If the comeback felt familiar, it's because it was.
If the outcome felt familiar, it's because it was.
The deceptive, bamboozling nature of the IU football program roared into full gear Friday night.
During a time of year in which costumes are in season, the Hoosiers once again presented themselves as a group with promise. As a group with reason for fans to become enamored with IU and swept up in the violently flowing emotions of a football game.
Then the ending happened, and the Hoosiers lost and tweets clamored for coaches to be fired, and players to execute better and higher-ups in suits to invest more money into the program.
It happens every time, without fail.
Friday's 38-31 loss at Minnesota was only the latest example of it.
But, there was particular vitriol online after this loss.
The Hoosiers didn't just rip out the hearts of their fans. No, they devoured those hearts. They swallowed their hearts whole, without chewing or a beverage to accompany it. They did it with a frenzy and in an instant.
The IU defense allowed Minnesota Coach P.J. Fleck and his "Row The Boat" mantra to turn an oar into a 200-horsepower engine.
Offensively, the Hoosiers earned the nickname "Field Goal U" for a first-half showing that wasted three drives into Golden Gopher territory by not scoring a touchdown on any of them.
Anyone who made it through IU's dull and spiritless performance during the opening three quarters deserved something, anything, as a reward.
Slowly, that reward manifested itself on the scoreboard during the fourth quarter.
IU turned a 22-point deficit entering the final period into a potential comeback that would have been unmatched in program history.
The context of Friday's game can't be understated. IU entered the game on a three-game losing streak, its bowl hopes swirling in the balance. With its lone Big Ten win coming against lowly Rutgers, Coach Tom Allen and company were eager to boost morale ahead of IU's bye week next weekend.
The opponent to try and remedy this against, Minnesota, was one of only two Big Ten teams without a conference win. The other is Rutgers.
The Golden Gophers started a backup, redshirt freshman quarterback in cold and rainy conditions and were fresh off their fourth-straight conference loss, each of which came by at least 16 points.
This background information is what made IU's three-quarter showing so appalling. It's what made the comeback so electrifying.
IU scored 22 points in about 10 minutes, efficiency unheard of by an offense coached by Mike DeBord at IU.
Touchdown passes from sophomore quarterback Peyton Ramsey to junior wide receiver Donavan Hale and sophomore wide receiver Ty Fryfogle, along with a short rushing touchdown by Stevie Scott, breathed life into IU's chances of winning.
Then, like a guest taking off their mask at a Halloween gathering, IU revealed itself to the crowd of onlookers.
Scott was stuffed on a third-and-short rushing attempt, after gaining seven yards on first down and two yards on second down, forcing a Hoosier punt.
The following sequence of plays has been characterized by many as the most IU football thing to ever happen.
Minnesota scored on its next play, a 67-yard touchdown pass, to take a seven-point lead with 1:34 to play. IU got the ball back, and was penalized for delay of game, before Ramsey was sacked and fumbled the ball back to Minnesota.
An unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on junior defensive lineman Brandon Wilson then ensured the IU loss.
It was after this penalty the cascading waterfall of tweets began to flood the Internet. The fans had been tricked yet again. They had become invested — the cardinal sin of any IU football fan.
They will be so again in two weeks when IU welcomes Maryland to Bloomington, and the same in three weeks when IU plays at Michigan.
It's a mystery why they return each time.
This team, program and administration hasn't proven it deserves them.
@cdrummond97
cpdrummo@iu.edu
