Hook, line and sinker

After taking a 14-7 lead with less than two minutes left in the half, coach Hoeppner's Hoosiers halted a Minnesota response. In the entire first half, IU held the best rushing team in Division I football to less than 125 yards and the mighty Laurence Maroney to 50 yards rushing. \nThe hook. \nCoach Hep ushered his team off the sidelines, swiftly and sternly. He set a tone of tenacity as the team entered the locker room that echoed an eagerness for the second half. \nThe line.\nIt was the third quarter, of both the game and the Hoosiers' season, which served the fatal blow. In 23 plays, the Gophers accumulated 211 yards of offense. Minnesota running back Gary Russell netted 98 yards on 10 carries, adding to a Gopher-gulping 144 total yards of rushing. Quarterback Bryan Cupito completed 4-of-5 passes for 67 yards and a touchdown. After 17 points in 15 minutes, the days IU had left to play football were numbered. \nThe sinker. \nSaturday's game was also the lowest-attended game all season at The Rock. In the stadium, sat 30,656 fans who thought the cream and crimson would continue to pave their way toward bowl eligibility. The faithful few sat as each waning minute in the third quarter turned the stadium from dreams of a clinched bowl into the reality of a fishbowl. It was a confined atmosphere of choking on chances that only the few faithful could feel. It was a season of baiting the fans into believing that a bowl game was not only fathomable but also plausible. \nAnd they took the bait: Hook, line and sinker.\nThe truth is, it was not a game IU deserved to win. Quarterback Blake Powers and the receiving corps were on opposite sides of the IU playbook. When a wide receiver was open, Powers would miss the pass. When Powers was on target, the receiver would drop the ball. It was only a matter of time that one tipped ball fell in the hands of defensive tackle Anthony Montgomery. He intercepted the pass that led to a Russell touchdown, a Gopher lead and an eventual victory. \nThe truth is, while IU still has two games left to clinch bowl eligibility, the odds it will be playing come the holiday season have dwindled considerably. With a game against the Michigan in The Big House next weekend, Hep's Hoosiers might have the same chances as a person does of winning the lottery, getting struck by lightning and discovering the lost island of Atlantis ... all at the same time. Optimism has been washed out and expectations erased. The less than 31,000 at The Rock were caught in claustrophobia, cramped in The Fishbowl. Coach Hep wanted them, and they answered the call. But a 4-1 beginning had turned into a 0-4 drought and ate away early enthusiasm. They couldn't cheer anymore. All they could do was watch the collapse of their team and their dream. \nThe Hoosier nation everywhere refused to let go the possibility of football in December. We were caught in the hype. We ate the bait. And now we are left in a fishbowl hell ... hook, line and sinker.