IU lost yet again Friday night, this time against Minnesota. The Hoosier defense forced four turnovers, but still failed to slow down a Golden Gopher offense that recorded more than 480 yards in the 38-31 loss at TCF Bank Stadium.
Here’s what you need to know from IU’s fifth conference loss of the season.
1. IU’s defense was abysmal.
After an improved showing against Penn State, the IU defense struggled mightily against Minnesota. In the first half, the connection between Minnesota redshirt freshman quarterback Tanner Morgan and wide receiver Tyler Johnson torched the IU secondary, and the two linked up for two touchdowns as part of a dominant opening half from the home team.
Morgan finished with 302 yards and three touchdowns, including a game-winning 67-yard touchdown pass to freshman receiver Rashod Bateman with 1:34 left in the game.
Along with Minnesota’s success through the air, senior running back Shannon Brooks was dominant in the running game, carrying the ball 22 times for 154 yards and a touchdown. This was Brooks’ first game of the season, and the Hoosiers could do little to stop him, as Brooks averaged seven yards per carry on the night.
IU’s inability to stop either the run or the pass resulted in a huge day for the Minnesota offense, and the Golden Gophers racked up 482 total yards of offense, the second-most IU has given up all year.
2. Stevie Scott had another solid game, despite receiving limited touches.
For the second straight week, freshman running back Stevie Scott was a viable weapon for the IU offense. Scott carried the ball 18 times for 96 yards, good for an average of 5.3 yards per carry, along with scoring a game-tying touchdown for IU in the fourth quarter.
In the past two weeks, Scott has gained 234 yards on the ground, which is more than his total from the previous four games combined. In addition, Scott has also found the end zone three times in IU’s last two games after scoring just once in the first four games of the conference schedule.
Scott’s improved production has been one of the few offensive bright spots in previous weeks, and the Hoosiers will need him to keep producing as they push for a bowl bid.
3. IU will head into its bye week with plenty of questions.
The task at hand for Coach Tom Allen’s team is simple. Win two of its last three games to achieve bowl eligibility. With home games against Maryland and Purdue on the horizon, it would seem that a path to a bowl is clear, but IU has plenty of problems to deal with during the upcoming bye week.
The offense has looked unconvincing in conference play.
Ramsey looked good during IU’s fourth-quarter comeback attempt, but he continued to show the turnover troubles that plagued the first half of his season. Even with Scott’s resurgence during recent weeks, the offense must avoid turning the ball over if IU wants to make the postseason.
On defense, IU’s recent struggles have continued despite forcing four turnovers. After giving up more than 30 points for the fifth time this season, IU will need to find some answers before facing high-powered offenses like Michigan and Purdue in the closing weeks of the season.
