Curt Cignetti Reacts to Indiana's Nick Marsh Failing to Get Foot Down for Go-Ahead TD in Loss to OSU

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says Saturday's 19-15 defeat to Ohio State was a "tough one not to win" after wide receiver Nick Marsh stepped out of bounds on a potential game-winning catch late in the fourth quarter.

"You all saw the last play. We're fourth and 4, we're expecting a house blitz," Cignetti told reporters Saturday. "You never really know. You're rolling the dice. That's our blitz check that we ran."

Cignetti concluded, "We had it, we just didn't make it happen. So, it's a hard one to swallow. Learn from it, and move on."

Cignetti said the Hoosiers made the call after the Buckeyes sacked Josh Hoover in the red zone on a similar blitz in the third quarter.

The failed attempt at a touchdown pass led to the Hoosiers conceding their first loss in 23 games.

"We had so many opportunities to get it done, not only at the end of the game but throughout the game," Cignetti said. "Just too many missed opportunities on offense."

Cignetti continued, "Defense just kept us in and we start making a few plays. It's right there for the taking, and we've got to be able to take that one."

Hoover credited Marsh with running a "good route" on the final play when speaking to reporters after the loss.

"Nick ran a good route," Hoover said (h/t IUSTV's Ethan Bonheur). "I didn't really have time to sit there and see where he was going, so I had to try and put it up in the air, put it to the spot.

"Shoot, it's a game of inches, right? I think Nick played awesome today."

Hoover, who missed one play earlier in the third quarter after landing on his right shoulder, finished the game having gone 20-for-40 with 296 yards and a touchdown.

"When you play quarterback, it's all about getting the ball to the open guy on time, accurately, as quickly as possible," Cignetti said. "So, that's the bottom line on a quarterback... we certainly had a couple of misfires, but [Hoover] made some nice plays, too."

Cignetti was seemingly critical of Hoover's performance, however, when mentioning a second-quarter drive that ended in a missed field goal.

"I was really surprised we didn't make that happen at the end of the half... we put our three of our receivers on the left hash, and they got all the coverage over there," Cignetti said. "Something went wrong on it, but both guys are wide open."

Indiana's pass attack wasn't the only concern in the loss, during which the Hoosiers were held below 75 rushing yards for a second straight game.

Cignetti and the Hoosiers will have a week to regroup before returning to action next Saturday for a road game at Michigan.