Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

Indiana revives program with win over Mizzou

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With a cool chill in the air as is usual around this time of year, Indiana predictably goes on the road and rips the heart out of a ranked team. The red sweaters high-five, “5 banners,” and all that. Indiana winning a big game in the the autumn chill? Just another feather in the cap for a legendary basketball program.

Wait, what? This was football? Surely you jest …

Surely we don’t. Indiana walked right into top 20 Missouri … unbeaten SEC Missouri … and walked out with a win, on the road, in football, and in the process, a program was either saved or born depending on who you take your opinions from.

It was 27-24 Missouri and Indiana had themselves one drive and one chance deep in their own territory. We’ve all seen this before from plenty of programs trying to take the next step. Somehow, some way, the ranked powerhouse finds a way to win.

And predictably, on a fourth down on that drive, Indiana sputtered out. Then, out came a when you look back on it, program changing flag. It was a penalty, it was just hideously late. Not even fashionably late. Just pure late.

New life for Indiana. Sudfeld to Coleman. A few plays later, D’Angelo Roberts from 3 yards out after an almost perfect bleeding of the clock that left Missouri no time for miracles.

And thus, Indiana wins its biggest game probably since the early 1990s, when the program was if nothing else, one that was going to find its way into a bowl game. Hell, considering all things, as big of an IU win as most of us have ever seen betwixt the hash marks.

IU was on life support after losing to Bowling Green in the waning seconds last weekend. Kevin Wilson was staring down the barrel at another disappointing loss based on not being able to have even mediocre defense on the field.

Grumblings of seniors unhappy peppered a program that is completely and fully Kevin Wilson guys. Everyone else just said “cool, when’s basketball start again?”

So it was literally IU against the world in Columbia today against a team that looked every bit the part thus far of last year’s fierce Mizzou squad that came within a win of winning the SEC championship and possibly playing for a BCS title.

With 2:20 left, IU was on the ropes. That same 2:20 later, a new program had been born.

We’ll see what happens from here in a run down, mediocre as all heck B1G, but for one night, shut the lights off at Assembly Hall. The glass gets raised to Indiana Football this night in the fall.

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