It was all there for the taking against No. 8 Cincinnati on a spectacular sun-splashed Saturday afternoon at sold-out Memorial Stadium (52,656 strong) -- a defining victory, validation that this would be a spectacular Cream & Crimson run, that the season-opening Iowa disappointment was an aberration.

That it didn't happen -- the 38-24 loss was fueled by four turnovers, two key defensive penalties and one botched snap -- will hurt for a long time.

"This one is on us," head coach Tom Allen said.

So is the will to rise from 1-2 adversity.

"We have some great leaders," linebacker Cam Jones said. "We have to come together, stay together. We have to love each other regardless of what happened. Keep pushing."

Allen is driven to ensure the Hoosiers do that.

"It's adversity," he said. "We have to look in the mirror, look yourself in the eye, stand up and take responsibility.

"I'm the head coach. I have to own the 1-2 start. This is not where we wanted to be, expected to be. As I said to them, Here we are. What are you going to do? How will you respond?"

Three Hoosier drives to the 10-yard-line or better resulted in zero points -- an interception, a fumble, a failure to convert fourth-and-one.

"You've got to protect the football," Allen said. "You can't make those kind of mistakes. You can't turn the ball over; you can't be in the red zone; tight red zone, three times and get no points. That was the game right there. Three trips in there, no points."

More self-inflicted misery -- a pair of forced Cincinnati punts were negated by IU defensive penalties that became Bearcat touchdowns.

"We're very disappointed," Jones said. "We know we left a lot on the field. We made way too many mistakes. It's hard to win making mistakes like that. We have to limit those."

Added receiver D.J. Matthews Jr.: "We have to look in the mirror and ask ours, are we playing at a high standard? Are we playing at a high level?

"The mistakes were on us. They were things we could have avoided. Live and learn."

For most of the first half, this was defense as Allen envisioned.

It was the kind no offense wants to face, even offenses that rank among the nation's best, as Cincinnati's did with its 45.5-point-a-game average.

Husky Marcelino McCrary-Ball had an early interception that jumpstarted the offense to its first touchdown.

Defensive end Ryder Anderson's strip sack was recovered by linebacker Micah McFadden and led to a second TD.

Then defensive dominance vanished faster than you can say, McFadden was ejected.

The All-American was lost in the second quarter to a targeting call. The Bearcat offense, virtually non-existent to that point, caught fire and stayed hot.

"It was massive," Allen said about losing McFadden. "It changed everything."

The Hoosiers' offense couldn't keep up.

"We were dominating them," Allen said. "Dominating them.

"He's our leader. He's a captain. He's a great player. He's part of everything we do.

"We lost that. It's tough. Other guys have to step up. Sometimes life isn't fair. How do you respond? It's a great teaching moment."

It was a point repeated by the players.

"I hated to see him get ejected," Anderson said, "but it's next man up. We have to keep on going as a defense. Play hard.

"We have to finish the game. It's on us. We can't give up things against a good offense."

Added Jones: "Micah is a great player. I hate that he couldn't finish. At the end of the day, we have to do our job as a defense. Regardless who is out there, we have to find a way."

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was 17-for-40 for 224 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions (1 in the end zone) and dropped a snap that cost IU a first down at the Cincinnati 10-yard line.

"I'm going to look at everything in terms of evaluating our team," Allen said. "Everybody gets evaluated. You evaluate the offensive line, defensive line, safeties, corners, linebackers, quarterbacks, running backs. Every position you got to perform.

"You've got to make good decisions (at quarterback).

"I'm never going to act like anybody's job is 100-percent safe. I don't care what position you play. You'd better perform; you'd better play to a high level to do the things we know we've got to do to win games."

He paused.

"You see what we can do when we're locked in, playing to the standard we have, how good we can be."

Matthews, a Florida State transfer, has become a favorite receiving target. He had five catches for 120 yards, with a long of 44.

Tight end Peyton Hendershot added six catches for 60 yards and a touchdown.

Walk-on running back Davion Ervin-Poindexter rushed once for 37 yards. Stephen Carr added 52 yards as the running game generated 152 yards.

Cincinnati (3-0) was led by quarterback Desmond Ridder. He was 20-for-36 for 210 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed 10 times for 45 yards.

IU won the toss and deferred to the second half. The result -- special teams and the defense rocked. Cincinnati went three-and-out.

The problem – the Hoosiers offense did the same thing.

Then McCrary-Ball's interception sparked the offense. It drove for a touchdown, the last 16 yards coming on a Penix-to-Hendershot scoring pass.

By the end of the first quarter, IU had a 7-0 lead and a 110-34 total-yard edge. It had seven first downs to the Bearcats' 0.

The Hoosiers kept up the pressure. They went for it on fourth-and-one at the Cincinnati 10-yard line and got stuffed. The Bearcats managed a first down before a key Jones' tackle and Raheem Layne's clutch pass coverage forced their fourth punt in five possessions (the other was McCrary-Ball's interception).

After a Penix interception in the end zone, the defense came up big again with Anderson's strip sack and McFadden's fumble recovery at the Cincinnati 6-yard line. Penix hit Carr for a touchdown and the Hoosiers led 14-0.

A few minutes later, IU lost McFadden. Instead of punting, the Bearcats drove for a touchdown and a 14-7 score. Penix's second interception led to a Cincinnati field goal and a 14-10 halftime Hoosier lead.

Early, in the third quarter, the Bearcats missed a 50-yard field goal attempt, but rebounded with a touchdown on their next possession for a 17-14 lead.

IU responded with a touchdown, this one on a 14-yard Matthews' reverse for a 21-17 Cream & Crimson advantage. That lasted about 10 seconds when Cincinnati's Tre Tucker returned the kickoff 99 yards for a TD. The missed extra point made it 23-21.

Charles Campbell's 49-yard field goal pushed the Hoosiers ahead 24-23.

It would come down to the fourth quarter.

Ridder's 19-yard touchdown pass to Alex Pierce made it 30-24 with 12 minutes left. A roughing-the-passer penalty by IU kept the drive alive.

The Hoosiers were poised to retake the lead by driving inside the Cincinnati 5-yard line. They fumbled, but got the ball back for one last chance.

It wasn't enough.

Now comes a trip to high-scoring Western Kentucky and then a daunting Big Ten schedule.

"We have a lot of good players," Allen said. "A lot of kids who have given a lot to this program. We're going to fight together We'll lock arms and find a way and keep getting better."