Clency, Bennett and Beattie have big special teams game

IU treasures its special teams so much that coach Gerry DiNardo is in charge of the whole unit. \nWithout their performance Saturday, IU's 33-3 rout of Indiana State wouldn't have been possible.\nIt started on the opening kickoff when sophomore Courtney Clency ran through a gaping hole in the ISU kick coverage for 51 yards to the Sycamore's 46 putting IU's offense in business.\nClency said the week's preparation was the difference.\n"This week in practice during our (kickoff return) drills, I just imagined it was the game situation and I broke both of them for touchdowns," Clency said. "So I just took that and put it in the game. The wedge was great. They opened up the hole for me and I just took advantage."\nBut IU's offense failed to take advantage as the drive stalled. Freshmen punter Tyson Beattie came on and pinned ISU on their own one-yard-line. Four plays later, IU capitalized on ISU's poor special teams play to lead 2-0 after ISU's long snapper snapped it out of the end zone.\nBeattie finished the evening averaging 37.7 yards per punt, but all three of his punts were inside the 20 with two downed inside the five. The Australia native said he's happy to give the opposition bad field position, but the defense did a good job of keeping them there.\n"I think we did a good job of getting down there and smothering it inside the five," Beattie said. "It's just a matter of hanging it up, and the guys are so good on the punt team. But I think the defense really earned (the safety)."\nOn the free kick following the safety, freshman Lance Bennett nearly went the distance but was knocked out of bounds 70 yards later at the Sycamore 20. Sophomore Chris Taylor scored five plays later, and IU had its special teams players to thank for their 9-0 lead.\nBennett said it was a good return, but he could have done more.\n"For a minute I thought I was going to score, but when we got closer and closer to the sideline I knew I should have made a decision 40 yards ago," Bennett said. "I'm not satisfied, but I'm happy with it because it set up the first touchdown"\nIU gained 154 total return yards compared to the Sycamores 84. And junior Bryan Robertson added a 21-yard field goal with freshmean kickoff man Troy Grosfield booming numerous kicks out of the end zone.\nGrosfield and the coverage team's success was illustrated in ISU's average starting field position being their own 20 with IU setting up shop at their own 40.\nAnd this culminates with the Hoosiers achieving one of their five team goals -- to win the kicking game. Coach DiNardo said it was really the first time IU won the kick game.\nBennett said he knows how important special teams' play is to win.\n"If we can put our defense on a long field and our offense on a short field, it just brings us closer to a win," he said.\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.