Back against the wall.
Playing for all the marbles.
Win or face the horror of The Void.
These were the stakes for our protagonists, the Indiana football Hoosiers, on the road in Champaign today against Illinois. Faced with such long odds, the tallest of tasks, what was the response, you ask?
Oh it was just allowingsixhundredandsixtytwoyardsofoffensetoafourandfiveteamstartingabackupquarterbackwhotransferredfromballstate.
John Paddock, coming off the bench for the Illini after leading a game-winning drive the previous week, passed for five hundred and two yards on the day. Four touchdowns, including the game winner in overtime.
As a little reminder: Indiana is a program led by a man who has spent the entirety of his adult life either playing or coaching the defensive side of the ball.