Great teams find a way to win, especially when things are not going their way. This is exactly what Indiana did on Saturday. Faced with an ugly, Iowa-style defensive slugfest, the Hoosiers came up big when it mattered most and left Iowa City victorious.
Heading into Iowa City this Saturday, the Hoosiers knew they were in for a battle. Head Coach Curt Cignetti set the tone on Monday, saying, “[Playing Iowa] will be a challenge, a more difficult challenge than the last one, for sure.” That challenge became even more difficult when it was revealed that starting cornerback D’Angelo Ponds would miss the game with an injury. The Hoosiers’ secondary was going into a hostile road environment without their leader.
Even without Ponds, the IU secondary quickly made an impact on the game. On the second play from scrimmage, Amare Ferrell intercepted Iowa QB Mark Gronowski’s pass, setting the Hoosiers up deep in Hawkeye territory.
The Hoosiers’ hot start on defense did not last, however, in large part due to the sheer amount of time they were on the field throughout the first half (Iowa possessed the ball for 18:09 in the half). Iowa quickly began to control the game. Starting with great field position thanks to a turnover on downs and a good punt return from Kaden Wetjen, the Hawkeyes put together several lengthy, punishing drives.
To Indiana’s credit, they bent but didn’t break on these drives, making plays when they mattered and only giving up 10 points, allowing the Hoosiers to go into half with a 10-10 tie.
Coming out of the half, the Indiana defense continued to get stops when it mattered. However, no series was as important as the final three of the game. First, it was Lou Moore, fresh off a victory in court, who intercepted a pass to end a promising Hawkeye drive. Then it was the defensive line, forcing an incompletion on third down, which led to a missed go-ahead field goal from Iowa kicker Drew Stevens.
Ultimately, the Hoosiers’ last defensive stand was emblematic of their performance throughout the entire game. As Iowa began to string together a nice drive, Indiana ratcheted up the pressure and was able to force a turnover on downs to end the game. Ending the game with two interceptions, six tackles for loss, and a sack.
Linebacker Aiden Fisher summed up the defensive performance best, saying, “I think we did a great job bouncing back, you know, being resilient through a lot of ups and downs in this game. A lot of things didn’t go our way. Some things did. I just think everybody did a great job just keeping their composure, keeping their head down, just working, and ultimately making the plays that mattered at the end.”
The Hoosiers went on the road and didn’t flinch when they were punched in the mouth. Instead, they embodied their motto of “Never Daunted” and got a gritty, hard-fought win. With that win, the Hoosiers head into a well-earned bye week 5-0.