The internet melted down after Indiana fell inches shy of knocking off Ohio State

The Indiana Hoosiers entered the fourth quarter of Saturday's top-five showdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes trailing, 13-7. The deficit quickly spiraled to 19-7, before Indiana put together a touchdown drive, which gave the Hoosiers a chance to complete the comeback and walk it off in the game's final minute.

And, for a brief moment in time, it appeared that Indiana would do just that. With 1:07 on the game clock, Josh Hoover dropped back and lobbed a gorgeous sideline pass to junior wideout Nick Marsh, who was wide open behind the defense. It was a 27-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass — signed, sealed, delivered. Only Marsh stepped out of bounds in the end zone.

Nick Marsh's end zone gaffe costs Indiana its undefeated streak — and lights the internet on fire

The loss ended a 22-game win streak for the Hoosiers, dating back to last season's unbeaten championship run. Marsh, who was mid-breakout with 29 receptions and 528 receiving yards through Indiana's 6-0 start to the campaign, had a chance to further solidify his reputation as one of college football's top receivers. One mistake does not and should not define a player, but the 20-year-old will unfortunately have a tough time living this one down.

This is especially tough because it's counter to everything we've come to believe about this Indiana team under Curt Cignetti. No team, no player, can execute to perfection week in and week out. But the Hoosiers have been the best team in college football over the past year because they just don't stumble into the same unforced errors as other, perhaps more "talented" high-major teams. The Hoosiers are the epitome of execution in college football.

Catching a football on the sideline at full speed and keeping your foot inbounds, even with no defender in arm's reach, is much easier said than done. It's a near impossible task for a regular human, coordinating your hands and feet both simultaneously and separately. Still, we hold star athletes to a higher standard than your uncle in the Thanksgiving backyard football game. Marsh has to maintain spatial awareness in that spot. He let the nerves and excitement of the moment get to him, and it could cost Indiana dearly when the CFP committee convenes to determine Indiana's place in — or out — of the postseason tournament.

It's not like Marsh is solely to blame here. Hoover had plenty of room to throw the football inbounds and make his receiver's job easier. Unfortunately, it's often incumbent upon the star wideout to paper over his quarterback's poor accuracy. There's no excuse, really, for Marsh not tap-dancing his way to a potentially season-defining touchdown.

This was Indiana's first serious test of the season. The Hoosiers narrowly escaped No. 25 Northwestern in Week 4, but that only placed more pressure on the Ohio State matchup. Much has been made of the Hoosiers' weak schedule to date and their perhaps undeservedly high ranking in the AP poll. Well, a victory on Saturday would've put all doubts about Indiana's credibility to bed. Now, expect Hoosiers skepticism to run rampant; No. 19 USC comes to town on Nov. 14, which is Indiana's next (and only remaining) ranked opponent in the regular season. There won't be many opportunities to live this loss down.

Indiana will probably make the playoffs if Cignetti's team can stick at just one loss. Strength of résumé is the guiding principle for the CFP committee, however, and it's now unclear how the Hoosiers can meaningfully improve their case down the stretch. It's hurts more because Ohio State really did not earn this win.

Indiana can do nothing except pick itself back up and press on. But this miscue could come back to haunt both Marsh and the Hoosiers.

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