IU football is a tough watch these days. That's if you watch at all.

Indiana’s most-exciting play against Rutgers on Saturday was the first play of the game.

Freshman speedster Jaylin Lucas caught the opening kickoff inside IU's own 10-yard and took off. He weaved around, making a defender miss, before getting near the sideline. His breakaway speed was then on display. He cruised into the end zone, part of a blood-pumping start to the game.

The problem, though, was the rest of the game for IU was pretty much the exact opposite. Promising moments were fleeting. Perhaps the second most exciting play was again by Lucas when he gained 25 yards on a reception in the fourth quarter. Lucas has been one of the few bright spots this season. Frankly, his elusiveness is probably one of the only reasons left to watch this team.

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The reality is this: IU football is not fun to watch. You can pick your choice of a handful of other adjectives: uninspiring, monotonous, dull. IU has a dreadful offense. It has a mediocre defense. IU's 24-17 loss to Rutgers was another example of that. Perhaps the most pressing question is whether IU can stop its fanbase from disengaging.

“Wanted to start strong and we did that, but just could not sustain anything on offense,” IU coach Tom Allen told Don Fischer postgame. “And that put a lot of pressure on our defense, and I thought they fought hard, but out there too much.”

IU is now 3-5 this season after losing five consecutive games. It’s not just that IU is losing, but it’s also the caliber of performances being produced. It is bad football. This very much feels like a program at risk of continuing to lose fan interest.

The state of IU's program is far from what it was at the end of the 2020 season. Allen did an admirable job building the program up. Back-to-back 5-7 seasons led to an 8-5 one. Then came 2020, when Indiana seemed to capture the hearts of not only its fanbase but those around the country. In 2020, IU might not have played an especially captivating brand of offensive football, but its defense, which created chaos and turnovers, was relatively fun to watch. Even more: winning.

Expectations entering the 2021 season were through the roof. But it’s been almost all downhill since. IU went 2-10 last season. By the end of the season, there were few reasons left to watch games. It was lackluster football.

This season has been more of the same. Inconsistent quarterback play. Injuries. Struggling offensive line. Inopportunistic performances.

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On Saturday, following Lucas’ touchdown, IU put together a beautiful offensive drive. It was good play-calling by Walt Bell. Getting the ball into playmakers' hands with quick passes. The offense was in a rhythm. IU scored a touchdown to go up 14-0. Overall, really well done.

After that, here’s how Indiana’s offensive drives resulted for the rest of the game:

>> Punt

>> Punt

>> Punt

>> Punt

>> Halftime

>> Punt

>> Punt

>> Punt

>> Missed field goal attempt

>> Interception, pick-6

>> Punt

>> Made field goal

Lots of fingers have been pointed at the offensive line for IU's offensive struggles. But Saturday wasn’t just an offensive line issue. The inconsistent play of quarterback Connor Bazelak should shoulder some of the criticism, too. He was 23-for-41 passing. IU finished the game with 62 rushing yards. It was just 2-for-12 on third downs.

IU plays an up-tempo style of offense. But does that really matter if it's putting up numbers like that? This isn't a high-flying, high-volume offense. It’s a fast, bad offense.

IU's defense didn’t play badly. It held Rutgers to 113 passing yards. But IU also didn’t create any turnovers. It looks far from the 2020 version of Indiana defense. It doesn’t help that Cam Jones, the heartbeat of the defense, has missed the past few games with an injury. But regardless, there just hasn’t been much captivating about that unit.

At what point do fans totally give up on the program?

An example of the increasing disinterest is this. Look at the crowd from IU's 2021 home opener against Idaho. Look at the crowd in a mid-November 2021 game. Obviously, there are multiple factors that played into each turnout. But it still somewhat gets the point across.

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Twitter, notably, isn’t necessarily a site for the most rational takes. But Saturday, the frustration, perhaps warranted, was boiling.

A post from one account: “Who would pay money to watch this team? If it’s painful to watch on TV, I can only imagine what it is like in person. The revenue from ticket sales will continue to drop like a stone until wholesale changes are made.”

Another posted this: “Been a loyal season-ticket holder since 2005. Getting increasingly difficult to spend hard earned dollars to watch this non-existent team. Not even competitive. Like the man personally, but Allen is in over his head. We are done.”

Reality can sometimes be harsh. And the reality is IU is not fun to watch. And IU isn't winning consistently. Until that changes, it’s reasonable to expect the overall indifference toward the program will continue to grow.

This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IU football: Frustration turning into apathy as Hoosiers keep losing