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(11/12/02 9:42pm)
Last week, Michigan State junior wide receiver Charles Rogers wondered whether his team could win another game this season.\nSo much for that theory.\nRogers and his teammates took Monday's firing of coach Bobby Williams personally. And rather than using it as an excuse for a poor performance, the Spartans used Williams' dismissal as a motivating tool to stoke their competitive fires.\nThe result was an inspired game featuring one big play after another as Michigan State brutalized the Hoosiers 56-21.\n"What motivated me was the firing of Coach Williams," said freshman running back David Richard. "I was angry about it this week, and I'm still angry about it now."\nRichard's anger translated into a career performance. Richard rushed for 136 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, including a career-long 48-yard gain in the second quarter.\nRichard said the intensity of a rivalry game also added fuel to the fire.\n"Before Coach Williams was fired, he talked about how (Antwaan) Randle El came to the sideline last year and said 'Give me that Spittoon,'" Richard said. "I didn't get a chance to go over to their coach and say that this year, but we just wanted to show everything on the field."\nThe much maligned Spartan running attack, which entered the game last in the Big Ten with 129.7 yards a game and was without the services of dismissed starter senior Dawan Moss, exited Memorial Stadium with 289 yards on the ground.\nRichard's backfield mate and fellow freshman Jaren Hayes also had a career game, with 88 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. Hayes said he was happy to contribute to a breakout performance by the Spartan running attack.\n"Everyone's been putting down our running game," Hayes said. "We have some good running backs. We just had to go out there and show everybody we could play."\nPlaying along with the common theme of career-best performances was sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell. \nDowdell put the Spartans on the scoreboard in the first quarter on a long and winding eight-yard run in which he ran halfway across the field to his right, and then seeing that his path was blocked, turned around and snuck into the left corner of the end zone.\nFrom that point on, Dowdell and the Michigan State offense could not be stopped -- literally. The Spartans scored seven touchdowns in their next nine possessions. Dowdell passed for four of the scores and 203 yards on the day.\n"I don't know where it was all season, but today everyone just stepped up with their 'A-game,'" Dowdell said.\nRogers was one player who brought his A-plus game, doing a little bit of everything to lead the Spartans to victory. He set the tone early in Michigan State's 35-point second quarter by gaining 41 yards on a reverse play that set up the touchdown that gave the Spartans a 14-7 lead.\nRogers ran another reverse around the other end four possessions later, going 25 yards to set up another touchdown.\n"That was something different," Rogers said. "(Interim coach) Morris Watts thought it would be a good play for us to run this week, and we got it done."\nBut that's not all. \nRogers made a highlight-reel grab that required him to both leap up and lay out for the ball to harness a 36-yard touchdown that tied him with Kirk Gibson for the most touchdown receptions in Michigan State history.\nRogers later broke Gibson's record with a 21-yard catch for his 25th career touchdown reception.\nWith his attention distracted by the issues swirling around the team this week, Rogers did not realize he had broken the record until after the game.\n"Kirk's the man," Rogers said. "I'm pleased. That's something I'll cherish for a lifetime."\nThe offense was not the only unit that played with fire Saturday. Michigan State's run defense, which entered the game ranked 99th in the nation, held IU to 107 yards on the ground.\nWatts, who will be fired along with the rest of Williams' staff at the end of the season, was proud of the performance that his team put together.\n"I'm a happy man to say that I stood on that sideline today and watched a bunch of guys play their fannies off," Watts said.
(11/08/02 5:18am)
NCAA rules prohibit any game from ending in a tie. Therefore, Saturday's game between Michigan State (3-6, 1-4 Big Ten), losers of four straight, and IU (3-6, 1-4 Big Ten), losers of three straight, must produce a winner.\nFor the Spartans, the game will come on the heels of a week that could be considered one of the lowest points in the history of the program. \nOn Saturday, they lost to archrival Michigan by a score of 49-3, which is the largest margin of defeat for the Spartans in 55 years. On Saturday night, senior tailback Dawan Moss was kicked off the team after being charged with drunken driving and fleeing a police officer. Moss was one of the team's captains.\nOn Sunday, the family of junior quarterback Jeff Smoker announced that he had checked into rehab for a substance abuse problem. Smoker had already been suspended for violating team rules.\nMonday, Coach Bobby Williams was fired. Williams was one of four African American head coaches in Division I-A. The Spartans had entered the season ranked No. 15 in the nation.\nOffensive coordinator Morris Watts will take helm of the Spartans ship as the interim head coach. While Watts has no head coaching experience, he is a very familiar face for IU coach Gerry DiNardo. Watts was DiNardo's offensive coordinator at LSU from 1995-98.\n"Morris and I worked together for four years," DiNardo said. "He's a terrific guy, a fabulous guy and a terrific coach."\nWatts may be missing a few weapons from his arsenal, but he still has his biggest gun -- junior wide receiver Charles Rogers. Rogers leads the Big Ten with 1,025 receiving yards and nine touchdown catches. Earlier this year, he set an NCAA record when he caught a touchdown pass for the 13th consecutive game. \nAfter a two game drought, Rogers got back on track with two touchdowns in a loss to Wisconsin two weeks ago. Rogers is a frontrunner for the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is presented to the top wide receiver in the nation. \nDiNardo plans on slowing Rogers down with double coverage.\nOne of the players that will try to stick to Rogers is senior cornerback Antonio Watson. \n"He's better than anyone I've faced, so I have to take a different approach in containing him," Watson said. \nFor the Spartans, sophomore quarterback Damon Dowdell has taken over for Smoker, and has thrown two touchdowns and one interception in two starts.\nDefensively, IU has been torched on the ground in its past two games, surrendering 248 rushing yards against Illinois and 240 rushing yards against Northwestern. With the loss of Moss, Michigan State will be challenged to do the same. The Spartans will be starting freshman running back David Richard, who has 416 yards on 94 carries this season.\nOffensively, senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan faces a defense that has given up 93 points in its last two games. He said he doesn't expect the Spartans to just give up, though.\n"It is obviously a difficult time over there," Hamdan said. "But I am sure that they are going to get prepared just like they would if Coach Williams was still their coach."\nSaturday's game will mark the 50th game in the series between IU and Michigan State, and is the 46th battle for the Old Brass Spittoon, which was first awarded in 1950. Michigan State leads the series 34-13-2, but IU is looking to hold onto the Spittoon in consecutive seasons for the first time since a three-year stretch from 1967-69.
(11/05/02 2:58pm)
You often hear Rodney Dangerfield complain about how he never gets any respect. And he may be right -- one often overlooks his great comedic performances in films such as "Caddyshack" or "Back to School." (For the sake of this article, I won't mention the film "Ladybugs." Also for the sake of this article, I will start talking about basketball. Just hang on a sec).\nMuch like Dangerfield, coach Mike Davis must feel his team isn't getting the respect that it deserves. A year after finishing one win away from raising a sixth National Championship banner to the Assembly Hall rafters, nobody is prepared to believe the Hoosiers will be making the trip to New Orleans for this year's Final Four. \nThis, of course, is understandable. It's hard for any team to go to the Final Four in consecutive years.\nBut most experts aren't even projecting a Big Ten Championship for the Hoosiers. As is seemingly always the case, the pre-season accolades are drifting toward Tom Izzo and Michigan State. \nLike a junior high girl looking at a poster of N'SYNC, the national media just seems to go a little overboard when it comes to evaluating the Spartans, who seem to prematurely lose their top players to the NBA Draft each year. Not that MSU won't be plenty good this year -- they will be. It's just that no one seems to think they are ever capable of dropping a notch or two.\nBut when IU loses its top player two years in a row, what happens? \n"Oh, those guys don't have a chance. Wait 'til next year," people say.\nAt least IU is in the Top 25 -- barely. Sportsline.com has the Hoosiers entering the season ranked No. 23 in the nation, exactly six spots behind … Western Kentucky? Sure, the Hilltoppers had a pretty sweet run last year, going 28-4. But to rank them ahead of every team in the Big Ten except for Michigan State? I guess I forgot how tough Sun Belt conference rivals like Arkansas State and Denver were. (No, not the Nuggets, but Denver University. Not that the Nuggets are any better).\nA bigger disgrace is that five teams from the SEC are ranked higher than IU. With the exception of Kentucky, have you ever seen an SEC team go deep in the tournament? Of course you haven't, SEC teams always lose in the first round. (You can forget aberrations like Florida's 2000 Championship game appearance). \nSEC fans don't even know that basketball season starts until the Sugar Bowl is over. And how can a team be expected to do well in the tournament when spring football practices are the hot topic on campus? \nI won't totally berate the national media here; there is plenty of reason for them to be skeptical. IU did lose three players in Jared Jeffries, Dane Fife and Jarrad Odle. But there are a number of factors that can bring success back to Assembly Hall this year.\nExpect Tom Coverdale to come out with guns blazing as he plays true to his all-Big Ten form. And don't be at all surprised if this is the year we see A.J. Moye blossom into a superstar. He didn't make the all-Big Ten team in the preseason, but I have a feeling he won't be left off the ballot when the year comes to an end.\nBig men Jeff Newton and George Leach will have to pick up the void left by Jeffries. If they play anything like they did under the pressure and scrutiny of the national spotlight in last year's tournament, there should be no problem.\nYou might have heard they've got some freshmen on the IU roster this year as well. And judging by some action during scrimmages, it looks like they can be expected to make a big impact in the Big Ten this season.
(11/04/02 4:58am)
EVANSTON, Ill. -- In a game rife with errors and less-than-perfect execution by both teams, it came down to the team that made the last mistake ending up as the loser. In this case, it was IU, which all but kissed its post-season aspirations goodbye with a 41-37 loss to Northwestern in front of a sparse crowd of 25,077.\nThe game saw one dubious streak come to an end and another continue. The Wildcats (3-7, 1-5) broke an 11-game Big Ten losing skid, winning for the first time since they beat Michigan State last September. Meanwhile, IU (3-6, 1-4) has yet to win a game on the road this season and has lost six straight road contests overall.\nThe decisive play was a seven-yard touchdown run by Wildcat junior running back Jason Wright with 2:14 remaining that capped off a 44-yard drive for Northwestern. The touchdown also capped off a career day for Wright, who rushed for 219 yards in addition to four touchdowns.\n"He's a good player, he played very well," Coach Gerry DiNardo said. "But I don't think we tackled very well."\nA pop-up 20-yard punt by junior Ryan Hamre set up the short drive. Hamre's short punt accentuated a short drive by the Hoosiers, who went three-and-out as they tried to hold onto the ball to run out the clock.\nDiNardo said the Hoosiers were doomed after their inability to move the ball into Northwestern territory at the end of the game.\n"We all felt that we put our defense on the short end of the field," DiNardo said.\nFrom the beginning, the game had all of the markings of the wild shootout it developed into.\nIU opened the game by running through the Northwestern defense at will, scoring in eight plays on a 60-yard drive. Freshman running back Yamar Washington ran through the Wildcats' defense, carrying the ball on every play of the drive including a two-yard touchdown.\nSophomore kicker Bryan Robertson missed the extra-point attempt.\nIt didn't take Northwestern long to respond. After a 73-yard kickoff return to the IU 18-yard line by freshman Jeff Backes, the Wildcats put the ball in the end zone on a draw play to Wright.\nSenior kicker David Wasielewski proceeded to miss the point-after attempt, keeping the score tied at 6.\nWright would also score on a 12-yard draw to put the Wildcats up 13-6 to end the first quarter.\nIU's next score was another Washington two-yard touchdown, which was followed up by another missed PAT by Robertson.\nRobertson's next kick was a 43-yard field goal attempt, which split the uprights to give IU a 15-13 halftime lead. It was the first time this season IU has led a game at halftime.\nMomentum swung heavily in Northwestern's favor on the first possession of the second half. Facing a fourth-and-four at their own 23-yard line, DiNardo tried to surprise the Wildcats by calling for a fake punt. Sophomore tight end Aaron Halterman took the direct snap and was stopped a yard short of the first down marker.\n"I was trying to make something happen," DiNardo said.\nWhat happened was another Wright touchdown off of a draw play, this one coming from 10 yards out.\nNorthwestern scored two more touchdowns in the third, including one off of a drive that covered 94 yards in only seven plays.\nIU's lone score of the third quarter came from freshman running back Chris Taylor, who played for the injured Brian Lewis. Taylor scored his first career touchdown on a 26-yard off-tackle scamper.\n"It was good blocking. I just had to beat a couple defenders and get into the end zone," Taylor said.\nIU would retake the lead after a pair of Northwestern turnovers in the fourth quarter. The first was a fumble at the Northwestern nine-yard line forced by junior linebacker Herana-Daze Jones. Jones picked up the ball and waltzed into the end zone for the score.\n"It just pretty much bounced back to me," Jones said. "I just saw the ball on the ground and scooped it up."\nThe Hoosiers took a 37-34 edge after a fumble and a one-yard Washington run and a two-point conversion on a shovel pass from senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan to Washington.\nAfter Northwestern retook the lead, Hamdan and the Hoosiers had a chance to put together a two-minute drive for the victory. But sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby dropped a pass on fourth-and-four from the IU 36-yard line that effectively ended the game with 1:23 left to play.
(10/31/02 6:14am)
One might think that it must be pretty frustrating to be Matt LoVecchio. For the first time since third grade, he won't be playing in an organized football game all season. The team that he once quarterbacked, Notre Dame, is undefeated and in the thick of the National Championship hunt.\nBut the 6-3, 200 pound redshirt junior quarterback doesn't let any of that bother him -- he's happy and focused on being a Hoosier.\n"I'm just trying to take advantage of everything that's available to me here," LoVecchio said.\nFor the time being, that includes preparing the IU defense for its opponents each week as the scout team quarterback. LoVecchio's work is that of a chameleon: he must adapt to mimic a different style of offense and quarterback each week.\nWith 12 different teams on the schedule, it's no simple task, but LoVecchio has drawn rave reviews from teammates and coaches alike for his ability to provide the Hoosiers with effective reconnaissance.\nFreshman cornerback Damien Jones recently praised LoVecchio while preparing for the Wisconsin game.\n"He can pretty much duplicate anything," Jones said.\nOffensive coordinator Al Borges also believes that though he's not playing, LoVecchio is still able to make a big impact on the team.\n"There's probably not a better scout team quarterback in the country," Borges said. "To have a guy that's been in the arena; in the bright lights, running your scout team is just incredible."\nLoVecchio's experience under the bright lights began his freshman year when he took over a 2-2 Irish team and led them to seven straight victories and a Fiesta Bowl appearance against Oregon State. LoVecchio was the first freshman to start at Notre Dame since Rick Mirer.\nWorking out of a run-oriented option offense, LoVecchio passed for 11 touchdowns and 980 yards in the eight games he played in. \nAfter Notre Dame's slow start in 2001, LoVecchio was benched in favor of Carlyle Holiday, but stayed with the team during spring practice. Once the school year was over, he made the decision to transfer to IU for personal reasons.\n"I looked into a few other schools, but after sitting down with coach DiNardo and his staff I felt real comfortable here," LoVecchio said.\nDiNardo's staff also felt comfortable with LoVecchio.\n"All he's got to do is get in our offense and learn it," Borges said.\nFor LoVecchio, the hardest part about leaving South Bend has nothing to do with leaving tradition or a spot in the national limelight -- it's about leaving the friends and teammates he has bonded with in the past two years.\nHe still keeps in touch with his ex-teammates as frequently as possible and is pleased with their success this season. \n"I'm so happy for them. I just hope that they can continue what they're doing," LoVecchio said.\nUnlike the national experts, who did not even have Notre Dame ranked in the Top 25 to begin the season, LoVecchio is not surprised the Irish have climbed to No. 4 in the polls.\n"They're a bunch of hard working guys and they deserve everything they're getting right now," he said.\nMeanwhile, LoVecchio will be focused on learning IU's "Midwest Coast" offense in preparation for next season.\n"I'm taking advantage of the opportunity I have now to learn a new system and a new scheme," LoVecchio said. "I'm excited to have a chance to come in and compete and do whatever is necessary to help the team."\nBorges said LoVecchio's year off will help accentuate the learning process.\n"It's like being on a sabbatical," Borges said. "You can sit and watch and learn from the other quarterbacks."\nBorges also pointed out LoVecchio will still have to display a good work ethic if he wants to take over the reigns as the starter next fall.\n"We're not handing him anything," Borges said.
(10/29/02 5:20am)
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- Last week in practice, coach Gerry DiNardo and his staff worked on IU's Big Ten-worst red zone offense (scoring 57.7 percent of the times in the red zone this season). This week, the team was perfect inside the Illinois 20-yard line.\nUnfortunately for the Hoosiers, they didn't get the ball into the red zone until they were already trailing Illinois 45-0 with less than 4 minutes remaining to play.\nWhile IU managed to score two touchdowns to close the gap to 45-14 at game's end, throughout the course of the game the offense was simply unable to move the ball against a statistically porous Illinois defense that had been giving up 29.7 points per game.\n"I didn't think that we executed very well at all," DiNardo said.\nIU's first possession of the game provided effective foreshadowing of things to come. The Hoosiers went three-and-out, with senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan misfiring on pass attempts to junior running back Brian Lewis and freshman wide receiver Tyke Spencer.\n"We had people open, and I was missing the throws," Hamdan said.\nOn their first possession, the Illini moved the ball 67 yards in nine plays, topping the drive off with a 31-yard touchdown pass from junior quarterback Dustin Ward to junior wide receiver Brandon Lloyd.\nThe Illinois offense never looked back, exploding for 35 points in the first half.\nMeanwhile, the IU offense looked flatter than the topography around Champaign's Memorial Stadium.\nIU first ventured into Illinois territory with under four minutes left to play in the first quarter on a two-yard screen pass from Hamdan to freshman running back Yamar Washington that put the Hoosiers on the Illini 49-yard line. The ensuing third down play was an incomplete pass for junior wide receiver Glenn Johnson, and another IU drive came to a halt.\nThe Hoosiers managed just 43 yards in the first quarter to the 173 gained by the Illini.\n"They (the defense) didn't necessarily show me anything that I was surprised by," Hamdan said. "Obviously they played a very good game, and you have to give them credit as a defense. But we shot ourselves in the foot numerous times."\nBy the next time they touched the ball, IU already trailed the game 21-0. However, they were finally able to show signs that they could move the ball against the Illinois defense.\nHamdan hit sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby for a 26-yard completion to the IU 49-yard line to get the drive started. On the next play, Washington broke IU's first notable run of the game, going nine yards to the Illinois 42.\nEverything got thrown out the window on the next play. Hamdan and Washington collided on a hand-off attempt, and the ball helplessly fell to the turf and into the waiting hands of Illinois junior defensive lineman Derrick Strong.\nUnlike previous games, where the Hoosiers had been able to climb back into the game after falling behind early, this time IU's comeback was over before it started.\n"I think that we didn't play hard at any point in the game," DiNardo said.\nIU would move the ball into Illinois territory twice before the end of the second quarter. \nDown 28-0, Hamdan led a drive to the Illinois 36-yard line. The offense would move backwards from there, with Hamdan getting sacked for a seven-yard loss. An incompletion brought up fourth-and-17, and IU was forced to punt.\nIU sniffed the red zone on its next possession. After getting the ball to the Illinois 30, an illegal chop block called on IU moved the ball back to the 45 yard-line. A pass from Hamdan to Roby moved IU back to the Illinois 34. But Hamdan was dropped for a sack on fourth down, ending the Hoosier scoring threat.\nTrailing 35-0 at halftime, DiNardo had little choice but to replace Hamdan with senior Tommy Jones at quarterback.\n"I didn't think Gibran passed the ball very well," DiNardo said. "He didn't look sharp at all."\nJones led the Hoosiers to their only two touchdowns in his relief effort, albeit IU's final score came against the Illini's second-stringers. Jones was 12 of 24 for 172 yards with an interception and a 44-yard touchdown pass to Spencer.\n"Nobody wants to go out there when something like that happens, but we wanted to go out there and see if we could get something going," Jones said.\nDiNardo said he would watch the tape to reassess the quarterbacking situation this week.
(10/25/02 5:25am)
Last year, Illinois spoiled IU's Homecoming with a 35-14 win en route to the Big Ten Championship and a berth in the Sugar Bowl. This year, the Hoosiers are obliged to try and return the favor as Illinois takes them on for its Homecoming in Champaign, Ill.\nIn this year's addition, there will be a lot on the line for both teams. The Hoosiers (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten) are trying to fight their way into the bowl picture, and the Fighting Illini (2-5, 1-2 Big Ten) are trying to salvage a season that has gotten off to a slow start.\nComing into the season, Illinois had to overcome the loss of the second-most productive passer in school history, Kurt Kittner, as well as All-Big Ten center Luke Butkus.\nBut, with eight starters returning on offense and seven returning on defense, coach Ron Turner's team was expected to roll past early season opponents Missouri, Southern Mississippi and San Jose State. Instead, the Illini dropped the games by scores of 33-20, 23-20 and 38-35, respectively.\n"Early in the year we weren't playing together with mental toughness down after down," Turner said.\nIllinois does come into this week's game with a couple of advantages. Their last game was a 38-31 overtime win over Purdue, and last week they had a bye that gave them an extra week of preparation for IU.\n"They are obviously a little ahead of us on the game plan," coach Gerry DiNardo said.\nIf the Hoosiers are to pick up their first win in Champaign since 1979, their game plan will include improving their red zone efficiency. IU was 1-for-6 inside the 20-yard line against Iowa last week, which added to three points and three turnovers.\n"Lack of a run game and penalties have been the most difficult thing (to overcome) in the red zone," DiNardo said.\nSenior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said he blames his decision making for contributing to IU's red zone woes last week.\n"My decision making wasn't as good in the red zone as it was out in the field, and that is something that I need to work on," Hamdan said. "My decision making in the red zone doubles in importance as it does when you are out in the middle of the field."\nIU's secondary will face a challenge of its own when facing Illinois' highly touted wide receivers, junior Brandon Lloyd and senior Walter Young. Lloyd, who is a semi-finalist for the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation's top receiver, has 801 yards on 44 receptions and six touchdowns. Young has 23 catches for 367 yards and four touchdowns.\n"They just roll up the yards and points and score over 30 points a game," DiNardo said.\nJunior Dustin Ward will start the game as quarterback for the Illini, but he might not finish it. Ward has been flip-flopped with fellow junior Jon Beutjer throughout the year.\nBeutjer, a transfer from Iowa, has experience against the Hoosiers. He quarterbacked the Hawkeyes in a 45-33 loss to IU in 2000, but passed for 380 yards and four touchdowns.\nFor IU, the game at Illinois' Memorial Stadium will mark the second time this year that the team has played a game on artificial turf. The other experience on the carpet for the Hoosiers resulted in a 40-13 loss to Utah.\nLike Utah's surface, Memorial Stadium's field is not made of AstroTurf but AstroPlay, a synthetic mixture of polyethylene and rubber granules that is supposed to be closer to grass.\n"It is going to be important to go out there in warm ups and understand what you can do on the turf, and what kind of things you might not be able to do that you would be able to do on grass," Hamdan said.\nIn addition to the team rivalries, Saturday will also produce a sibling rivalry. IU safeties coach Curt Mallory will see a familiar face this weekend -- Illinois safeties' coach Mike Mallory, his brother. Both are sons of former IU coach Bill Mallory.\nThe game kicks off at 1 p.m.\nSaturday's game can be heard on WIUS 1570-AM.
(10/21/02 5:03am)
It looked like they could do it again. After spotting No. 15 Iowa a 17-0 first quarter lead, the IU offense moved the ball inside the Hawkeye 20-yard line six times in an attempt to pull out a comeback for the ages.\nBut the six trips into the red zone turned into just three points as IU (3-4, 1-2 Big Ten) dropped its Homecoming game 24-8 to the Hawkeyes (7-1, 3-0 Big Ten).\nThe IU offense was unable to score a touchdown despite putting up 481 yards of total offense.\n"Stats are for losers," said coach Gerry DiNardo. "We got what we deserved."\nIowa scored early and often. Junior running back Fred Russell led the Hawkeyes opening drive with five carries for 36 yards, including a three-yard touchdown run. Iowa has scored a touchdown on its opening drive six times this year.\nAfter IU went three-and-out on its opening possession, a 38-yard punt return by Iowa redshirt freshman Ed Hinkel gave the Hawkeyes the ball at the IU 34-yard line. The IU defense was able to hold the Hawkeyes to a 43-yard field goal by senior Nate Kaeding.\nAfter another three-and-out by the IU offense, senior quarterback Brad Banks used two completions and a pass interference call on IU to set up a two-yard touchdown run by Russell.\nIU has been outscored 68-26 in the first quarter of games this season.\nThe Hoosiers finally responded in the second quarter. With Iowa driving early in the quarter, senior defensive end Herman Fowler picked up a fumble by junior running back Aaron Greving at the IU 15.\nThe Hoosiers then moved the ball down the field in a way that no team has against Iowa this year -- on the ground. Junior running back Brian Lewis carried the ball eight times for 55 yards on the possession. Iowa entered the game giving up an average of just 56.1 yards per game on the ground.\nLewis finished the game with 25 carries for 123 yards. It was the first time this year that a player has run for 100 yards against the Hawkeye defense.\n"I thought the (offensive) line played pretty well," Lewis said. "It's just smash-mouth football. We had to get more physical with them, and that's what we've done."\nThe drive came to a halt on third-and-goal when senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan floated the ball into end zone, right into the waiting hands of Iowa junior linebacker Grant Steen.\n"I think they did a good job of covering my initial reads," Hamdan said. "I didn't really see the guy from the back side. To drive the ball like that and not come away with any points really hurt our team."\nThe first half ended in the same manner. On first down from the Iowa 13-yard line, sophomore Courtney Roby dropped an almost certain touchdown pass from Hamdan. Roby had three drops in the game.\nAfter getting sacked on second down, Hamdan was picked off by Steen again to end the half.\nAfter getting shutout for the first time in a half this season, IU got on the board on the first possession of the second half. With a pair of completions by Hamdan and seven straight carries by Lewis, IU moved the ball to the Iowa 21-yard line before the drive fizzled when Hamdan was sacked.\nHamdan took the sack due to the Hawkeyes tight pass coverage. Sophomore kicker Bryan Robertson kicked a 45-yard field goal to cut the Iowa lead to 17-3 with 8:39 left in the third.\nIU opened the fourth quarter at the Iowa five-yard line on second-and-goal.\nA false start moved the ball back to the 10-yard line, and once again IU was unable to get into the end zone, settling for a 23-yarder by Robertson to make it 17-6.\nThe Hawkeyes caught the IU secondary napping a few minutes later. Banks hit senior wide receiver C.J. Jones, who was 10 yards past the nearest defender when the ball was released, for a 65-yard touchdown to seemingly seal the game with 11:49 remaining.\nIU kept fighting, though, making three more trips inside the red zone before the end of the game.\n"We showed against Wisconsin that we can come back," Roby said. "We stopped ourselves."\nBut the only points the Hoosiers would be able to produce for the remainder of the game occurred when Iowa sophomore punter David Bradley ran the ball out of the end zone to take an intentional safety with 2:53 left to play.\nIU's final play of the game of the game was a Hamdan pass that was caught by Iowa's second-leading pass catcher on the day -- Steen. His third interception in the game set an Iowa single-game record.
(10/18/02 5:34am)
IU fans tend to remember the exploits of the two members of the 2001 all-Big Ten team that graduated last season. After all, Antwaan Randle El and Levron Williams combined to form a nightmare for any defensive coordinator or scoreboard operator, with Williams leading the conference in scoring and Randle El taking the Silver Football for Conference Player of the Year honors.\nWhat fans might forget is that there was one more Hoosier that was on last year's all-Big Ten roster. One that got down and dirty opening holes for Williams and giving Randle El a little extra time to create his magic. That player is senior offensive lineman Enoch DeMar.\nFor DeMar, the possibility of being overlooked doesn't bother him.\n"I'm an offensive lineman," DeMar said. "It's a part of the job."\nDeMar has been as steadfast as they come, having started 39 consecutive games. As one of the seasoned veterans on a young IU roster, he seemed a natural fit to fill in the role of offensive captain.\n"He's been a good team guy, a good team leader," coach Gerry DiNardo said.\nOffensive line coach Phil Adazzio credits DeMar's approachability as an asset for younger players to look up to.\n"Enoch's the kind of guy that likes to lead by example. Everyone has a different style -- some are up in your face," Adazzio said. "He wants to go out and do his best, and hope that people follow him by doing their best."\nDeMar's path to IU began in his high school days, where he was named all-state at Arsenal Tech in Indianapolis. Though he didn't start playing football until his sophomore year in high school, DeMar was offered scholarships by both IU and Illinois.\nAfter sitting out his freshman year as a redshirt, DeMar has not missed a start.\n"It's my job. If I can be out there, I'll be out there," DeMar said of his streak.\nDespite his experience, the 2002 off-season was a time of constant change for DeMar. He adjusted to a new coaching staff, a new quarterback and a new position on the offensive line.\nThen again, playing a new position on the offensive line is nothing new for DeMar; he has played every spot on the line. This year, he protects senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan's blindside as a left tackle. He played left guard his freshman year, right tackle his sophomore year and right guard last season. He also spent time at center in training camp this year.\n"He's a smart guy, and because he's got experience he kind of knows every position," Adazzio said. "If (an injury) situation occurred, we could plug gaps no problem."\nPlaying in the Big Ten, DeMar has seen his fair share of highly touted defensive lineman. But he still said that the player that challenges him the most is the one who wears the same helmet, senior Kris Dielman.\n"He makes sure your technique is perfect," DeMar said. "If not, you're not gonna block him."\nDeMar's success has not been limited to the playing field, though. With a GPA of 3.03 in telecommunications, he has been named all-academic Big Ten the past two seasons.\nDeMar bristles at the stigma associated with the long-time cliché "big, dumb lineman."\n"We're the brightest guys out there," DeMar said. "We're always at the point of attack. We have a thousand things going on in our head before the play. It's hard."\nOn the playing field, he said one of his favorite memory is last year's 13-7 victory over Purdue to reclaim the Old Oaken Bucket. But it is the camaraderie with teammates that will give DeMar his favorite memories of IU.\n"The fellowship, and the bond…those are the things that you really can't recreate," DeMar said.\nIdeally, DeMar would like to see his IU career end in a bowl game. And though he will have a resume ready for the real world, DeMar said he hopes that his career in football doesn't stop at that point, but carries into the NFL. \nBut he doesn't like to look that far ahead.\n"I think I've got a good chance of making it," DeMar said. "But I've got to focus on 'the now."
(10/14/02 5:17am)
Sometimes, football's greatest performances come in unexpected packages. The greatest comeback in football history, a playoff rally from a 35-3 deficit, was led by a backup quarterback, Frank Reich of the Buffalo Bills. For IU, a great performance blossomed in the form of senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan, who went from a backup on opening day to a hero Saturday.\nIn just his fourth career start as quarterback, Hamdan proved his mettle as a comeback artist, leading IU back from a 19-point deficit to stun No. 23 Wisconsin, 32-29. The victory represents the Hoosiers' biggest comeback since they erased a 21-point deficit against Illinois in 1999. It was also the third-largest comeback in school history.\nHamdan put up career-highs in every statistical category, completing 24 of 36 passes for 310 yards and four touchdowns. It was the first 300-yard passing performance by an IU quarterback since Antwaan Randle El threw for 329 yards against Purdue in 1999.\nThough playing time had been limited over the course of his IU career, coach Gerry DiNardo credited Hamdan's experience and maturity as catalysts for the comeback.\n"He's a talented guy who's very bright and has tremendous grit," DiNardo said. "He's a lot further along in playing experience because of his maturity."\nHamdan also displayed poise after shaking off a pair of potentially disappointing plays that helped put the Hoosiers in a 19-point hole. \nEarly in the first quarter, Hamdan connected with junior running back Brian Lewis for what appeared to be a 59-yard touchdown. The play was called back for a holding penalty, and the Hoosiers were unable to capitalize with a touchdown until the second quarter, when the Hamdan-to-Lewis connection worked out for a four-yard score.\nLater on in the third quarter, Hamdan was intercepted by Wisconsin sophomore defensive back Jim Leonhard, who returned the ball to the IU eight-yard line. Two plays later, the Badgers scored and took a 29-10 lead. But the Hoosiers did not surrender.\n"We just kept fighting. There were so many times where we could have hung our heads," said sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby. "We're not about that." \nIU did not answer until there was 1:19 left in the third quarter. Hamdan threw a ten-yard pass to Roby, who proceeded to juke past his defenders to turn the play into a 31-yard touchdown. The touchdown was the culmination of a drive that was practically all Hamdan. Hamdan completed four of five passes for 61 yards on the possession. Hamdan also got to display his golden wheels on the drive, scrambling twice for 11 yards.\n Hamdan and the offense got their next chance to close the gap as they took over possession with 13:20 left in the fourth quarter.\n A pair of critical third-down conversions helped IU keep the momentum as they drove to the end zone.\n The first occurred on third-and-seven from the IU 29. After calling a timeout, Hamdan hit Roby for an eight-yard gain to keep the drive alive.\n Then, after moving the ball to the Wisconsin 40-yard line, the Hoosiers ran into a third-and-12. Hamdan used another timeout to discuss the play, and then proceeded to find junior wide receiver Glenn Johnson on a 24-yard pass.\n"They (Wisconsin) were trying to throw some new things at us that I understood conceptually but I was unsure of," Hamdan said. "It was a good opportunity for us to regroup and find out what we wanted to do on third down."\nThree plays later, he connected with junior tight end Aaron Halterman on a four-yard touchdown to bring IU within five points of the Badgers.\nThe Hoosiers got the ball back again with 5:35 left to play, and Hamdan began a drive that seems destined for the annals of IU football history.\nHamdan led the offense on a ten play, 76-yard march downfield. He also did it despite spending a lot of time on his back -- Hamdan was sacked twice on the drive, and took hits after releasing the ball on several other occasions. \nHamdan said he felt that taking the sacks was the smart play to make, though.\n"I've made mistakes in the past trying to throw under heavy pressure," Hamdan said. "Every play's not going to be a big play, and you can't throw balls off the back of your feet with two guys in your face."\nThe key play was a 17-yard throw to Roby on a third-and-16 from the IU 33-yard line. After making the grab short of the first down marker, Roby hurdled through the air a full two yards to give IU a fresh set of downs.\nHamdan finished off the drive by tossing a 20-yard touchdown pass to Johnson with 2:16 remaining to play, giving the Hoosiers a 30-29 lead. In order to take a three-point edge, the Hoosiers went for a two-point conversion after the touchdown.\nDespite getting pummeled by the Wisconsin pass rush on the play, Hamdan threw a rope to Johnson to give IU a decisive 32-29 edge.\nBut despite taking his lumps, Hamdan was not feeling any bumps and bruises.\n"When you get a win like that, you don't feel any of it," Hamdan said. "I feel great"
(10/11/02 7:03am)
Last year, the Hoosiers walked into Camp Randall Stadium and handed Wisconsin the beating of a lifetime. The Badgers allowed a school-record 63 points to IU, and surrendered 631 yards of total offense in the process.\nCertainly coach Barry Alvarez's team could not forget a loss like that. They would have to be coming into Memorial Stadium with a Sheboygan-sized chip on their shoulder, right?\n"I haven't even thought about last year's game," Alvarez said. "You shouldn't have to bring it up to motivate players for a conference game."\nInstead, Alvarez and the No. 22 Badgers (5-1, 0-1 Big Ten) will be looking to get their first win of the Big Ten campaign at the expense of IU (2-3, 0-1 Big Ten).\nThe Hoosiers don't plan on complying.\n"From the standpoint of the team I feel that we are extremely excited, and I think that you are going to see a great game this Saturday," said senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan.\nFor the game to be close, coach Gerry DiNardo will be looking for a vast improvement on both sides of the ball over the Hoosiers' last performance, a 45-17 loss to then-No. 6 Ohio State.\nOne challenge will be containing the Wisconsin offense, which is led by senior quarterback Brooks Bollinger. Bollinger needs a win over IU to become the winningest quarterback in Wisconsin history.\nLike IU graduate Antwaan Randle El, Bollinger has hurt teams on the ground and through the air. Bollinger has seven touchdowns passing and four rushing.\n"Anytime you have a quarterback who can run like Bollinger does, it puts tremendous pressure on the defense," DiNardo said. "His athletic ability really makes it difficult to contain him. He's good."\nComing off of a bye week, the IU defense had some extra time to prepare for Bollinger. They did so by using junior transfer Matt LoVecchio to simulate Bollinger on the scout team.\n"Matt LoVecchio can duplicate him for us and give us a better picture," said freshman cornerback Damien Jones.\nThe Hoosiers are well prepared for Bollinger's appearance at Memorial Stadium, but it is still unclear whether he will have two of his most lethal weapons at his disposal. Both junior running back Anthony Davis and senior wide receiver Lee Evans are questionable this week due to injury.\nDavis sprained his ankle last week against Penn State, missing the end of the game. If Davis does play, he may be splitting time with freshman Dwayne Smith, who had six carries for 42 yards last week.\nEvans, on the other hand, has yet to play a down this season. Expected to go in the early second round of last year's NFL Draft, Davis instead elected to stay in school. He tore the ACL in his left knee during Wisconsin's spring game -- which was on the same day as the draft.\nWhile he is unsure of Evans' status for the game, Jones would relish an opportunity to defend him.\n"That's just a dream for me as a freshman," Jones said. "Let me hold someone like him. Let me know where I stand." \nOffensively, Hamdan will have all of his favorite weapons at his disposal. However, he will have to move the ball against a defense that is allowing 18.3 points per game. In the Big Ten, only Ohio State has a stingier defense. \nConversely, IU is averaging 22.2 points a game, which is the worst in the Big Ten.\nHamdan said the offense has shown flashes of putting together an explosive performance, though.\n"The good thing about our offense is that we have shown that we can do a variety of things that it takes to be successful," Hamdan said. "It is just a matter of everyone deciding and understanding that we need to do those things all the time to score more points."\nThe game kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday.
(10/07/02 4:36am)
This is the story of 1000 people who sat together at Kilroy's Sports on a Saturday afternoon. Together, they waited for an opportunity for fame and fortune by auditioning for MTV's "The Real World" and "Road Rules."\nI was one of those people.\nUpon our arrival at Sports, my friend and I were herded into the outdoor patio serving as an under-21 corral. I was then handed my application (number 466) and sent amongst the masses to fill it out. It was no easy task. Nearly every seat was occupied, forcing a handful of people to make their temporary home on a cement pad.\nThe questions started like they would on any job application, asking about educational experience and job history. Then they began to vary from your typical McDonald's application, delving into things like "What do you look for in a relationship?" and "When approaching a new relationship are you the pursuer or the pursued?" \nIt also asked, "What scares you the most?" to which I answered, "Clowns."\nAnother requirement of the application was that you attach a photo. For me, it required bringing one of my all-time favorites, but sometimes you have to make sacrifices when trying to go Hollywood.\nThis scenario set up what was easily the most brilliant entrepreneurship venture I have seen in a long time. A trio of guys who seemingly dropped in from nowhere wandered amongst the applicants with a Polaroid camera in hand, soliciting photos for those persons who had forgotten to bring one to attach. \nHungry for their shot at the big time, dozens of applicants were more than willing to pay the piper for a $5 snapshot.\nAfter flying through the applications, most people were left with nothing to do but sit and wait for their number to be called. Unlike me, most people had actually prepared for this contingency. In a scene that was sure to please fans of irony, many people spent their time at the bar hitting the books.\nOthers decided to utilize their cell phones to get in touch with friends and maybe even loved ones.\n"Like, guess where I am right now? No…I'm at Sports trying out for the Real World! Yeah! I know! It's, like, totally awesome," was the typical conversation.\nThe majority spent the time staring at their competition and sizing them up. Or maybe they were just checking them out, as at least half of the shirts present revealed some sort of cleavage.\nSome people present even decided to do a little talent evaluation themselves. The phrase "How can they think that they're going to make it?" was heard on more than one occasion.\nWhen people finally did get called up, though, the tone was much more friendly, as complete strangers wished their competitors good luck and passed out high fives like they were a bag of chips.\nWhen I was finally called up after my 90-minute wait, I had to sit in line with a group of 20 people for another half an hour until we were finally led upstairs for our big audition, which was a round-table group discussion. \nThe first question involved myths about sex, as that must be a very "real" topic. Then, each person in the group was supposed to say an assumption they had made about another person in their group upon first seeing them. And that was it. From those five or so minutes, the talent guy is supposed to find out if you're fit for the show.\nThose who were fit got a packet that appeared to be some 20 pages long. No one in my group got one. We were just told there would be callbacks over the next two weeks. I won't be holding my breath.
(10/04/02 8:21pm)
Saturday, Memorial Stadium will sit in silence. And it won't bother the Hoosiers one bit. Saturday represents IU's only bye of the season, giving the team a week off as they prepare to take on the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers next week.\n"Off-weeks have become such a common thing in college football that everyone has them," said coach Gerry DiNardo, contrasting his playing days at Notre Dame with the present.\nRotating bye-weeks for each team have been a regular part of the Big Ten schedule since Penn State was added to the conference in 1993.\nIn DiNardo's mind, it could hardly come at a better time.\n"In an 11, 12 game schedule you want it after game five or six," DiNardo said.\nJust because they don't play this week doesn't mean that the team gets a big break in action, though. After one day off Monday, IU was back in pads, sweating and hustling around on the practice field.\n"It's not really an off-week," senior offensive lineman Enoch DeMar said. "Mentally, there's a little less pressure, so we can get back to the fundamentals, which is great for us. Physically, it's at full speed."\nEven though practices will be going at full throttle, senior defensive tackle Kris Dielman said that not playing a game will allow bruised bodies like his own to recuperate somewhat.\n"Everybody on this team is probably playing with some dings," Dielman said. "We can take this week, get treatments and get healthy again."\nWhile having time to rest is vital to the team, there is one aspect of a bye week that may be even more important to their immediate success: extra preparedness.\nLast year, IU had reeled off to a 1-3 start before heading into their bye week. The next week they went to Madison and obliterated Wisconsin 63-32. \n"It gives a little more time to make a game plan for the coaches, and as a player it allows you more time to get educated about what they do in certain situations," senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said.\nFor a unit that spends nearly every day in the fall together, this week will also mark one of the few times that coaches and players will have a dearth of different agendas. \nOn Monday and Tuesday, seven out of the ten coaches on the IU staff were on the road recruiting at high schools and junior colleges.\n"We're continuing to recruit the guys that have been on our list," DiNardo said.\nThe players already on the roster will be keeping themselves busy in a variety of different ways come Saturday.\nFor Hamdan, the ideal scenario would be to watch his little brother play high school football on Saturday. The native of North Potomac, Md. said travel accommodations aren't likely to let that happen, though.\n"I'm sure I'll be here in Bloomington, just sitting around with some of the guys watching games," he said.\nFor DeMar, the day off will represent a chance to check some items off of his "to-do" list.\n"I'll be running errands that I don't get to run," DeMar said.\nDielman summed up what the feeling will be when he gets to be the one watching the game rather than the one being watched.\n"It'll be nice to have a Saturday as a normal college kid," Dielman said.
(10/04/02 8:20pm)
Saturday, Memorial Stadium will sit in silence. And it won't bother the Hoosiers one bit. Saturday represents IU's only bye of the season, giving the team a week off as they prepare to take on the No. 19 Wisconsin Badgers next week.\n"Off-weeks have become such a common thing in college football that everyone has them," said coach Gerry DiNardo, contrasting his playing days at Notre Dame with the present.\nRotating bye-weeks for each team have been a regular part of the Big Ten schedule since Penn State was added to the conference in 1993.\nIn DiNardo's mind, it could hardly come at a better time.\n"In an 11, 12 game schedule you want it after game five or six," DiNardo said.\nJust because they don't play this week doesn't mean that the team gets a big break in action, though. After one day off Monday, IU was back in pads, sweating and hustling around on the practice field.\n"It's not really an off-week," senior offensive lineman Enoch DeMar said. "Mentally, there's a little less pressure, so we can get back to the fundamentals, which is great for us. Physically, it's at full speed."\nEven though practices will be going at full throttle, senior defensive tackle Kris Dielman said that not playing a game will allow bruised bodies like his own to recuperate somewhat.\n"Everybody on this team is probably playing with some dings," Dielman said. "We can take this week, get treatments and get healthy again."\nWhile having time to rest is vital to the team, there is one aspect of a bye week that may be even more important to their immediate success: extra preparedness.\nLast year, IU had reeled off to a 1-3 start before heading into their bye week. The next week they went to Madison and obliterated Wisconsin 63-32. \n"It gives a little more time to make a game plan for the coaches, and as a player it allows you more time to get educated about what they do in certain situations," senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said.\nFor a unit that spends nearly every day in the fall together, this week will also mark one of the few times that coaches and players will have a dearth of different agendas. \nOn Monday and Tuesday, seven out of the ten coaches on the IU staff were on the road recruiting at high schools and junior colleges.\n"We're continuing to recruit the guys that have been on our list," DiNardo said.\nThe players already on the roster will be keeping themselves busy in a variety of different ways come Saturday.\nFor Hamdan, the ideal scenario would be to watch his little brother play high school football on Saturday. The native of North Potomac, Md. said travel accommodations aren't likely to let that happen, though.\n"I'm sure I'll be here in Bloomington, just sitting around with some of the guys watching games," he said.\nFor DeMar, the day off will represent a chance to check some items off of his "to-do" list.\n"I'll be running errands that I don't get to run," DeMar said.\nDielman summed up what the feeling will be when he gets to be the one watching the game rather than the one being watched.\n"It'll be nice to have a Saturday as a normal college kid," Dielman said.
(09/30/02 5:20am)
COLUMBUS, OHIO -- No. 6 Ohio State ripped apart a close game by outscoring IU 17-0 in the third quarter en route to a 45-17 win in front of a crowd of 104,194 Saturday.\nOhio State freshman running back Maurice Clarett scored three touchdowns to add to his Big Ten leading total of nine for the season.\n"He's a good back," said freshman linebacker John Kerr, who also played against Clarett in high school. "He's powerful, and he's quick."\nIn addition to his three touchdowns, Clarett gained 104 yards on 21 carries.\nBut, Clarett and his Buckeye teammates did not have to travel very far for their scores. Four of Ohio State's (5-0, 1-0 Big Ten) scoring drives started from inside the 50-yard line.\n"We had some penalties that gave them good field position, and that really hurt us," coach Gerry DiNardo said.\nThe game was close early. Ohio State's first touchdown came on a two-yard Clarett run with 39 seconds left in the first quarter. The Ohio State drive had started at the 50-yard line after IU (2-3, 0-1 Big Ten) was flagged for a 15-yard facemask penalty on a punt return.\nIU proceeded to score on their next possession via a career-long 49-yard field goal into the wind by sophomore kicker Bryan Robertson.\nOhio State's next drive started at the IU 44-yard line after a 36-yard punt by junior Ryan Hamre. The key play was a 26-yard pass from junior quarterback Craig Krenzel to junior wide receiver Michael Jenkins on third down. Clarett punched the ball in for another two-yard score on the next play.\nOnce again, IU came back with a touchdown after an eight play, 80-yard drive. Senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan hit freshman fullback John Pannozzo with a 41-yard pass that silenced the crowd, and capped it off three plays later with a 17-yard touchdown toss to freshman wide receiver Tyke Spencer with 2:09 left in the first half.\nAnother special teams penalty would give the Buckeyes good field possession, though. Sophomore Antonio Watson was called for a late hit penalty along the Ohio State sideline on the kickoff return, allowing Ohio State to start with the ball at the IU 45.\nA little over a minute later, Clarett was in the end zone again after a four-yard touchdown run to give Ohio State a 21-10 lead at the half.\nDiNardo said he shares some of the blame for the personal fouls that the Hoosiers committed.\n"We (the coaching staff) wanted to be tough and aggressive, so I share some responsibility," he said. \nIU had some wind taken out of its sails on the first possession of the second half as the Buckeyes reached into their bag of tricks with a reverse to sophomore wide receiver Chris Gamble, who streaked down the sidelines for a 43-yard touchdown.\nOn IU's next possession, the sails fell off completely. A Hamre punt was blocked by sophomore Dustin Fox, giving Ohio State the ball at the IU 18. \nA four-yard pass from Krenzel to Jenkins gave the Buckeyes a commanding 35-10 lead with 6:08 left to play in the third quarter.\n"The biggest disappointment for me was the blocked punt and the offense's inability to move the ball in the second half," DiNardo said.\nWhenever IU did show an opportunity to move the ball downfield, dropped passes seemed to jump up and bite them, not the Ohio State defense. Junior wide receiver Glenn Johnson dropped a wide-open 32-yard pass from Hamdan at the Ohio State 40. Two plays later, Spencer dropped what would have been a first down reception. On the next play, Hamre's punt was blocked.\n"I feel like the receivers should always (catch the ball)," sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby said. "That lies on my shoulders and everybody else's. A play here or there could have gotten us back into the game."\nHamdan passed for 210 yards and didn't have any interceptions, but he wasn't on the field for IU's next score. Senior Tommy Jones was put in after the Buckeyes extended their lead to 45-10. Jones hit Roby for a 30-yard touchdown pass with 3:04 remaining in the game.\nThe loss drops IU's all-time record against Ohio State to 12-61-5. It is the most lopsided series in Big Ten history.
(09/23/02 5:05am)
With 10:28 remaining in the third quarter, the Hoosiers looked like a prizefighter hanging on the ropes, bracing for Central Michigan's knockout blow. Senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan had just thrown an interception to Central Michigan sophomore free safety James King, giving the Chippewas the ball at the IU 15-yard line and looking to build on a 29-16 lead.\nTwo plays later, the knockout punch was delivered. But it was the Hoosiers who did the hitting.\nSenior defensive lineman Jeremy Belcher forced the ball out of Central Michigan senior running back Robbie Mixon's grasp at the 12-yard line. Fellow senior defensive lineman Kris Dielman pounced on the ball, allowing IU to dodge a bullet and ultimately reversing the game's momentum.\n"I just hit the guy and I didn't even know the ball came out," Belcher said. "It didn't matter who made that play, I'm just glad someone made it."\nSo was Hamdan.\n"That was a big play for me in bringing my confidence back up where it should have been," Hamdan said. "I can't thank those guys enough."\nHamdan's confidence translated into big plays on the first possession after the fumble. IU marched downfield in 4:07 on an eight play, 88-yard drive. The big plays were two completions to sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby for a combined 76 yards.\n"He just put the ball on the money," Roby said.\nIt was Hamdan himself who scrambled into the end zone on a four-yard run to cap off the drive and close the gap to 29-23.\nOn the ensuing kickoff, the snowball that was the Hoosiers momentum picked up its pace.\nMixon, who was returning the kick for Central Michigan, took the ball a foot deep in the end zone. Mixon appeared to be confused about whether he should return the kick or take a knee for the touchback. He hesitatingly took one step out of the end zone, and then retreated to kneel down.\nWith the play occurring right in front of the line judge, Mixon had no chance of getting away with the gaffe. Central Michigan was whistled for a safety, giving the Hoosiers two points and the ball on a free kick. From there on, there was no looking back.\nCentral Michigan's defense was able to keep the game close in the third quarter, as they held onto their 29-25 lead. But, the Chippewas' no-huddle offense, which had befuddled IU in the first half, was unable to move the ball productively after the pair of Mixon blunders.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo credited his defensive coaches with drawing up effective plans at halftime to help stymie Central Michigan quarterback Derrick Vickers and the rest of the offense.\n"A lot of the credit goes to the coaches," DiNardo said. "They made good adjustments and put together a solid plan."\nFor DiNardo, Dielman's fumble recovery was the spark that lit up the proverbial gasoline that had been poured by the defensive staff.\n"He made a big play," DiNardo said. "That turnover was critical."\nIU sealed the game with a pair of rushing touchdowns by freshman running back Yamar Washington in the fourth quarter.\nOffensively, Washington and junior Brian Lewis each rushed for over 100 yards. Roby contributed with four catches for 153 yards and a touchdown. But it was the big stop by the defense that Roby attributed to winning the game for the Hoosiers.\n"The defense brought us a lot of momentum," Roby said. "There were so many times they could have bowed down, but they climbed out of the hole they were in. They fought"
(09/20/02 5:00am)
The Hoosiers will try to head into Big Ten play with a .500 record as they take on the Central Michigan Chippewas n their final non-conference game of the year. Kickoff is 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.\nHailing from the Mid-American Conference, the Chippewas (3-0) are off to their best start since 1986. \nAnd while IU (1-2) has not dropped a game to an opponent from the MAC since 1977, the competition in that conference is on the rise. Last week No. 22 Wisconsin eked out a 24-21 win over Northern Illinois, and earlier this year Iowa edged Miami (OH) 29-24.\n"They have played Big Ten teams (in the past)… and are playing with a lot of confidence," coach Gerry DiNardo said of Central Michigan.\nThe player that the IU defense will be keying in on is senior quarterback Derrick Vickers. Vickers has completed 66 percent of his passes this season, and is averaging 265.3 yards per game through the air. Vickers trails only highly touted Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich for the MAC lead in passing yards.\nVicker's quarterback rating stands at 145.36, which ranks 25th in the nation.\n"He's a good quarterback," DiNardo said. "He's been in the system now for a while. We'll have our hands full."\nThe Chippewas don't promise to give the Hoosiers much time for rest and relaxation on the defensive side of the ball. This week, the IU coaching staff worked on getting the defense to the line of scrimmage with 17 seconds left on the play clock to combat Central Michigan's hurry-up style of offense.\nBecause the Central Michigan offense is similar to the one run by Northwestern, sophomore linebacker Martin Lapostolle said he thinks IU will be up to the physical challenge of keeping pace with the Chippewas.\n"It's nothing new for us, since Northwestern was doing it last year," Lapostolle said. "We just have to practice well going into the game."\nIU will look to the same formula that almost brought home a victory from Kentucky. Senior Gibran Hamdan will start his second game at quarterback. Freshman Yamar Washington became well-oriented with the Kentucky defense last week, busting loose for 163 yards on 36 carries. He will get the start at running back.\nWashington's experience with the Wildcat defense may have also served as an effective scouting drill for this week's matchup.\n"Their defense is a lot similiar to Kentucky's in the way they line up and the schemes they run," Washington said.\nLast week the IU offense was unable to score on three trips inside the red zone. Hamdan feels that he is prepared to turn that trend around this week.\n"It's a matter of helping the offense score when we're in the red zone and making fewer mistakes -- costly mistakes," Hamdan said. "I'm not going to go play a perfect game on Saturday, but as long as the mistakes aren't costly and aren't disastrous then I'll be fine."\nThe game can be heard on WIUS 1570 AM.
(09/19/02 5:04am)
If sophomore linebacker Martin Lapostolle or freshman punter Tyson Beattie are ever recognized as All-American players, there will be a certain amount of irony involved. After all, neither one is an American citizen. Lapostolle hails from Montreal, Canada, and Beattie is a native of Perth, Australia. \nWhile both found there was plenty to learn about American culture when they came to Bloomington, they were well heeled in one aspect - how to play American football. \nGrowing up in the far west of Australia, Beattie had numerous athletic accomplishments to his credit at the prep level. Before learning how to play American football, he was involved in Australian-rules football, rugby, cricket, basketball, baseball, and swimming.\nBeattie described Australian-rules as having a mixture of elements from football, rugby, and soccer. \n"It's an oval field, and you punt the ball to your teammate (rather than run or pass it)," Beattie said.\nThe 21-year-old Beattie did not even begin playing American football until he joined a club team when he was 17. Beattie said that the growing popularity of football in Australia has a lot to do with the success of San Diego Chargers punter Darren Bennett, who also hails from "down under." (Coincidently, the man who recruited Beattie, Cam Cameron, is now on the Chargers coaching staff).\n"I like his leg strength. I like his accent," coach Gerry DiNardo said of Beattie. "I don't like his plane fares at all."\nFor Lapostolle, football was his primary sport in high school, though he also played water polo and broomball. Broomball is similar to hockey, except there are no skates, and sticks are traded in for brooms.\nIn high school, Lapostolle played a variety of football that was a mixture of rules used in the United States and those used in the Canadian Football League. Lapostolle said that it was not until the college level that CFL rules like the 55-yard line and three downs come into effect.\nHowever, Lapostolle, who was named the top linebacker in Canada by Rivals.com, never intended to stay in Canada for his collegiate career.\n"Going to an American college was my only goal," Lapostolle said. "I didn't see myself going to a Canadian college at all."\nWhen IU first called him, Lapostolle wasn't even sure where Indiana was. After sending the coaching staff a tape of his high school exploits, though, it was only a matter of time before they flew him in for a visit.\n"I made my visit, and I really liked the place," Lapostolle said.\nBeattie also learned that he was coming to IU through a phone call -- at 3 a.m. local time. He had gotten the opportunity to come to the U.S. to play after getting assistance from Bennett and a number of former collegiate players currently living in Australia.\nThus far for Beattie, the hardest cultural adjustment that he has made is "driving on the wrong side of the road."\nFor Lapostolle, it was a more difficult adjustment to come by. Having spent his whole life in the French-speaking province of Quebec, he came to IU knowing only a few words and phrases in English.\nLapostolle made his name well known in any language last season. He was the hero in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket when he tackled Purdue running back Montrell Lowe at the one-yard line to preserve IU's 13-7 win. \n"He's a real intense competitor," defensive coordinator Tim Kish said. "He's got a passion for the game, and he works real hard at it."\nUp until the week of the game, he had no idea what the extent of the rivalry really was.\n"People came up to me on the street saying 'You have to beat Purdue,'" Lapostolle said. "After the game, I realized you really don't like Purdue."\nBeattie was also caught unawares by the size of the crowds that show up to football games -- and he has yet to play at 101,568 capacity Ohio Stadium. Beattie said that his parents still don't believe that as many as 30,000 fans will show up to a game.\n"The first few times you go out there it's (the crowd) quite a buzz," Beattie said. "But after the game starts you get into the game and forget about it"
(09/19/02 4:00am)
From the Sega Genesis to the present, every college football game that has ever been released has been vastly eclipsed by the large shadow of the sweetness that is the "Madden" series of NFL games. Finally, a college game has been released that brings the genre closer to the uber-game status reserved for such titles as "Madden," "NHL Hockey" and "Excitebike."\nA key component to this equation is special features -- you can play a season, set up a dynasty (even with IU), play a single game or set up a rivalry game. Every school has a rival, and all of the trophies are given out, from the Old Oaken Bucket to Paul Bunyan's Axe.\nIn addition to creating players, the game is just like "Madden" in that you can create an actual team. You get to select every factor, from where the campus is located to what type of team it is, from "powerhouse" to "academic school" to "whipping boy," among others.\nIn beginning a season as IU, I noticed that William & Mary was not one of the teams in the game (there are all 117 Division I-A teams, plus the Ivy League and a few other Division I-AA notables). That problem was easily remedied by creating the team. (In case you are interested, you have an option of putting blue turf in your stadium, just like they do at Boise State. Don't ask why I know that.)\nWhile the features are nice, what really makes this game great is the realism. Every stadium is meticulously recreated, from IU's Memorial Stadium to Kent State's Dix Stadium. Players have grass-stained uniforms by the end of the game. If you are not careful with IU's kicking game, you will miss extra points. The programmers even thought to add the school fight song for every team in the game.\nAnother great feature in the season mode is that, if the game you are playing is not on TV, the contest's announcing trio of Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso don't call the game -- you only hear the P.A. announcer and the crowd. That's just a brilliant touch, if you ask me.\nSo if you love college football, or just find it to be an activity around which you schedule your tailgating, "College Football 2003" is a worthy title to own.
(09/19/02 12:53am)
From the Sega Genesis to the present, every college football game that has ever been released has been vastly eclipsed by the large shadow of the sweetness that is the "Madden" series of NFL games. Finally, a college game has been released that brings the genre closer to the uber-game status reserved for such titles as "Madden," "NHL Hockey" and "Excitebike."\nA key component to this equation is special features -- you can play a season, set up a dynasty (even with IU), play a single game or set up a rivalry game. Every school has a rival, and all of the trophies are given out, from the Old Oaken Bucket to Paul Bunyan's Axe.\nIn addition to creating players, the game is just like "Madden" in that you can create an actual team. You get to select every factor, from where the campus is located to what type of team it is, from "powerhouse" to "academic school" to "whipping boy," among others.\nIn beginning a season as IU, I noticed that William & Mary was not one of the teams in the game (there are all 117 Division I-A teams, plus the Ivy League and a few other Division I-AA notables). That problem was easily remedied by creating the team. (In case you are interested, you have an option of putting blue turf in your stadium, just like they do at Boise State. Don't ask why I know that.)\nWhile the features are nice, what really makes this game great is the realism. Every stadium is meticulously recreated, from IU's Memorial Stadium to Kent State's Dix Stadium. Players have grass-stained uniforms by the end of the game. If you are not careful with IU's kicking game, you will miss extra points. The programmers even thought to add the school fight song for every team in the game.\nAnother great feature in the season mode is that, if the game you are playing is not on TV, the contest's announcing trio of Kirk Herbstreit, Chris Fowler and Lee Corso don't call the game -- you only hear the P.A. announcer and the crowd. That's just a brilliant touch, if you ask me.\nSo if you love college football, or just find it to be an activity around which you schedule your tailgating, "College Football 2003" is a worthy title to own.