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Connor Bazelak's 9-play, 73 yard touchdown drive as time expired was eerily similar to the game-winning drive he and the Indiana offense had put together just three months prior to defeat Illinois in their season opener.

With their backs against the wall, the tempo-driven offense moved the ball as time ticked against them after countless drives of not being able to do so earlier in the half. Bazelak found an open Josh Henderson through the air, scoring what would be the final touchdown of the evening against the Boilermaker defense.

The difference, however, is vast compared to the Illinois result that opened the season. The emotion that had overcome the Indiana sideline felt as a sign of the Hoosiers finally drowning the bad memories from a dreadful 2021 season, hoping to be the kickstarter to proving the prior 2-10 season to be an anomaly.

However, three months later, Saturday's buzzer-beating touchdown didn't really matter at all. In truth, all it meant was that the Boilermaker's victory margin had dropped from 20 points to 14, not a single soul soul draped in gold and black bothered enough to care. Purdue fled the field in celebration, the clock striking triple zeros to cement victory, a spot in the Big Ten Championship next week, and an Old Oaken Bucket victory. Celebrating in front of a sparse audience that consisted largely of Boiler faithful, the Indiana season was over.

In a way, it was poetic: Indiana had lost a game doing the same thing they did to win one earlier this year. Yet, since that emotional victory under the lights on the first night of September, Indiana had won only three additional games. Their struggles, which had compounded over the following weeks, culminated in being forced to watch their hated in-state rival celebrate on their home turf on Saturday evening after letting another opportunity to turn things around slip away from them.

Indiana realized there were changes that needed to be made throughout the season, and for the most part, they gave it an effort to alter the way things were trending. The offensive line wasn't protecting the quarterback or opening holes in the running game, so Tom Allen made a change at the coaching position. Rod Carey wasn't a 'miracle worker,' he'll tell you that himself, but things still got better. As for other areas though, changes were either too little or too late, never really getting the chance to make a true impact.

Indiana's struggles at quarterback developed as the season progressed, eventually hitting a breaking point for Allen and his staff. They went to Jack Tuttle and Brendan Sorsby before finally finding success in Dexter Williams II, and the move sparked one of the most emotional and inspiring comeback victories in recent memory with a road victory over Michigan State to win back the Old Brass Spittoon.

However, the question begging to be asked is why wasn't Dexter given the opportunity earlier? Why did it take seven consecutive losses to create a change when it was evident the current regime wasn't working much earlier than that? Even when the sparks of something were there, why were they not capitalized on earlier?

Yet, after a stunned Memorial Stadium sat silent as a freak non-contact injury had left the redshirt sophomore Williams laying on the ground waiting to be carted off, Tom Allen's self-entitled "snakebitten" program had once again lost another leader to injury. The same fate caused the Hoosiers to miss time from their leader on defense in linebacker Cam Jones, their best outside target in Cam Camper, and their anchor on the offensive line in Matthew Bedford. Unfortunately, the sick fate was just par for the course for Indiana this season.

In that same sense, Indiana's loss checked all the boxes as to why they as a unit struggled all throughout this season.

Indiana's halftime lead diminished in a fashion that made you forget the Hoosiers ever held an advantage in the first place, their secondary being torn to shreds the same way Cincinnati, Ohio State, and others had all season. Additionally, missed tackles turned losses into gains and small gains into chunk plays, preventing Indiana from being able to get off the field when they needed to. It was a stark contrast from the first half that saw Indiana keep the Purdue offense in check for most of the first 30 minutes, in which lies the issue of playing a complete game, something the Hoosiers never quite accomplished this season.

Purdue receivers found themselves more than a few times without a defender in the area code, the run fits seemingly hit or miss as to whether they would be effective or not, and the Hoosier defense that two seasons ago had an innate ability to force turnovers did nothing to cause one on the afternoon. Indiana's defense was never going to win them a game over Purdue by itself, but the unit did themselves no favors on Saturday afternoon.

With Bazelak back at the helm, the offense was no better either, the quick three-and-outs and empty drives making their undesired return and offering no rebuttal or resistance to the improved Boilermaker attack. With no mobile threat at quarterback, run game options diminished, leaving nowhere for Henderson, Jaylin Lucas, or Shaun Shivers -- all of whom were benefitting from another mobile option in the backfield -- to go before a defender would meet them in their tracks.

Purdue scored 27 of their 30 points in the second half alone. The garbage time touchdown for Indiana was only their second on the afternoon, not having sniffed the endzone since Lucas' 71-yard scamper on IU's first possession.

And so, as things came full circle with Purdue's 30-16 win on Saturday, the promise of the victory under the lights from months ago was proven unjustified, and the offseason has arrived for Tom Allen and his program. However, for a season that was surrounded by questions coming in, it impressively finishes with more of them than it started with.

Assuming Dexter Williams' injury is as serious as it appeared to be, there's not a clear cut choice on the roster for the starting quarterback role. With that in mind, the play calling and offensive scheme will need to undergo a massive overhaul, as the countless empty drives characterized a unit that wasn't efficient enough to be a consistent threat throughout the season.

The offensive line still requires major addressing, especially in terms of protecting the quarterback and allowing plays to develop downfield. Even so, the aforementioned depth at key skill positions is lackluster, and the depth that does exist seems to develop at a much slower pace compared to their competition around them.

On the other side of the ball, there doesn't seem to be a lot to build off of with regards to the defensive unit either. The group was torched on countless occasions all season long outside of a select few timely occasions. With first year OC and DC's, it's hard to know whether the personnel is to blame for the struggles. Either way, it's not a favorable situation by any means, and it's one that will need a serious makeover of its own.

Not to mention, Indiana's recruiting and NIL stances -- and struggles -- are well documented, with the collegiate offseason now being as close of a reflection to a professional market as possible.

Indiana's season may have come to a close on Saturday evening, but as "Hail Purdue" rained down from the bleachers of Memorial Stadium while the Hoosiers walked off the field, there's more than a few talking points hanging over the program heading into the next several months.

The work for next season starts now. If Indiana is serious about change or their future, they shouldn't delay their action.

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