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(10/24/03 6:32am)
It isn't getting any easier for IU.\nTwo weeks after losing to Northwestern in overtime, the football team will play host to defending national champion and No. 8 Ohio State. IU is 2-21-2 at home against the Buckeyes and hasn't beaten them since 1988.\nThe Hoosiers did have extra time to prepare, as the team had its bye last weekend. IU coach Gerry DiNardo spent the time off looking at film and said this team is better than last year, despite the 1-6 record.\n"I keep saying to everybody that we're better than we were a year ago," DiNardo said. "With the week off, I went back and watched last year's tape, and I compared last year's IU team to this year's team and I was even more convinced that we're better in a lot of ways. We're playing better ... A lot of the things about the program have gotten better."\nDiNardo said every aspect of the team has improved, except for pass offense and pass defense, which he said still need work. \nBoth of those will be tested this weekend, although the Buckeye defense has been far more dangerous than its offense. The team is ranked 10th in the conference in both rushing yards and passing yards per game, behind IU in each category. Still, the team has ridden a dominating defense (ranked first in the Big Ten and sixth in the nation) to a 6-1 record. \nJunior wideout Courtney Roby said he welcomes the challenge.\n"I'm looking forward to playing up against what's probably the best defense we've played against to date," he said. "I'm just excited to go out and match up with them."\nThe Buckeyes are coming off of 19-10 home win over No. 9 Iowa in which they didn't have an offensive touchdown. The team scored a 53-yard field goal, 54-yard punt return, a blocked punt and a safety. \nIU junior linebacker Josh Moore said the team can still display the dangerous offense that ranked it fourth in scoring last year. \n"They're balanced," he said. "They've got two good running backs and some good wide receivers. We've got to be prepared, defensively and offensively. They've lost one game to a good team, so I'm not going to say they're down. They're just as strong as they were last year."\nIn addition to the game on the field, the Hoosiers will have to deal with the legions of Buckeye fans that will descend on Memorial Stadium Saturday. The OSU ticket office sold more than 15,000\ntickets alone and the game is sold out, except for a limited number of standing-room-only tickets remaining. It marks IU's first sell-out since the last time the Buckeyes were in town four years ago. \n"We play pretty well in front of big crowds anyway," Moore said. "In Michigan, we played in front of 110,000, and we came to play. Maybe that will be a positive for us. Obviously they're going to bring a lot of fans, but it's still our home field. I think our fans are going to come and out-cheer them."\nDiNardo said the game, which will be broadcast nationwide on ESPN, is just one more chance to improve.\n"Playing the battle, winning the battle, it's ESPN, it's national TV, the stadium is full -- we have to get better as a football team," he said. "That's my attitude. Don't complain about it; do something about it."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(10/13/03 5:27am)
Five hundred and thirty-one yards of offense, four touchdowns and a pair of 130-plus yard rushers weren't enough for IU Saturday.\nOne interception in overtime was plenty for Northwestern.\nThe Wildcats picked off a Matt LoVecchio pass in the end zone in overtime to essentially end the Hoosiers' hopes of a Homecoming win. In a game in which IU rallied from a 17-point second quarter deficit to force the extra period, the team came up short.\n"It's disappointing of course," the junior quarterback said. "It's disappointing anytime you lose a football game. The game was right there for us to win in overtime, and our coaches put us in a position to win, and it's up to us as players to just go out and take it."\nAfter a 54-yard game-winning field goal attempt by junior Bryan Roberston fell short to end regulation, NU won the overtime coin toss and chose the second possession. IU began its drive at the Wildcats' 25-yard line and drove the ball inches shy of the first down marker on the initial set of downs. The Hoosiers went for the first, though, and LoVecchio quarterback sneaked the ball ahead for the conversion.\nTwo plays later, LoVecchio lofted the ball toward junior wideout Travis Haney on a fade pattern to the left side of the end zone. But as Haney went to make the catch, the ball was knocked up in the air by the Wildcat defender. Safety Bryan Heinz came away with the ball, taking with it any hopes of an IU win.\nFor the Hoosiers, that meant the team's sixth loss and third straight of the season after reeling off 24 unanswered points to take a touchdown lead with just under 12 minutes left in the game. IU coach Gerry DiNardo said the loss was tough on the team. \n"I would imagine it's pretty deflating to them," he said. "As you get later in the season and you lose, it gets harder and harder. But that's my job to get them back ... We'll get them back. That's what we do. We have no choice."\nIU overcame a first half in which it surrendered 299 yards of total offense and stopped the Wildcats on third down only once out of seven tries.\nAfter a field goal on its opening drive, NU got the ball back when LoVecchio threw his first interception of the game. Wildcat linebacker Pat Durr picked off the pass at midfield and returned it to the 26-yard line. Six plays later, tailback Jason Wright was in the end zone for his first score of the day and a 10-0 lead.\n"I started off the game slow," LoVecchio said. "I didn't complete my first pass, I missed the third down pass and then I threw a pick. I cost the team two potential touchdown drives, but we win as a team and we lose as a team. Today we lost."\nThe Wildcats scored through the air next. IU sophomore safety Buster Larkins went for an interception on a pass from NU quarterback Brett Basanez to wideout Brandon Horn and missed the ball. Horn caught it at the IU 45-yard line and ran untouched for a 77-yard score. \nIU then scored on a drive featuring only senior running back Brian Lewis. Lewis caught a 17-yard screen pass and ran the ball five times for 62 yards, including a 42-yarder and a 9-yard touchdown run. \nHowever, the IU defense couldn't hold NU. Wright ran the ball eight times on a 14-play drive, finishing it off with a 13-yard scoring run in which he broke three Hoosier tackles. \nAlthough freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis scored on a one-yard run to close the half, the story of the first half was IU's defense, or lack thereof. The crowd even booed loudly when IU gave up a 68-yard touchdown on a third and 17 play which was called back by penalty, and then surrendered a first down on the next play, a third and 22.\n"The only side I know is the defense, and I tell you right now, we stunk the field up the first half of the game," senior safety Joe Gonzalez said. "Terrible. We played terrible on defense the first half. We just weren't playing assignment football. We started playing better in the second half. We didn't change our calls, we just played horrible the first half."\nIU forced NU three and out to open the second half and then scored a field goal after a 55-yard completion from LoVecchio to junior wideout Courtney Roby. Green-Ellis tied the game at 24 on the Hoosiers' next possession with a 27-yard rumbling touchdown run. \nThe teams traded punts before junior defensive lineman Jodie Clemons stuffed Wright on a third and two play to open the fourth quarter. Like Lewis before, Green-Ellis led his own scoring drive. The freshman caught a screen for 18-yards and ran the ball four times for 20 yards, his third touchdown of the day and the 31-24 lead. Green-Ellis and Lewis finished with 137 and 130 yards, respectively. \n"I think I played OK, but I've got to play better for us to come out with a 'W,'" Green-Ellis said. "I needed one more touchdown and 50 or 60 more yards to win this game. And I didn't get it, so I've got to work harder next week."\nAgain, the teams traded punts, but Wright took NU back into the end zone with 4:46 left in the game for his third touchdown and the tie. In overtime, after the interception, NU needed only to score to win the game. Starting from the 25-yard line, Wright ran the ball five of six times for 14 yards. The last was a four-yard touchdown run that ended the game, 37-31, and dropped IU to 1-6 on the year. \n"Two good quarters of defense isn't enough to win the game," Gonzalez said. "The offense scored 31 points. You should win the game if you score 31 points on offense in my opinion. It hurts to lose every game. This loss doesn't hurt more than the Michigan State loss or the Michigan loss. They all hurt the same in my opinion. It doesn't matter if you lose by 50 or you lose in overtime. They all hurt."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(10/09/03 5:47am)
Line up across from Leonard Bryant on a Saturday game day and you'd better be prepared to get an earful. For the sophomore cornerback, trash-talking is as natural a part of football as tackling.\n"I always come up to 'em," Bryant said, "and first thing I say is 'Hey man, why aren't you looking at me. You scared? What are you, tired? You tired? I'm telling you, I'm going to make a play. It's going to be on ESPN -- Dee da dee, dee da dee (ESPN theme).' I'm from Florida. I'm from the same area as Deion (Sanders), Jevon (Kearse) and Edgerrin (James). That's just how we do it down South."\nBryant, however, is beginning to let his play do the talking at IU. And he's showing that he's not all talk -- both on and off the field. After starting only one game last year, Bryant has started all but one of IU's six games so far this season, forcing a pair of fumbles, recovering one and intercepting a pass.\nUp until this year, Bryant played mostly special teams. This year he still does, routinely making jarring hits on punt returns, but has developed into one of IU's starting defensive backs.\nIU secondary coach Charles McMillan said Bryant brings an energy to the team, both in terms of play and personality.\n"Personality-wise, he's just an energetic kid," McMillan said. "Sometimes I joke with him that he needs Ritalin to slow down. He's so hyperactive, he works hard and he goes 100 miles per hour at everything. He doesn't bring experience to the team, but he brings the ability to play full speed."\nBryant, who grew up in Immokalee, Fla., as the oldest of eight children, came to IU after a high school athletic career in which he produced offensively and defensively in football, playing both cornerback and slot receiver. In his senior year, Bryant picked off three passes, recovered a pair of fumbles and scored five touchdowns on offense.\nWhen it came time to choose a college, Bryant let his mother decide which combination of academics and athletics provided the best fit. Out of five recruiting trips the two went on, she chose IU, and Bryant redshirted for the football team the next year.\nBetween then and now, Bryant said he's developed a whole new understanding of the game.\n"When I first got here, in one word, I was raw," he said. "I had no technique. I didn't understand the concept of football as a defensive game. I just knew how to play man coverage full speed. But through last year and this year, I understand defense and football a lot better."\nFellow cornerback, senior Duane Stone, said he too has seen Bryant improve over the last two years. \n"Leonard is coming along well," he said. "He's maturing, he's starting to understand the game a little bit better. He's got an aggressive type of edge to him, and that's good to see."\nStill, football is only one aspect of Bryant's life at IU. He said he takes academics just as seriously as the team, which is necessary because he is a student in the highly competitive Kelley School of Business. \nBetween his obligations to the team and his work in the classroom, Bryant said it's sometimes hard to find time for both. \n"I take just as much pride in my school work and my academics as my athletics, and it's kind of frustrating for me not to be a 4.0 student because I know I'm capable of it," he said. "But it's taught me how to cope with things and deal with the realities of life. It's definitely a challenge. But if (senior) Joe Gonzalez can do it and Gibran Hamdan can do it, then Leonard Bryant can do it."\nBryant has already seen results on both ends -- academics and athletics. In addition to aspiring to a career in the NFL, Bryant has intentions of becoming a corporate banker and would like to get his master's degree. He held an internship with Wells Fargo last summer in San Francisco and already has an offer on the table for a position with them after graduation.\n"I want to leave myself open to a lot of options," Bryant said. "I have a lot of aspirations. There's a lot of things I want to do, so I'm not limiting myself to just one thing. But if I had to prioritize my top three, it would be a three-way tie."\nUltimately, Bryant said he'll approach life after graduation with the same aggressiveness he brings to playing and talking on the field.\n"You can't sell yourself short," he said, "and I'm not going to."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(10/08/03 6:19am)
EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Hoosiers may have been outplayed by the Spartans in the 31-3 loss Saturday, but the team wasn't helped by a slew of loose balls that rarely seemed to bounce in the Hoosiers' favor. MSU had four fumbles and lost none of them. The Spartans caught a pair of passes on balls knocked straight up in the air by Hoosier defenders.\n"It's more or less discouraging because we pride ourselves on turnovers ... I know I caused one of the fumbles, and I just knew somebody was going to jump on it and get it," sophomore cornerback Leonard Bryant said. "When the other team got it, I was just like, 'Oh come on, can we get a break.' Yeah it's discouraging, but it's not going to rain forever. The sun's going to shine soon."\nBryant was also involved in one of the jump balls. On a first and 10 on the third quarter, Bryant went up to intercept a Jeff Smoker pass. But it bounced off his hands, straight into the air. Intended receiver Kyle Brown caught it for a 20-yard gain.\nIt also happened earlier, on the second play of the second quarter. Smoker threw a pass to sophomore wideout Matt Trannon that bounced off his hands and into the air. With four Hoosiers on all sides of Trannon, the ball came straight back down into his hands. \nJunior strong safety Herana-Daze Jones was critical of IU's performance and disappointed in the way the balls seemed to bounce.\n"(We were) not good. No (positives), I don't see any positives in there; they had 31 points. We need to improve everywhere," he said. "None of the balls bounced our way; we had five balls on the ground but we didn't get (any) of them. That's something we look for; we didn't get turnovers, and our goal is three."
(10/06/03 6:56am)
EAST LANSING, Mich -- IU coach Gerry DiNardo entered Saturday's game hoping for a vast improvement in the team's passing defense.\nWhat he got was a record-setting performance from MSU senior quarterback Jeff Smoker in a 31-3 blowout loss.\nThe efficient Smoker went 32 of 40 to set a single game team mark for completions in a game. He also extended his team records for career completions, attempts, touchdowns and yards. He finished the day with 351 yards passing and a pair of touchdowns. \nMSU coach John Smith said without Smoker, it might have been a different story.\n"(He means) a lot (to this team), just as all of our kids do," Smith said. "In what we do, the one building block that we really need is that quarterback. He is starting to understand the offense and let it work for him."\nSmoker was able to pick apart the IU defense throughout the game. He led the Spartans on a nine-play drive to open the game, converting a third down with a 20-yard pass and throwing a touchdown to junior tight end Jason Randall on a third and 10 play.\nHe threw his second touchdown of the day on a blown coverage play early in the second period, when running back Jarvis Hayes slipped out of the backfield uncovered for a wide-open 31-yard touchdown catch.\nStill, what made Smoker so difficult to cover wasn't the big plays. Smoker often took the short, open passes to running backs and tight ends and didn't try to force any long passes. That led to his 80 percent completion, as well as MSU's ability to sustain long drives.\n"They were hitting a lot of underroutes on us," junior IU linebacker Josh Moore said. "They executed very well. He hit 32 out of 40. There's nothing bad I can say about him, he played a hell of a game."\nSmoker showed his versatility in the fourth quarter. The Spartans marched downfield on long runs as well as a pair of 9-yard passes from Smoker. At the 2-yard line, the quarterback ran the ball to the left on an option play and barreled between linemen for the touchdown and MSU's final score.\nSophomore cornerback Leonard Bryant said he wasn't impressed with Smoker, but disappointed in IU's inability to stop him.\n"In my position, once you've seen one quarterback, you've seen them all," Bryant said. "A fade is a fade, a route is a route, three steps is three steps, five steps is five steps. It always boils down to fundamentals and techniques and who's playing a better mental game."\nDespite not stopping Smoker, the IU defense did manage to contain the MSU ground attack for most of the game. Although the team finished with 131 yards rushing, all but 39 of those came in the fourth quarter when the game had already been decided.\nIn a game dominated by Smoker, the run defense was one area IU could take some positives from, said junior defensive linemen Jodie Clemons.\n"As a team, that's what we take our pride in, stopping the run," said Clemons, who finished the day with four tackles, including a pair of sacks. "We did a pretty good job of that. But, we've got to work on our pass defense and that starts (Sunday) in practice."\nImproving the pass defense is key, Bryant said, because the team needs to make sure no one IU faces this year will have a game like Smoker did Saturday.\n"I can't really say (Smoker's) the best quarterback that I've gone against, or the worst," Bryant said. "I can say he's the quarterback that beat us. Take it for what it's worth."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(10/03/03 6:27am)
IU returns to the scene of its last road win Saturday against Michigan State in hopes of ending its 10-game road losing streak and its overall two-game skid. The Hoosiers also return to the state of Michigan for the second time in as many weeks, after falling to the Wolverines, 31-17, at Ann Arbor last weekend. \nEnding those streaks may be a tough task, however, as the 4-1 Spartans are ranked No. 25 in the country and defeated No. 23 Iowa last weekend. Junior line backer Josh Moore said MSU puts up a multi-faceted offensive attack that will be tough to contain.\n"They have a very good offense," Moore said. "They like to spread the ball and pass a lot. So we got to come to play. They have a very good team, they just upset Iowa. We've got to be ready to play. We're looking at everything: the run, the pass. We're going 50-50 on both. We've got emphasis on both."\nThat Spartan offense has been a problem for IU before. The last time the two teams met, Nov. 9, 2002, MSU torched the Hoosiers for a 56-21 win. Although star receiver Charles Rogers has since gone to the NFL, the team played last year without senior quarterback Jeff Smoker, who set school records for completions and touchdowns in the Iowa game.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said containing Smoker will be a priority for the team on defense.\n"He's a very efficient quarterback," DiNardo said. "He's mobile enough, he's not a scrambler or an option guy, but if you don't contain him, he can cause you problems and run for first downs. I think the Iowa game he was just very consistent and efficient."\nMeanwhile IU is coming off of a bittersweet Michigan loss. Although the Hoosiers were defeated, the defense forced four first-half turnovers, and IU outscored the Wolverines, 17-7, in the second half. The offense struggled, however, scoring only 10 points and never finding a rhythm until the second half.\nDiNardo said the team will need to be more effective offensively this weekend.\n"I don't think we competed on offense (against Michigan)," he said. "I don't think it was physical. It was more mental. We weren't tough enough and didn't compete enough because we called the same plays the second half against the same defense. I think it was more of a mindset. Our offense has to be more exact, more physical."\nDiNardo also singled out the pass defense as a weak spot against the Wolverines. Although the squad had two interceptions on UM's first two possessions, they also gave up first downs on two 3rd and 15 plays on drives where the Wolverines scored touchdowns. \nSenior Duane Stone said it's plays like those that are the difference between winning and losing.\n"It hurt. It really did, it hurt," he said. "We knew that we made mistakes and those mistakes hurt us ... When you look back at the tape and say 'If I had done this, that would have never happened.' That play should have never happened. It hurts a lot, and that's what makes you want to come back Tuesday and really work."\nSaturday's winner will be awarded the Old Brass Spittoon, the trophy given to the winner of the IU-MSU game since 1950. MSU holds the Spittoon currently and has dominated the overall series, leading it 35-13-2 with a 20-5-1 record at home. Still, DiNardo said the team is focusing on itself rather than the Spartans.\n"A zone is a zone, a drop is a drop, and an out is an out," he said. "Sometimes, you are better off not worrying about your opponent, but worrying about yourself, especially when your problems are similar on both sides of the football."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/29/03 6:14am)
ANN ARBOR. Mich. -- In practice leading up to IU's game at Michigan Saturday, coach Gerry DiNardo challenged his cornerbacks. He told them whoever had the most interceptions would start the game against the Wolverines.\nThat turnover mentality carried over, as IU had two picks and two forced fumbles in the first half against Michigan. Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, the offense couldn't capitalize on any of those opportunities. IU lost 31-17 in a lackluster offensive performance, despite a number of chances.\n"There's so many reasons you can pinpoint, but it's just a matter of getting all 11 guys on offense working together, moving the ball, and creating some momentum," said quarterback Matt LoVecchio, who threw for 107 yards with two picks. "The bottom line is we lost the football game. We have to go back to work tomorrow and work on it."\nIU began the game with consecutive interceptions on the Wolverines' first two possessions. After a 41-yard run by senior Wolverine tailback Chris Perry to the 19-yard line, sophomore defensive back Leonard Bryant picked off quarterback John Navarre. \nThe Hoosiers then went three and out, and Michigan drove to the IU 25-yard line. But, on a fourth and 6 play, Navarre threw another interception, this time to senior cornerback Duane Stone.\nBryant said the challenge in practice carried over to the game.\n"As you can imagine, you had guys flying around left and right trying to pick the balls off, myself included, in practice," he said. "(Saturday) it was all about making plays. DiNardo told us he wants us to go for the balls. Forget the tackles, go after the balls and that's what we did. That's the mindset we've got to have every game going in."\nAfter the second interception, IU again went three and out. But freshman punter Tyson Beattie kicked a line drive that sophomore wideout Steve Breaston caught, dodged a tackler and raced down the right sideline for a touchdown.\nIU got another break on the Wolverines' next possession when Perry fumbled and sophomore linebacker Kyle Killion recovered. But LoVecchio threw an interception that cornerback Jeremy LeSueur returned 60 yards for a score.\nDespite forcing three turnovers in the first quarter, IU found itself down 14-0 at the end of the period. \nAfter a Wolverine field goal, senior free safety Joe Gonzalez recovered a fourth Michigan turnover -- a second fumble by Perry. The Hoosiers took the ball to the Wolverines' 32-yard line, but LoVecchio couldn't connect with freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis on a fourth down play. The Wolverines answered with a long drive, culminating with a 20-yard touchdown pass from Navarre to Breaston. \nThe Hoosiers did manage to get on the scoreboard in the second half, though. IU opened the third quarter with a massive 19-play, 72-yard, 8:40 drive ending in a Bryan Robertston field goal. Senior running back Brian Lewis paced the drive with 11 carries for 32 yards, while LoVecchio found a rhythm offensively. After passing for a mere 8 yards in the first half, he connected on 6 of 7 passes for 38 yards on the drive.\n"It wasn't much different than what we called in the first half, they just played it better," DiNardo said. "I honestly think (the team was) probably embarrassed and they should have been."\nIU outscored the Wolverines in the second half, although UM inserted a variety of second-string players. The team gave up one more UM score, a 15-yard touchdown pass from Navarre to junior wideout Braylon Edwards in the third quarter, but scored a pair of touchdowns.\nThe first came on special teams in the fourth quarter when junior strong safety Herana-Daze Jones blocked a punt. Safety Buster Larkins scooped up the loose ball and ran it to the end zone for the score. In the closing minutes of the game, IU managed a 55-yard drive, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by Lewis. \n"I was more pleased than the first half for sure," DiNardo said. "We still had some tough plays, but the first half was just atrocious offensively. If you can't get to the line of scrimmage, you can't win a game. You can't come into Michigan stadium and win a game if you have no offense."\nDespite the loss, the Hoosiers did limit the Wolverines' potent offensive attack. The defense surrendered only 17 points and held Perry to 74 yards rushing after his long first-quarter run. \nJunior linebacker Josh Moore said there were positives to draw from the performance. \n"I think every week our run defense is improving," Moore said. "We went up against a Heisman candidate today and we played pretty well. I think we did some positive things, but the fact is we lost the game. We just got to take it one step at a time, keep building next week and hopefully, we'll get a 'W.'"\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/25/03 5:15am)
Saturday night against Kentucky, true freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis was playing under a lot of pressure. His family was in town from New Orleans, La., for Freshmen Family Weekend, to see him play collegiate football for the first time in person.\nAmong them was Green-Ellis' biggest critic, someone who routinely pointed out what he was doing wrong or what skills he needed to improve in football growing up.\nThat, of course, was his grandmother. \n"My grandmother is definitely my biggest critic," Green-Ellis said. "She's always like, 'You could've done better,' or 'You played better when you were younger,' and that always makes me want to strive to do better."\nIt was that dedication to becoming a stronger football player that helped Green-Ellis land a scholarship to IU and make an immediate impact. In his first few games as a Hoosier, Green-Ellis has already become a fixture in IU's three running back rotation, alongside senior Brian Lewis and sophomore Chris Taylor.\nTaylor, who also played extensively as a true freshman, said he hasn't had to give Green-Ellis much advice.\n"I just told him to go out there and relax," he said. "Really, when he came in, he was already adjusted. He had great speed, power and everything. He's going to be a complete back."\nAfter a more than 1,000-yard rushing, 12-touchdown senior season at St. Augustine High School in New Orleans, Green-Ellis committed to IU the night before signing day. He contemplated a number of football powerhouses, including Florida State and Oklahoma, but ultimately wanted a school where he would get playing time as a freshman. While other schools wanted him to redshirt a year, IU proved the best fit. \n"I wanted to play early and contribute like I'm doing now," he said. "I didn't want to go to my other choices and sit on the bench for two or three years and not play 'til my junior year and have to redshirt. I felt I was mature enough and ready enough to play college football immediately." \nGreen-Ellis played immediately for IU, logging seven carries in the season opener at UConn and 12 more against Washington. It wasn't until the team's third game, however, that Green-Ellis had the kind of performance the coaching staff hopes the next four years will be colored with.\nIn the Sept. 13 game against Indiana State, he carried the ball 20 times for 107 yards and a pair of scores, leading IU to its first win. \n"That was very impressive," said running-back coach Gerald Brown. "That was our thinking going into the game, to run the football, and he had a big night with those 100-plus yards. He has unlimited potential. He's a young guy. He's just going to get better as he matures and gets older."\nFor Green-Ellis, it wasn't nearly enough.\n"It felt like practice," he said. "The only thing different is there were people in the stands. It was a little bit more exciting but not really. I feel like I can get into the end zone more than two times a game. Coach doesn't design a play and say, 'BenJarvus, take it three or four yards and fall down.' Every play they design, they want me to score. That's my job. Every time I touch the ball, I want to score."\nIn his last game, Green-Ellis did just that, at least in one aspect of his position. Although he struggled rushing the ball against Kentucky, totaling just 16 yards on five carries, Green-Ellis did have one catch. And he took it the distance. Green-Ellis caught a screen pass from junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio and raced 63 yards down the sidelines for the score. \nWhen all was said and done, Green-Ellis left the locker room following IU's 34-17 loss to see his family and his grandmother. \n"I hope I made her proud," he said as he left. "I hope I did."\n-- Contact staff reporter Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/19/03 6:14am)
In his second year at IU, coach Gerry DiNardo has yet to lead the football team to consecutive victories. \nBut that could change when the Hoosiers play host to Kentucky 4 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium after beating Indiana State 33-3 last weekend. A win would secure bragging rights in one of IU's fiercest regional rivalries.\n"When coach DiNardo came in last year, he wasn't really sure about the rivalry," senior wide receiver Glenn Johnson said. "He didn't really know the meaning of it, but then when he saw how those guys played, he bought into it, and he saw where it was coming from, as far as it being a pretty intense game and you gotta go out and lay it all on the field against Kentucky."\nAlthough both IU and UK come into the game at 1-2, Kentucky traditionally plays well against IU, taking seven of the last eight meetings. The team is led by quarterback Jared Lorenzen, who at 260 pounds has a big stature as well as a big arm. The senior's 8,939 yards of total offense ranks him sixth in SEC history. In three previous meetings with IU, he's thrown for seven touchdowns and 846 yards with only two interceptions.\nFurther bolstering the Wildcats' offense and special teams is wideout and kick returner Derek Abney. The senior has returned seven kicks for scores (one short of an NCAA record) and is second in school history in receiving yards with 1,870.\n"Abney is as good a receiver and obviously a returner as there is in the country," DiNardo said. "Lorenzen is just terrific, tougher to bring down than he was a year ago, really a good player."\nFreshman safety Will Meyers said Abney gives the Wildcats a dangerous weapon. \n"He looks very explosive," Meyers said. "He looks like a very good player. It's gonna be a big challenge for our defense and our special teams. He can take it to the house anytime."\nIU counters with a ground game that produced 202 yards and three touchdowns by running backs against the Sycamores. Freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis and sophomore Chris Taylor split time at tailback in the win. IU will also have the services of senior captain Brian Lewis at running back, who missed the ISU game with an injury.\nTaylor said a solid run game will be the key Saturday.\n"We just need to get this run game started off right," Taylor said. "Brian Lewis, me and BenJarvus, we need to go out, be ready and try and beat Kentucky. Brian looks like he's at 100 percent, and we're definitely going to need that."\nThe Hoosiers fell to the Wildcats last season in Kentucky, in come-from-behind fashion. After Kentucky took a 14-0 lead, IU scored 17 unanswered points. But the Wildcats scored 13 fourth quarter points, capped off by an 82-yard interception return for a touchdown with under three minutes left to seal the win.\nDiNardo said he hopes a turnover doesn't again doom IU.\n"We have five objectives we go into each game every year, and one of them is the turnover issue," DiNardo said. "The Kentucky game is a good example of how turnovers in our case can destroy us. We threw 21 interceptions last year...You can't have a successful program throwing 21 interceptions and turning over the ball at the rate we turned it over last year. So far this season we have demonstrated that we have been better at that."\nStaff reporter John Rodgers contributed to this report.\n-- Contact staff reporter Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/16/03 5:16am)
It's after midnight on Saturday night and Dr. Gilbert Brown, associate dean of students, is overlooking a Student Recreational Sports Center basketball court-turned dance floor. Hundreds of students have gathered for a pajama party put on by Alpha Phi Alpha, a black fraternity, complete with shifting rainbow lights and a professional deejay.\nBrown said the event reminded him of how his own undergraduate days were -- and it reminds him of how he hopes IU will eventually become. Brown is encouraging the University to invest itself in opening various venues on campus to more minority involvement. He said he hopes venues such as the Indiana Memorial Union, the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation and the SRSC can be more accessible to underrepresented groups.\n"The parties are the invisible tapestry that sort of bind the black undergraduates together," Brown said. "It was like that when I was an undergraduate. You really look forward to these parties on the weekend. ... You go there, you dance, you have conversations with friends. It's a magnet. It draws people together. If you take away that opportunity for students, you're really kind of denying how they express themselves culturally."\nBrown has already met with many of the black greek organizations on campus, as well as Residential Programs and Services to discuss the issue. He said he hopes dialogue will continue with the other venues and facilities involved so a solution can be met.\n"African-American students and black greeks should not be held to a higher standard than their white counterparts -- and nor should it be a lower standard," he said. "I'm just interested in making sure the playing field is level. We need to approach it from a campus-wide perspective, and not just small pockets."\nBrandon Williams, president of the National Panhellenic Council, is one of the people with whom Brown met to discuss opening up more campus facilities for such events. Williams said black fraternities have a negative reputation on campus, which sometimes undermines their attempts to have social functions.\n"We're trying to work on getting some new places where we can have parties and have social functions," he said. "It's so hard because in the past at certain functions there have been fights, there have been minor setbacks. So people are a little apprehensive about letting black greek organizations, or black organizations in general, get a room and be able to come together and have a function."\nRPS officials also met with Brown and pledged to help the minority groups on campus find space for functions, said Director of Residential Operations Bob Weith. However, Weith added that many of RPS's large group spaces have been turned into academic support centers or are too close to residential housing to routinely hold parties that go late and may be loud and disruptive. \nStill, Weith said he is committed to working with other campus groups to ensure the problem is addressed. \n"We're attempting to reach out to campus, to the IMU, to Recsports and the SRSC and other places where there are large areas and to maybe try to create some kind of pact between all of us to share this issue," he said. "My belief is that if we really do believe the things we say about wanting to promote diversity issues, this is a meaningful way to do that."\nBoth Brown and Williams agreed there are signs a change is beginning to take place. The pajama party at the SRSC ran smoothly, without any incidents of fights or violence. It was also the second such event to take place recently, after the NPC hosted an "icebreaker" get-together at the Willkie Auditorium a week earlier. \nBut Brown said he believes that despite the positive signs, more work needs to be done throughout the entire campus.\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/15/03 6:13am)
It took the rekindling of a 78-year old rivalry to end an eight-game losing streak. \nThe Hoosier football team defeated regional foe Indiana State 33-3 to give IU its first win of the year in its home opener. The team rallied behind a strong running game, a steady defense and big plays on special teams to answer a pair of blowout losses with a blowout win of its own. \nDespite the earlier losses at UConn and Washington to open the year, coach Gerry DiNardo downplayed the importance of needing this win over any others.\n"I don't ever remember not needing a victory," DiNardo said. "You always need a victory. I think most teams need victories because it's so much hard work and there's no reward unless you win. Practice isn't any fun and working out isn't usually a lot of fun and the only fun is winning. We were much better than the past two weeks, but then again I expected that because we match up better with this team than the past two. Our emphasis was the turnovers and playing the whole game."\nIU opened the scoring on the Sycamores' first offensive possession. After downing a Tyson Beattie punt at the one yard line, the Hoosiers forced the ISU offense to go three and out. On the ensuing play, the snap bounced off the hands of senior Sycamore punter Pat Jordan and out of the end zone, giving IU a safety and a 2-0 advantage. \nFreshman Lance Bennett then returned the Sycamore free kick 70 yards down the right sideline, setting up IU's first touchdown. At the nine yard line, sophomore tailback Chris Taylor got the ball on three successive plays, breaking through the left side of the line on the third for the score.\nAfter ISU answered with a seven-play drive resulting in a 36-yard field goal, IU again scored, this time with a different running back. True freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis entered the game and carried the ball five times on the drive for 24 yards, including a one-yard touchdown run up the middle to make the score 16-3. \n"(The running game) is what we emphasized on this week in practice," Taylor said. "I feel like we did OK, but I feel like we can do better. Now, we're going to enjoy the night and get ready for Kentucky starting tomorrow."\nThe Sycamores answered with a long drive of their own. The team got the ball on its own 21-yard line and managed a 13-play drive to the IU 15-yard line, highlighted by a 20-yard pass play to junior wideout Scott Penick and a 20-yard run play on an inside handoff to junior tailback Jake Shields. But, on a second down and eleven play, IU true freshman Will Meyers came through the line and hit freshman ISU quarterback Jake Schiff's blind side, causing a fumble that sophomore linebacker Kyle Killion recovered.\n"We had a blitz called, the end looped out and I came underneath and it was just wide open," Meyers said. "No one blocked me, I just saw the quarterback and it was exciting."\nIU then turned again to Taylor, who carried 11 of 14 plays for 50 yards, leading IU to its own one-yard line. However, the Sycamore defense stuffed Taylor for no gain on three successive plays. DiNardo went for it on fourth down and one, and junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio lunged into the endzone on a quarterback sneak.\nThe Sycamores had their own fourth and one on the next possession and called the very same play, a quarterback sneak. But, the ball came up inches short and IU had one more possession prior to the half. After a penalty, LoVecchio hit junior wideout Courtney Roby around midfield, who ran with the ball, made a spin move and dashed down the sidelines for a would-be 60-yard touchdown. But, an official threw a flag for an illegal receiver downfield, even as celebratory fireworks went off around the stadium.\n"It hurt my feelings, I gotta admit it, it hurt bad," Roby said of the call. "I felt like crying on the field. No, but, that was just luck of the draw. It hurts, so I'm sure I'll have plenty more opportunities."\nAfter a third quarter, 21-yard field goal by junior Bryan Robertson, IU scored its final points on a second Green-Ellis touchdown. The running back carried all eight chances of the eight play drive, culminating in an 11-yard touchdown run that gave him 107 yards on the day and IU the commanding 33-3 lead. Taylor added 92 yards of his own, while LoVecchio passed for 146. Defensively, Meyers and Killion led the way with eight tackles apiece. \n"We matched up with this opponent," DiNardo said. "I anticipated that all of our statistics would be better than they were at the end of the first two games just because we match up a little bit better. That's why the emphasis going in was more turnovers and playing four quarters, because I expected we would statistically win the game. I didn't know if we'd win the game, but I thought statistically we would win it because we matched up."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/11/03 5:55am)
IU punter Tyson Beattie has come a long way.\n11,720 miles to be exact.\nThe freshman redshirted last season after coming to IU from Attadale, Australia, a place where rugby is a bigger sport than football. Just five years ago, punting wasn't even on the mind of Beattie; now he's starting for a Big Ten school.\n"I was a rugby player and an Australian rules football player at that stage," Beattie said. "I took (part in) a kicking contest run by an NFL player, Darren Bennett, who's from my hometown and just thought I'd give it a shot. And I was pretty good at it, so I decided to join an actual team down in Australia, and I just progressed from there."\nInitially, Beattie played for small teams and garnered an understanding of the sport and an affinity for the punter position. It was just one of many sports he competed in, though. While at Christian Brothers High School, he played baseball, cricket, Australian rules football, basketball and swimming.\nThat all changed, however, when Beattie landed a spot on the Western Australian football team and helped the squad win a national championship. Beattie was named an All-Australian punter after setting tournament marks during the finals.\n"That was a real buzz," he said. "We weren't expected to do anything because we were a small state from the West. We came over and did really well and a lot of people were really impressed with the team and my punting."\nThe championship thrust Beattie into the recruiting limelight, and American schools soon came calling. Former IU coach Cam Cameron convinced him that IU was the best place to hone his punting skills. \nAlthough coach Gerry DiNardo's staff can't take credit for bringing Beattie in, staff members have been more than pleased with his punting prowess thus far. Beattie's first punt as a Hoosier was a booming 50-yarder in IU's opening day 34-10 loss at UConn that pinned the Huskies inside the 20-yard line. Since then, Beattie has punted 11 times for a 37.4-yard average. \nAssistant coach Curt Mallory said he has high expectations for Beattie's future with the team.\n"Tyson, he's been continuing to improve, and he's going to do so as he gets accustomed to what we're doing," he said. "He's got a strong leg. If he makes the strides, he's still young and he's still a little raw, but I think he's going to continue to improve."\nBeattie said he hopes to be among the top five in conference punting and ideally be named All-Big Ten. But, in addition to adjusting to a sport he's only competed in for a handful of years, Beattie has had to become accustomed to an entirely different culture. He credits the fellow kickers on the team -- senior Adam Braucher, junior Bryan Robertson and freshman Troy Grosfield -- with helping him while so far away from home.\n"The team is such a close unit," Beattie said. "My friends on the team, especially the kickers, I'm really close to them, so they make me feel like I'm part of a family here."\nAs for his post-IU future, Beattie, a student in the School of Education, will pursue a career in the NFL. Already, he studies it almost religiously to try and better his own punting technique. \nWhen Beattie first discovered American football, he'd stay up late nights (because of the time difference) to watch the different punters around the league. At one point, he made a video of 300 different clips of each punter in the league and would watch it every night.\nBeattie said he thinks he can make it one way or another.\n"It's a little different with a kicker than another position," he said. "It's kind of like an actor in Hollywood. You go to all these auditions around different teams. You might get drafted right away, you might not. If you do, you have a good chance to make it straight away. If you don't, you tend to bounce around awhile. I think I'm going to focus on this part of it right now. If I get to where I can, I believe I can make it in the NFL."\nHis teammates feel just the same way. \n"I think the kid has a ton of potential to be as good as he wants to be," Roberston said. "He had a 50-yarder his first punt. ... As far as leg strength, he's got as strong a leg as I've seen in a punter. Once he learns to maximize that and get all the things he needs to get together as far as critiquing himself, the sky's the limit."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/08/03 6:15am)
Through one half of play Saturday, IU looked like it had turned over a new leaf. The Hoosiers, playing against No. 22 Washington, didn't look anything like a team that lost badly to UConn a week earlier. \nBut that all changed in the second half, as the Hoosiers gave up four touchdowns in less than a quarter and lost 38-13.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo was unhappy with both halves. \n"We played well, but we didn't play well enough to win the first half," he said. "We played well enough to tie the first half. We lost both halves of the game. We talked about it at halftime. We still weren't playing well enough to win the game. Obviously, we were tied at halftime so we still weren't playing well enough." \nAfter entering halftime tied at 10, IU opened the third with a drive highlighted by a 26-yard scramble by junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio and an interference call on a pass intended for junior wideout Courtney Roby. The drive stalled, however, and IU settled for a 39-yard field goal by junior Bryan Robertson and a 13-10 lead. \nEverything went downhill from there.\nOn the Huskies' next possession, senior quarterback Cody Pickett threw a pass that junior wide receiver Reggie Williams caught slanting from left to right at the Washington 42-yard line. Williams made senior cornerback Duane Stone miss and streaked down the right sidelines for a 71-yard touchdown.\n"(That touchdown) broke our back, but we still need to learn how to finish the game," sophomore defensive end Victor Adenyanju said. "Once we get that down, it will boost our morale."\nIU turned the ball over on its next drive, when a LoVecchio incompletion to sophomore running back Chris Taylor was ruled a lateral and recovered by Washington. The drive stalled, however, and after an IU timeout, the Huskies lined up to punt. But an illegal substitution penalty gave the Huskies a first down and a chance they wouldn't waste. After a 23-yard pass to junior wideout Charles Frederick, freshman tailback Shelton Sampson dashed outside and scored on a seven-yard touchdown.\nFollowing the game, DiNardo was critical of the officiating, particularly the substitution penalty.\n"I think that is intent to deceive," he said. "I don't think that is college football. There was no stoppage of play. They lost control of the game, in my opinion. It was unfair. We were trying to get our players off the field." \nIU then went three and out and a poor punt gave the Huskies the ball on the IU 41. On a first and goal play, Sampson scored his second touchdown of the game untouched on an option pitch from Pickett.\nThe Huskies got the ball back immediately as LoVecchio was intercepted by senior linebacker Greg Carothers on the next play. Again, Washington didn't squander the opportunity. Williams caught his second scoring pass on a fade pattern on the left side of the endzone over sophomore cornerback Leonard Bryant. In only 9:21 of the third quarter, the Huskies transformed a 13-10 IU lead into a 38-13 deficit, effectively putting the game out of reach. \nIU did play well in the first half, even outgaining the Huskies in total yards 186-185. Washington scored first, on a drive characterized mostly by the ground game. The Huskies rushed 10 times for 51 yards before Pickett threw a completion to Frederick in the right corner of the end zone.\nHowever, the Hoosiers answered with their own long touchdown drive. On a 3 and 11, LoVecchio scrambled and slid one yard short of the first down at the IU 49-yard line. DiNardo decided to go for it and Taylor ran for 3 yards and the first down. After a loss, Taylor ran for 11 yards and caught a screen pass for 12 more before barreling up the middle for a 3-yard score. \nThe teams traded second quarter field goals, and IU got another shot when sophomore linebacker Kyle Killion intercepted Pickett with 1:22 remaining in the half. IU drove the ball to the 23, but LoVecchio took a sack and a 9-yard loss on third down. Robertson then missed the 50-yard attempt to end the first half of play.\nOffensively for IU, LoVecchio was 16 of 29 for 199 yards and the interception. Roby led receivers with seven catches for 77 yards and senior tailback Brian Lewis led in rushing with 31 yards. Freshman safety Will Meyers led IU defensively with 13 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Junior safety Herana-Daze Jones also finished with 13 tackles.\nLoVecchio said the team needs to concentrate on playing well for an entire game. \n"There's absolutely no reason for losing," he said. "We can look back and say that we played well in the first half, but that doesn't mean anything. We lost the football game, and we need to get back to work."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/05/03 6:32am)
The schedule isn't getting any easier for IU. \nA week after falling at Connecticut to open the season, the football team will travel to Seattle to take on the No. 22 Huskies in their home opener Saturday. \nFor a team that lost by 24 points to UConn last week, it's a daunting task. But it's also an opportunity to turn around a disastrous start. Junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio said the chance to put the UConn loss behind them is a motivating factor for the players.\n"I think that's going to be important for us," he said. "We just have to go out and play as a unit and be efficient and play smart football."\nAnd although the Huskies are coming off of a loss themselves (28-9 at Ohio State), IU will still be facing one of the most successful schools in college football. The Huskies are the 12th winningest football program in history and have compiled a 43-5 home non-conference record in the last 22 years.\nThe team packs a major offensive punch with record-setting quarterback senior Cody Pickett and number one wide receiver junior Reggie Williams. Pickett became the first Pac-10 quarterback to eclipse 4,000 yards passing last year while Williams caught 11 touchdown passes. In the Buckeye loss, Pickett was 26 of 49 for 255 yards, 107 of which were caught by Williams. \nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said he expects quite an attack from the Washington offense.\n"Pickett is the real deal -- he is a Heisman candidate," DiNardo said. "Reggie Williams is the real deal. ... They are your typical, ranked Pac-10 team. There are not many weaknesses. They are very good players and athletes."\nFor IU, the Hoosiers will try and build on an offense that showed some positive signs in the second half of the UConn loss. DiNardo said the team would again rely on a running back by committee rotation in which senior Brian Lewis, sophomore Chris Taylor and true freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis will all see time. He said that might be a theme for the whole game.\n"We will stick with (the rotation) this weekend," DiNardo said. "I am going to play a lot of guys this weekend, so bring your game program. We are going to shuffle guys in and out. We are bringing 70; I would like to play 55 or 60 guys, but certainly this week we are going to play three tailbacks. We are going to play multiple guys at multiple positions."\nTaylor led IU in rushing at UConn with 79 yards while junior wideout Travis Haney led the team in receiving with 99 yards. But, Haney also fumbled after a 44-yard catch in the fourth quarter. It's mistakes like those DiNardo hopes to correct this weekend.\n"I think this week if we don't fumble the ball, if we can secure the football, if we can do better in the red zone and do better on the goal line, it will be a good week on offense," he said. "On defense, if we cut our missed tackles down and big plays down, it will be a good week."\nSophomore linebacker Kyle Killion, who had 10 tackles against UConn, said the team expects nothing short of a challenge.\n"Our expectation is to go out there and do the best we can," Killion said. "It's a big challenge, but I like challenges. We just gotta give 'em hell."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(09/01/03 5:39am)
East Hartford, Conn. -- Quarterback Matt LoVecchio probably didn't envision an IU debut quite like this.\nThe junior, who sat out last season as a transfer from Notre Dame, struggled against UConn amid dropped passes, turnovers and a defense that limited him to only 28 yards passing in the first half of IU's 34-10 loss.\nAfter waiting all last year, the IU faithful had to wait a little bit longer Saturday to see the quarterback in action. Senior running back Brian Lewis fumbled on IU's second offensive play, and LoVecchio didn't complete a pass until he hit junior Courtney Roby nearly nine minutes into the game. It was one of only three LoVecchio completions in the half.\n"Early on, I really didn't get into a rhythm throwing the ball in the first half for whatever reason," LoVecchio said. "I just have to keep grinding and pushing and continue to improve on that."\nLoVecchio did find senior Glenn Johnson for his first IU touchdown on a 30-yard, fourth down score in the third quarter. He finished the game 13 of 29 for 211 yards but with a fumble and five sacks.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said he anticipates LoVecchio will get better as the season progresses.\n"I think he's a really good quarterback who has just been through his first game since a while back," DiNardo said. "He just needs to keep playing the game and build experience. He certainly can play better. I think he would tell you that."\nLoVecchio's stats weren't helped by sloppy play from several receivers. Sophomore John Pannozzo dropped a pair of passes, and Johnson bounced another off his hands. \nThe offensive line also struggled, allowing the quarterback little time on passing downs. And in the fourth quarter, a long play action pass to Roby that netted an interference call was negated by an IU holding penalty.\nLoVecchio, however, deflected the blame from any one position. \n"From an outsider's perspective, it might look like totally the offensive line's fault," he said. "But it's also on the quarterback and the receivers -- knowing where the blitz is coming from and knowing who's hot."\nWhile LoVecchio struggled, his opposite number on UConn excelled. Junior Dan Orlovsky threw for 307 yards and three touchdowns, marking his 13th straight game with a scoring pass. Although Orlovsky had the better day, UConn junior Alfred Fincher said the Huskies defense had their hands full with LoVecchio. \n"I thought he was a real good quarterback, a smart quarterback," said Fincher, who had 5 1/2 tackles. "I game-planned. I watched film all week and studied it real hard because I knew he was going to be a good one."\nIn the end though, after running IU's scout team last season, becoming a starting quarterback again proved a bittersweet transition for LoVecchio. \n"It felt good going out pregame and everything leading up to the game," he said. "But anytime you lose a football game, it's a terrible, sick feeling."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(08/29/03 5:53am)
IU players still have bad memories of losing to Penn State late last season on a Memorial Stadium turf made more of sand than grass. \n"The turf got so bad last year, it was basically a beach in the middle of the field," senior safety and captain Joe Gonzalez said. "They were painting the sand green to make it blend in."\nBut after a summer facelift, the field is free of both sand and dirt. In its place is AstroPlay, a state-of-the-art surface that imitates the feel of grass while providing the durability of artificial turf. Blades of grass have been replaced by vibrant green polyethylene fibers while the give of a natural surface is simulated by a layer of grinded rubber between the fibers.\nMost returning Hoosier players have competed on the surface before, as Big Ten foe Illinois uses AstroPlay. Gonzalez, however, suffered a season-ending injury prior to IU's 45-14 loss to the Fighting Illini last season. He said he's looking forward to playing an actual game on it.\n"I love the new field," he said. "Once they put the rubber down, it makes a very good surface. Surprisingly, it has enough give where there's no worries of turf burns. There's no substitute for natural grass, but this makes so much sense. I think it's a sharp field, and I really like what they've done with it."\nJunior wideout Courtney Roby echoed his teammate's sentiments and said although the field required some footwork adjustments, it is a definite upgrade.\n"At first it was kind of different, and I wasn't used to playing on it with the new surface and everything," Roby said. "I was slipping because I wasn't sure how to plant and cut. But I got used to that after a day. It was a good decision."\nThe advantages of AstroPlay aren't limited to the guarantee of a pristine playing field on gamedays. IU's two new practice fields are made of natural grass and, despite efforts to maintain them, are showing the wear and tear of a month of training. \nCoach Gerry DiNardo said the new stadium turf allowed the team to train in town.\n"The artificial turf allows us to rotate three fields instead of wearing out those two fields," he said. "I wanted to stay in Bloomington for camp, but if we didn't have the artificial (surface), we may have had to go away."\nThe practice fields also don't have lights, so the new stadium turf lets the Hoosiers practice even after dark. And since IU doesn't have priority registration for football players, DiNardo said practices already start later than most other teams in the conference. \n"We start our day at 3 p.m. as opposed to most people starting at 2 p.m.," he said. "Once it starts getting dark earlier, we have no lights on our practice field, which is another $300,000 to $400,000 investment. ... This new field is a soft version of the old artificial surface. I can't say enough about it. It is a tremendous plus for us."\nAs for Gonzalez, he'll finally get a chance to compete in a game on AstroPlay on Sept. 13, when IU opens at home against Indiana State. Already though, he is singing its praises.\n"I'll make a prediction," he said, "that in the next 10 years, at least 75 percent of the division I-A schools in the country will convert over to these types of surfaces."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.
(08/29/03 5:51am)
The Matt LoVecchio era of IU football is about to officially begin. The junior quarterback who sat out last season after transferring from Notre Dame will make his Hoosier debut Saturday in IU's season opener at Connecticut.\nAnd although LoVecchio has been a big-game quarterback before -- leading Notre Dame to a Fiesta Bowl berth as a freshman -- he isn't getting ahead of himself.\n"I think my goal for the first game, and for the season, is to just play within the system, not do too much, not force the ball, and just not do things that you're not supposed to do in this offense," he said. "I take it one play at a time, go through your progression, go through who's coming on the blitz and do everything you're responsible for."\nAfter spending last season running the scout team, LoVecchio was named the team's starter during spring football practice. Since then he has adjusted to running an offense that returns its second-leading rusher and each of its top five receivers.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said LoVecchio's progression has been steady, but the true test of improvement will come Saturday against the Huskies. \n"I could tell he was a little rusty when he came in the spring," DiNardo said. "Spring challenged him. He had a very good camp. Now the missing piece is what it's going to look like on game day."\nThat missing piece will be revealed against a UConn team riding a four-game win streak dating back to the end of last season. IU, meanwhile, enters Saturday's game on a six-game losing spin, in which it was outscored by 143 points. \nThe UConn offense is led by junior quarterback Dan Orlovsky, who threw a touchdown pass in all 12 of the Huskies' games last season, and sophomore running back Terry Caulley, who averaged more yards a game (124.7) than any other freshman tailback in the nation. \nIU will counter with the return of a defensive leader, senior free safety and team captain Joe Gonzalez. Gonzalez redshirted last year after suffering a hernia three games into the season. He said the Huskies have a potent attack.\n"UConn's got a great offense," Gonzalez said. "They have one of the best young running backs in the country and a good quarterback who's confident and has been there awhile. They're good all across the board. But we face good offenses every week here in the Big Ten."\nIn addition to Gonzalez, the secondary will also have a new face in junior Herana-Daze Jones. Jones, who is the team's leading returning tackler, shifted from linebacker to strong safety over the off-season.\nOn offense, IU's returning receivers include senior Glenn Johnson and junior Courtney Roby, both of whom finished in the conference top 10 in receptions and receiving yards per game.\n"We've been working hard all week," Roby said. "I feel like everybody knows what's expected of them. It's going to be a whole lot different from last year. Especially with the veterans coming back, we all know what's expected."\nDiNardo said the team will look to its recent signees to bolster the linebacker position, as well as other holes on offense and defense. He said as many as 17 to 20 newcomers could see action on Saturday and could be the deciding factor. \n"A lot of newcomers will play and we have to find out how mentally tough we are," he said. "If we are mentally tough, I think we have a chance. If we are not mentally tough, I don't think we have any chance."\nNotes: The game marks the first-ever matchup between IU and UConn. The Huskies will travel to Bloomington in 2006. UConn will play its first game in the new $91-million, 40,000-seat Rentschler Field against IU in East Hartford, Conn., Saturday. The game will be a homecoming for IU junior linebacker Josh Moore, who hails from Hamden, Conn.
(05/01/03 5:35am)
Everything was fair game Wednesday night in Alumni Hall and the result, by all accounts, was hilarious.\nMo Rocca, a senior correspondent and comic for "The Daily Show with Jon Stewart," shared his views on everything from the war in Iraq to reality television to life on "The Daily Show," entertaining a near capacity crowd of students.\n"I love (performing), I love it," Rocca said after the show. "A large number of the fans seem to be college kids, which is a great audience because they all invite me out afterwards and give me free beer."\nFreshman Cody Bell, assistant director of Union Board Comedy Committee, said he was impressed with the show and the turnout. \n"It was one of the funniest shows I've seen all year, bar none," he said. "It was great. He had the crowd in the palm of his hand, and it was really good."\nRocca began the evening by going through a series of current events and adding his sarcastic assessment. He joked that "American Idol" voting showed young people aren't disenfranchised with the democratic process and how it used to be only Oscar-winning celebrities who could speak against war.\n"I dream of a time when Oscar winners will one day be able to hold hands with Emmy Nominees and cram our politics down your throats," he joked. \nRocca then showed a tie, a throw pillow and an oven mitt he made out of leftover duct tape and plastic wrap he bought after hearing the warnings of chemical war. \nHe quizzed IU senior Ryan Clayton on IU history, the last question being "Which feature film was shot in Teter Quad last year?" \nClayton answered "Campus Invasion" after some thinking and audience help and was awarded a prize -- a pair of plastic wrap boxers he proudly wore as he walked back offstage.\n"It was awesome being up there with him, he's such a funny guy," Clayton said. "The boxers -- they're going up on my wall."\nRocca then went into a PowerPoint presentation of his life, chronicling his move from the children's television show "Wishbone" to the adult magazine "Perfect Ten" to his current role on "The Daily Show."\nRocca showed the audience a handful of clips, both stories that appeared on "The Daily Show" and others. In one he jabbed a babbling political pundit in the face with his microphone outside a political convention, as the pundit talked on and showed no response. Another clip was Rocca on "The O'Reilly Factor" fiercely debating with a representative of Concerned Women for America over a new lingerie Barbie. \n"Would you rather your daughter pretend to be a hooker or a crack whore or would you rather she actually be one," he said in a perfectly straight face, drawing gasps from the spokeswoman and host and and laughs from the audience. \nRocca finished with a question-and-answer session, in which he talked about being a big fan of visiting presidents' graves and houses and said given three wishes, one would be for "sushi on command." \nSophomore Jeremy Karnowski was first in line for the show and also first to hop on stage at its finish to shake Rocca's hand and get an autograph. \n"It was excellent," he said. "It was a giant dose of what I love at home and the inside stories were great." \nIn a rare instance of seriousness, Rocca said he enjoyed his trip to IU.\n"My only disappointment is that I didn't come earlier," he said. "The campus is beautiful and IU is a really storied place. It's really cool -- you guys figured out the structure of DNA and invented Crest toothpaste"
(04/29/03 5:32am)
Three IU football players signed rookie free agent contracts with NFL teams Monday. After the weekend draft, players who weren't picked could sign with any team. Defensive tackle Kris Dielman signed with the San Diego Chargers, offensive lineman Bobby Brandt signed with the New York Jets and offensive tackle Enoch DeMar signed with the Cleveland Browns.\nDielman, a team captain and honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last year, led the team with five sacks and also had \n4 tackles for a loss. He also earned Team MVP honors in player voting. \nChargers Director of College Scouting Jimmy Raye said in a statement the team is excited by Dielman's potential.\n"We are extremely excited to get Kris," Raye said. "He is a guy that fits what we like to do up front. He is an inside presence and in our opinion, is very similar to (Oakland Raiders tackle) John Parrella. We want guys like Kris up front."\nBrandt, meanwhile, moved to the offensive line his junior year, when he earned honorable mention All-Big Ten recognition by the coaches and the media.\nBrandt worked out in front of a Jets scout on Pro Day, and the scout told him afterward the team was interested. \n"It was great; it was a long time dream and something I've always wanted to do," Brandt said. "I've been home all week, and they'd been in contact me, so I was pretty sure that's where I'd end up."\nBrandt will report to the team Thursday to begin preparation for the squad's first mini-camp, set for this weekend. He said he looks forward to the challenge of making the team. \n"It's just an awesome opportunity to go out and prove myself," he said. "Right now, my goal is just to make the team. I don't have too many long term goals, just making the team. Then I'll refocus. But I'd love to play in the NFL for a long time."\nAn honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree in 2001 and 2002, DeMar started every game of his college career. He was a team captain and was named a starter at the Hula Bowl in Wailuku, Hawaii, in February.
(04/28/03 9:52pm)
Three IU football players signed rookie free agent contracts with NFL teams today. After the weekend draft, all players who weren't picked can sign with any team. Defensive tackle Kris Dielman signed with the San Diego Chargers, offensive lineman Bobby Brandt signed with the New York Jets and offensive tackle Enoch DeMar signed with the Cleveland Browns.\nDielman, a team captain and honorable mention All-Big Ten selection last year, led the team with five sacks and also had 14 tackles for loss. He earned Team MVP honors in player voting. \nChargers Director of College Scouting Jimmy Raye said in a statement the team is excited by Dielman's potential.\n"We are extremely excited to get Kris," Raye said. "He is a guy that fits what we like to do up front. He is an inside presence and in our opinion, is very similar to John Parrella. We want guys like Kris up front."\nBrandt, meanwhile, moved to the offensive line his junior year, when he earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten recognition by the coaches and the media.\nBrandt worked out in front of a Jets scout on Pro Day, and the scout told him afterward the team was interested. \n"It was great, it was a long time dream and something I've always wanted to do," Brandt said. "I've been home all week, and they'd been in contact me, so I was pretty sure that's where I'd end up."\nBrandt will report to the team on Thursday, to begin preparation for the squad's first minicamp, set for this weekend. He said he looks forward to the challenge of making the team. \n"It's just an awesome opportunity to go out and prove myself," he said. "Right now, my goal is just to make the team. I don't have too many long term goals, just making the team. Then I'll refocus. But I'd love to play in the NFL for a long time."\nAn honorable mention All-Big Ten honoree in 2001 and 2002, DeMar started every game of his college career. He was a team captain and was named a starter at the Hula Bowl in Wailuku, Hawaii in January.
