Winning isn't everything, and that's a good thing because victories haven't always come easy to the Hoosiers. In fact, there have been some rough times over the years.

Last issue I singled out what I consider to be the monumental moments in Indiana football history. This time, we visit the dark side and the gut wrenching losses the Hoosiers and their fans have had to live with during 118 years of Indiana football. It hasn't been easy to have to relive all these tough moments in IU history, but you can't appreciate success without understanding failure.

Here are some of those games that built some perspective into the Hoosiers over the years.

1. November 25, 1989

Purdue 15, Indiana 14

This game probably contributed to Anthony Thompson losing out to Andre Ware in the Heisman race.

Indiana was set to accept a bid to play in the California Bowl contingent upon a victory over the Boilermakers. Rivalries aside, victory over Purdue seemed plausible as the Boilers' record coming in was just 2-8. QB Eric Hunter had been relegated to the bench for much of the season, but then-Purdue head coach Fred Akers didn't hesitate to use him to spark a lifeless offense, and he was the difference in the ball game. IU had a shot to win late following a long kick-off return by A.T., but PK Scott Bonnell's field goal attempt was wide and the Purdue's escaped with what is one of their more satisfying wins in this rivalry. Sure, Bonnell's kick would have given the Hoosier's the victory and he took a lot of heat for the miss, but the fact he missed it wasn't the sole reason Indiana lost.

2. October 21, 1972

No. 4 Ohio State 44, Indiana 7

IU was 4-1 and 2-0 in conference play riding a three-game winning streak. QB Ted McNulty went down with a season-ending injury in this contest, and the Hoosiers never recovered, finishing the year 5-6. John Pont was let go as head coach at season's end. Another 43 games would go by before Indiana had as many as four wins during a campaign, and that would come in the 10th game of the '76 campaign when a 15-14 victory over Wisconsin improved IU's record to 4-6 heading into the season finale that year against Purdue.

3. October 22, 1994

Northwestern 20, Indiana 7

The Hoosiers were sitting pretty heading into this contest, boasting a 5-1 record — including 2-1 in Big Ten play — and coming off a road win at Iowa. A bye week gave IU extra time to prepare for the Wildcats, but Indiana came out flat and lost to a team that, from a talent standpoint, was certainly inferior. This loss actually signaled the beginning of the end of Bill Mallory's head coaching reign at Indiana University. Under his direction, IU would win only six of the next 26 games, including just two Big Ten contests, both against Purdue.

4. November 14, 1987

No. 13 Michigan State 27, Indiana 3

IU still had a shot of winning the Big Ten title and earning a trip to the Rose Bowl, but they couldn't overcome the performance of Spartan RB Lorenzo White, who gained 292 yards on 56 carries and scored two touchdowns. The Spartans also intercepted two IU passes — one in the end zone and one when IU had advanced the ball to MSU's 1-yard line. After closing with a win over Purdue, the Hoosiers accepted a bid to play in the Peach Bowl where they would lose to No. 16 Auburn.

T-5. Seven games during the 1984 season

It's interesting to note that Indiana's twists and turns en route to the Rose Bowl during the 1967 season were highlighted by the Hoosiers winning several close games, not only coming from behind to do so but also surviving when an opponent had the ball on the game's final drive and failed to convert with the outcome in the balance. The reversal of that was in 1984 in Bill Mallory's first year. IU finished 0-11 that season, but a closer look reveals several games where, had the outcome of several plays been different, we might remember the '84 season in a better light.

September 8, 1984 Duke 31, Indiana 24

In the first game of the Bill Mallory era, the Hoosiers jumped out to a 14-0 lead, but the Blue Devils came back to score 10 points in the final five and a half minutes to win.

September 22, 1984 Northwestern 40, Indiana 37

This game featured 7 lead changes.

September 29, 1984 No. 14 Michigan 14, Indiana 6

The Wolverines upset No. 1 Miami in the season opener and improved to 3-1 with a victory over Indiana. The following week vs. Michigan State, Wolverines QB Jim Harbaugh went down with a season-ending injury and his absence contributed mightily to the Wolverine's '84 finish with a 6-6 record. Michigan closed the year with a loss to No. 1 Brigham Young in the Holiday Bowl.

October 12, 1984 Michigan State 13, Indiana 6

Indiana led the Spartans 6-0 going into the final quarter.

October 19, 1984 Wisconsin 20, Indiana 16

The Badgers scored the winning touchdown on a fake field goal attempt.

October 26, 1984 Iowa 24, Indiana 20

At one point, Iowa QB Chuck Long completed 22 consecutive passes.

November 17, 1984 Purdue 31, Indiana 24

At one point, Indiana led 14-0.

6. October 11, 1986

Ohio State 24, Indiana 22

IU had Ohio State on the ropes and was in a position to kick a field goal that would have given the Hoosiers the lead late in the ballgame if not for a twist of fate. Pete Stoyanovich was Indiana's regular kicker, but he was not in uniform on this day because he was back home in Michigan tending to a personal family matter. His replacement was a kid with limited if any prior game experience and most certainly had not been in a position before at the collegiate level to attempt a kick with a game on the line. He missed a field goal from a makeable distance that Stoyanovich likely would have drilled through the uprights. Again, as was the case with the missed field goal vs. Purdue in the '89 Bucket game, Indiana lost, but the missed field goal wasn't the sole reason the Hoosiers lost. This game marked the final time Woody Hayes coached a Buckeye team in Bloomington.

7. October 25, 1979

No. 10 Michigan 27, Indiana 21

The Hoosiers had tied the game with less than a minute to play and appeared to be ready to leave Ann Arbor with no worse than a tie, but Michigan scored on the final play of the game on a "Hail Mary" pass to WR Anthony Carter.

8. November 7, 1988

Illinois 21, Indiana 20

Eric Coleman's 47-yard fumble return for a score gave Indiana what appeared to be a safe 20-9 lead with about three and a half minutes to play. Illinois got the ball back and immediately drove 80-yards for a score with 2:06 remaining to cut IU's lead to five. QB Dave Schnell fumbled on IU's ensuing possession at the Hoosier 31-yard line, Illinois recovered and drove to the IU five-yard line where Illini QB Jeff George threw the winning touchdown with 26 seconds left.

9. November 21, 1992

Purdue 13, Indiana 10

Purdue QB Eric Hunter was a thorn in Indiana's side the entire game, rushing for 117 yards and passing for 163. He scored what turned out to be the winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter. Indiana got the ball back and drove it down to the Purdue 4-yard line with under a minute to go but QB Trent Green's pass was intercepted in the end zone.

10. November 19, 1983

Purdue 31, Indiana 30

Several other "Bucket Battles" could fit in this slot, most notably IU losses in 1968 (38-35), 1975 (9-7) and 1980 (24-23), but I chose this one because it contained many of the dramatic moments that have marked gridiron wars between these two rivals before and since. In the end, IU head coach Sam Wyche was willing to risk it all instead of settling for a tie. The Boilermakers led 31-17 with 4:09 remaining in the ball game when QB Steve Bradley's touchdown pass to Duane Gunn made it 31-24 Purdue with 2:08 left. The Hoosiers recovered an onside kick and, with just over one minute remaining, IU's Bobby Howard scored a touchdown from 7-yards out. Wyche opted to roll the dice and go for the win instead of the tie. Len Kenebrew caught QB Steve Bradley's pass but the official ruled Kenebrew caught it out of the end zone.

A few more games were worthy of consideration but missed the cut

November 11, 1995 Michigan State 31, Indiana 13

If I hadn't witnessed this game with my own eyes I never would have believed it. The Spartans had the ball for only one offensive play in the first quarter yet led 21-7. That one play from scrimmage resulted in a 59-yard touchdown run. MSU also scored on a 76-yard punt return and an 87-yard kickoff return. On the other side of the ball, IU's Alex Smith set an NCAA record with 22-carries in the first quarter. This game was a classic example of statistics not always telling the whole story. At halftime, Indiana had 17 first downs to MSU's one and ran 58 plays to MSU's nine, yet still trailed by two touchdowns.

September 30, 1978 Nebraska 69, Indiana 17

The 12th-ranked Cornhuskers took control early with a 28-point explosion in the first quarter. Nebraska RB I.M. Hipp scored three touchdowns in the opening stanza and finished with four on the day as Huskers head man Tom Osborne substituted liberally in the second half. The lone bright spot for IU on this day was linebacker Joe Norman, who was named by the ABC television announcers covering the game as their defensive Player of the Game for his 17-tackle effort.

A couple other games rank somewhere between the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat.

November 5, 1994 No. 2 Penn State 35, Indiana 29

QB Chris Dittoe came off the bench to throw four touchdowns while the Nittany Lions were held to their smallest margin of victory of the season. The game contributed to PSU not being crowned national champion despite a perfect 12-0 record.

November 17th 1979 No. 12 Purdue 37, Indiana 21

Taking a lot of the sting out of this loss was the announcement in the locker room afterward the Hoosiers would play No. 9 BYU in the Holiday Bowl.

November 1st 1975 No. 1 Ohio State 24, Indiana 14

Indiana was coming off a 55-7 thrashing by Michigan and faced a powerful offense led by Archie Griffin, who was on his way to winning a second straight Heisman Trophy. The Buckeyes were expected to inflict similar punishment, but the Hoosiers stood their ground and won a moral victory.

Speaking of morals… the moral of this story is athletics teaches its participants plenty of life lessons, including the fact that sometimes, no matter how time and effort one puts into something, there's always the chance it will blow up in their face. The key, of course, is to keep coming back with greater resolve.

One thing to keep in mind, the sun always came up the following day after each and every one of these losses.