Indiana hopes to keep winning streak alive

Only one week ago, IU was on the verge of a 12-game Big Ten losing streak.

Now, the Hoosiers are suddenly in second place in the Leaders Division after last week’s 31-17 victory against Illinois.

On Saturday, IU (3-5, 1-3) will look to win its second conference game in two weeks as the team hosts Iowa (4-4, 2-2) at Memorial Stadium.

“Our common theme this year has been ‘constant, daily improvement,’” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “When we’ve had some shortcomings, we’ve wanted to keep coming, but now we’ve had a win, we need to not look at things with rose-colored glasses.”

With IU’s win last weekend, the team won its first conference game since 2010 and its first in the Wilson era.

After many close games in which the Hoosiers fell short this season, they finally earned a win.

Yet Wilson and his coaching staff said the effort was lackluster. IU Co-Defensive Coordinator Mike Ekeler noted the defense played its worst game of the season. Wilson thought they won in spite of the quarterbacks’ performance.

Heading into Saturday’s game, Ekeler said the team must refill its tank if it wants to have a chance at winning.

“It’s that time of year where you either hit a wall or you run through it,” Ekeler said. “Our players are battling through it, and especially for this week, we’ll be ready to go.”

Ekeler noted many other teams in the country are going through the same phase as IU  right now. Iowa will play without two of its top three running backs Saturday, including leading rusher Mark Weisman. Two of its starting offensive linemen are out for the season.

The Hawkeyes are on a two-game losing streak, and a loss potentially buries them in the standings of the Legends Division, where they are currently in fourth place.

“They’re a prideful team; they’re tough and physical,” Wilson said. “They’ve had some injuries, but they’re a program that overcomes that. They’re going to be a real challenge for us.”

Shortly after IU beat Illinois, junior safety Greg Heban said he hoped the result would snowball into more wins. The team just needs to respond well to success.

If the Hoosiers can do just that, a second-straight Big Ten win might be in the fold for the team.

“We can’t look too far ahead yet,” senior defensive tackle Larry Black Jr. said. “It’s always been a one -game season for us, so if we focus on Iowa and Iowa only, and we play good, things will take care of themselves.”