This was another disappointing weekend for Hoosier fans.
After Saturday, Indiana is down to one scholarship quarterback left with the loss of starter Michael Penix Jr. and backup Jack Tuttle. Tuttle started the game off with an impressive first drive that ended with a touchdown pass to Peyton Hendershot. However, Tuttle was hit as he threw and fell to the turf in agonizing pain. Coach Tom Allen addressed this in the post-game press conference by saying “we did an x-ray right afterwards and that came back negative, but we’ll do an MRI to find out more. Without (Tuttle) in there, (the game) wasn’t quite the same.”
Tuttle attempted to come back for a few plays, but ultimately could not play through the injury, resulting in freshman Donaven McCulley and sophomore walk-on Grant Gremel seeing the majority of playing time. Both put in performances to be expected from a true freshman and a walk-on against a powerhouse defense in Ohio State. McCulley went 1 of 6 for 30 yards passing and 9 yards on 11 carries, while Gremel passed for only 9 yards on 4 attempts. Due to the rainy conditions and the blowout score, Indiana elected to use their running game for the majority of plays- C.J. Stroud of Ohio State attempted 28 passes compared to all three of IU’s quarterbacks throwing a total of 17 passes. Ohio State held Indiana’s offense to only 128 total yards.
The Hoosiers struggled in their kicking game as well. Freshman punter James Evans has averaged 42.6 yards per punt this season- the 2nd worst in all Big Ten starting punters. Indiana coaching appeared to recognize Evans’ deficit as they sent out Jared Smolar, listed as a place kicker, to punt in the second quarter. Conditions were horrific for the experiment- pouring rain, lined up on your own 1 yard line, and playing a strong opponent in Ohio State. Although Smolar dropped the snap and took a safety, Indiana should try Smolar or another punter again in better conditions, as Evans is simply not cutting it.
Indiana takes on the Maryland Terrapins on the road this weekend. The Terrapins are 4–3, but have not won a game in over a month after starting 4–0. Similarly, Indiana has not won a game in over a month and will look to break their losing streak in College Park, Maryland.
Notable Stat Lines:
Jack Tuttle (QB) – 4/7, 41 yds, 1 TD
Trenten Howland (RB) – 5 carries, 17 yds, 3.4 yds per carry
Peyton Hendershot (TE) – 5 receptions, 35 yds, 1 TD
Jaylin Williams (DB) – 7 TOT, 5 solo, 2 pass deflections
Micah McFadden (LB) – 6 TOT, 5 solo, 1 sacks, 3 TFL
