That game was definitely lost in the early going. OSU came out with really aggressive D (and nothing was being called, but that's life on the road in the Big Ten) and the starters just wilted under the pressure, both offensively and defensively. I can understand the freshman, but I was really disappointed in Burke and Hardaway. They didn't show any poise, especially in the first half. I told my wife at the half that we'd make a big comeback in the 2nd half, but come up short, and unfortunately I was right.
However, putting the game in perspective, I thought we'd lose 4 or 5 in the Big Ten, mostly on the road, and I still believe that. Hopefully, this game will be a valuable learning experience for the freshman. We knew the team would face adversity eventually, the question now is how will they respond.