Back from the press conferences. I think there is a team-wide consensus that this is IU's biggest win since...the last time they played Iowa.
But on a more serious note, the Hoosiers really did play a complete game. They came out in the first quarter and got off to a big lead and didn't really give an inch all game. Even up 21-0 at one point, part of me was expecting the Hoosiers to repeat history and let the Hawkeyes back in the game.
A couple of interesting statistics:
- Tracy Porter, Jammie Kirlew and Will Patterson each had 9 tackles. Kirlew also had 3.5 sacks, a half sack short of tying the school record.
- Josiah Sears led the Hoosiers in receptions with seven (for 58 yards). Hardy had 113 receiving yards on four catches.
- Sears also had two rushing touchdowns. Outside of that, the Hoosiers really struggled on the ground against Iowa. Thigpen ran 15 times for 23 yards, Payton had 11 carries and only 17 yards and even Sears onnly gained 13 yards on five carries.
- Indiana won despite: Iowa being 4 of 5 on fourth-down conversions, Iowa won the time of possession, Indiana was outgained yardage-wise and Iowa had more first downs (22 to 17).
For more on the game, check out the IDS website later for Lee and Tom's stories. Also, read Monday's paper for our coverage and my column.
As for us, we are going to make our way to our Thigpen-sized inferno red PT Cruiser and make the seven hour trip back to Bloomington. The Hoosiers really bounced back strong from the loss to Illinois last weekend and are now only two wins away from a bowl game. --------------------
(Indiana 38, Iowa 20) - [Fourth quarter - 1:30 and counting...] --
With this game all but wrapped up we are going to make our way to the locker rooms for interviews. I'll be back after the press conferences to post final statistics and analysis.
Hope you enjoyed our coverage today. If you have any questions feel free to ask and I'll respond when I come back.
-------------------- (Indiana 38, Iowa 20) - [Fourth quarter - 4:58] --
Mark Jackson with the ball at the top of the key. Reggie, pushes off his defender, comes around a Smits screen, catches the ball behind three-point line, pump fakes, shoots...
Dagger.
A seven-yard touchdown run just about wraps things up for the Hoosiers. IU went 69 yards in 12 plays and was able to run five minutes off the clock. ---------------------
(Indiana 31, Iowa 20) - [Fourth quarter - 5:55] --
Pass interference call on Iowa cornerback Charles Godfrey. Seriously Iowa, more penalties.
First down Hoosiers. ---------------------
(Indiana 31, Iowa 20) - [Fourth quarter - 6:00] --
The Hoosiers just used their final time out.
IU has the ball on Iowa's 30-yard line on third-and-two. I think the Hoosiers would be crazy not to run the ball this next play. If I were Bill Lynch, I would make one of my assistant coaches dress up as Flavor Flav just to keep an eye on a clock at all times. --------------------
(Indiana 31, Iowa 20) - [Fourth quarter - 6:43] --
The Hoosiers just converted on a huge third down thanks to an 18-yard pass to Hardy. Even with six defensive backs in the game Hardy was in single coverage.
IU continues to run the clock. Time can't move fast enough for the Hoosiers. ---------------------
(Indiana 31, Iowa 20) - [Fourth quarter - 10:01] --
Iowa just scored on an 18-yard touchdown from Christensen to Derrell Johnson-Koulianos. I can't make these names up.
A couple of quick notes...
- IU linebacker Jammie Kirlew has three sacks for the game. The school record, held by Adewale Ogunleye, is four.
- Lewis's fumble recovery resulted in 73 passing yards for Lewis (How? Why? Huh?), but no receiving yards.
- Marcus Thigpen has run 23 yards on 14 carries today.
- Four people have used the Kinnick Stadium scoreboard to propose marriage today. I'm a football writer and even I realize that is romantic as the Isiah Thomas's courtship of Anucha Browne Sanders. --------------------
(Indiana 31, Iowa 13) - [Fourth quarter - 14:50] --
A 46-yard field goal by Austin Starr puts the Hoosiers up three possessions and 18 points.
The entire fourth quarter is left, but IU is really in control at this point. When they were in a similar position against Western Michigan on the road, IU continued to throw the ball and manage the clock poorly.
With this big of a lead, and Iowa's offense playing like Tri-North Trojans, the Hoosiers really need to sit on the ball and run the clock out.
Iowa will start their drive from the 25. ---------------------
(Indiana 28, Iowa 13) - [End of third quarter] --
To borrow a line from Jay-Z: "What more can I say..."
Iowa's offense is bad. Very bad. Jake Christensen just threw a miserable interception to Eddie George look-a-like Leslie Majors.
The Hoosiers take over on Iowa's 33-yard line. --------------------
(Indiana 28, Iowa 13) - [Third quarter - 1:53] --
A breakdown of the Hoosiers play calling inside the three:
First down: Bryan Payton up the middle for one yard. Second down: Iowa flagged for defensive holding. First down 2x: Josiah Sears up the middle for one yard. Second down 2x: Sears up the middle for a touchdown.
Creative? No. Touchdown? Yes.
Sears was the star of that drive. Bill Lynch kept calling his number and he came through. -------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 13) - [Third quarter - 3:20] --
On fourth down the Hoosiers lined-up with five wide receivers.
Lewis dropped back and confidently completed a deep pass to Brandon Walker-Roby that puts the Hoosiers on Iowa's three-yard line. ---------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 13) - [Third quarter - 3:33] --
Look Mom, IU's passing game is opening up!
A 20-yard completion to Andrew Means. Two first down passes to Josiah Sears out of the backfield! If it weren't for IU's obsession with running Thigpen up the middle I'd say the Hoosiers are really on to something.
Third-and-five resulted in fourth down, thanks to a pass that slipped through Hardy's hands. On the 27-yard line and into the wind, the Hoosiers have elected to go for it on fourth down.
The volume of the Kinnick Stadium crowd forced Lewis to call time out. ---------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 13) - [Third quarter - 6:53] --
The momentum continues to shift in favor of the Hawkeyes.
The Hawkeyes drove 65 yards on the Hoosiers and converted on fourth-and-four for a 10-yard touchdown pass to tight end Brandon Myers.
And if you've been following this game, you won't be surprised at the fact that Iowa missed the extra point.
The Hoosiers are still in good position to win this game. They have an eight point lead on the road and are getting the ball back. IU could really use a time-killing drive to silence Iowa's comeback attempt. ---------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 7) - [Third quarter - 10:00] --
Noteworthy catch: Troy Wagner just caught a short pass. Wagner is a tight end, which makes him IU's No. 8 option on offense right after the fumbleruski to Ben Wyss.
After a nine-yard pass to Sears - which he fumbled the ball out of bounds - Thigpen took a handoff three feet before fumbling to the Iowa defense. The Hawkeyes recover the ball in their own territory. ----------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 7) - [Third quarter - 11:40] --
The Hawkeyes just went three-and-out for the 128th time this game. Instead of telling you about the last three plays I'll give you three jokes about the Hawkeyes' offense.
1. Jake Christensen looks like Rob Johnson in the pocket. If you remember anything about Johnson, you know that is very, very bad. 2. Iowa's offense is playing like the Hoosiers have 16 guys on defense. 3. The Hawkeye offensive line is putting up a "Vince Carter in Toronto" like effort. --------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 7) - [Third quarter - 13:13] --
The Hoosiers open the second half from their 45-yard line.
Like they did to open the first half, the Hoosiers start their first series with two Marcus Thigpen runs.
A third Thigpen run left the Hoosiers a yard short of a first down. Instead of extending for the first-down marker Thigpen stepped out of bounds. Oops?
Iowa takes over from their 18-yard line. --------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 7) - [Halftime] --
With five seconds left in the half, Jake Christensen launched a hail mary prayer into the end zone that was remarkably answered by Iowa wide receiver Trey Stross.
The pass bounced off at least three Hoosier defenders who appeared to be in position to knock it down. Instead, the ball bounced off their hands and over their heads into Stross's hands.
I'm pretty sure this is borderline inappropriate, but I have to repeat it. Some Iowa media guy behind me just said "one Chinese play deserves another."
Beyond putting them on the board, Iowa's touchdown has breathed some life into the previously comatose Kinnick Stadium crowd. They can't be happy with the way they played in the first half, but they have to feel better about their chances after that momentum swing.
Halftime Statistics - Total offense (yards): Indiana 226, Iowa 203 (despite 11 more Hawkeye plays) - James Hardy: three receptions, 95 yards and a touchdown. - Kellen Lewis is 8-13 for 197 yards. He's thrown two touchdowns and one interception. In addition, he recovered a fumble and ran it for a 71-yard touchdown. - Iowa had five first half penalties that resulted in 37 yards. - Iowa is winning the possession battle: 18:44 to 11:16. ----------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 0) - [0:50] --
Omri: Welcome to the blog. I can't see a television screen of Weiss here, but I think you described him pretty well.
The Hoosiers just made their first mistake of the day. After punting, the Hoosiers were able to force their second fumble on special teams of the day and recovered around Iowa's 40-yard line. With about a minute left, the Hoosiers might have been able to add on an Austin Starr field goal.
But instead, IU was forced to repeat fourth down. The Hoosiers were whistled for an illegal formation (six players on the line of scrimmage).
The Hoosiers punted again and Iowa will take over around the 50-yard line. --------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 0) - [Second quarter - 2:53] --
Is it too late go back and change my score prediction?
I've been singing Iowa's praises all week and they have come out playing like the Mets in September.
Think the Hawkeyes are desperate? They just went for it on fourth-and-two from IU's 26-yard line and picked it up by a Homer Simpson hair.
During the next three plays Iowa had two dropped passes and a bad snap.
On fourth down their kicker barely got the ball off the ground and missed wide left. Is this the same school that produced Bob Sanders and Dallas Clark? --------------------
(Indiana 21, Iowa 0) - [Second quarter - 8:24] --
It's going to take me three paragraphs to explain the last play, try and follow along:
On third and nine, Lewis scrambled to his left and threw a short pass to Josiah Sears that went for about eight yards. Sears was tackled quickly, and unable to hold onto the ball, fumbled the ball onto the turf.
As the ball tumbled towards the sideline, Superman, er, Kellen Lewis, came out of no where and picked the ball up and went 74 yards down the sideline for a touchdown.
To put an exclamation point on the play (and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty), Lewis did a full flip into the end zone a la Reggie Bush. In addition to the seven points he put on the scoreboard, Lewis left a Sergio Garcia-esque divot in the Kinnick Stadium end zone where he landed. For the record, he had perfect form.
Lewis's fumble recovery was the third longest in IU history. The Hoosiers will now kick-off from their own 15-yard line thanks to Lewis's penalty. --------------------
(Indiana 14, Iowa 0) - [Second quarter - 9:42] --
Tracy Porter is a busy man.
Porter just recorded his first sack of the season on an Iowa flea flicker attempt. On the next play Porter dropped back into coverage and nearly intercepted Christensen's third down attempt.
With the punt return team coming on the field, Porter dropped back to receive the punt. The ball was punted well into the end zone for a touchback.
Bizprof: I haven't seen any Indiana or Iowa fans leave the game. The stadium is jam-packed and my hawkeye vision can't see an empty seat in Kinnick Stadium. -------------------
(Indiana 14, Iowa 0) - [Second quarter - 11:55] --
If you can't stop him, hit him.
After an Iowa pass intereference call (someone tackled Hardy while he ran a slant), Lewis dropped back, patted the ball twice, and launched a deep pass to Hardy that went for a 48-yard gain and put the Hoosiers inside Iowa's red zone. The play was identical to the two touchdowns Hardy scored against Indiana State.
From first-and-goal from the four-yard line Lewis ran outside the pocket to his right and completed a pass to Ray Fisher for a touchdown.
The Hoosiers have silenced 70,000+ at Kinnick Stadium. Needless to say, this wasn't the homecoming they were looking for.
The stats from this drive: eight plays, 84 yards in 3:17. ---------------------
(Indiana 7, Iowa 0) - [End of First quarter] --
Not a lot to report from the first quarter, uutside of Hardy's 39-yard touchdown reception.
Iowa has been plagued by stupid plays. They've had almost a half-dozen flags that have consistently cost them field position and momentum. I'm sure Kirk Ferentz is frustrated with the Hawkeye's effort in the opening quarter.
The Hoosiers will open the second quarter from their 15-yard line. With Thigpen not producing much on the ground so far, I'd expect to see Bryan Payton sooner than later. Also, Lewis has yet to take off on a run of his own - I wouldn't be surprised if he helped the Hoosiers pick up a couple of first downs this quarter.
On defense, the Hoosiers have been getting great pressure and the ball. Up front they've been able to slow down Iowa's running back duo. --------------------
(Indiana 7, Iowa 0) - [First quarter - 3:19] --
Touchdown James Hardy.
Hardy took it the distance after catching the ball on a quick slant from Lewis. Hardy took three strides and split the Hawkeyes defense up the middle.
A lot of writers and fans leading up this game said that whichever team was able to get on the board first would be at a significant advantage. With the way the two offenses have looked prior to that play, I believe it.
The wheels are coming off quickly for the Hawkeyes. On the ensuing kick-off Iowa's Adrian Clayborn (6-3 275 lbs) drilled Austin Starr well after the play and was penalized for a late hit. ------------------
(Indiana 0, Iowa 0) - [First quarter - 4:43] --
On first and goal from the five-yard line the Hoosiers were flagged for an illegal shift pushing them back to the 10-yard line.
The Hoosiers' red zone struggles continue. Scrambling to his left, Kellen Lewis threw a soft pass across his body that was picked off in the end zone by Iowa defensive back Charles Godfrey.
Not to discredit Godfrey, but anyone who has ever played "500" would have caught that interception. Lewis's pass had almost no zip on it and was a floating duck waiting to be picked off.
Luckily for IU, Iowa's offense is using the Chicago Bear's playbook today. Rex Grossman may or may not be quarterbacking. ---------------
(Indiana 0, Iowa 0) - [First quarter - 6:40] --
The Hoosiers went three-and-out even quicker than they did on their last possession. On third down, Kellen Lewis had his second pass knocked down at the line of scrimmage today.
After launching a deep punt into Iowa territory, IU was able to force Colin Sandeman to fumble and IU linebacker Will Paterson recovered the ball. The Hoosiers now have their best field position of the day at the 20-yard line. --------------------
(Indiana 0, Iowa 0) - [First quarter - 7:28] --
A sack by Jammie Kirlew and an illegal formation penalty didn't stop Iowa from picking up a first down and moving the ball to IU's 31.
The Hawkeyes were able to move the ball another seven yards before missing a 42-yard field goal. The Hoosiers take over from their own 24.
It's early, but both defenses have been outplaying the offenses up this point and we may be seeing a trend. Christensen has looked shaky in the pocket and the Hoosiers have been able to tackle well enough to keep Iowa from clicking on offense. ---------------------
(Indiana 0, Iowa 0) - [First quarter - 11:18] --
The Hawkeyes began their opening drive from their own 40-yard line.
On the second play of the game Greg Middleton registered his sixth sack of the season after taking down Iowa QB Jake Christensen. I've been saying this since the Indiana State game, but Middleton has by far been IU's best defensive lineman this season. He is the definition of a "playmaker." His ability to penetrate offensive lines and get to the ball has really given the Hoosiers a burst this season.
After going three-and-out Iowa punted to Tracy Porter who called for a fair catch inside IU's 20.
Two short runs by Marcus Thigpen and an incomplete pass by Kellen Lewis resulted in a punt for the Hoosiers. Iowa takes over from the 50-yard line.
--------------------- (Indiana 0, Iowa 0) - [First quarter - 15:00] --
Indiana won the coin toss and elected to defer. The Hawkeyes will receive the opening kick-off.
--------------------- This just in...
IU Director of Media Relations J.D. Campbell just handed us a release informing us that junior wide receiver James Bailey has been suspended for today's game "due to an unspecified violation of team rules."
The loss of Bailey is noteworthy, but most likely not make-or-break. IU is fairly deep at wide receiver and Bailey only played sparingly last week due to injuries. Expect for Terrance Turner, Ray Fisher, Brandon Walker-Roby and Andrew Means to see more playing time in Bailey's absence. ---------------------
We made it. After seven long hours in the backseat of an inferno red PT Cruiser we (finally) have arrived in Iowa City for IU's first conference road game of the season.
Kinnick Stadium is an impressive sight to behold. Like Conseco Fieldhouse, its one of those stadiums with an old look but new technology. I'm not sure if its because its Homecoming Weekend or just Saturday, but there were thousands of Hawkeye faithful tailgating outside the stadium as we walked in.
The stadium itself is very open and is entirely bleacher seating. It's fairly empty now, but in an hour I'd expect the sold-out stadium to be packed with loud fans clad in black and gold. I have always assumed Iowa to be a fairly bland state, but my first trip has definitely left me impressed.
Iowa is 51-29-5 all-time in homecoming games and has won its last seven homecoming games. Last year's win was a 47-17 trumping of Purdue. In addition, Iowa has won 28 of its last 32 games at Kinnick Stadium.
We'll be back with more updates. Holler if you have any questions or comments.
