Indiana’s performance in a 42-16 loss to Iowa on Saturday was quite possibly the most frustrating of the season. After putting up a strong fight against Ohio State, the Hoosiers should’ve kept things a little closer.

The frustration wasn’t just felt by the fans, the players were upset with their performance, too. And on Monday, some of the seniors decided to do something about it.

Rather than allow the coaches to do the talking before practice kicked off this week, a few players wanted o opportunity to say some things first.

During his weekly press conference on Monday, head coach Tom Allen said Indiana held a players-led meeting at the request of Wes Martin and Jacob Robinson, two current Hoosiers.

“We have a lot of guys who haven’t been through the grind of a Big Ten season,” Allen said. “It can be draining, so I think they needed to remind the guys that it’s part of the process.

“It was neat to sit back and let the guys talk. It was encouraging to see them in their own way, own tone, own personality, say the things that we’ve been preaching. It’s always a powerful thing when it comes from a player.”

The Hoosiers need a bit of a boost any way they can get it. They’ve dropped three of their last four games and will host Penn State on Saturday.

Indiana started the year strong, opening 4-1 with the lone loss coming to Michigan State. But back-to-back losses has put a bit of a damper on the enthusiasm in Bloomington.

Bowl eligibility is still within reach. Indiana has winnable games against Minnesota, Maryland and Purdue remaining. But the Hoosiers have to start playing better immediately.

The players understand that as well as anyone.