Playin' it Shaffe

If there is one philosophical recommendation I would make toward you, the reader, it is: in one way or another, everybody needs \na little Tom Petty in their lives. \nSo allow me, your local columnist, to perform a "breakdown" of the game and the season thus far for IU using the lyrical genius Mr. Petty.\nThe play of the game goes to wide-out James "don't do me like that" Hardy who made a one-handed catch right at the end of the second half after an interception by Tracy Porter gave IU great field position. \nThe game served as a true Homecoming for alumni who had been waiting for years for one day when pride could be restored the IU football program. It is on the wings of coach Hoeppner, Blake Powers and Hardy that the Hoosiers are "learning to fly" by building momentum from victories on the field and a fan base from a public relations campaign off the field. \nWhat "I need to know," and what I will soon learn, is whether or not the Hoosiers, packed with young stars and veteran leadership, are for real this season. \nArmed with a 4-1 record, the Hoosiers will travel straight "into the darkness" of a war zone that is the Big Ten conference. Michigan (my preseason pick to win the Big Ten) is having its worst start this season since going 3-3 in 1990 and "free fallin'" its way out of the coaches' poll. In contrast, Penn State, a Big Ten bottom feeder last year, is 6-0 and in first place. The Big Ten is such a dogfight that "even the losers" have a chance to turn their seasons around. \nDespite high hopes in the beginning of the season, a 4-1 record for the Hoosiers is "too good to be true" for most fans. But it might seem to some that the Hoosiers are No. 5 in the Big Ten standings for "all the wrong reasons." The opponents they have beaten so far have gone a combined 7-14 this season. \nBut with six games remaining in the 2005 schedule -- against teams that have been nationally ranked at some point this season -- Hep and the Hoosiers are "runnin' down a dream" to achieve a bowl berth by the season's end for the first time since 1993. I wouldn't be surprised if the Purdue matchup Nov. 19 is the "all or nothin'" game that decides IU's future in December. \nSaturday's game should be "something big." Iowa and IU, No. 4 and 5, respectively, in the Big Ten, will battle like "two gunslingers" to see which one will drop down in the rankings. After a road win at Purdue, the Hawkeyes' two-game winning streak and 3-0 home record will \nbe a tough task for the Hoosiers. \nOne thing seems for certain: with renewed optimism and a coach that has earned the confidence of faithful fans everywhere, the Hoeppner Era is "built to last."\nAnd with the win against Illinois, the Hoosiers have launched themselves into the second half of their schedule and "into the great wide open" of a Big Ten conference that gives IU its best shot of coming out a winner in a long time.