IU routs Central Michigan 41-10

One of the most important concepts in any sport is the ability to start off on the right foot. If Saturday's 41-10 defeat of the Central Michigan Chippewas is any indication, the Hoosiers have just begun the 2004 campaign firmly planted on solid ground.\nIU showed impressive play throughout the game, highlighted by the defensive and special teams units. The special teams kept Central Michigan deep in their own territory, forcing the Chippewas to start drives from within their own 10-yard line three times.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said he was happy with the special teams play and was especially impressed with senior kicker Bryan Robertson and sophomore punter Tyson Beattie. \n"The kickoff team did well today," DiNardo said. "Bryan (Robertson) kicked well and that always put them on a long field. Tyson Beattie also did well on the punt, and it was mostly generated by the special teams."\nThe defensive unit followed the special teams' lead, collecting four sacks, two interceptions and nine tackles for loss. The defense's play was highlighted by freshman Tracy Porter who made an impressive debut, making his mark on the IU record books in just his first game. \nPorter became the first Hoosier in six years to intercept two passes in one game and also returned a 96-yard touchdown interception in the beginning of the third quarter, good for the second longest return in Memorial Stadium history. Porter attributed the play to simply being at the right place at the right time. \n"I was not expecting that to happen, but I was right there and I made the play," Porter said. "The whole way I kept thinking that someone was behind me, and that kept my speed up."\nWhile the Hoosiers ended up with the victory, the entire game wasn't smooth sailing as the Chippewas hung around for much of the first half. Holding onto a 13-3 lead with less than three minutes left on the clock in the second quarter, disaster almost struck for the Hoosiers as Central Michigan recovered a Chris Taylor fumble on the IU 28-yard line. \nThree plays later, CMU decided to roll the dice, running a pass play on fourth and 15. But, a sack by senior defensive tackle Jodie Clemons, gave IU the ball on its own 43 and set up a 46-yard touchdown pass for senior Matt LoVecchio to senior wide receiver Travis Haney. \nClemons said he was happy with his fourth down sack, but deflected the praise to his teammates for allowing him to break through the line and get to the Chippewa quarterback.\n"I feel great personally, it's just good," Clemons said. "I just give credit to my teammates. We had a blitz on and I just fought through a double-team and the quarterback ended up in my lap, and it was kind of a surprise. I'm happy that it happened and it got us off the field and that's the important part."\nWhile the defense played well in the game, at the end of the night, Central Michigan actually had more total yards, gaining 389 to IU's 334. CMU's play was highlighted by sophomore running back Jerry Seymour, who gained 122 yards off of 21 carries and garnered 62 yards from six catches. Chippewas coach Brian Kelly said he was impressed with Seymour's play, but expected the yards from his starting tailback.\n"We know that Jerry is our superstar," Kelly said. "We knew that they were going to load the box against our spread and Jerry still found some running room."\nWhile Seymour had a great outing for Central Michigan, the Hoosiers also had a strong showing on the ground, rushing for 206 yards. Coming into the game, there was a lot of speculation on the running back situation with sophomore BenJarvus Green-Ellis and juniors Chris Taylor and Yamar Washington each vying for the starting position. While Green-Ellis got the starting nod from DiNardo with 97 yards off of 28 carries, all three contributed to IU's cause and all three scored a touchdown. \nWith such an impressive win providing momentum for the Hoosiers, the team seems poised to begin its journey into the rest of the season. But, IU will need all the momentum it can get with a date with the No. 24 Oregon Ducks just around the corner. \n"Momentum is very important," Haney said. "It gives the offense a lot of confidence in our defense, it give the defense a lot of confidence in our offense and just knowing if they get the ball off of the turnover, that we will take advantage and score points. We really needed this win and it helped us out tremendously."\n-- Contact staff writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.