Fumbled First Play Set Tone For Disastrous Day for the Hoosiers

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

What looked like Indiana’s best chance to grab a conference win in 2021 turned into a disaster for the Hoosiers as they got walloped by the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. It started on the game’s first play from scrimmage as IU quarterback Donaven McCulley fumbled a snap and gave Rutgers the ball at the Hoosier 21-yard line. It was a play IU could not recover from.

“ It was a bad exchange. Fumbled the ball and they recovered it. You can’t start the game like that. It just set the tone for the rest of the game and it was just hard to come back from that.” IU starting quarterback Donaven McCulley said after the game.

McCulley’s statement echoed what his head coach, Tom Allen, said just minutes before. “Losing today the way we did showed that. You've got six turnovers. Not handling the football right from the first play on. And just execution in that regard. Dropped balls, missed tackles.” Allen said.

Some how the Hoosiers day got worse.

On the afternoon the Hoosiers turned the ball over six times (two interceptions and four fumbles) and were stopped on fourth down an additional three times. Don’t forget the normally reliable Charles Campbell missed a 34-yard field goal as well.

Jack Tuttle, who returned from injury, ended the game in a boot as he limped off the field again after the offensive line failed to keep him upright.

The Hoosiers quit on Saturday, especially on offense. The offensive line got blown up by a defense that was missing both starting linebackers. Ty Fryfogle gave up on routes and didn’t attempt to knock down a pass that turned into an interception.

Frustrations boiled over for the Hoosiers on their sideline again as tight end Peyton Hendershot and Devon Matthews got into a screaming match.

“Devon Matthews and Peyton Hendershot are two highly competitive guys. And they both want to win. They're both frustrated. They made it right together between the two of them. They're frustrated. They want to win. And they want to -- they know that we're not playing the way we need to be playing. They know we're not playing the way we expected ourselves to play. And that's very frustrating. They're just two highly competitive guys that -- obviously you don't want to see guys getting at each other, but you know what, sometimes that's a part of the process you go through. As a man, you confront it, like we did. And then those two guys were able to address it and press on. I don't think it's an issue.” Allen said of the dust up.

There is plenty of frustration going around Hoosier Nation on Saturday as they saw a football team hit what one would have to think is rock bottom.

While the Hoosiers still have two games left in the 2021 season, fans are already starting to wonder about the 2022 season. Allen told the media he expects it to be better.

“It better be. I expect it to be. But, we've got to finish out this year. There's no doubt -- I get it. I understand that that's our responsibility to be able to play to our standard and the way we want to play each and every time we take the field no matter what the circumstances are.

And right now, we let the circumstances I felt kind of drive the way that -- the energy we played with and the focus we played with and the effort we played with. And that's just -- it's not how it works. You can't let that become the driving force.

And so, to me, you know, the guys -- as I just shared with them -- it wasn't like it was a real positive message in the locker room. It was pretty in your face. And that's what it is because it's not acceptable.” Allen said.

The Hoosiers opened the season in the AP Top 25 and are staring a 2-10 finish in the face. Tom Allen is right. That is unacceptable and the disaster started on the first snap.