Indiana wins first Big Ten game since 2010

Before Saturday, Indiana's last win came Sept. 8, against Massachusetts. That win, which came on the heels of a victory against Indiana State, moved the Hoosiers to 2-0.

It also gave Indiana more wins through the first two games of 2012 than in all of 2011, former Oklahoma assistant Kevin Wilson's first season with the program.

As slight as they may seem, the achievements keep adding up for Wilson and IU, which beat Illinois on the road 31-17 to move to 3-5, 1-3 in Big Ten Conference play.

The victory was Indiana's first in Big Ten play since a 34-31 win against Purdue on Nov. 27, 2010. That's nothing: Indiana's last win against true FBS competition – not counting UMass, which is reclassifying from the FCS – came on the same November day against the Boilermakers.

What happened between then and Saturday?

A 3-16 record. One win came against UMass, another against Indiana State. The third came against South Carolina State. In other words, Indiana went 0-16 against full-fledged FBS competition.

So it's been a long, unsteady, stumbling, often painful climb back to the Big Ten's win column. What has been Indiana's biggest problem?

Beyond the coaching change and following shift in philosophy, Indiana's biggest hurdle has been youth. Overwhelming youth, mind you, and not just the sort of youth-themed excuse all losing coaches thrown around to buy more time.

In 2011, Indiana played 16 true freshmen, third-most in the country, and 16 redshirt freshmen. The 32 total freshmen used were the most in the FBS by a big margin.

Wilson has used another 11 true freshmen this fall. One, quarterback Nate Sudfeld, came off the bench to throw two touchdowns against Illinois.

Here's the second of Sudfeld's two touchdowns, thanks to the Big Ten Network:

Heading into today, 24 of the 35 players to earn a start this season were underclassmen.

Youth has been served. And it's clear that last year's struggles yielded a stronger, more disciplined and more experienced team in 2012: Indiana may have lost five games, but four of those losses came by four or fewer points.

Ball State won by two points. Michigan State by four points. Ohio State by a field goal. Navy by a point. It was only a matter of time before the Hoosiers came out on top. It may also be a matter of gaining additional experience before Indiana becomes more than just a pest in the Big Ten.

Or – and this is just me thinking out loud – Illinois is a train wreck, and this win should be taken with a large grain of salt. I'm more likely to side with the Indiana-is-back train of thought, but I can't argue against the we-miss-Ron-Zook logic being tossed around by a portion of the Illinois fan base.

(You don't miss Ron Zook. You're just unhappy with Tim Beckman.)