The word leading up to the 2021 Outback Bowl was “finish.”
So many times this season, Indiana had been able to do just that— starting with the season opener overtime win against Penn State.
On Saturday, No. 11 Indiana (6-2, 6-1 B1G) could not cross the finish line victorious, as Ole Miss (5-5, 4-5 SEC) won the Outback Bowl 26-20 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, handing the Hoosiers their sixth straight bowl loss.
Indiana has not won a bowl game since 1991, when the Hoosiers defeated Baylor in the Copper Bowl. The loss marks consecutive seasons Indiana has lost to an SEC team in the postseason (Tennessee, TaxSlayer.com Gator Bowl).
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral was named the Outback Bowl most valuable player, completing 30-of-44 passes for 342 passing yards and two touchdowns. Corral also ran for 37 rushing yards.
Corral entered the game second in the nation in interceptions thrown (14), matching up against an Indiana defense that has forced 17 interceptions on the season. However, Corral did a nice job all afternoon of making smart decisions, limiting any opportunity the Hoosiers had to force takeaways.
The Hoosier defense surrendered 493 total yards of offense to the Rebels, giving up over seven yards per play. The 26 points were the most Indiana has allowed in a single game since Nov. 21 against Ohio State. This was the final game for Kane Wommack as the defensive coordinator for Indiana, who accepted a head coaching position at South Alabama last month.
Running back Stevie Scott III had the most success on offense for any Indiana Hoosier— even with wide receiver Whop Philyor having a Big Ten bowl record and game-high 18 receptions. Scott III carried the ball 19 times for 99 rushing yards, 34 receiving yards and two touchdowns.
Indiana could not get much production all afternoon from Jack Tuttle, who made his second career start at quarterback for the Hoosiers and his first since Dec. 5 at Wisconsin. Tuttle completed 26-of-45 passes for 201 passing yards and one interception. The sophomore looked uncomfortable for most of the game, especially near the end of the first half.
Despite the injury, Tuttle continued playing through the second half. Indiana outscored Ole Miss 14-6 in the fourth quarter, but could not execute a potential game-winning drive down six points in opponent territory.
Indiana head coach Tom Allen confirmed following the game that Tuttle played the second half with a separated right throwing shoulder. Initial fears were that Tuttle suffered a broken collarbone.
The Hoosiers will look to get their quarterback room healthy by the start of the 2021-22 season, with Michael Penix Jr. recovering from his surgery of a torn ACL and Tuttle looking to get his shoulder back at full strength.
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