A team takes its ‘father’s’ lead

If you feel like Bloomington puts basketball in front of football, you’re right.\nTake it from a townie. The Hoosiers haven’t had a winning season since I was in the second grade. People talk about the glory days of IU football when Antwaan Randle El played, failing to realize the Hoosiers averaged four wins a year with him under center.\nThe Hoosiers haven’t been the same since George Taliaferro graduated. And that was almost sixty years ago.\nI’ve suffered through some bad football over the years. I’ve endured blowout losses and lopsided seasons. I’ve been to freezing cold games to watch luke-warm offenses. I’ve been to games where trees have fallen nearby and everyone in Memorial Stadium could hear the noise.\nSo what’s my point? I believe the Hoosiers will “Play 13” this year.\nTerry Hoeppner got me, and I think Bill Lynch can pick up where he left off.\nAfter all, playing 13 games is reasonable. It’s not like the Hoosiers are setting out to win 13 games. All they have to do is win six to become bowl eligible, and they have the schedule for it.\nThe Hoosiers have an easier schedule than Matt Leinart had his last semester at USC. IU lost to Ohio State and Michigan last season by a combined score of 78-6. This year, they don’t have to face either powerhouse. Instead they have cupcake showdowns in Kalamazoo, Mich., against Western Michigan and Evanston, Ill., versus Northwestern. \nSo why do I think the Hoosiers can turn it around this year? Because unlike Chicago Cubs fans, they aren’t already looking forward to next year. This is the first time I can remember the Hoosiers really having something to play for besides eighth place in the Big Ten. They didn’t just lose Coach Hep, they lost a father figure. A lot of these football players lost the person who believed the most in them, the person who knew they could “Play 13.”\nSophomore running back Demetrius McCray remembers Hoeppner as a “very positive person.” When McCray first arrived at IU, he was redshirted and was relegated to the scout team. At the end of the year, Hoeppner met with his players and asked them to give themselves a grade regarding where they believed they stood for the next season.\n“I knew I was doing good, and we had to grade ourselves,” McCray said. “You’d give yourself a one if you thought you were all-Big Ten, two if you thought you were a starter and three if you thought you were a good average player.”\nMcCray said he didn’t want to come off as cocky. And without having played a single down all season, McCray decided to split the difference and settle for a two, thinking he deserved to play a decent amount next season. Hoeppner immediately disagreed with McCray’s grade.\n“He told me I was wrong, and he gave me a one,” he said. “He said he’d seen a lot of stuff in me he’d never seen in a true freshman before. He said to always keep your head up ... He was always positive and he always gave us that extra boost.” \nThough he is gone, Hoeppner continues to inspire the team with his legacy. Just like Hoeppner preached to his players every day, he never quit. He never gave up. \nHoeppner fought until the end. The Hoosiers will do the same in 2007.