DiNardo era begins

At 4 p.m. this Saturday at Memorial Stadium, the Gerry DiNardo era of Indiana football kicks off. After all the spring practices, the workouts in the sweltering summer heat, and the two-a-days in the fall, it all comes down to this. \nBut this year's Hoosier football team may look nothing like the Hoosier teams of the past couple of years. And with free admission to the game for students this weekend, the contest will offer many fans a chance to check-out the new-look Hoosiers.\nGone is head coach Cam Cameron and the 18-37 record during his tenure. Enter DiNardo who brings with him the knowledge of rebuilding programs as he did with Louisiana State. Gone is the backfield of Antwaan Randel-El and Levron Williams. Enter in the unproven starters, senior Tommy Jones at quarterback and junior Brian Lewis at running back. \nThe Hoosiers haven't won an opening day game in the last two years. Now the time has come when all the hype heading into the season gets thrown out the window, and the play on the field becomes the deciding factor in the fans' acceptance of DiNardo. \nThe Hoosiers open Saturday against NCAA 1-AA William and Mary. Despite being a 1-AA team, William and Mary is highly talented and returns 16 starters from a team that went 8-4 last season. The Tribe is ranked in the top 10 of 1-AA in several publications.\nSenior Joe Gonzalez said that coach DiNardo has stressed to the team not to take this team too lightly. William and Mary has been successful in the past against Division 1 schools, but they have yet to defeat a Big Ten team.\nOne common misconception is that a 1-AA team does not have the high-caliber athletes to compete against a Division 1 school. Senior Glenn Johnson knows that this is not true with the Tribe and that the Hoosiers can't relax.\n"He (coach DiNardo) stresses it every day because he doesn't want us going into the game underestimating any team, period, by getting the mentality that they are 1-AA," Johnson said. "Some may think that they lack talent or whatever, but in this case they don't because they're pretty talented."\nOne of William and Mary's biggest threats is senior quarterback Dave Corley. On pace to break nearly every passing record at William and Mary, Corley boasts a strong arm and good speed. \nGonzalez said that Corley is a Randel-El type player. He believes that the experience of practicing against Randel-El in the past will help them against Corley. \nJohnson is excited about the offense saying that the team has made strides since the fall. He thinks that the offense is very balanced and is looking good. On the defensive side of the ball, senior Kris Dielman said the defensive improvement has been huge.\n"From spring ball to now, the difference is humongous," Dielman said. "The guys are bonding. We're figuring out the reads. It's unbelievable how quickly our defense has picked up the new system."\nWilliam and Mary head coach Jimmye Laycock said it has been impossible to prepare his team for the game. He said that IU's new system gives him nothing to learn from.\n"I have nothing that we can go on," Laycock said. "We do have experience playing Division 1 teams, but we can't stimulate the size and speed of a Division 1 team. We can't be surprised by that. Our mistakes will be magnified against them."\nAnd so as the dawn grows closer, the anticipation for the players also grows. The nerves and butterflies slowly creep their way into the players. Even seniors aren't exempt from the nerves.\n"Yeah, I'm getting nervous," Dielman said. "It's game week. Everybody gets nervous. If you're not nervous, then you shouldn't be playing"