IU v. Minnesota: second quarter thoughts.

• 13:50. Fisher drops a touchdown. Damn.
• 13:42. Man, when is the last time we had a kicker as reliable as Starr? Mano, Bonnell, Stoyo? 17-14. Now let's find out if Minnesota's punter is any good.
• 12:49. Weber has been erratic ever since I complimented him.
• 12:43. What is this strange formation, where the guy drop kicks the ball to the other team?
• 12:30 For such a fast guy, Thigpen doesn't hit the holes very fast, but it hasn't mattered much today. I still would like to see the hot hand, Bryan Payton.
• 10:08. Whew. We really need a TD on this drive.
• 9:01. Third and short. This should present some opportunities today.
• 8:02 Nice call. Perfectly executed reverse after a tough incompletion.
• 6:51. Damn. We are letting these guys stay in the game. 20-14.
• 6:23 Right now, the drops are the story. At least one sure touchdown and another that would have put is in first and goal. Go defense.
• 6:16 Good call on the block. The flag was so late I thought they missed it. We've got them pinned now.
• 6:11 And just like that, they aren't pinned.
• 6:02 Just pathetic. A five yard loss to a 30 yard gain, because we went for the Sportscenter hit. Come on. You're a senior, Tracy.
• 4:46 And there's the nation's leading defense at sacking the QB. We needed that badly. But thanks to earlier breakdowns, we're looking at a long march to a score.
• 3:54 Or not. Tracy gave it up, Tracy gave it back. Huge, huge play.
• 3:10 Nice first down run by KL.
• 2:48 TD Bryan Payton. Great run, dragging guys into the end zone. Again, that's the sort of play that usually happens to IU, not for IU.
• 2:48 Looks like a signficant injury here, or at least he's been on the ground for a while, Ben Wyss. He's talking, but looks to be in pain. Now he's walking off, with some help.
• 2:26 If we get them 3 and out here, we'll have another chance to score.
• Weak. We accomplished everything we wanted with the rush, and still let them off the hook (and again as I typed this sentence. Poor tackling today).
• 1:58. If they score here, it's a different game. They get the ball in the 3rd.
• 1:41. Just awful, a QB scramble for a first down.
• 1:25. Now that was a sack. Terrible effort by Minny's line. That wasn't a blitz. IU had seven guys in coverage and three DL got to the QB easily.
• 1:04. Interesting decision to call the TO, but Minny is still moving the ball. TO again, on 3rd down. Again, if we stop them here, we can possibly score. It's worth a shot against the worst pass D in the country.
• :55. Taking a knee. It's a tough call. I would have been tempted to try one shot down the field first, but so be it. Solid half, and IU scored on every true possession of the half.
• I suppose it says something about IU's progress that we're up 13 at halftime in a Big Ten game and I'm a bit disgruntled. We are the better team, and if we can keep clicking on offense and make some tackles on defense, we'll be OK.

Halftime stats: IU has the edge in total offense (276/186) and yards per play (7.1/5.5). Both QB have been very good, completing over 65 percent and with no interceptions. After a tough first half, the IU defense has begun standing firm on third down. Minnesota is 4-8, but only 2-5 in the second quarter. Oddly, Yahoo consistently fails to log sacks. Anyway, IU has played better, but thanks to the drops in the red zone, IU has allowed Minnesota to stay in the game. If the Gophers manage a TD on the first possession, this is a game. If we make them punt and go up 34-14, then the pressure is on.