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Rapid Reaction: Indiana blows two-touchdown lead in fourth quarter, falls to Tennessee in Gator Bowl
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Final score: Tennessee 23 Indiana 22
Brief recap: The Gator Bowl was the tale of two halves. Through the first 30 minutes in Jacksonville, neither Indiana nor Tennessee could find a way to get points on the scoreboard. After the first quarter, the game was still scoreless. As we moved to halftime, the Volunteers owned a 6-3 lead on the Hoosiers with all nine points coming on field goals. Neither offense could punch the ball into the end zone. Things changed a bit in the third quarter. Indiana scored the first touchdown of the game, thanks to a 12-play, 69-yard drive to open the third quarter, capped by a 1-yard run by Peyton Ramsey to give the Hoosiers a 10-6 advantage. IU added another touchdown after Jamar Johnson registered a pick-six on Jarrett Guarantano, making the score 16-6 after a missed PAT from Logan Justus. Heading into the fourth quarter, Indiana owned a 19-9 and took a two-touchdown lead in the final 10 minutes after another Justus field goal. But a 10-play, 82-yard drive from the Volunteers got things back within a possession. On the ensuing kickoff, Tennessee fooled Indiana with an onside kick, and was able to pick up 54 yards in three plays to take a 23-22 lead with just under four minutes to play. Indiana had two final chances, but Justus missed a 52-yard field goal attempt and the Hoosiers failed a fourth-down play on their final possession to close out the game.
Key moment: There’s really a tie. Justus’ missed extra point was obviously critical in a one-point game. If he made that PAT, the Hoosiers would’ve had a chance in overtime. And then Tennessee’s onside kick recovery immediately after the touchdown in the fourth quarter, setting up the go-ahead score. Special teams was not Indiana’s friend in Jacksonville, at least on those two plays.
Key stat: Indiana was unable to get anything going on the ground. The Hoosiers accounted for just 76 yards on 31 attempts, and Ramsey accounted for 54 of those himself. The inability to move the ball on the ground allowed Tennessee’s defense to put the Hoosiers in long down situations all night long, but especially in the first half.
Key player: Maybe this sounds bad for a bowl game, but considering how poorly both offenses played in this game, Brent Cimaglia gets the nod for the Volunteers. The kicker knocked down all three of his field goal attempts, included a long of 43 yards. He was also 2-of-2 on PAT attempts, and that just so happened to be the difference in the game.
What it means: Indiana’s drought without a bowl victory will extend another year, and while that’s incredibly frustrating for the Hoosiers, it should be remembered that IU still won eight games for the first time since 1993 and reached its first bowl game under Tom Allen. In Bloomington, eight wins is a rarity. None of those victories came against FBS teams with winning records, so there’s still a lot of work left to be done for the Hoosiers. But the 2019 season was a sign that things are headed in a positive direction and that Allen is more than qualified to take the program to the next level.
Dustin grew up in the heart of Big Ten country and has been in sports media since 2010. He has been covering Big Ten football since 2014. You can follow him on Twitter: @SchutteCFB