Appropriately the newest version of the "Peanuts" franchise hit theaters on Friday.

It's fitting because Saturday Indiana went back to its all-to-familiar role of Charlie Brown.

The Big Ten seems to taking turns playing Lucy.

Another week comes and goes with a conference foe pulling the football from the feet of the Hoosiers in a game that victory looked well within reach.

There was driving to the shadow of the end zone against top-ranked Ohio State on the verge of a game-tying touchdown...and
the snap sailing over the head of the quarterback on the games ultimate play.

There was leading Rutgers by 19 entering the final period....then seeing the Scarlet Knights score 22 unanswered points.

There was a mere two-point hole against unbeaten Michigan State....that somehow turned into a 26-point loss.

After an October slate where Indiana was outscored 80-10 -- including three straight final-quarter goose eggs over the final three games -- Iowa became the latest team to tease the Hoosiers on Saturday at Memorial Stadium, leaving town with a hard-fought 35-27 victory.

Within a single point after Griffin Oakes opened the final 15-minutes with a 28-yard field goal to make it 21-20, the Hawkeyes marched through the crimson colored jerseys for a TD - converting a crucial third-and-11 with a 12-yard pass from C.J. Beathard to Matt Vanderburg that became this game's version of "what might have been."

From there, the script flipped to the familiar final-quarter formula.

Indiana went down quickly on offense with a chance to tie. And the defense couldn't hang on. The opponent breaks things open.

Another contest hit the loss column.

Rinse...repeat.

There's usually some moment that makes the loss even tougher to stomach. This time it was the onside kick after a late Hoosier touchdown that it appeared two Indiana players had a legit shot at recovering. They didn't. Iowa did. Then milked the time off the clock.

It's too easy to say this is Indiana and Indiana loses these types of football games.

It's irresponsible to think that way as well.

As a faint chant of "Fire Wilson" broke out from the students at various points Saturday, saying it's time to move on from Kevin Wilson.

It's time to even stop that discussion.

Moral victories are garbage. They are as fun to talk about as being in your mid-30s and attending family weddings armed

with only pictures of your cats as a date.

Still, as frustrating as things seem, Indiana is continually on the cusp of a breakthrough.
Three games against unbeaten top-10 opponents and victory was in the discussion.

Knocking on the door against Big Ten heavyweights is a far far cry from the days when the program didn't even live in the
neighborhood.

"We just gotta keep knocking and knocking and knocking and get in," said Wilson after the game. "We don't like it, we've got to make plays.

"We've got great leaders in there. We're not satisfied, we gotta find a way to finish."

Indiana is showing it has the talent. There's Big Ten players littered throughout the two-deep. And this is a program where being Charlie Brown is a step up. Let's not forget how many times it has been Pig Pen in the past.

So the ball got pulled from Indiana again Saturday. Frustration lingers for the faithful that decided the second half was worth sticking around for.

One day - surely - that kick is destined to connect.

It's best to just do this review quickly after witnessing what we all did on Saturday.

The Good

1. Nothing: Not a single, solitary thing. Too harsh? Maybe. No actually, maybe not harsh enough. Is it possible to say that the goodwill built by the 4-0 start for the Hoosiers is now gone? Is it possible to say that a single Saturday afternoon loss to Rutgers has cast a cloud over Kevin Wilson's entire regime in Bloomington? Who knows. Before what happened Saturday, Division I teams were undefeated when leading by 25 points or more at any point in a game this season. Now we have one obvious exception. If not for Michigan derping away the final punt to lose at home against Michigan State, the collective view of the Big Ten would be in the familiar spot of pointing and laughing at another absolute Indiana debacle. Ridiculous. Absolutely positively ridiculous.

The Bad

1. Offense: So you can say a team that scored 52 points in less than three full quarters was bad and keep a straight face? Yep, you sure can when it applies to Indiana football. You could fill out a Mad Libs of how to blow a big lead late and Indiana checked off ever single on on offense. The running game went non existent. Quarterback Nate Sudfeld threw two bad interceptions. The passing game, so consistently beating Rutgers with crossing patters and plays down the field, resorted to ineffective quick outs and screens that went nowhere. Bad. Just bad.

2. Defense: Phase two in the how to create an absolute debacle is a unit that looked at times to be playing neighborhood two-hand touch rather than Big Ten football. Never confused for a prolific Division I super offense, the Scarlet Knights were four yards away from reaching 600 for the game and went for 55 points - nearly three touchdowns better than they have against any other Division I foe. How is any of this possible? Who knows? It's Indiana, it just happens.

3. Special teams: And we've completed the debacle loss, total meltdown hat trick. Everyone in Memorial Stadium probably knew what was about to happen the second that the ball was snapped over the head of punter Erich Toth and scooped up by Rutgers for a touchdown on the first play of the fourth quarter. If the rock of momentum wasn't already rolling allowing a quick special teams score turned it into a boulder that Indiana wasn't about to make any effort to stop.

4. Coaching: Let's make sure no one gets left out. Most seem to be in agreement that Kevin Wilson needs a bowl berth to save his job after this season. Despite gains in recruiting, improved facilities and "buzz" around the program for the first time since the peak of Terry Hoeppner's tenure, Wilson could not afford another sub-.500 season. With four non-conference wins, it looked like a near lock for IU. Now what? Find two more wins on Indiana's schedule. Take your time because you may be looking for a while. Unbeaten Michigan State? Unbeaten Iowa? Home against a reborn Michigan with Jim Harbaugh? Road games against Maryland and Purdue? Three of those games look simply unwinnable. Expecting two road wins against the Terrapins and Boilermakers is probably a tad optimistic. Indiana's margin for error, already paper thin, is now gone. Every year of his tenure in Bloomington, Wilson seems to suffer one loss that the fan base looks back at and says "if only we hadn't blow it against (blank)". If this Rutgers game proves to be that effort this season, who knows if Wilson can survive.

For Indiana fans, it seemed a bit like a pipe dream.

A date with No. 1 Ohio State in Bloomington and the Hoosiers led on Saturday heading into the locker room for halftime.

And Indiana ran it down to the wire.

The Buckeyes took the eventual 34-27 win after a big scare in the final Hoosier drive in front of an announced crowd of 52,929.

The Hoosiers took a shocking 10-6 lead in the first half, with a field goal from Griffin Oakes in the first quarter and a touchdown from Devine Redding in the second.

Once Ohio State (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) returned from the locker room, it was a different ball game. Two touchdowns from Ezekiel Elliot in the third quarter started the OSU run.

Indiana (4-1, 0-1) held tough late, with a 79-yard touchdown run from Zander Diamont in the fourth quarter that brought the Hoosiers within seven.

A forced OSU punt late in the fourth put IU down seven with possession, pushing the last drive to the 9-yard line. An incomplete pass from Diamont on a misplaced snap at the buzzer gave Ohio State the win.

“We’ve got a lot of strengths, and we’re just trying to build on them,” IU coach Kevin Wilson said. “Offensively we’ve got to keep coming along.”

Nate Sudfeld was benched in the third quarter after tweaking his ankle and Diamont burned his redshirt to fill in against the Buckeyes. Diamont threw for 76 yards and ran for 79.

“I’ve been ready to go,” Diamont said. “I’ve felt confident since training camp. The experience from last season really prepared me for this situation.”

Elliot’s 286 total yards let the way for the Buckeyes, after starting cold, running for only 31 yards in the first half. A bulk of his yards came from his three touchdowns, which were 55 yards, 65 yards and 75 yards respectively.

This was the first sellout crowd in Memorial Stadium since 2010, which gave Indiana the strength they needed to push the top team in the country to its limits.

“It means a lot to finally get a crowd out here,” Diamont said. “But we don't want that just to be for this week coming off an undefeated game. We appreciate it; it really makes a difference in how we play.”

Jordan Howard, the usual powerhouse running back, was taken off the field in the second quarter due to an ankle injury. Howard saw a few plays here and there after returning in the second half, but only gained 34 yards on 14 attempts.

Regardless of the score, Hoosier fans and players noticed how good the IU squad was.

“I think we can play with anyone in the country,” Diamont said. “I think people around here are starting to realize that this is a very good football team and a good football program, and we've known that for the past few years. When we play as a team we are really good. We came here to win."

The closeness of this matchup sprung up a lot of questions regarding Ohio State, Indiana and the Big Ten.

Was Ohio State overrated?

Was Indiana really good enough to hold with the Buckeyes until the end?

Is the Big Ten deeper than everyone thought?

All of these questions will, of course, be answered during the coming weeks when the Big Ten teams face off against the rest of the league. With No. 2 Michigan State only escaping a Purdue visit with a 24-21 victory, Ohio State leaving Bloomington with a scare and Iowa securing a 5-0 start, the Big Ten looks wide open.

The Hoosiers will be on the road against Penn State for their next contest on Oct. 10 and will come back home for the matchup against Rutgers for homecoming on Oct. 17.

Revisiting the good and the bad surrounding the Hoosiers after their 31-24 win over Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, N.C.

THE GOOD

1. 4-0 - Do you have a grasp on exactly how long ago 1990 was? Seriously, a really really long time ago. You'd be lying to say the Hoosiers perfect non-conference slate was any sort of work of art. At times, it more resembled finger paint than any sort of masterpiece. But Indiana currently sits in a spot that it hasn't occupied since the first George Bush was in office, since Calbert Cheaney was a sophomore and since Macauley Culkin was left home in suburban Chicago for the very first time. Making a bowl has proven to be the tallest of orders for an Indiana program that has gone to the postseason once since 1993. The perfect non-conference record is a huge step to making it happen again.

2. Jordan Howard - Water is wet. Bears do their business in the woods. And Jordan Howard pummels another defensive front. Howard became the first player in the past 20 seasons with more than 140 yards rushing in each of his first four games at a school. That stat may make it to the living room of some running back recruits in the future. This time it was 168 yards on 33 carries. The Heisman race seems to be a formality between LSU's Leonard Fournette and Georgia's Nick Chubb at this juncture. Howard could be at least drawing an invite to New York City though with his play thus far this season.

3. Simmie Cobbs Jr. - While Howard has been the mainstay of the early-season rushing attack, a new receiver seems to be emerging weekly as a hero for the IU passing game. This week, it was Cobbs hauling in seven catches for 75 yards and a score. Standing 6-foot-4, Cobbs could emerge as a viable red-zone weapon for quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who needs a receiver with size to emerge with the big-play ability of sub-6 footers Ricky Jones and Mitchell Paige.

4. Another winning effort on D - Erasing the effort of the defense in that 48-47 season-opening win over Southern Illinois will likely never happen - suspended starters and all. But it's at least time to consider that effort as the exception rather than the rule for this team. Wake Forest ran a total of 81 on plays on Saturday and the Hoosier defense allowed 0 yards or fewer yards on 40 of them. And for the third week in a row an underclassman made a play in the defensive backfield as sophomore Tony Fields ran an interception back for what proved to be the decisive score early in the fourth quarter. While the competition really ramps up beginning this week, it's at least a bit soothing for the Hoosier fans soul to think they may not be completely overwhelmed by Big Ten offenses in 2015.

5. Opposing vitriol - While Hoosier fans, students and alumni were having a load of fun putting heat on ESPN to bring its popular "College Gameday" program to Bloomington for this Saturday's game against No. 1 Ohio State, it was fun seeing the extent of bitterness from teams around the Big Ten who scoffed at the mere thought of Indiana garnering recognition on the gridiron. Fans at Penn State, Michigan and Wisconsin and others flooded Big Ten Network message boards with talk of how big a joke the idea was. Is Indiana Rose Bowl Bound? Are they in the conversation for the college football playoff? Is it a shoo-in this team will even find two more wins and be bowl bound? No, no and no. But it's less than a month from the start of college hoops practice and legit conversation is still taking place about Indiana University football. That happens as often as Final Four talk in West Lafayette.

THE BAD

1. Twitter - It's amazing just how common a person can fit totally absurd statements into a mere 140 characters but the Twitterverse uncovered a real gem this weekend courtesy of a Purdue beat writer whose name I'll omit because I'm simply a nice guy. The bastion of journalistic integrity that he claims to be, he downplayed Indiana's 4-0 start by going as far as to say the Boilers are simply better than IU, would be 4-0 if they played the same schedule as the Hoosiers and that Indiana would be sitting 1-3 if it had faced the same first month they encountered up north. First, hypothetically playing someone else’s schedule is the almost literal definition of pointlessness. You play the games on your slate and let idiots like Bret Bielema bemoan who they aren't playing. But to say with any sort of conviction that Purdue, the program that has more wins against FCS level teams than FBS level squads in the past three seasons, would be perfect against any schedule four games in is using a level of imagination normally reserved for four year olds jumping on couch cushions to avoid lava traps.

Don't for a minute think the easy part is over.

If you've learned anything about Indiana football over the course of time you should know this is a program that seldom has handled prosperity well.

Ok, it's tough to use prosperity and Indiana University football in the same sentence a lot of times. Quite frankly, you could write the program defining wins over the past 20 years on a napkin and still have the back side to wipe the tears of seeing just how nondescript Indiana's football history actually is.

But in those rare moments of glory, when the Hoosiers have come from nowhere to claim victories that few saw coming - the nasty habit of following up with a dud has been the norm rather than the exception.

Remember beating Missouri last season and recharging the fan base with talks of a bowl berth and contending in the Big Ten? Yeah, don't forget the next week IU was buried at home by Maryland. In 2012, when Indiana won back-to-back Big Ten games and had a showdown at home with Wisconsin that could put it in the driver's seat for a division title due to Ohio State being ineligible. Indiana lost that game 62-24.

It's not just recent bias here either. Don't forget that magical win against Oregon (OREGON!) in Eugene back in 2004. That one drew the eyes of ESPN post game shows and even had folks on national radio talking about the program. Don't forget that was followed up with a humiliating 51-32 loss to winless Kentucky in Lexington.

So, be excited about Indiana's 3-0 start. Hey, it hasn't happened in Bloomington in a long (2010 to be exact) time. Just be warned.

Wake Forest looks like a game Indiana could win. It looks like an opponent that could be another momentum builder for the program. It looks like something that could spark interest and make people pay attention.

But we've also seen how these things have gone in the past.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten

BYU at Michigan (-5.5) - The Wolverines have given up only 38 points in three weeks, including just seven points each in back-to-back wins. Will be interesting to see if they can continue that trend against a pretty good Cougar squad.

Bowling Green (-1) at Purdue - Purdue has dominated Missouri Valley teams in Darrell Hazell's three seasons in West Lafayette - going 3-0 against teams from the league in that span. That has nothing to do with Bowling Green however, who will look for a second win over a Big Ten opponent this season. I'm just being nice bringing up the whole Missouri Valley thing.

Maryland at West Virginia (-17) - This doesn't appear the type of game the Terps are capable of winning.

Kansas at Rutgers (-12.5) - To be a near two-touchdown underdog against the Scarlett Knights (who don't forget don't have a coach presently) shows exactly how bad things are for Kansas football.

Middle Tennessee at Illinois (-6.5) - I like the Middle Tennessee method of identifying geography. More schools should go this route. Illinois should call itself Middle Illinois. IU students should start claiming Sorta Middle Indiana but more toward the bottom left really.

Ball State at Northwestern (-19) - Already this season the Wildcats have beaten Stanford and Duke so this latest encounter with another steadfast academic institution like the one in Muncie should be a breeze.

Hawaii at Wisconsin (-24.5) - Teams travel to Hawaii and are greeted by hula girls while stepping off the plane. Teams travel to Wisconsin and are pelted with cheese curds and forced to drink Miller products for a weekend. It has been the dirty secret to Wisconsin's success for years.

Also happening around the league

Ohio at Minnesota (-10.5)

Central Michigan at Michigan State (-26.5)

Southern Miss at Nebraska (-22)

Western Michigan at Ohio State (-31)

San Diego State at Penn State (-15)

December 2 may not resonate historically for any significant reason. Heck, one can't even log onto a website like famousbirthdays.com and find any famous celebrity that calls that day his or her own. While it came and went like a rather ordinary Tuesday for me and you in 2014, it ended up perhaps one of the most significant days on the calendar for Indiana University football's 2015 season - and perhaps even beyond.

On Dec. 2, a board trustees at UAB convened to put the finishing touches on the cancellation of the school's football program. The Blazers were done. Future games cancelled. Scholarships were gone.

Despite a season where the school qualified for a bowl game for just the second time in program history, the plug was pulled - essentially creating free agency for all current players to find a new school. (Ironically, UAB responded to the backlash of its decision by reinstating the program on June 2, but players who left were already gone).

While UAB players were looking for new homes. Indiana was scrambling. Losing unanimous All American and first-team All Big Ten star Tevin Coleman to the NFL draft. While coach Kevin WIlson has always recruited the running back position hard each and every offseason, one can seldom fathom the stroke of luck falling right in the Hoosier lap. Instead of handing the running back job to an untested underclassman, Wilson was about to hit a late-season recruiting jackpot - one named Jordan Howard.

Just a year after running for more than 1,500 yards for the Blazers, Howard joined the Hoosiers in January. He's hit the ground rolling in his first two games in Bloomington as well. Through the opening two weeks, Howard ranks No. 5 in the country with 304 yards on the year, averaging 6.5 yards per carry. This week, Howard will face a Western Kentucky defense that was gashed for 168 yards and two scores a week ago Louisiana Tech's Kenneth Gibson. Howard's ability to pick up yards on the ground may be a necessity for a Hoosier team that may need to keep the Hilltoppers offense off the field. Western amassed 590 yards of total offense last week in its 41-38 win and sixth-year quarterback Brandon Doughty has been discussed as the next mid-major quarterback that could crash the NFL draft.

Elsewhere in the Big Ten

Virginia Tech (-6) at Purdue: Frank Beamer's program has lacked it's typical national punch the past few seasons - with just 22 wins in the last three years. This still serves as a chance for Darrell Hazell to get perhaps his biggest win in three seasons in West Lafayette.

South Florida at Maryland (-7): The Terps were roughed up at home by Bowling Green last week. The seat is officially getting warm for Randy Edsall.

Rutgers at Penn State (-8): The "Nobody does scandal the way WE do scandal" game of the week. Rutgers doesn't have a coach for three weeks. Penn State, well we know what happened there.

Northwestern at Duke (-3.5): In an otherwise boring Big Ten slate this week, the surprising Wildcats look to stay unbeaten against David Cutcliffe's undefeated Blue Devils in Durham.

Nebraska at Miami (-3): The over under on number of times the Cornhusker's failed two-point try against the Hurricanes in 1984 is shown is unofficially set at 287.

Illinois at North Carolina (-9): A 3-0 start would have people talking about the Illini as one of the best stories in college football.

Pitt at Iowa (-5.5): This game will scroll across the bottom line. You'll see that it happened. By Sunday you'll never remember a single detail about it. Not even the score.

Also happening....Blowouts.

UNLV at Michigan (-34)

Air Force at Michigan State (-26)

Kent State at Minnesota (-24)

Northern Illinois at Ohio State (-34.5)

Troy at Wisconsin (-34)

So, what exactly makes the Hilltoppers such a threat? Well, one of the biggest reasons is the mismatch their sixth year quarterback, Brandon Doughty presents against a young IU secondary.

Coaches Brandon Shelby and Noah Joseph believe that their players will be up to the task with proper preparation.

“We have to get better taking what we do Monday through Friday and applying it on Saturday,” Shelby said, “Their quarterback is very good… knows how to throw the ball and get away from pressure, if we let him sit back there all day its going to be a long day,” he finished.

Shelby later said that on tape Doughty compares to Andrew Luck because their adjustments are like clockwork.

Joseph echoed those thoughts on Doughty, but thinks IU has a distinct advantage when it comes to preparing for a player of his abilities.

“What helps us is crossover stuff,” Joseph said before continuing, “we do a lot of crossover work, 1v1 against Nate Sudfeld who can spin the ball pretty well too.” Joseph thinks going against a player like Sudfeld has helped his younger players develop, but they are realizing that they must work on their own to succeed.

“The young guys have done okay and they have a lot of talent, we have seen inconsistency,” Joseph said, “They have to work on their own and do a lot more than what you’re doing just with coaches.”

Some points that Shelby thinks the secondary has to improve upon are having their eyes in the right spot and playing faster. The coaches have been giving players looks similar to what they anticipate they will see in games, but Shelby highlighted that the intensity can’t be replicated in practice, so mistakes will be made.

“Them playing hard alleviates mistakes.” Shelby said, adding that on the play against Florida International that Jameel Cook returned an interception for a touchdown, Cook was supposed to blitz and thus never should’ve been in that position.

“That’s one of those times where you say, ‘great play, now don’t do it again!’” Shelby said.

Though inconsistencies are bound to happen, especially in a young secondary, the Hoosiers believe that it is something they will grow through. Indiana fans saw a perfect example when the team played Florida International. Cook gave up a touchdown when running a cover 2 defense, then later secured the game for the Hoosiers.

The veteran leader of the secondary, Rashard Fant, stressed the importance of rebounding from mistakes.

“You have to put it out of your mind,” Fant said, “even when you give up a touchdown, you have to keep playing and move on because if you think about it you are burnable and they will attack you,” he finished.

Fant believes the work ethic of the secondary will lead to improvement, saying that he watches a lot of tape not only of himself but Vernon Hargreaves of Florida, Jalen Ramsey of Florida State as well as Darrelle Revis and Richard Sherman.

“I watched some film and there were definitely a few missed opportunities where I could’ve helped the team even more,” Fant said, “my spot is not guaranteed and each day I have to prove my worth and show I can do my job,” he added.

Shelby and Joseph have come together in the secondary and instilled that attitude in their players. Each player knows that there are no guarantees and that is why they have all stated that they must work hard to play.

On having two coaches lead the secondary, Joseph said he thinks it has made players more accountable.

“It is not a whole lot different than last year,” Joseph said. “We are able to be a lot harder on the guys as far as their discipline because if both coaches are picking on you its probably you needing to play better not us being picky.''

Shelby believes the attitude of the players helps them hold themselves accountable.

“This group is probably the best I’ve been with since I’ve been here,” Shelby said. "They’re very prideful and don’t want to let anyone down.'

Fant anticipates his team to hang tough with the Hilltoppers.

“I expect them to be really good but I also expect us to come out ready to play,” Fant said. "We have to read our keys and be patient… they will throw a lot of shots and have good receivers.''

If everyone does as Fant said, fans can expect a close one in Bloomington when the Hoosiers take on the Hilltoppers. This game could be the best way to truly evaluate if this is the year the Hoosiers will go bowling.

NOTES:

Shelby said “Tyler Green is getting better, he came in and wasn’t quite ready, but he’s faster. I wouldn’t be surprised if he ends up helping this year.”

Shelby also said Fant didn’t practice too much going into FIU game but did walk throughs and had a lot of mental reps.

Here is this week’s look at the good and not so good from Indiana's 36-22 win over Florida International on Saturday.

1. The defense - No seriously guys, the defense.

Forcing three turnovers, each of which led directly to three touchdowns, the Hoosier D earned a bit of retribution after the 659-yard debacle that was Week 1 against Southern Illinois. On the verge of allowing another potential game-tying TD late, the Hoosiers buckled down in the red zone for a game-saving pick-six by freshman Jameel Cook, Jr. What could have spelled disaster turned into a potential early-season turning point for the young secondary.

2. Nick Mangieri - While Cook provided the late heroics in the secondary it was the veteran that stepped up. Mangieri scooped up a first-half fumble by FIU quarterback Alex McGough and later had a strip sack that gave IU field position to set up another score. The return of Darius Latham inside seemed to unleash Mangieri's pass rush, which took pressure off the young DBs and improved the overall defensive effort.

3. Jordan Howard - How does one show their gratitude to UAB for the short sighted decision to drop football briefly late last year? Without that bit of temporary insanity, Howard is still burning Conference USA defenses weekly instead of becoming the new bell-cow in IU's pulverizing ground attack. Another week, another 100-plus yard effort for Howard, who had 159 yards on 27 carries. While he lacks the explosive breakaway running speed that became a trademark of Tevin Coleman a year ago, Howard has proven capable of being a bit more of a power runner than his Heisman candidate predecessor.

The not so good

1. Big Plays allowed - The defense doesn't totally get off the hook - this is IU football after all. While the turnovers where nice, Indiana still allowed three scoring plays of at least 20 yards and gave up a 75-yard touchdown pass to Thomas Owens one-play after Griffin Oakes had kicked a field goal to make it 7-6 in the first half.

2. Nate Sudfeld - Tough grading perhaps to criticize a guy who threw for 234 yards and ran for two scores, but the senior did commit a turnovers on offense and missed several throws that could have led to big plays. In IU's hyper-efficient rhythmic offense, a completion percentage under 60 percent is less than ideal. Sudfeld hit on only 19-of-33, numbers that will have to improve as the opposing defenses improve.

3. Oakes - While the sophomore from Greenwood has solidified a spotty kicking situation since he took the job last year, Saturday didn't prove to be one of his finest efforts. He missed a field goal late in the first half and also misfired on a PAT attempt when Indiana took its first lead at 19-14. Leaving points off the scoreboard with special teams could burn a team in a close game at some point this season.

A look at future Hoosier foes

* Western Kentucky got its offense back in high gear as it scored a 41-38 victory over Louisiana Tech in a clash of Conference USA heavyweights. The Hilltoppers rang up 585 yards of total offense against Tech - including 441 through the air behind sixth-year senior quarterback Brandon Doughty.

* WKU lost tailback Leon Allen to a gruesome knee injury and his replacement D'Andre Ferby struggled to a 2.8 yards per carry average. Allen was a big part of what the Hilltoppers did on offense, so replacing him will be key against the Hoosiers.

* Second-year Hilltopper coach Jeff Brohm is a star on the rise in the coaching ranks. A year after taking over for Bobby Petrino, Brohm has already been linked to the upcoming Big Ten coaching vacancy at Illinois and his name will likely be mentioned with more openings this winter.

* IU's final non-conference foe, Wake Forest, dropped its ACC opener on the road Saturday, 30-17. The Deamon Deacons led 17-13 at intermission but could not find the scoreboard in the second half.

* Big Ten teams went 12-2 over the weekend. The biggest victory came from Michigan State as it upended No. 7 Oregon 31-28. Minnesota pulled out a surprising 23-20 overtime win on the road and Purdue picked up its first victory of the season by beating Indiana State 38-14.

An amazing fact that began swirling talk radio and various internet sites last week is the absolute dearth of NFL quarterbacks that have emerged from the Big Ten in the past 20-plus years.

Throw out the obvious name, Tom Brady is merely an exception rather than a norm. As a sixth-round pick out of Michigan there were absolutely zero NFL pundits who saw a future Hall of Famer being plucked by the Patriots during Day 2 of the 2000 NFL draft.

But here’s the alarming state of the quarterback position in the Big Ten for the better part of two decades now. The last time a Big Ten signal caller drew a first round pick was Kerry Collins. Kerry Collins was picked by the Carolina Panthers. That was in 1995. That was 20 years ago. Bill Clinton hadn’t even met Monica yet in 1995. Al Gore’s internet was harder to find then than Hillary Clinton’s e-mails are to find now and the third member of Steve and Lori Zeller’s basketball empire was merely 3 years old in 95.

This is interesting today based on the fact that the Big Ten could finally be close to busting down that first-round quarterback wall in a big way in 2015. Three Big Ten signal callers are drawing first-round looks this preseason. Christian Hackenberg at Penn State has been called a first round pick since his freshman season, even as his on-field results have remained uneven into his third season as a Nittany Lion.
Connor Cook has assumed the mantle as the conference’s golden arm, as his name has popped up in mock drafts as the top college signal caller draft eligible this season. Cardale Jones of Ohio State nearly parlayed his bruising stature, cannon arm and three-game performance in the Big Ten title game and college football playoff into a first-round grade last winter.

Interestingly though is a fourth name seems to be drawing scouts eyes by year end – and that’s the one that resides in Bloomington.

Is Nate Sudfeld capable of drawing pro scout eyes and becoming the first Indiana player taken in the first round since Thomas Lewis in 1993?

Sudfeld currently ranks as the No. 5 signal caller on the NFL mock draft site nflmocks.com – ahead of both Jones and current Heisman trophy front runner Trevone Boykin. The site notes his 6-foot-6 size and his placement on the All Big Ten academic team as two things scouts are checking off the “pro” list of Sudfeld’s draft grades. Sudfeld’s completion percentage, surprising agility for his size and arm strength are also attributes drawing scouts’ attention.

While comparing Sudfeld’s game most closely to Baltimore’s Joe Flacco among current NFL quarterbacks, the site still gives pause to calling Sudfeld a first-round pick right now.

“This guy can throw it anywhere on the football field,” said a scout on the site. “That is a good thing and a bad thing. He will overthrow receiver on an easy play horrendously, and then on the next, he throws a perfect 50-yard bomb in the left corner of the end zone.

“In the mental processing part of the game (Sudfeld) can get a little lost. Most in part due to the offense they run, but he does not read defenses consistently enough. To be a starting NFL quarterback, you must be able to read the defense 24/7 and he can’t do that at this point.”

Around the Big Ten this week

The conference gets a crack at a marquee non-conference victory on Saturday as Michigan State hosts playoff runner-up Oregon in East Lansing Saturday. The Ducks suffered a possible blow after quarterback Vernon Adams took a late hit and walked off wobbly late in their season-opening win over Eastern Washington on Saturday (Adams’ expects to play). Sparty rolled in week 1 and has stated all preseason it intends to join Ohio State in the discussion for one of the four spots in the College Football playoff this season. A loss here likely ends that chatter early.

Jim Harbaugh will go for his first win as coach at Michigan as the Wolverines host Oregon State at The Big House. Michigan opens as a 14-point favorite so anything less than a comfortable win probably makes the locals in Ann Arbor a bit uneasy.

The unofficial annual Big Ten-Mid American Conference challenge continues as three matchups between the conferences take place Saturday. Penn State hopes to put its debacle against Temple in the rear view in a home game against Buffalo. Maryland looks to go 2-0 on the year as they host Bowling Green. Wisconsin will look to break through the win column for head coach Paul Chryst against Miami-Ohio.

Also of note, Purdue stays in state as it opens its home slate against Indiana State. Ohio State should fire its schedule maker as it hosts Hawaii rather than making the road trip. Minnesota hits the road to face Colorado State. Iowa will look to claim the coveted Cy-Hawk crown against Iowa State.