Hawkeye rally late to survive at Indiana, 18-13

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - That was a nightmare.

That was a nightmare Demarlo Belcher will live for a long, long time. That was a nightmare the Iowa Hawkeyes lived until Indiana's last-gasp pass on fourth-and-10 with 28 seconds left slipped through Belcher's fingers, down his hip and finally to the crimson in the Iowa end zone.

That was a nightmare for both teams. The Hawkeyes won the luxury of waking up just before their Big Ten title hopes went splat.

The No. 15 Hawkeyes (7-2, 4-1 Big Ten) survived Indiana (4-5, 0-5), 18-13, before 42,991 fans Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Strip away all the penalties, red zone frustration for the Hawkeyes and 57 or so minutes of constipated Big Ten football, and it came down to Iowa's desperation pass working and Indiana's slipping through Belcher's fingers.

Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz notched his 100th victory as a head coach. The Hoosiers dropped their 10th straight Big Ten game.

Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi put a big bandage on a sluggish performance with a 52-yard TD pass to Marvin McNutt with 2:50 left in the game, giving Iowa the 18-13 edge.

[Click here to see game photos by Gazette photographers Brian Ray and Cliff Jette.]

True freshman running back Marcus Coker, playing for injured starter Adam Robinson, fueled the Hawkeyes with 129 yards on 22 carries, marking the third straight season Iowa has had a true freshman rush for more than 100 yards (Jewel Hampton and Brandon Wegher) against the Hoosiers.

Clearly, this was a bullet dodged. Iowa got a police escort to the Bloomington airport. It might've wanted to keep it a little more quiet before fate realized its cruelty.

“When you play a 12-game season, when you play in a conference that's competitive, when you play on the road,” Ferentz said, “if you think things like this aren't going to happen, you're a fool. It's how you handle these kinds of games, can you come out on the right side?

“If you do, you have a chance to have a good season. If you don't, then it's all the ‘what-if game.'”

With 28 seconds left, Indiana quarterback Ben Chappell, the pocket collapsing around his feet, floated a prayer to the middle of Iowa's end zone. Belcher had it, but he never had it.

The call stood up under review. This game probably won't, but the call did.

“When I heard the crowd yelling, I was like, oh [bleep],” Iowa defensive end Adrian Clayborn said. “But when they started booing, it was a sigh of relief.”

Iowa strong safety Tyler Sash saw the whole thing from end zone, where Chappell threaded the ball over linebacker Jeremiha Hunter and just in front of safety Brett Greenwood. Sash saw the ball go where it was supposed to go and then he saw it tumble to the turf. He didn't need the review. He knew.

“I was devastated, but I knew it when he hit the ground,” Sash said. “I blew right through devastation.”

Indiana's desperation slipped through Belcher's fingers. He didn't conduct interviews after the game.

“It was close,” said Chappell, whose view of the play came from the ground after getting hit. “I didn't really see it what happened. Obviously it was close.”

It was close.

“My heart dropped,” Hunter said. “I thought he had it for a second.”

So did everyone.

“When he hit the ground, I thought, awwww,” Iowa wideout Marvin McNutt said. “Then, when I saw he dropped it, I was like, awwww yes.”

Iowa's desperation worked.

Iowa's offense didn't work much of Saturday. Before Stanzi-to-McNutt, the Hawkeyes took four trips inside Indiana's 20-yard line and came away with three Mike Meyer field goals (23, 27, 27 and a 22-yard miss).

Then, Iowa cornerback Micah Hyde breaks up a pass on third-and-3 at Iowa's 42 with 3:42 left and the switch flipped for Stanzi with first down at Iowa's 12.

First play, down and out to wide receiver Derrell Johnson-Koulianos for 21 yards. Second play, sideline route to Johnson-Koulianos for 15 yards. Third play, down and out and up to McNutt for a “let's get on the bus and get out of here” 52-yard TD.

Iowa went 88 yards in three plays after making 88 inches look like a mile most of Saturday.

Notice the set up. Out and then double move. Iowa set up the double move with out routes during the game and pulled it out when it needed it the most.

“We became more determined, more focused,”said McNutt, who had six catches for 126 yards and a TD. “All 11 guys needed to execute. We needed to come together to do what he had to do to get this victory.”

Between red-zone futility and penalties (nine for 65 yards), the Hawkeyes looked nothing like the team that beat then-No. 5 Michigan State just last weekend. And then they needed to be that team and so they were.

“Things were going bad for three and a half quarters, you have to step up and make a play,” said Stanzi, who completed 22 of 33 for 290 yards, an interception and the game-winning TD. “That's all that really matters.”

Postgame webcast

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