Hoosiers Right The Ship, Upset No. 18 Missouri
COLUMBIA, MO – Last week Hoosier Nation was up in arms after the Indiana football team lost to Mid-American Conference team Bowling Green. Fans were calling for coaches to be fired and major changes to be made. But after Saturday, Hoosier faithful are singing a very different tune.
Indiana picked up its biggest win of head coach Kevin Wilson’s tenure by knocking off No. 18 Missouri on the road. The defense that received a lot of criticism a week prior did a fine job in Columbia and the offense was once again led by Tevin Coleman as the Hoosiers would claim a 31-27 victory in the closing seconds.
“It was a really big win,” Coleman said. “We came out here with fire. We played until the end.”
Coleman opened the game’s scoring with a 1-yard run 10 minutes into the game, extending his streak of reaching the end zone to 12 games and tying the school record set by Anthony Thompson in 1988-89. The junior finished with 132 yards on 19 carries despite sitting the final 20 minutes of the first half with cramps. He returned during the Hoosiers’ first drive after the break.
Though Coleman was the statistical leader on the ground for Indiana, it was fellow tailback D’Angelo Roberts who got the glory of the go-ahead score. Roberts piled in for a three-yard score with just 22 seconds remaining in the game to give the Hoosiers the win.
Roberts’ touchdown was set up by a little luck and a lot of skill.
Missouri defensive back John Gibson helped Indiana extend its final drive by committing a pass interference penalty on fourth-and-6 at the Hoosiers’ 29. Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld attempted to find true freshman Dominique Booth across the middle of the field, but Gibson wrapped his arms around the receiver before he could make the catch.
Coleman then gave the Hoosiers the big spark they needed as he ran 44 yards, giving Indiana a first and 10 inside the Missouri 20 on the following play.
Indiana gained 493 total yards, 77 short of their season average, and finished just 1 of 14 on third-down conversions. The win was Indiana’s first over a top-25 team on the road since 1987. While there are things to fix, a win against an SEC opponent nonetheless provided some enthusiasm heading into Big Ten play against Maryland. The Hoosiers are now 2-1 on the season.