Hoosiers look for 1st win in 6 games

The hope Hoosier fans had for IU football in 2008 has slowly subsided over the team’s last five games, all losses.

Now with five games remaining and seemingly no shot at going to a second-straight bowl game, IU will attempt to break out of its skid against Northwestern on Saturday.

“Sure, you’re disappointed when you go through stretches like this,” IU coach Bill Lynch said. “But it’s how you bounce back. When you have a little adversity, you have to bounce back. ... That’s kind of how they’ve practiced the last (few) days.”

A mere five games remain on the Hoosiers’ schedule. At 2-5, 0-4 in the Big Ten, IU has to win at least four of five games on its remaining schedule in order to become bowl-eligible. Even if they do that, having so many bowl contenders in the Big Ten severely hurts the likelihood of a 6-6 IU team playing in the postseason.

What the Hoosiers most likely have to do is run the table on Northwestern, Central Michigan, Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue. Only two teams – Wisconsin and Purdue – are under .500, and these final two games of the year are on the road. IU has won only two Big Ten road games since 2002.

But for now the Hoosiers will focus squarely on this weekend’s opponent. The Wildcats (6-1, 2-1) are already bowl eligible and are fundamentally sound in nearly every aspect of the game.

Rarely a team that makes mistakes, Northwestern is plus-two in turnover margin and averages less than six penalties a game.

And they sport two of the more dynamic players in the Big Ten.

Quarterback C.J. Bachér and running back Tyrell Sutton lead the Wildcats’ offensive attack, and both torched the Hoosiers in Evanston, Ill., last year. Sutton rushed for 141 yards, and Bachér threw for 276 more, albeit with three interceptions in Northwestern’s 31-28 win.

“Wait till you see this guy’s legs, man,” junior safety Austin Thomas said of Sutton. “He’s a thick guy. He’s quick, and he’s a good back.”

As always, Lynch remained positive on the season’s outlook and was impressed by a strong week of practice.

Inconsistencies have plagued the Hoosiers through the past five weeks. Lately and more prominently, the offense has shut down. Other times, struggles have set in because the defense has let up, the kicking game has been off or a combination of all of the above.

“There’s no part of our offense that has played consistently enough,” offensive coordinator Matt Canada said. “Every aspect needs to be better, and we’re certainly trying to do that. We’re all counting on each other to pull the thumb, look in the mirror and play better.”

And then there has been the issue of injuries. No team, the Hoosiers included, will use fallen players as excuses, but IU will enter Saturday with a lot of questions regarding who will play and who will sit.

Junior quarterback Kellen Lewis remains questionable and might sit for the second straight week. Sophomore quarterback Ben Chappell stepped in for him against Illinois and was hassled mercilessly in a 55-13 drubbing.

The Hoosiers might also play without sophomore defensive lineman Deonte Mack, and Lynch said junior wide receiver Andrew Means will likely be out. But freshman wide receiver Tandon Doss, who played well early in the season, will return from injury and provide the Hoosiers with a possible deep threat.

“You hate to lose a guy like Andrew,” Lynch said. “But you get another quality guy (Doss) that hadn’t played a lot, but when he did play, he played pretty well.”