michigan State’s shaky pass defense at times.
Sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey threw for a season-high 272 yards, with Philyor as his standout target. Philyor finished with 13 catches for 148 yards and a touchdown, which came late in the fourth quarter to cut the Spartan lead to seven points.
After the game, Philyor was confident, saying the Hoosiers were just a few plays away from a totally different result.
“We can match their talent any day,” Philyor said. “We were just always shooting ourselves in the foot.”
