Posts Tagged ‘indiana’

Indiana (2-5, 0-3 Big Ten) stands mired in a five-game losing streak. But things aren't always as they appear, and Kevin Wilson feels the same way about where his team stands. Four of Indiana's five losses have come by 10 points combined. Despite the setbacks, Kevin Wilson remains upbeat about his team's future.

"We're a play away," said Wilson. "Making a one more third-down conversion, making one more stop, getting a touchdown instead of a field goal. It's just making a play. A year ago we needed a bunch of plays." 

The streak started with a 41-39 loss to Ball State. Despite outgaining the Cardinals by more than 100 yards, the Hoosiers lost when Ball State kicker Steven Schott hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired. 

Two weeks later, Indiana built a 27-14 halftime lead over Michigan State before the Spartans scored 17 unanswered points for in a 31-27 final. A week later the Hoosiers' staged a late rally from a 45-27 fourth-quarter deficit before falling in a 52-49 decision. 

Indiana lost its fifth-straight game on Saturday, 31-30 to Navy. The Hoosiers built a 30-21 lead before Navy scored 10 straight points in the game's final 5:30. 

"We're trying to build our team up because we're doing a lot of things winning teams do," Wilson continued. "We're going to get those W's. It's a process of the way we're working and the way we live our lives, and success is going to follow."

Indiana visits Illinois on Saturday (12 p.m. ET, BTN). 

Indiana took a top ten Ohio State team down to the wire on Saturday in a 52-49 shootout.

After the game, Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson was asked about their point total being the highest the Hoosiers have ever put up against a top ten opponent. Wilson responded by saying, "It was four points not enough."

Wilson was also asked about their tackling performance, adding that it was good at times, and bad at times. Coach Wilson said that he "saw something the other day" from Chip Kelly noting his belief that missed tackles are largely due to personnel, which is a belief that he shares.

"You have to give credit to those guys being good players. The best thing to do is go to a little league game or a junior high or JV game and listen to some parent or coach say 'block somebody'. So you're always thinking 'tackle somebody'. Well it's kind of hard, it's not like you can always make the tackle, those are good players."

"We continue to work on it, but it's a dynamic of college football. Tackling has decreased year after year, that's why there's not as many great defenses as there used to be."