Shutdown corner, punt returner and special-teams gunner. Tracy Porter plays a lot of roles for the Hoosiers. \nOn Saturday, playing in front of 70,585 fans for Iowa’s homecoming game, Porter played a role that his teammates aren’t accustomed to. \n“I like playing the villain,” Porter said. “I like being the guy who everyone is booing against and then go out and make plays. The crowd gets quiet and makes you feel that much better when you are able to do that.” \nThe Hoosiers were able to stifle the Kinnick Stadium crowd early and beat Iowa for the second consecutive season, this time 38-20. Used to playing the role of bridesmaid the past few years, the Hoosiers had no sympathy for the Hawkeyes on their big day. \n“Losing a homecoming game sucks,” defensive lineman Jammie Kirlew said. Kirlew had a career day for the Hoosiers, finishing with nine tackles and 3.5 sacks. “We were here and we wanted to win. It’s who wants it more. Today, we wanted it.”\nLast week, disappointed with the attendance during the Illinois game, wide receiver James Hardy spoke out, pleading with Hoosier fans “to stay together no matter what” and support their home team. On Saturday, Hardy noticed that it was the opponent’s fans leaving early this time around. \n“Even with them leaving, they still had more than we had in Memorial Stadium,” Hardy said. “We still had thousands watching us ... but it was good to see the opposite team’s fans leaving instead of our own. We just need to have Indiana fans believing in us. There were still 50,000 fans there still believing in them no matter what. We just got to get that and turn it over in Bloomington.” \nSophomore linebacker Will Patterson described the Iowa game as a “real live college football environment,” while Kirlew said the Hoosiers were ready for the rowdy sea of black and gold. \n“I’m not going to lie – it felt good after they got silenced,” Kirlew said. “After we kept playing our game and silenced them, towards the end some of them started to congratulate us.” \nAnd for good reason. IU coach Bill Lynch said in his post-game press conference that this was “the best we’ve played for an entire game.” \nEven when things went wrong for the Hoosiers on Saturday, there was always a silver lining to numb the pain. \nIn the third quarter, Iowa pulled within a touchdown only to miss the extra point. Fullback Josiah Sears perfected the strategic fumble, fumbling once out of bounds and once to quarterback Kellen Lewis for a 71-yard touchdown. When Iowa converted a successful Hail Mary at the end of the first half, it was only an afterthought compared to IU’s three first-half touchdowns. \nLike Bob Saget after too many years playing Danny Tanner, the Hoosiers were desperate for a new role. Before Saturday, the Hoosiers had only one victory in conference road games since 2002. Instead of playing the lovable losers or the disappointed homecoming kings this time, the Hoosiers instead took the role of Sideshow Bob, Hannibal Lecter or Reggie Miller at Madison Square Garden. \nAfter the game, Porter said this was one of the most memorable wins of his career. Decked out in crimson and wearing a “Hep” pin on his jacket, Porter’s face lit up Saturday afternoon talking about the Hoosiers’ win. \n“To hear 70,000 fans get quiet, and to hear your little crowd ... cheer behind you, it really does a lot for us,” Porter said. “A lot for me.”
Predicted: Indiana 20, Iowa 24\nActual: Indiana 38, Iowa 20
