BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana's host Hoosiers, after an arduous and often frustrating evening, had fought back to within a single score of No. 24-ranked Michigan State.
So Hoosier head coach Tom Allen had Jared Smolar send the kickoff deep for a touchback, with reasonable hope an IU defense stout against the run all night would force a Spartan punt with enough time remaining to give the offense a chance.
When MSU lined up to scrimmage from its 25 after the kickoff, Allen called for a defensive set designed to help stuff the run everybody figured was coming.