BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) – New Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is tired of all the close losses.
He figures it’s about time the Hoosiers start winning some of these games.
After giving up 11 points in the final 96 seconds Saturday, blowing an eight-point lead and losing 34-31 to Virginia, Wilson pointed the finger squarely at himself and his staff.
“We’ll keep looking, growing as coaches,” he said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for our players. We’re just asking them to maintain unbelievable attitude and keep bringing it as we go about trying to clean up our mistakes as coaches.”
Sure, there was plenty to question after this loss.
An errant fake field-goal attempt likely cost the Hoosiers (0-2) three points, perhaps the difference between Wilson winning his first career game and losing his second straight.
And, of course, there was the call on third-and-3 with 73 seconds left and Indiana at its own 23. Unblocked defensive end Cam Johnson sprinted straight toward Edward Wright-Baker’s blind side, stole the ball out of his hands and gave Virginia the ball at Indiana’s 14-yard line.
Four plays later, as time expired, Robert Randolph, made a 23-yard field goal to win it, a demoralizing loss for a team that has now lost four of its last eight games by seven points or fewer.
“We’re going to be in close games a lot of times if we take care of the ball, but we’ve got to learn to win close games,” Wilson said. “And right now, whether it be a couple of errors, low execution, my game management, play-calling, we’ll keep working on cleaning it up.”
It was a perfect finish to a crazy night – a victory the Cavaliers (2-0) won’t soon forget.
Second-year coach Mike London got his first road win since taking over at Virginia, but only after the Cavaliers blew a 20-point second-half lead by committing three late turnovers. Indiana turned all three into touchdowns when it seemingly took control of a game that once appeared lost.
Then, just as quickly, Virginia rallied. The Cavaliers got a 3-yard touchdown run from Perry Jones to close to 31-29 with 1:36 left, and tied the score on a 2-point conversion pass from Michael Rocco to Paul Freedman.
That still wasn’t enough.
With the Hoosiers intent on driving for the winning score, Wright-Baker took a seven-step drop on third-and-3 from his own 23, and at just about the time he stopped to set his feet, the untouched Johnson came barreling around Wright-Baker’s blind side and snatched the ball right out of the quarterback’s hands.
Wright-Baker never saw the defender, and Indiana never got another chance.
“Once I hit him, the ball was right there, so I just tried to strip him and I got it,” said Johnson, a senior, who called it the biggest play of his college career.
Virginia was led by Jones, who carried 22 times for 78 yards and one score. Kevin Parks ran 11 times for 37 yards and two TDs, and Rocco finished 15 of 29 for 191 yards through the air.
Still, the 162 yards rushing and 4.1 yard average was an improvement over the 210 yards on the ground Indiana allowed against Ball State the previous week. The Hoosiers also pressured Rocco into two interceptions and converted three of Virginia’s four turnovers into touchdowns.
But there’s also plenty to do.
Indiana allowed Virginia to turn a 6-3 contest into a 16-3 lead by scoring 10 points in the final 32 seconds of the first half. They allowed the Cavaliers to keep the ball for 15 plays and 4 minutes, 58 seconds on the drive that tied the score. And, of course, they didn’t protect Wright-Baker on the final series, a play that helped Virginia to score 11 points in the game’s final 96 seconds.
“We were trying to get the first down and go down and score and win the game,” Wright-Baker said. “They just had a great defense to it, and they just got the play.”
Wright-Baker finished 16 of 30 for 171 yards with one TD, one interception and the lost fumble. Matt Perez carried 13 times for 47 yards and ran for two scores, and receiver Damarlo Belcher caught four passes for 53 yards, moving into second place on the school’s career receptions chart with 172.
Indiana trailed 23-3 early in the third quarter, but rallied with Perez’s two rushing TDs, a 54-yard fumble return from Lawrence Barnett and a beautiful 18-yard pass-and-catch from Wright-Baker to Duwyce Wilson that made it 31-23 with 6:34 to go.
But Virginia had the classic answer with a long drive, a timely turnover and Randolph’s short kick.
“I just went over to the net and started getting some practice reps, just like every field goal,” Randolph said. “I didn’t change anything. I just try to do everything the same every time.”
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