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Examining what we liked and what we didn't about the 79-72 victory over Rutgers on Wednesday. Conference play is among us and Indiana opened again a foe that was marginally better than the majority of its pre Big Ten slate. So let us relive the things we like and the things we disliked about Wednesday's matinee victory over Rutgers in New Jersey.   The Good   1. Max Bielfeldt - Really, Hoosier reserves in general could fill every spot on the this list but the senior from Illinois was definitely Wednesday's biggest star. Bielfeldt tied his career high in points with 18 (his new career mark as a Hoosier, the previous occurance came when the senior played at Michigan) and set a new career mark in rebounds with 14. With freshman Thomas Bryant struggling (something we'll check in on later), Bielfeldt ensured the Hoosiers still had an interior presence. Something that the team dreadfully lacked last season.   2. The bench - Bielfeldt stole headlines for certain with a career effort, but few if any would have made a pit stop in Atlantic City and placed good money on seeing IU's reserves post 37 points. Also, who had O.G. Anunoby and Ryan Burton combining for 14 points and 4-of-4 3-point shooting beforehand? Put your hand down and make your New Year's resolution that you won't lie to impress your friends folks.   3. Colin Hartman - The junior from Indianapolis is taking his role in stride this season. With James Blackmon Jr. sidelined by a sore knee, Hartman rejoined the starting lineup and contributed nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range. Hartman has been both a starter and reserve already this season and while he'll likely never post eye-popping numbers he's one of the Hoosiers who's effort and consistency don't seem to waver.   4. One for the win column - The formula certainly didn't look like the recipe for a Hoosier win. Blackmon Jr. did not play. Bryant barely did. Robert Johnson did not score. Troy Williams seemed to play the game like he was juggling flaming chainsaws on one of those trendy hoverboards everyone got for Christmas. But Indiana found a way to keep its win streak in order and earn an always important road conference win.   The Bad   1. Robert Johnson - Yikes. Johnson's re-entry into the Hoosier starting lineup has largely been credited with helping Indiana slightly right the path of a season that appeared headed off the rails in early December. Wednesday though was arguably the sophomore's biggest struggle since he arrived in Bloomington. Johnson missed all six of his field goal attempts. He didn't score. He had five turnovers. For one of Indiana's steadiest performers it was certainly an outlier. Here's hoping for a bounceback.   2. Turnovers - At some point something more drastic may be in order. Hypnotherapy in which Hoosier players are trained that the ball is a kitten or their favorite nephew and should be valued as such may be the next step. But 23 turnovers that led to half of Rutgers' total points is just unbelievably, wretchedly bad. Williams led the way with seven. Yogi Ferrell ignored all stereotypes about the steadiness of senior point guards and chipped in with six and Johnson contributed his five. When Blackmon doesn't play those three comprise Indiana's three most talented perimeter players, so needless to say 18 turnovers among them is a bit disheartening.   3. Bryant - Better days lie ahead for the freshman, but it would have been understandable for anyone casually watching to wonder if Bryant suited up on Wednesday. Six total minutes with just a single field goal, a single rebound and five fouls for his effort made the McDonald's All American big man a footnote. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/the-good-and-the-bad-rutgers-r294]Click here to view the article[/url]

Conference play is among us and Indiana opened again a foe that was marginally better than the majority of its pre Big Ten slate. So let us relive the things we like and the things we disliked about Wednesday's matinee victory over Rutgers in New Jersey. The Good 1. Max Bielfeldt - Really, Hoosier reserves in general could fill every spot on the this list but the senior from Illinois was definitely Wednesday's biggest star. Bielfeldt tied his career high in points with 18 (his new career mark as a Hoosier, the previous occurance came when the senior played at Michigan) and set a new career mark in rebounds with 14. With freshman Thomas Bryant struggling (something we'll check in on later), Bielfeldt ensured the Hoosiers still had an interior presence. Something that the team dreadfully lacked last season. 2. The bench - Bielfeldt stole headlines for certain with a career effort, but few if any would have made a pit stop in Atlantic City and placed good money on seeing IU's reserves post 37 points. Also, who had O.G. Anunoby and Ryan Burton combining for 14 points and 4-of-4 3-point shooting beforehand? Put your hand down and make your New Year's resolution that you won't lie to impress your friends folks. 3. Colin Hartman - The junior from Indianapolis is taking his role in stride this season. With James Blackmon Jr. sidelined by a sore knee, Hartman rejoined the starting lineup and contributed nine points on 3-of-3 shooting from 3-point range. Hartman has been both a starter and reserve already this season and while he'll likely never post eye-popping numbers he's one of the Hoosiers who's effort and consistency don't seem to waver. 4. One for the win column - The formula certainly didn't look like the recipe for a Hoosier win. Blackmon Jr. did not play. Bryant barely did. Robert Johnson did not score. Troy Williams seemed to play the game like he was juggling flaming chainsaws on one of those trendy hoverboards everyone got for Christmas. But Indiana found a way to keep its win streak in order and earn an always important road conference win. The Bad 1. Robert Johnson - Yikes. Johnson's re-entry into the Hoosier starting lineup has largely been credited with helping Indiana slightly right the path of a season that appeared headed off the rails in early December. Wednesday though was arguably the sophomore's biggest struggle since he arrived in Bloomington. Johnson missed all six of his field goal attempts. He didn't score. He had five turnovers. For one of Indiana's steadiest performers it was certainly an outlier. Here's hoping for a bounceback. 2. Turnovers - At some point something more drastic may be in order. Hypnotherapy in which Hoosier players are trained that the ball is a kitten or their favorite nephew and should be valued as such may be the next step. But 23 turnovers that led to half of Rutgers' total points is just unbelievably, wretchedly bad. Williams led the way with seven. Yogi Ferrell ignored all stereotypes about the steadiness of senior point guards and chipped in with six and Johnson contributed his five. When Blackmon doesn't play those three comprise Indiana's three most talented perimeter players, so needless to say 18 turnovers among them is a bit disheartening. 3. Bryant - Better days lie ahead for the freshman, but it would have been understandable for anyone casually watching to wonder if Bryant suited up on Wednesday. Six total minutes with just a single field goal, a single rebound and five fouls for his effort made the McDonald's All American big man a footnote.

Breaking down what to like and what not to like about Wednesday's 90-65 victory over IPFW at Assembly Hall. THE GOOD 1. Yogi - When you set a new record for most points by a player in Tom Crean's IU tenure, you make the good list. It's a pretty scientific formula we use here at Btown Banners. The senior's 38-point night was almost even more historic, as he came just four points shy of breaking Steve Alford's Assembly Hall scoring record for any IU player. So, yeah, guess you could call it a decent day overall for the Hoosier senior. 2. Robert Johnson - Since coming back from the island disaster that was Maui, Johnson has been one of the Hoosiers steadiest performers. Starting his second straight game, the sophomore nailed five 3-pointers en route to 16 points. He's also arguably Indiana's top perimeter defender. If Johnson can provide a steady scoring option and give the team some energy on the defensive side, he could end up being a key piece in determining which direction this Hoosier season ultimately goes. 3. Troy Williams - By now, most know Williams' relationship with Hoosier nation. He constantly alternates between making spectacular plays and playing like his hair was set on fire with a blowtorch. There was a little of both on Wednesday as he pulled down a dominate 19-rebounds to go with five blocks and 15 points. He also turned the ball over six times. It's about the most Troy Williams of box scores you will ever see. Just enough to make you think he's great, just enough to wonder why he insists on playing the game with bacon grease on his finger tips. 4. Max Bielfeldt - Bielfeldt will never be the players that he effectively replaced on the Indiana roster - Hanner Perea or Emmitt Holt - and that's probably perfectly ok. While he'll never grab a quarter off the top of the backboard like Perea was alleged to have done and his ceiling is probably never going to be as high as Holt showed in his one year at IU, but the senior grad transfer gave Indiana exactly what it needs off the bench Wednesday. With Thomas Bryant struggling, he steadied the front line with an 11-point, 8-rebound effort. There's surely growing pains ahead for Bryant, who has never endured the rigors of a Big Ten season. Bielfeldt will be needed most nights to give exactly what he gave on Wednesday. THE BAD 1. The Assembly Hall crowd - The excuses are rolling in and most have merit. Travel to Bloomington has become a chore with the construction on Highway 37. It's getting near finals time for students. And mid-week games are more difficult than weekend affairs. But the reality is that this is the second straight season Indiana has given its fanbase next to nothing worthwhile of watching in the non-conference season at Assembly Hall. The marquee non conference affairs the past two years have been Pittsburgh and Southern Methodist. The rest of the home slates have been littered with alphabet soup directional programs or states you'll never see on a traditional map. Even though it was an in-state foe, Wednesday's lackluster crowd was an indictment of the fatigue Indiana fans have faced with the marshmallow soft scheduling efforts put forth the past couple of years. Marquee conference games at home are nice and all, but here's hoping there's at least a slight effort to reward one of college hoops most loyal fan bases a bit more in future seasons. 2. BTN Plus - Just go away. This "channel" for watching Big Ten games exclusively on the web is a money-grabbing crock. It's 2015 and it's harder to watch Indiana games than the old four-channel rabbit ear days of television. Telling people who already shell out more than $150 per month for basic cable packages they need to spend more to watch their favorite team is fine capitalism, but a slap in the face to fans across the conference.

Because somebody has to do it, take a look back at Wednesday night's debacle in Durham Because Indiana fans seem to love misery at times, let us revisit Wednesday night's debacle in Durham with the good and the bad.   THE GOOD   1. Nostalgia - Hey if nothing else the lead up to Wednesday's game served as a chance to watch highlights of the 2002 NCAA Sweet 16 victory over the Blue Devils at Rupp Arena. That A.J. Moye block of Carlos Boozer still amazes.   2. The Big Ten won - It hasn't been a banner pre-conference season for a league that arguably has been the nation's best the past three or four seasons. But when Iowa survived in overtime against Florida State it clinched the ACC-Big Ten Challenge for the league for the fifth time in the last seven years. Tom Crean's plans for a parade down Kirkwood are just a rumor so far - we think.   3. The clock expired - The game ended. Mercifully.   THE BAD   1. EXPOSED - The bad could go on longer than a toddler's Christmas Wish List but the most damning thing about performances like Wednesday is the stage at which it was played out on. In one of the prime slots of national television, playing in one of the hallowed venues in college basketball against the defending national champions, Indiana looked like little more than exhibition fodder for the Blue Devils. Indiana fell to 0-3 in nationally televised games this season and this was the worst performance to date.   Every national writer or analyst in the country is taking turns punching the Hoosiers in the face for their only consistent trait - inconsistent or just plain non-existent effort on defense. While the season is still very, very young, one stands to question why getting a team to put forth effort consistently on the defensive end has become such a chore for a coaching staff that is in its eighth year in the program. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/basketball/the-good-and-the-bad-duke-r280]Click here to view the article[/url]

Because Indiana fans seem to love misery at times, let us revisit Wednesday night's debacle in Durham with the good and the bad. THE GOOD 1. Nostalgia - Hey if nothing else the lead up to Wednesday's game served as a chance to watch highlights of the 2002 NCAA Sweet 16 victory over the Blue Devils at Rupp Arena. That A.J. Moye block of Carlos Boozer still amazes. 2. The Big Ten won - It hasn't been a banner pre-conference season for a league that arguably has been the nation's best the past three or four seasons. But when Iowa survived in overtime against Florida State it clinched the ACC-Big Ten Challenge for the league for the fifth time in the last seven years. Tom Crean's plans for a parade down Kirkwood are just a rumor so far - we think. 3. The clock expired - The game ended. Mercifully. THE BAD 1. EXPOSED - The bad could go on longer than a toddler's Christmas Wish List but the most damning thing about performances like Wednesday is the stage at which it was played out on. In one of the prime slots of national television, playing in one of the hallowed venues in college basketball against the defending national champions, Indiana looked like little more than exhibition fodder for the Blue Devils. Indiana fell to 0-3 in nationally televised games this season and this was the worst performance to date. Every national writer or analyst in the country is taking turns punching the Hoosiers in the face for their only consistent trait - inconsistent or just plain non-existent effort on defense. While the season is still very, very young, one stands to question why getting a team to put forth effort consistently on the defensive end has become such a chore for a coaching staff that is in its eighth year in the program.

Let's take a look at what was right and what was wrong on Thursday during Indiana's 86-65 victory over Creigton at Assembly Hall. The Good: 1. Thomas Bryant - Let the overzealous comparisons begin. Bryant's 17-point, 7-rebound, 4-block performance already has Hoosier nation collectively hyperventilatng with excitement. Message board scouts have placed his name in the same breath as Patrick Ewing and Dirk Nowitski. While the need to pump the brakes may be apparent, it's not unfair to state that Bryant is Indiana's biggest shot in the arm since Cody Zeller's arrival in Bloomington in 2011. The depth up front is a huge, huge question for Indiana this season so it will be interesting to see how the freshman holds up as Indiana's mainstay in the middle over the course of the whole season. For now though, his arrival is already paying dividends. 2. Hoosiers come out firing - All the talk was how Creighton would provide Indiana with its biggest test of the season and many expected a back and forth shootout. Indiana took the suspense out early. Rolling to a 28-11 lead in the first ten minutes and never letting allowing the Blue Jays within 15 the rest of the way. 3. James Blackmon Jr. - Is it possible a sophomore who was one of the team's leading returning scorers from a year ago could be a bit of a forgotten man? The preseason chatter around IU seemed mostly to focus on Bryant (the impact freshman who was considered a missing piece) Troy Williams (Tom Crean's latest freak athlete who morphed into a first round NBA pick) and Yogi Ferrell (the senior looking to write his way into the Indiana history books). Blackmon, a McDonald's All-American who just happened to be the team's second leading scorer a year ago, seemed to have fallen out of the collective conversation of the Hoosier faithful. Thursday served as a reminder that Blackmon is still elite on the offensive end. He had a team high 19 points and still delivered that silky smooth jumper that made him the object of Hoosier affection last year around this time - burying 4-of-6 attempts from 3-point range. Adding seven rebounds and four assists may prove that Blackmon's game is rounding into more than that of an elite scorer. 4. Nick Ziesloft - Another guy who's impact on the game seemed to be taken for granted coming into the season, Ziesloft also hit four 3s in the contest and has made nine in the past two games for IU. Ziesloft's role in IU's offense isn't complicated - catch the ball, shoot the ball, make baskets - but its a role he's filling to perfection in the early season. The Bad 1. Robert Johnson - It's never easy filling out the negative column after a win like Thursday, but Johnson's performance was one of the few that could have caused a bit of hand wringing. A starter for almost all of last season, the sophomore seems to be struggling to his new role of coming off the bench in his second season. Thursday, Johnson was limited to just 11 minutes and plagued with foul trouble throughout. After scoring 12 off the bench in the opener against Eastern Illinois, Johnson has just nine in the past two outings and has eight turnovers in 50 minutes played this season. 2. The frontcourt depth - Bryant's night masked what was a less-than-stellar evening for the remainder of IU's frontcourt. Senior Max Bielfeldt was held to just two points on 1-of-5 shooting and the freshman duo of Juwan Morgan and O.G. Anunoby failed to score in the contest. Gaining minutes and confidence in the reserves behind Bryant will be a key for the team as conference play comes later in the schedule.

Breaking down the good and the bad from a 102-76 win over Austin Peay at Assembly Hall. The Good 1. Offense: Some days it's tough to make 15 straight buckets in the pregame lay up line but the Hoosiers lit up the Governors in the second half on Monday, making 15 consecutive field goal attempts at one point. The stretch turned a relatively comfortable Hoosier advantage into an absolute blowout. Indiana shot 80 percent for the second half. Every player who played shot at least 50 percent from the floor (save Tim Priller who missed his only field goal attempt but any time Priller takes the court in Bloomington it's a highlight so it's forgiven). Fifty-one points in each half, hanging a hundred in just the second game of the season, 16 made 3-pointers - no one can accuse Tom Crean's team of lagging on offense in the early going. 2. Nick Ziesloft: At one point in the first half, the senior had a finger take a hard turn East while the rest of his fingers continued north. What looked like a gruesome dislocation of the pinkie on his shooting hand was apparently nothing and the sharpshooter wound up making five 3-pointers on his way to 15 points off the bench. 3. Yogi: Some call this a legacy-defining season for the senior point guard. Statistically, Ferrell ranks among the best Hoosiers of the past two decades. Monday, Ferrell passed Kirk Haston and Jimmy Rayl on Indiana's career scoring list to move into the top 20 all-time. But while he started on Indiana's Big Ten championship team as a freshman the past two season have been uneven at best - missing the NCAAs in 2014 and suffering a first-round exit a year ago. Ferrell nearly had a triple double on Monday, scoring 22 to go with six rebounds and nine assists. He extended his streak of consecutive games with a 3-pointer to 67 straight. Continuing nights like Monday could go a long way in cementing Yogi as one of the most revered point guards in Hoosier history. 4. Injury free: IU escaped two early-season cupcakes with a full roster as the schedule begins to ramp up a bit in the coming week. With Creighton on Thursday and the trip to the EA Sports Maui Invitational looming, Indiana will have the full roster at its disposal (as you take the time to read this find the nearest piece of wood and politely knock). BAD: 1. Defense: There's a lot of excuses you can make. The frenetic tempo Indiana plays with leads to more opponent possessions. Sloppy early-season ball handling was converted into easy buckets. But Indiana gave up 39 points in the first half to a team that scored 41 in the game against Vanderbilt on Friday. Indiana can't keep letting teams shoot at will. It will cost them a win - remember Eastern Washington. 2. Turnovers: Indiana's desire to turn every first-half possession into a Youtube moment led to one of the most ragged, disoriented 20 minutes you'll see outside of your favorite rec league game. Again, the schedule is ramping up and 10 turnovers per half of play won't fly.

Putting a wrap on Indiana's fifth-straight setback. Putting a wrap on Indiana's fifth straight loss as bowl eligibility starts to look bleaker and bleaker by the week.   THE GOOD   1. Jordan Howard - The pregame video of wild buffalo roaming the streets of Bloomington to the tune of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" could easily be replaced by video of Howard running roughshod through Big Ten defenders.   The junior picked up his fifth 100-yard game of the season Saturday (remember he missed or was injured for all or most of the October slate while with an ankle injury). He finished with 176 yards on 22 carries Saturday, eclipsing the century mark by halftime. This is against a team that had surrendered 85 yards per game before kickoff.   2. The offensive line - Reference back to point one and give major kudos to the unit in front of him. Both of Howards first-half touchdown runs came running to the left side of the line behind soon to be NFL tackle Jason Spriggs and left guard Wes Martin. Indiana's line at this point has been one of college football's best. Any recognition for them is deserved.   3. Nate Sudfeld - The senior was steady again in a record-breaking day. His fourth-quarter touchdown pass made him Indiana's all-time leader in that category, giving him 49 in his career.   THE BAD   1. Targeting: Any rule implemented to increase player safety isn't bad. The targeting rule in NCAA football is designed for safety. If it was any tougher to understand it would have been written in Latin on the squares of a Rubix cube. Black and white enforcement of the rule is leading to too many players being forced out of games for plays that don't merit that type of consequence.   The Hoosiers lost starting middle linebacker T.J. Simmons late in the first half on Saturday after he drew a targeting penalty on a pass intended for Iowa's Tayvaun Smith. The hit was helmet to helmet so the penalty was warranted, the intent was to make a tackle though and Smith slid to the ground, crossing pass with Simmons as he dove to make a play. Simmons ended up in the locker room for his efforts. Smith was shaken up, but did return.   There's no right or wrong way to go about this rule. Player safety should and does come first. But seeing players disqualified for simple football plays is tough, regardless of what team you’re rooting for as a fan.   2. Drops - Any coach will tell you one drop is too many, but Indiana had several Saturday that were momentum changers.   Mitchell Paige could have set Indiana up in scoring territory. Anthony Corsaro had one that he could have made it to Kirkwood before a defender got within reach. Close games are won or lost on little things. Drops are one of them.   3. Red zone woes - Indiana is getting close too often but not cashing in. Saturday IU made three trips inside the Iowa 20-yard line but could only turn one into a touchdown - and that was on the Hoosiers final drive of the game. Turning field goals into touchdowns has to happen to turn one of these close losses into a mark in the win column. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/football/news-notes/the-good-and-the-bad-iowa-r246]Click here to view the article[/url]

Another tight one gets away in a familiar finish for IU. 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. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/football/fourth-quarter-still-a-peanut-gallery-r245]Click here to view the article[/url]

Putting a wrap on Indiana's fifth straight loss as bowl eligibility starts to look bleaker and bleaker by the week. THE GOOD 1. Jordan Howard - The pregame video of wild buffalo roaming the streets of Bloomington to the tune of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" could easily be replaced by video of Howard running roughshod through Big Ten defenders. The junior picked up his fifth 100-yard game of the season Saturday (remember he missed or was injured for all or most of the October slate while with an ankle injury). He finished with 176 yards on 22 carries Saturday, eclipsing the century mark by halftime. This is against a team that had surrendered 85 yards per game before kickoff. 2. The offensive line - Reference back to point one and give major kudos to the unit in front of him. Both of Howards first-half touchdown runs came running to the left side of the line behind soon to be NFL tackle Jason Spriggs and left guard Wes Martin. Indiana's line at this point has been one of college football's best. Any recognition for them is deserved. 3. Nate Sudfeld - The senior was steady again in a record-breaking day. His fourth-quarter touchdown pass made him Indiana's all-time leader in that category, giving him 49 in his career. THE BAD 1. Targeting: Any rule implemented to increase player safety isn't bad. The targeting rule in NCAA football is designed for safety. If it was any tougher to understand it would have been written in Latin on the squares of a Rubix cube. Black and white enforcement of the rule is leading to too many players being forced out of games for plays that don't merit that type of consequence. The Hoosiers lost starting middle linebacker T.J. Simmons late in the first half on Saturday after he drew a targeting penalty on a pass intended for Iowa's Tayvaun Smith. The hit was helmet to helmet so the penalty was warranted, the intent was to make a tackle though and Smith slid to the ground, crossing pass with Simmons as he dove to make a play. Simmons ended up in the locker room for his efforts. Smith was shaken up, but did return. There's no right or wrong way to go about this rule. Player safety should and does come first. But seeing players disqualified for simple football plays is tough, regardless of what team you’re rooting for as a fan. 2. Drops - Any coach will tell you one drop is too many, but Indiana had several Saturday that were momentum changers. Mitchell Paige could have set Indiana up in scoring territory. Anthony Corsaro had one that he could have made it to Kirkwood before a defender got within reach. Close games are won or lost on little things. Drops are one of them. 3. Red zone woes - Indiana is getting close too often but not cashing in. Saturday IU made three trips inside the Iowa 20-yard line but could only turn one into a touchdown - and that was on the Hoosiers final drive of the game. Turning field goals into touchdowns has to happen to turn one of these close losses into a mark in the win column.

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.

Who's staying? Who's going? Who's updating the old resume and who could be in play at some of the already-open spots on the Big Ten coaching radar. 1. Urban Meyer (Ohio State) - Undefeated first season, BCS bowl second season, national title third season, top-ranked team in fourth season. Meyer goes along with Nick Saban as the Gold Standard in college football coaching. His coaching seat is at an Antarctic-level temp at this point. 2. Jim Harbaugh (Michigan) - The fallout from his departure in San Francisco led him to his alma mater in Ann Arbor and the locals couldn't be happier to have him. NFL rumors will be an annual occurance, but there's a better chance of a bronze statue of this "Michigan Man" being erected than there is him being run out of town. 3. Mark Dantonio (Michigan State) - Another guy who isn't likely to be checking real estate listings any time soon. Winning seven of eight in the series against the other Big Ten program in the state will almost get the stadium named after you in East Lansing. Top that off with a Rose Bowl win and another big money bowl victory like the one against Baylor last season and Dantonio may be drawing write in votes in the next mayor's race. 4. Paul Chryst (Wisconsin) - Chryst has done nothing yet to make the locals angry and after the bizarre departures of the last two guys in Madison. The Badgers need stability more than anything. Hiring Chryst, who made his name as Bret Bielema's offensive coordinator appears just what the program needs. 5. James Franklin (Penn State) - The man can recruit at a level of any elite head coach and he made Vanderbilt relevant in the SEC. Read that last part again, he made Vanderbilt relevant in the SEC so his coaching chops can't be questioned. His offense has been uneven though so far in Happy Valley and the locals will want to see the Lions playing in the same neighborhood as Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State sooner rather than later. 6. Kirk Ferentz (Iowa) - The old Hawkeye boss has stuck around long enough to be in style again. A coaching zombie back from the dead, Ferentz's tenure in the cornfield has gone from hot NFL candidate to stale old timer who's contract was too much of a burden to unload to now coaching a team with a high percentage chance of going unbeaten in the regular season. He's not likely to go anywhere, anytime soon, but if anyone in the conference knows how quickly the tide turns in this business it is the veteran Hawkeye boss. 7. Pat Fitzgerald (Northwestern) - Fitz could and probably should rank higher on the list, but it speaks to the stability at the top of the conference that he is here. The Wildcat alumn who seemingly wills the program to contention every season, Fitzgerald's 2015 squad already hold impressive wins over Stanford and Duke. Still just 40-years-old, one wonders if eventually Fitzgerald doesn't get the itch to coach at a bigger program that can compete at a national level on a regular basis. 8. Jerry Kill (Minnesota) - Health issues seem to be the only thing that would force Kill out in the Twin Cities any time in the near future. At 4-3 with zero "bad" losses on the resume, the Gophers look poised to earn another bowl bid in 2015. He isn't in any danger of being asked to leave. 9. Kevin Wilson (Indiana) - The important thing is for Hoosier fans to view the whole picture and not just focus on recent results. Indiana football is undoubtedly on more stable footing today than it was when Wilson arrived from Oklahoma. Recruiting, facilities and expectations are at a higher level than they have been in years. The edict before the season seemed to be "bowl or bust" for Wilson. After a 4-0 start things were trending right in that direction. Now 4-3 though, Indiana needs to find two more wins to keep the momentum Wilson has built going. 10. Mike Riley (Nebraska) - Seems bizarre to rank a first-year head coach this low but few fan bases in the country have higher opinions of their program than the folks in Lincoln and they're already clamoring for the glory days of Bo Pelini if that says anything. Hiring Riley from Oregon State was eyebrow raising to some. Despite an NFL pedigree his name liked the "sizzle" most fan bases look for at a program with Nebraska's history. Seeing their Huskers 3-4 overall isn't exactly the Olive Branch the locals were hoping the new coaching staff would extend. 11. Kyle Flood (Rutgers) - It was a bit of an interesting offseason for Flood, who had player arrests off the field and found himself embroiled in an academic controversy that led to him being suspended for five games to start the year. Flood's team is 3-3 overall and still in the race for a bowl berth and he did survive the inital backlash of the black eyes his program took over the summer. One has to wonder with former Knights coach Greg Schiano looking for work if the school isn't looking for any excuse to make a switch. 12.Darrell Hazell (Purdue) - Hazell walked into a tough spot, succeeding Danny Hope at a program that had fallen on hard times and inarguably ranks last in facilities in the league. But now in his third season with just five wins to his name one must wonder if the Boilermaker boss isn't working on borrowed time. Purdue seems on the verge of multi-million plan to upgrade its practice facility, which is likely something Hazell has been pushing for since day one in West Lafayette. Pushing Michigan State to the limit on the road on Oct. 3 before falling 24-21 was a positive sign, but Purdue has fallen hard twice since then to Minnesota and Wisconsin. This is a school that has competed at a much higher level in this conference than a lot of the teams near the bottom of this list and even done so more recently than just about all of them. Barring a late-season revival, which would include a win in the Old Oaken Bucket game, Purdue is likely looking for its next coach this offseason. 13. Bill Cubit (Illinois) - The Illini have already decided to start the search early, firing Tim Beckman just days before the season began. Cubit deserves kudos for taking over a mere days before the year started and holding a 4-2 record - including a win over Nebraska. It's tough though to envision the program investing long term in the first-year coach, especially with former Illini assistant Jeff Brohm setting offensive scoreboards ablaze at Western Kentucky. 14. Mike Locksley (Maryland) - The University of Under Armour had all it could take of Randy Edsall, watching the Terps lose in spectacular fashion to Bowling Green (48-27), Michigan (28-0) and West Virginia (45-6) before letting Edsall go after a loss to top-ranked Ohio State. Money is not likely to be a factor in finding the next guy. The school is craving a winner and must compete with the conference's top programs annually in the Eastern Division to get there. Chip Kelly has already been tossed out. While highly unlikely, it shows Maryland isn't going to be afraid to think big.

Instead of forgetting it happened, let us relive the misery of Hoosier hilarity at its finest. 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. [url=https://btownbanners.com/page/index.html/_/football/one-more-look-back-rutgers-r235]Click here to view the article[/url]

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.

The little bit of good, the mostly bad and then even the ugly of Saturday's 29-7 loss to Penn State. The Good 1. 0:00 - Yep, the clock expiring ranked as good news on this Saturday in the Keystone State. Playing without their top two playmakers on offense, Indiana saw even more attrition on the offensive side of things as backup quarterback Zander Diamont and Isaac Griffith both suffered injuries. A timetable on Diamont's injury is unknown. Griffith's season came to an end. The emotional and physical toll of the 34-27 loss to Ohio State earlier this month was one of the most understated aspects leading up to Saturday's game. It's best that the contest simply ended. 2. Danny Cameron - So Cameron's second-half performance netted exactly zero scoring drives. The offense as a whole netted 234 yards for the game, so seeing the redshirt freshman enter the game and not appear completely overwhelmed against one of the Big Ten's stouter defensive units was a small bright spot. Finishing 6-of-16 passing for 65 yards certainly wasn't pretty but little was for the Hoosiers. 3. Minnesota - The Gophers won 41-13 in West Lafayette against Purdue. Did we mention it was tough to find good news on Saturday? The Bad 1. M.A.S.H unit - As stated, Sudfeld and Howard were both out and Diamont left with his arm in a sling. For all the good feelings of seeing Indiana sitting 4-0 after September, the depth is being seriously tested and an upcoming slate featuring Michigan, Michigan State and a resurgent Iowa is looking more daunting every week. 2. Poise - Winning Saturday was a long shot a best going in. But Indiana wasn't able to keep it together in two tough spots and both proved costly. In the first quarter Indiana looked to have forced a turnover in Nittany Lion territory on a strip sack by Tegray Scales. But a hands to face penalty (which seemed sketchy at best) gave Penn State the ball back and sent the defense into a quick tailspin. Two plays after the penalty Penn State was streaking to the end zone with the game's first score for a 7-0 lead. Later, after what appeared to be a late hit on Diamont following a run into Lion territory, the IU sideline was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that turned 2nd-and-4 into a 2nd-and-19 - and Diamont was injured later in the series after scrambling on third down. The margin for error was razor thin already for a shorthanded IU team. Those two small sequencing both played a hand in slamming the door. Ugly 1. 234 yards, 7 points - Indiana has spoiled its fanbase to the point where performances like Saturday are nearly vomit inducing. Again, the Lions are one of the conference's best defensive units. They have players that will play on Sunday all over their front seven. But seeing four quarters of anemic, flat offense with little or no hope for a big play harkens back memories to eras that Indiana fans don't wish to speak of. 2. Bret Bielema - It goes without saying that every Hoosiers' favorite former Wisconsin coach has his own wing in the ugly section because of his history with the program but this week the Arkansas coach outdid himself by simply being Bret Bielema. The guy can't make himself not look like some sort of dullard can he? Questioning the Big Ten's overall strength before losing to MAC teams is one thing. Ripping Kliff Kingsbury before seeing his team get ripped by Texas Tech on the field is another, but this week Bielema initiated contact with an Alabama offensive lineman to draw a flag and then danced a jig when the SEC official fell for the bait. The Razorbacks lost BTW because that's what Arkansas does when Bret Bielema is their head coach.