After 14 years of waiting, IU is finally bowl bound

Fourteen years without a bowl game had been 14 years too long.\nThe IU football team ended the Big Ten’s longest bowl drought Sunday night when it was officially named as the conference representative the Insight Bowl in Tempe, Ariz.\n“We are really excited to be invited to play in the Insight Bowl,” said IU coach Bill Lynch. “To play a Big 12 opponent like Oklahoma State, that will be a great challenge for our football team. And I think it’s a great reward to a bunch of kids who have battled through a lot this year.”\nPlaying Oklahoma State (6-6, 4-4) at Sun Devil Stadium on Dec. 31, the Hoosiers (7-5, 3-5) will now prepare for unfamiliar territory. The last time IU played in a bowl game it ended in a 45-20 loss against Virginia Tech in the 1993 Independence Bowl. Kickoff for the game will be 5:30 p.m. EST, and will be televised on the NFL Network. The IU Department of Athletics will provide a free ticket to all current IU students who reserve a seat by Dec. 15. A valid student ID is required to pick up the ticket in Arizona.\nRest assured, Dec. 31 is a date that will be treasured forever among this group of Hoosiers.\n“This is something that coach Hep started,” junior wide receiver James Hardy said. “This is something that he had planned for this University and this program. You can’t put it any better than it’s a dream come true.”\nSenior offensive lineman John Sandberg echoed Hardy’s sentiment.\n“Me and my fellow seniors, we’ve been here for a long time trying to reach this goal. It’s nice to finally do this,” Sandberg said.\nAll week long, there had been speculation as to which bowl come calling for the Hoosiers. Initially, IU was in line to play in the Insight Bowl. But due to a college football Saturday unlike any other, the Hoosiers found themselves with several different bowl possibilities.\nLosses by No. 1 Missouri and No. 2 West Virginia catapulted Ohio State into the BCS National Championship game. With that, Illinois landed a spot in the Rose Bowl and college football prognosticators were saying the Hoosiers could end up in the Insight, Champs Sports or Las Vegas Bowl.\nBut Sunday, all of those predictions proved moot when Oklahoma State jumped the gun and reported on its Web site that they were playing the Hoosiers in the Insight Bowl. The Insight Bowl was going to announce its participants at 8 p.m., but the Cowboys knew sooner.\nStill, Lynch said the team did not find out until Sunday night that they were offered to participate in the game. He said the team knew it could be invited to several different bowls but had placed the Insight Bowl as their top choice.\nRegardless of when the announcement was made, the significance of playing in a bowl game will pay many dividends.\n“I think there’s a buzz when we talk about Indiana football right now,” Lynch said. “I think we’ve got things on a roll, and now ... I think we’ll keep it going.”