Hoosiers take a beating at Saturday's game

Senior Justin Smith admitted he was tired Saturday against Illinois. He said he couldn't breathe at times.\nSenior Levron Williams didn't feel much better. He was banged up much of the game and gave up his kick return duties because of a thigh bruise.\nMuch of the other Hoosiers felt the same, saying the 35-14 loss to the Fighting Illini was a fight indeed. \n"Toward the end of the game, (I was) just sore and tired," said safety and junior Joe Gonzalez. "I know coach said, 'If you're not sore right now, then there's something wrong.' It was a hard, hard fight."\nThe Hoosiers have spent the past few days recovering from the game. With Sundays spent looking at game film and Mondays as off-days, Tuesday was the week's first practice.\n"Physically, we keep track of number of snaps," said coach Cam Cameron. "We'll rotate more guys through in practice, especially in the defensive line.\n"And then you might start to shorten practice 5-10 minutes. You don't shorten your team periods, but shorten some of your individual time, try to get them off the field a little sooner."\nWhile several Hoosiers have minor injuries and soreness, at least one player is dealing with a different type of injury.\nLinebacker and sophomore Brandon Baker didn't play Saturday because of a congenital narrowing in his spinal area. Cameron said Baker's condition, which was discovered last week during a full physical exam, doesn't appear to have come as a result of football.\nHe also said Baker, whose mother works in medicine in Houston, will have several doctors look at the condition before deciding on his playing status.\nHeart of the "D"\nSmith continues to be the backbone of IU's defense. Against Illinois, Smith tallied 12 tackles, giving him double-digit tackles for the third consecutive game -- all Big Ten contests.\nIn all, Smith has 54 tackles in five games, including eight for a loss. His tackle total ranks sixth in the Big Ten. \n"The guy's having an All-Big Ten season," Cameron said. "If he could take his level of play to another notch, he may wind up being an All-American. He's really having a tremendous year."\nBut Smith isn't the only player anchoring IU's defense.\nGonzalez has become the secondary's leading tackler, often converging on runners who get past either the defensive line or linebackers. Gonzalez's 34 tackles are second on the team.\n"You look for your leadership right down the middle of your defense, and it starts with your middle linebacker and your safeties," Cameron said. "Joe's a good, solid football player, extremely bright. You can't have too many of those kind of good, tough, hard-nosed football players."\nIdentity crisis?\nIU went from one end of the spectrum to the other with a 63-point performance against Wisconsin followed by offensive struggles against the Illini.\nThe Hoosiers will need their Oct. 6 identities back against Iowa, who's averaging 32.2 points per game. Despite last weekend's game, they remain confident.\n"Most of the team is seniors," said wide receiver and senior Henry Frazier. "We've been there before. We've been up and we've been down, and we know that every game isn't perfect. Some games you're going to score 63, and some games you're going to score six.\n"So I'm not concerned at all. I know we have a high-powered offense that's capable of scoring 50 points again next week"