What would you do if the Hoosiers were losing? Would you stand up and walk out on them? \nJames Hardy and the Hoosiers got a not-so-subtle answer to those questions last Saturday. Down to Illinois in the second half and unable to gain any ground, many Hoosier fans decided if they couldn’t beat the Fighting Illini, they’d at least try and beat the traffic. \n“You could see it during the game, they all of a sudden just leave,” Hardy said Tuesday. “For us, as hard as we have been working to put this program where it needs to be, we just need the support. We know the 105 of us, and the coaching staff, believe in each other. Now it’s our job to get the whole community behind us if we win or lose.” \nHardy added, “Bloomington has to be somewhat like a family and has to stay together no matter what.”\nLast week’s 6-foot-7 symbol of frustration spent this week attempting to play matchmaker between the city of Bloomington and the IU football team. Hardy might not be the ideal messenger to call out Hoosier fans, but his point is dead on.\nWhich comes first, the winning football program or the diehard fans? \nUnlike the chicken and the egg, there is an answer to this riddle: the winning football program. Beyond Wrigley Field, fans don’t rally around annual losers. Fans jump on bandwagons of winning teams, not waning wannabes. \nThat said, going into last weekend’s game against Illinois, the Hoosiers were not only a winning team, but an undefeated team. Nevertheless, the Memorial Stadium attendance was as disappointing as Michael Richards’ performance at The Laugh Factory. As Hardy noted, fans in the second half were looking for an excuse to leave rather than a sign of a comeback. \nThe Hoosiers need more than just fan support to turn their program around, but the difference IU fans could make is overlooked. A sea of crimson shirts in a packed Memorial Stadium would be a beautiful thing to behold. The pep band blasting the fight song. The student section leading an obnoxiously deafening chant. The noise in the stadium would be death-metal loud when the Hoosiers scored their first touchdown of the afternoon. I think I just got goose bumps. \nInstead, the Hoosiers have to settle for half-empty stands and an over-inflated attendance number to try and disguise their dwindling support. \nAs it stands now, the Hoosiers are in family limbo. They lost their inspirational leader this summer and haven’t been fully embraced by the University. Everyone mourned the loss of Terry Hoeppner and pitied the Hoosiers, but that’s where the support ended. Every week, I see Hoosier fans let Hep slip out of their conscience and into their memories. \nMost people’s memories of Hardy view him as a top talent with a typical star wideout’s persona: cocky and selfish. But Hardy was the only player to speak up this week and say something besides a series of pointless cliches in reference to next week. \nHardy wants you. He’s tired of playing in front of second-rate crowds. This Saturday, IU will be playing in front of a stadium packed with loyal fans – unfortunately, they will be in black and gold. \nIf you miraculously come across a television playing the Big Ten Network on Saturday, take a good look at the Kinnick Stadium crowd. I can guarantee there will be 70,000 screaming fans in support of the Hawkeyes.\nIowa has what Hardy and the Hoosiers are working towards: a football family that sticks together no matter what.
Predicted: Iowa 24, Indiana 20
