IU Football Season through the Pandemic: Silver Linings Despite Bowl Loss

Four days after the loss to Ole Miss in the Tampa Bay Outback Bowl, 20-26, we realize that this was a very good season for the Indiana Hoosier football team. We (I, the eternal IU optimist) are grateful that they played what they did. They are still sitting on only 3 bowl wins all time, and the losses are piling up. (Bowl losses are better than nothing, because lack of bowls is worse, in so many ways: practice, budget, recruiting...)

They lost the bowl more or less in the first half by not scoring enough, trailing 13-3. It got worse before getting better in the second half, down 20-6. IU came back and tied it and I thought we were going to finish with a win (finally! since 1991 when I heard the game on the radio) but Ole Miss made some killer plays to a back up quarterback and score a quick touch down. IU could not match it the other way, as it did against Penn St. the first game of the season.

Silver linings galore, I loved it.

1. Despite starting off way too slow against opening conference and season game Nittany Lions, having no warm up games against non-conference foes, IU came back late and won by a centimeter (favorable ruling) in Over Time. Wow. Second win over PSU ever. Huge come back, I had given up.

2. We beat Michigan. I repeat: WE BEAT MICHIGAN! Oh, for the second time in my life. This felt so good.

3. We beat Wisconsin, even without the regular QB Penix, out for the season with injury.

4. We beat Michigan State. Blanked them!

5. We played a close come back against top ranked Ohio State, to lose by only 7; despite not being able to stop their run, which killed us as well as some passes, runs by Fields the QB hurt, it was a respectable loss which looked as though it may not have been.

6. We handled Rutgers and Maryland, as we are supposed to do.

7. We did not lose to Purdue. However, we did not play Purdue, which actually would have been better, win or even lose, because second string QB Jack Tuttle would have gotten more real game reps to prepare for whichever bowl opponent he would play, which ended up being a 4-5 SEC team anyway. Now 5-5, good for Lane Kiffin down there.

8. IU is poised to go at it again in 2021, with a healthy Penix and others, like Marcelino Ball (lost all season to injury) and I hope we can play up and win like 10 or so, maybe even knock off those Buckeyes, and smush the runts. What is next season looking like?

2021 Football Schedule

Sep 4 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

at
Iowa

Iowa City, Iowa
Sep 11 (Sat) TBA

vs
Idaho

Bloomington, Ind.
Sep 18 (Sat) TBA

vs
Cincinnati

Bloomington, Ind.
Sep 25 (Sat) TBA

at
Western Kentucky

Bowling Green, Ky.
Oct 2 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

at
Maryland

College Park, Md.
Oct 9 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

at
Michigan

Ann Arbor, MI
Oct 16 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

vs
Rutgers

Bloomington, Ind.
Oct 30 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

at
Penn State

University Park, Pa.
Nov 6 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

vs
Ohio State

Bloomington, Ind.
Nov 13 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

vs
Michigan State

Bloomington, Ind.
Nov 20 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

vs
Minnesota

Bloomington, Ind.
Nov 27 (Sat) TBA

Big Ten

at
Purdue

West Lafayette, Ind.
Dec 4 (Sat) TBA

vs
Big Ten Championship Game

Indianapolis, Ind. (Lucas Oil Stadium)

Wow, not easy with a this season Cincinnati very good team, a bowl team in Western Kentucky, and Iowa and Minnesota from the BIG-10 West...

But if IU plays 12 games, gets to a bowl, and wins the bowl, that is all I need. 6 wins, 8 wins, or more.

Hoosiers.

Indiana Hoosiers

OVERALL 0-0
Big Ten 0-0

2021 Indiana Football Schedule
Date	Opponent	Time/TV	Result
Saturday Sep. 4	at Iowa HawkeyesKinnick Stadium, Iowa City, IA	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 11	Idaho VandalsMemorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 18	Cincinnati BearcatsMemorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Sep. 25	at WKU HilltoppersHouchens-Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, KY	Time TBA ETTV TBA
Saturday Oct. 2	at Maryland TerrapinsMaryland Stadium, College Park, MD	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 9	Michigan WolverinesMemorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 16	Rutgers Scarlet KnightsMemorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Oct. 16	OFF
Saturday Oct. 30	at Penn State Nittany LionsBeaver Stadium, University Park, PA	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 6	Ohio State BuckeyesMemorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 13	at Michigan State SpartansSpartan Stadium, East Lansing, MI	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 20	Minnesota Golden GophersMemorial Stadium, Bloomington, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets
Saturday Nov. 27	at Purdue BoilermakersRoss-Ade Stadium, West Lafayette, IN	Time TBA ETTV TBA	Buy Tickets