Hoosiers Fall at Cincinnati

Saturday, September 24

Cincinnati, Ohio

3:30 p.m.

Indiana University

3-1 , 1-0

Cincinnati

3-1 , 0-0

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Indiana

Cincinnati

9/24/2022 7:46:00 PM | Football

Box Score Box Score (PDF)Postgame Notes WATCH: Tom Allen Postgame Press Conference WATCH: Connor Bazelak Postgame Press Conference WATCH: Alfred Bryant Postgame Press Conference WATCH: Cam Camper Postgame Press Conference

By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com

CINCINNATI, Ohio - Indiana's unbeaten season is gone.

Its possibilities are not.

"We'll bounce back," tailback Josh Henderson told Voice of the Hoosiers Don Fischer in the aftermath of Saturday's 45-24 loss at Cincinnati.

IU (3-1) couldn't overcome a disastrous end to a disappointing first half, when it gave up 14 points in 10 seconds in the final minute to fall behind 38-10.

"We dug too deep a hole for ourselves," head coach Tom Allen told Fischer during the post-game radio show. "I'm disappointed in that.

"We gave up big pass plays, which killed us. It was a poor performance by our special teams and we couldn't move consistently on offense. All three phases let us down."

Still, the resiliency that had surfaced in the first three games returned in Saturday's second half.

"Our kids didn't quit," Allen told Fischer. "They fought to the finish. The kids battled. We have to find a way to play better in the first half."

The Hoosiers will, Henderson told Fischer.

"That's what we plan to do. We're all passionate about what we do. That's why it hurts so much when we lose."

IU held Cincinnati (3-1) to 40 rushing yards in 30 carries, but had no first-half answer to the Bearcats' passing game.

In the first half, Cincinnati's Tyler Scott had touchdown catches of 75, 34, and 32 yards. Quarterback Ben Bryant finished 24-for-40 for 354 yards (323 in the first half), four touchdowns, and an interception.

"They couldn't run, which made giving up the big pass plays all the more frustrating," Allen told Fischer. "We did a lot of good things, but those three big pass plays stick out. We can't let that happen."

Indiana played defense to Allen's standard in the second half. It tightened its pass coverage, got a Tiawan Mullen interception, ratcheted up the pressure, and gave the Bearcats nothing but trouble.

"We had a lot of self-inflicted mistakes," Henderson said, "but Coach Allen told us (at halftime) we had displayed toughness in our first three games. We are that same team. We had to get back to that grit and toughness.

"We know what the defense is capable of when they're at their best. Not many teams can score on them."

Take the third quarter, when Cincinnati managed just 27 yards, one interception, three punts, and zero points.

The IU offense scored just seven points, but hope remained.

Hope was boosted by tailback Shaun Shivers' 47-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the fourth quarter.

But the offense, which ran off 104 plays, never scored again.

Fierce Bearcat pressure rocked quarterback Connor Bazelak again and again. They hit him 13 times, sacked him five times, and forced a fumble they returned for a touchdown. It was a key reason for his two interceptions.

Still, Bazelak threw for 280 yards and two touchdowns. Receiver Cam Camper was the main target with 10 catches for 126 yards.

"It was not a good day for our offensive line," Allen told Fischer, "but it was everybody on offense. The coaching staff, players, everybody has got to do better. We've got to protect the quarterback and give him a chance to make those throws. It was a huge problem."

IU's opening drive generated 35 passing yards, minus-2 rushing yards and, eventually, a punt.

Bazelak's interception on the second drive, which was returned 30 yards to inside the IU 10-yard, led to just a 24-yard Bearcat field goal thanks to key open-field tackles by Mullen and Devon Matthews.

That sparked the offense. A 16-play drive reached the Bearcat 9-yard line before Charles Campbell ended it with a 27-yard field goal and a 3-3 tie near the end of the first quarter.

Cincinnati responded with Bryant touchdown passes of 75 and five yards for a 17-3 lead early in the second quarter.

The Hoosier defense forced a short punt, and the offense capitalized with 19-yard Bazelak passes to Camper and Henderson, the last good for a touchdown and a 17-10 score.

Cincinnati came back with two more Bryant passing touchdowns, and then a defensive TD off a Bazelak sack and fumble to make it 38-10 at halftime.

"The fumble just before the half was the final dagger," Allen told Fischer. "That really set us back."

Mullen's early third-quarter interception sparked Hoosier hopes. It led to Bazelak's short TD pass to Shivers and a 38-17 score five minutes into the third quarter.

Shivers added the 47-yard touchdown run less than a minute into the fourth quarter to pull IU within 14.

It got no closer.

Cincinnati added a final touchdown in the final 90 seconds en route to its 29th-straight home victory.

This was IU's first road game. It returns to the road next Saturday at Nebraska (1-3).

"It's hard to win on the road," Allen told Fischer. "(Cincinnati) is good at home. We knew it would be tough, but we got that experience and now we are moving forward."