Hoosiers ready to shed underdog label

Maybe the underdog is in the eye of the beholder.\nA week after a loss to favored Iowa, the Hoosiers are still looking for their first chance at a Big Ten team upset. They might have their biggest opportunity of the year when No. 14 Ohio State comes to town Saturday,\nJust don't tell the Hoosiers they can't do it. \n"In the people's eyes, we're always the underdog, but we're never the underdog in our own eyes," senior kick returner Lance Bennett said. "If you consider yourself the underdog then you shouldn't be playing."\nWhether an underdog or favorite, the Hoosiers' message this week has been simple: they know they can win. \n"You have to take that mind set," senior linebacker Kyle Killion said. "Knowing you can win makes you more competitive."\nIU head coach Terry Hoeppner has joined the chorus, urging his team not to shy from the challenge.\n"Cowards will find easy ways out," he said. "A man will step up and be tough about it."\nHistorically, OSU has dominated the Hoosiers. The all-time series is 63-12-5, with the Buckeyes winning 22 of the 25 games played in Bloomington. \nOhio State has won the past 12 meetings and the last time IU came close to beating the Buckeyes was in 1990, when the game ended in a 27-27 tie. \nDespite all the data from days of Hoosier football past, Hoeppner maintains that his team is unconcerned about anything but "the biggest game this week." \n"I think that is more for the media to think about and study and chronicle," he said. "We don't think about that, especially this year."\nAlthough Ohio State is 4-2 on the year, both losses have come from Top 25 teams: No. 2 Texas and resurgent No. 14 Penn State. \nSophomore quarterback Blake Powers will face a blitzing attack schematically different from Iowa's drop back coverage. He said Ohio State's defense is top-of-the-line.\n"They're a national championship-caliber defense," he said. "We're going to have do everything we do a lot better. Everyone needs to play their best game."\nBesides providing an opportunity to overcome years of losses and a top 25 team, Saturday's affair gives IU a chance to move closer to its goal of bowl eligibility. The 4-2 Hoosiers need two more wins to solidify their chance at the postseason, but will play out the rest of their schedule against teams that have all been ranked in the top 25 at some point this year. \nPowers said the Hoosiers have reason to be optimistic about the first of those tests. \n"We're mentally focused and ready to play," he said. "We're better than we have been in the past."\nBennett echoed his teammate's sentiments. \n"Mentally, everybody is just more intense," he said. "This one is extra special"