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(09/26/12 2:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite being bloodied, bruised and embarrassed, the football players of the Big Ten Conference must still find reasons to continue playing at a high level. Amazingly, the 116-year-old conference was knocked out of contention for a prized spot in this season’s BCS National Championship Game after the third week of the season, when the Michigan State Spartans fell to then-20th ranked Notre Dame.Sadly enough, it was the first of the six major conferences to see its chances of reaching college football’s grandest game come to a screeching halt. Because the Big Ten has lost its place in the forefront of the national discussion, disheartening comparisons of commissioner Jim Delany’s conference to the Mid-American Conference have begun to circulate like juicy gossip in the halls of junior high schools across America. Those comparisons aren’t inaccurate, either. It’s the staggering reality facing a once proud conference. During the weekend, Iowa lost to MAC member Central Michigan, and Illinois lost to Western Athletic Conference member Louisiana Tech. Don’t forget about Wisconsin, as the Badgers have clawed their way to narrow victories against Utah State, UTEP and Northern Iowa. I wouldn’t consider that a murderer’s row of opponents, giving those small margins of victory a bitter tinge of failure.I know what you’re thinking. Conference play begins Saturday, which will bring healing to a wounded conference. If you’re of that thought process, I strongly encourage you to rethink your stance. Ohio State, the presumptive top team in the conference, is ineligible to play in the Big Ten title game in December. The same is true for Penn State, which finds itself in the bottom of an impossibly deep well of sanctions in the wake of the child sexual abuse scandal that changed that university forever. This leaves viewers with the very real chance that IU will be in the thick of the chase to represent the Leaders Division at the conference title game Dec. 1 at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.The thought of that scenario likely has Delany doubled over a trash can in his office, as the Hoosiers wouldn’t attract viewers from anywhere outside the state of Indiana. That conference title game was added to create yet another cash cow for the conference but would suffer a major setback with a nontraditional school competing. The Hoosiers’ path to crashing that party may not be as difficult as some expected. Entering the first week of conference play, Indiana has home dates against Michigan State, Ohio State, Iowa and Wisconsin as well as road contests against Northwestern, Navy, Illinois, Penn State and Purdue. My predictions for those remaining games are as follows: at Northwestern – Lv. Michigan State – Lv. Ohio State – Lat Navy – W at Illinois – Wv. Iowa – W v. Wisconsin – Lat Penn State – L at Purdue – L Should those predictions become a reality, the Hoosiers would find themselves sitting at 5-7 following the week of Thanksgiving, setting up for a legitimate chance of stealing a spot in the Big Ten title game. However, the Hoosiers’ odds of pulling off such a remarkable feat are largely dependent on how Purdue fares down the stretch and if Wisconsin continues to self-destruct.But what a sight it would be for these Indiana Hoosiers to be playing for a conference championship on national television during the first week of December. It’s a pipe dream that, with enough luck, might just become a reality.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/21/12 3:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Prior to engaging in any physically taxing activity, athletes are typically afforded ample time to stretch, get the blood pumping and shake off the nerves. It’s an eerily similar regimen to that of the college football season.The majority of college football’s major programs begin their seasons with the “cupcake” portion, which is littered with teams from the Football Championship Subdivision and the lower half of the Football Bowl Subdivision. That stretch of what are, essentially, glorified scrimmages serves as a tune-up for the grind of conference play.Teams such as North Texas (remember the Mean Green, Hoosier fans?), Florida Atlantic, Eastern Michigan, Idaho and Texas State are each willing to take on the role of proverbial punching bag in exchange for a glorious paycheck. Indiana, like many of its major conference counterparts, added a similar tune-up period to its 2012 schedule.It was anything but a routine warm-up, though. Instead of rolling effortlessly through their first three opponents like a bowling ball, the Hoosiers trudged through the thick mud that was the first quarter of the still-young 2012 season.It began three weeks ago with an intrastate battle with the Indiana State Sycamores, a team seemingly inferior to IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s. They proved to be anything but, as the Sycamores went wire-to-wire with the Hoosiers before falling painstakingly close to an upset in an eventual 24-17 loss.What Wilson and Co. learned on that humid autumn evening was a distressing lesson that will haunt Indiana for the remaining nine games on the schedule: The Hoosiers struggle mightily to defend the run.ISU running back Shakir Bell, an Indianapolis native, cut and slashed his way to 192 net rushing yards on Sept. 1, rendering the Indiana front seven utterly ineffective. The following week’s contest at Massachusetts was shaping up to be a healthy recovery for the Hoosiers but, instead, morphed into an ugly nightmare. Starting sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson, the lifeblood of the Indiana offense, broke his leg during the second quarter, ending his sophomore season. Despite losing Roberson, the Hoosiers cruised to a 45-6 victory against the Minutemen, displaying that not all was lost with Roberson’s horribly unfortunate exit. Riding a small bit of momentum and a 2-0 record entering last Saturday’s contest with Ball State, the Hoosiers showed why this season remains to be very much another rebuilding year for Wilson and the IU coaching staff.The Indiana defense yielded 206 net rushing yards to the Cardinals, as well as 234 passing yards for a grand total of 440. The defense was gashed time and again by a scrappy Cardinals offense that refused to quit, an attitude that earned Ball State a successful game-winning field goal attempt with one second remaining in regulation. As the old saying goes, “Defense wins championships.” The Hoosiers certainly have an offense that can compete, but they lack even a basic foundation of a championship-caliber defense. The lesson learned here for the Hoosiers is Big Ten Conference play will only present a slew of more difficult challenges on the long road that is Wilson’s reclamation project in Bloomington, particularly because of the porous defense.We know it can score points in bunches, but will it be enough to stay afloat once the Big Ten gauntlet begins? Only time will tell. — ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/19/12 2:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>No matter the circumstances or the realm, the journey to the proverbial peak is bound to be filled with setbacks and overwhelming challenges.The Indiana Hoosiers find themselves at the infant stage of that journey, perhaps the most trying segment of the race to the top. Garnering the strength and resolve to develop a consistent approach is the task facing IU Coach Kevin Wilson and his program.Saturday evening’s painful loss to Ball State might have been temporarily damaging to the psyche of Wilson’s team, but it won’t be a permanent detractor. Concisely, it can’t be. The Hoosiers must have a short memory if they wish to shed the label of laughing stock of the Big Ten Conference.The Hoosiers have made encouraging steps, albeit baby ones, toward ridding themselves of the persistent negativity and failure that has haunted the program since a rare bowl berth five years ago.It all begins with the ability to run the football consistently, a trait found in the nation’s elite teams every year. The Alabamas, LSUs and Oregons of the world come to mind when discussing this topic, all three of which find themselves in the top five of the national rankings more often than not.The Hoosiers have shown life in that facet of the game, which should give Hoosier Nation reason to be optimistic.Wilson’s running back quartet of freshman Tevin Coleman, junior Stephen Houston and sophomores D’Angelo Roberts and Isaiah Roundtree have been the primary source of the Hoosiers’ 637 net rushing yards through the season’s first three games. They’ve accumulated those yards at an impressive clip, too, at 4.8 yards per carry.For perspective, the Hoosiers find themselves ranked 32nd nationally in rushing yards per game with an average of 212.That gleaming statistic has to be music to offensive coordinator Seth Littrell’s ears, as presumptive starting quarterback sophomore Cameron Coffman won’t be relied upon to march the offense down the field with his arm.Possessing a potent rushing attack with an inexperienced quarterback may appear to be an easy offense to game-plan against, but opposing defensive coordinators shouldn’t be so quick to assume.Coffman, though a first-year starting quarterback, doesn’t lack the experience necessary to be an effective leader of the offense.Last season, Coffman led Arizona Western Community College to its third consecutive league championship, a sign of the leadership capability that prompted the IU coaching staff to offer him a scholarship.That offer has certainly paid dividends for the Hoosier offense. Since sophomore Tre Roberson was lost for the season against Massachusetts, Coffman has racked up 410 passing yards while completing 70.2 of his attempts. Most importantly, Coffman hasn’t turned over the ball.The Peculiar, Mo., native, has exemplified poise and composure not typically found in a young quarterback at the highest level of collegiate football.Coffman likely wasn’t part of Wilson’s plans entering the current season, but he, along with the potent rushing attack, will be enough to prevent an offensive drought without Roberson. The baby steps have been taken. Now it’s time for the Hoosiers to grow up and take the long strides desired by a starved fan base.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/17/12 3:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the game of football, pivotal stretches are where the pretenders are separated from the contenders and where the boys are separated from the men.IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s program faced such a crossroads during Saturday evening’s 41-39 loss to Ball State. While the end result was demoralizing in nature, the lessons learned are plenty. With the Hoosiers trailing 38-25 at the 4:11 mark of the third quarter, the usual scene ensued. Fans began leaving in droves and the noise emanating from Memorial Stadium grew softer by the second.Was this the same old IU? A program mired in mediocrity, relegated to the cellar of the Big Ten and really, the Football Bowl Subdivision?If that’s what Hoosier Nation has swirling around its collective conscious, it’s sadly mistaken. If the Bill Lynch Hoosiers had been placed in an identical scenario, they would have laid down and lost by four touchdowns, giving legitimate and substantial reason for the fan base to throw proverbial shotgun rounds toward the program. But the 2012 Hoosiers are a different animal altogether.After losing sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson for the season against Massachusetts a week ago and with sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman injured, the Hoosiers turned to true freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld to lead a comeback effort. The 6-foot-5-inch, 218-pound Sudfeld led the Hoosiers to two improbable scoring drives, which put the Hoosiers ahead 39-38 with 49 seconds remaining in regulation.No, that certainly wasn’t Roberson leading the offense. It was, in fact, a raw, inexperienced freshman. And, in a strange way, Sudfeld’s gutty performance was the shot in the arm the IU program so desperately needed. In fact, Sudfeld is a perfect metaphor for the Hoosiers.Despite being a largely young, raw group, the Hoosiers fought back against seemingly insurmountable odds. Wilson saw it and said he knows that it was only the first step in a lengthy process. “We (coaches) just kind of laid an egg, and that is on me,” Wilson said. “You make calls, and kids have to make plays, but I’m telling you I can look at our kids with a lot of respect.” The fan base should do the same. Instead of demonizing the players for the heartbreaking loss, applaud them for not quitting. Applaud them for playing with toughness, grit and most of all, heart for 60 minutes.That performance is unlike anything Hoosier fans have seen in quite some time, regardless of whether the “W” appeared next to the final tally. And my final piece of advice for Hoosier Nation: Don’t trivialize the team’s performance simply because it came against a team from the Mid-American Conference. That won’t provide the type of positive momentum the program needs to claw its way out of the darkness and into the light. Instead of allowing Ball State’s game-winning field goal to haunt you in your sleep, remember how close the Hoosiers came to walking out of Memorial Stadium victorious after a game no one would have expected them to win.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/14/12 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU football program faces a tremendous opportunity Saturday evening at Memorial Stadium, albeit an opportunity of which the Hoosiers certainly aren’t proud.Should IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s squad defeat visiting Ball State, it would mark the first victory against the Cardinals since the 2007 season. Then, the Hoosiers had a 38-20 triumph against former Ball State Head Coach Brady Hoke’s squad.Since that day, the Hoosiers have dropped two consecutive games against Ball State, 42-20 in 2008 and 27-20 in last season’s opening game at Lucas Oil Stadium. It’s not often that a team from the Mid-American Conference can have such a one-sided rivalry with a Big Ten Conference opponent, but that’s the sad truth facing the IU program.Balancing this rivalry of intra-state institutions won’t be a small task for the Hoosiers. Ball State is capable of scoring in bunches, particularly with a potent rushing attack featuring fearsome running back duo sophomore Jahwan Edwards and freshman Horactio Banks. The two were key cogs in last week’s loss at Clemson, when the Cardinals tacked a respectable 27 points on the scoreboard. Clemson is a team currently ranked 11th in both the USA Today Coaches’ Poll and AP Poll.The Cardinals have much to buzz about despite suffering a 52-27 loss. Banks amassed 120 net rushing yards on only seven carries. Seventy-five of those yards came on two separate touchdown runs, the first a 54-yard scramble late in the first quarter and the second a 21-yard rumble early in the third quarter. That should be enough to have IU co-defensive coordinators Doug Mallory and Mike Ekeler shaking in their boots.The Hoosier defense allowed 192 net rushing yards to Indiana State running back Shakir Bell, who is similar in size and speed to Banks. What Banks is capable of doing against the Hoosiers is, far and away, the key to Saturday evening’s contest.While Banks provides the lightning for the Ball State offense, Jahwan Edwards is the thunder. Edwards, a 5-foot-10-inch, 225-pound power running back, is averaging an astounding 8.2 yards per carry through two games this season.Edwards has compiled 254 net rushing yards on 31 carries as well as three touchdowns in the Cardinals’ first two games against Eastern Michigan and Clemson.It’s not too tricky, actually. The Hoosiers have the option of stacking the box, which would stuff Ball State’s rushing attack, but would leave IU’s cornerbacks in single coverage. That’s a risk the Hoosiers might be forced to take, despite veteran Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning being well versed in the art of the play-action passing game.Should IU choose to go the route of this suggested defensive game plan, the cornerbacks and safeties can’t afford to bite on the play-action fake, or the Cardinals will take advantage of long strikes down the field.Execute, and the Hoosiers will claim bragging rights in the rivalry with Ball State.
(09/14/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After any trying experience, nothing is more refreshing than a fresh start. The IU football program is no different. Following one of the worst seasons in program history last year, the Hoosiers have new hope entering the 2012 season. The team took steps to eradicate memories of last season’s 1-11 mark Sept. 1 after defeating the Indiana State Sycamores 24-17. On Sept. 8., the team beat Massachusetts 45-6 to double their win total from last season. The Hoosiers will face Ball State before entering the inevitable grind of Big Ten Conference action. As of press time, two of Indiana’s Big Ten foes were ranked in the top 25, No. 10 Michigan State and No. 12 Ohio State. Both will make the trek to Bloomington to face the Hoosiers. The Buckeyes, Badgers and Hoosiers are in the Big Ten Leaders Division, which will send one of the schools to Lucas Oil Stadium in December. Ohio State and Penn State are each ineligible for the conference championship game.The circumstances pit Illinois, Wisconsin, Purdue and Indiana in a four-team race to qualify for a spot in the second annual title game. Because the Hoosiers have found themselves in this unique position, it may be enough motivation for the team to make a run at winning six games and qualifying for a postseason bowl game.The Hoosiers have a few opportunities to make their case for a bowl game. Three of the team’s 12 regular season games are at primetime.The Hoosiers’ week one victory against Indiana State began at 8 p.m., as will home games against Ball State and Ohio State. There’s reason to believe the Hoosiers could enter their first conference test at Northwestern with a 3-0 record. Following victories against Indiana State and UMass, the Hoosiers return to Bloomington to meet in-state nemesis Ball State on Sept. 15.Should Indiana steal a victory at Navy on Oct. 20, the team would need to win only two conference games to reach the required six-win minimum and earn an invitation to a bowl game. Therein lies the true challenge for IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s squad. During conference play, Indiana will battle Northwestern, Michigan State, Ohio State, Illinois, Iowa, Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue. Among those eight conference contests, it appears IU could beat both Penn State and Purdue. Penn State began the post-Joe Paterno era in a disappointing fashion, losing in Beaver Stadium to Mid-American Conference challenger Ohio University 24-14. They now sit at 0-2. It won’t be surprising to see Indiana achieve a rare victory in Happy Valley, bringing the Hoosiers to a 5-6 record with a season finale matchup against Purdue. That game will have postseason implications on the line. Should the Hoosiers reach a rare six victories, IU Coach Kevin Wilson will no longer be on the proverbial hot seat. He might become a hero to the students of this campus. — ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/12/12 3:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The sight of sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson writhing in unbearable pain and being carted away in an ambulance surely signified the waving of the proverbial white flag for the Hoosiers’ 2012 season, right?After all, Roberson had been anointed starting quarterback by IU Coach Kevin Wilson, one of the sharpest offensive minds in collegiate football. Wilson entrusted Roberson to direct his high-octane spread offense in the most efficient manner possible. The Hoosiers surely couldn’t afford to lose a player of such significance. Well, they did.Indiana can’t turn back the clock, and it most certainly cannot bank on Roberson magically repairing a broken left leg. The recovery process will reportedly last between five and six months, solidifying the unfortunate truth that backups sophomore Cameron Coffman and freshman Nathan Sudfeld will run the Hoosier offense for the remaining 10 games of the regular season.Coffman, a transfer from Arizona Western Community College, is listed as the presumptive starting quarterback on this week’s depth chart.The 6-feet-2-inch, 191-pound sophomore was the least celebrated among the three scholarship quarterbacks on the roster entering fall camp.Roberson was the returning starter, and Sudfeld was a celebrated recruit out of California.Playing the role of underdog should light a fire beneath Coffman, a dangerous proposition for opposing defenses who don’t take the Hoosier offense seriously.Coffman, seemingly the most accurate passer on the roster, possesses the luxury of a surprisingly deep group of skill position players surrounding him. Those running backs and receivers are as important as Coffman in the effort to offset the loss of Roberson.Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell stressed that concept following practice Monday morning. “It comes down to playing with 11 guys on the field and everybody doing their job,” Littrell said. “It takes all 11.”Running backs freshman Tevin Coleman and sophomore D’Angelo Roberts and sophomore wide receivers Shane Wynn and Cody Latimer are some of those 11 players who will be considered “go-to guys” for Coffman. Coleman and Roberts have been spectacular running the ball for the Hoosiers through two games. The tandem has combined for 254 net rushing yards on 53 carries, good for an average of roughly 4.8 yards per carry.Junior Stephen Houston and sophomore Isaiah Roundtree round out the group at running back, effectively creating a four-man rotation at the position. Expect to see the Hoosiers emphasize the running game in the coming weeks, particularly with an inexperienced quarterback running the show. When Coffman is forced to throw the ball, Wynn and Latimer will be open and gunning for opportunities to pile on yards after the catch.Wynn and Latimer have done just that, recording 11 receptions for 135 yards and 10 receptions for 108 yards, respectively.Clearly, Coffman has a bevy of weapons at his disposal.All he has to do is fire away. Victories are there for the taking.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/10/12 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It wasn’t supposed to happen like this. Not to a program that has been through hell and back during the last calendar year. It’s not fair, but is life ever fair? That question might have been asked by every player on the IU roster following the news that sophomore starting quarterback Tre Roberson had been lost for the season to a broken leg suffered Saturday afternoon against UMass at Gillette Stadium. Prior to severely breaking his left leg, Roberson was having an outstanding game, completing seven of 14 pass attempts for 88 yards and one touchdown as well as accumulating 114 rushing yards on five carries. Roberson recorded two rushing touchdowns, yet his performance on the field hardly made headlines.Forget about whether this regretful occurrence was fair. It changed the course of the IU offense for the rest of the 2012 campaign. Oh, and that potential redshirt season for freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld? Forget about it. The 6-foot-5-inch, 216-pound quarterback entered Saturday’s contest minutes into the fourth quarter, preventing the possibility of a redshirt season.Instead of focusing on the negativity swirling around Saturday’s contest, consider the positives. The 45-6 victory against the Minutemen doubled the Hoosiers’ win total from last season and was the third win of IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s era.For what it’s worth, the astounding victory marked the first triumph for the Hoosiers against an Football Bowl Subdivision team since defeating Purdue in the final game of the 2010 season. It also brings the Hoosiers to a 2-0 record on the season, four games shy of completing the quest to become bowl-eligible for the first time since the 2007 season, when IU played Oklahoma State in the Insight Bowl. However, instead of Roberson leading the team on that quest, it will be sophomore Cameron Coffman, a transfer from Arizona Western College in Yuma, Ariz. Originally slated as the Hoosiers’ primary backup quarterback, Coffman was thrust into the spotlight as soon as Roberson was injured. Hoosier fans might scoff at IU’s chances with Coffman directing the offense. They’d be foolish to do so, especially without taking a look at Coffman’s final statistics from Saturday’s game. In his first game action at college football’s highest level, Coffman completed 16 of his 22 passing attempts for 159 yards and one touchdown. That’s not too shabby for a kid whose only collegiate action was at a junior college level a year ago. Sure, he didn’t look steady at times, but did the coaching staff expect him to play with poise and composure, given the circumstances? Of course they didn’t. But Coffman should grow only more comfortable with every first-team practice rep he plays during the coming months. Coffman also has the comfort of a rushing attack that saw eight players combine for 341 net yards on the ground in the win against UMass. He has a deep receiving corps to catch the ball. Eleven Hoosiers recorded receptions Saturday. Losing Roberson hurts, but it’s not the end for Indiana football. — ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/07/12 4:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s Hoosier squad trotted off the field on Saturday night, they probably breathed a collective sigh of relief.The team had narrowly escaped the Indiana State Sycamores, capturing a 24-17 victory that went down to the wire.When the clock hit 0:00, the team’s focus immediately shifted to Saturday’s opponent, the Massachusetts Minutemen, who are in their first season as members of the Football Bowl Subdivision.The Minutemen endured a disheartening welcome to college football’s highest level, failing to score during an eventual 37-0 loss to Connecticut on Aug. 30.Massachusetts, which is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Charley Molnar, has ditched the traditional two-tight end sets in favor of a spread offense that closely resembles the Hoosiers’ attack. That new scheme has a few kinks to work out before Saturday afternoon, as the Minutemen accumulated a shockingly low 59 total yards in their season-opening loss.That’s music to the ears of the Indiana defense, which is seeking redemption after allowing 192 rushing yards to Indiana State running back Shakir Bell.Sophomore linebacker Chase Hoobler, the leader of the Hoosier linebacking corps, wasn’t shaken by the defense’s performance against Indiana State and is peering ahead to the matchup with Massachusetts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass..“I feel real confident in our defense,” Hoobler said. “Obviously, this is our second year in the program. We’re just focused on doing our job and making plays. It’s what we need to do as a defense.”Despite allowing such a staggering number of rushing yards a week ago, the Hoosier defense did an excellent job of making plays Saturday night, forcing two turnovers. Creating takeaways is a facet of the game that will enable Indiana to be competitive against elite teams on its schedule.The defense already possesses a relative advantage against the Minutemen, Hoobler said.“They’re a spread offense, and we’ve been playing against that (in practice) since last spring,” Hoobler said. “So I feel like we’ll be ready. We just have to watch a little film to see what their tendencies are.” The Minutemen didn’t show a tendency of successfully running the football last week, as the offense compiled a grand total of three rushing yards.Massachusetts quarterback Mike Wegzyn couldn’t get the offense moving through the air, either, completing 9-of-22 pass attempts for a mind-numbing 56 yards.Having a pristine understanding of just how much Massachusetts struggled to move the ball against the Connecticut defense has Hoobler desiring the first shutout in the Kevin Wilson era.“Getting a shutout is always our goal on defense,” Hoobler said.The Hoosiers must do more than win on Saturday. They have to win big. They have to win in style. And they have to show they’re capable of truly dominating a weaker opponent.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/05/12 2:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU quarterback Tre Roberson will never forget last Saturday.Against Indiana State, the sophomore threw for a career-high 280 yards, completing 26-of-36 passing attempts with one touchdown. Roberson’s performance marked a significant change in his playing style from last season, in which he was forced to run the ball more often than desired.It prompted IU Coach Kevin Wilson to mold the former Lawrence Central standout into a true pocket passer, rather than a Denard Robinson copycat.Roberson spoke of the confidence and sure-handedness he feels in his role as a pocket passer in the Hoosiers’ spread offense.“I feel way more confident,” Roberson said. “I feel more comfortable. I know the offense totally, so I really do feel comfortable out there.”That should be a relief to Hoosier fans, as Roberson seems to be the saving grace of an offense that worked its way to a mere 24 points against the Indiana State defense. That defense finished the 2011 season ranked 72nd in total defense at the Football Championship Subdivision level.Unlike the most successful quarterbacks in the Big Ten Conference, Roberson does not have the luxury of leaning on a productive running game. Against the Sycamores, feature back D’Angelo Roberts only managed 67 rushing yards on 22 carries, a bottom line that surely has future opposing defenses licking their chops. The only solution to that glaring problem is for Roberson and his receivers to move the ball and tack on large chunks of yardage through the air. Those receivers might be the most promising position group on the field this season, as witnessed by their performance Saturday evening. Roberson’s favorite target for 60 minutes was sophomore Shane Wynn, who hauled in six receptions for 95 yards. Seventy-one of those 95 receiving yards came on a beautiful heave from Roberson that put six points on the board for the Hoosiers.That’s simply one example of the type of explosive plays that stretch the defense the Indiana offense needs to have a shot at being competitive against the remaining 11 teams.Wynn’s counterpart, junior Duwyce Wilson, also had an impressive night for the Hoosiers, grabbing five receptions for 52 yards.The Hoosiers need Wilson to stay healthy this season, as they suffered when he missed the final three games of last season due to a knee injury. Wilson’s bottom line last season took a dip from his freshman season, as the 6-foot-3-inch, 195-pound junior finished with 15 fewer receptions and 271 fewer receiving yards. If Wilson can return to his freshman form, the Hoosier offense will have yet another lethal weapon in the passing game.With the return from suspension of last season’s leading receiver, Kofi Hughes, Roberson will have a trio of tremendous receivers to distribute the ball to. “I love our receiving corps,” Roberson said. “All of them, they bring their own things. They’re all fast, and they all make plays. Whenever they get the ball in their hands, they make plays, and that’s what I love.”— ckillore@indiana.edu
(09/04/12 3:30am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the humid fall air breezed through the stands and the sunlight gave way to a showdown under the lights at Memorial Stadium, year two of the IU Coach Kevin Wilson era began in disappointing fashion. The Indiana State Sycamores, a member of the Football Championship Subdivision and the Missouri Valley Conference, were supposed to be a proverbial punching bag for Wilson’s Hoosiers, a tune-up for the grind of conference play. The Sycamores had other ideas. Led by a dominant performance from Indianapolis native running back Shakir Bell, ISU fell one touchdown shy of shocking the Hoosiers, who squeaked out a 24-17 victory. The terrifyingly close game was a classic example of “little brother” nearly pulling off the unthinkable. In fact, the Sycamores forcefully convinced those still in attendance in the fourth quarter they would make the trek back to Terre Haute with victory in hand. Thankfully for the Hoosiers, ISU’s final heave to the end zone as time expired fell into the wrong hands. Despite Indiana earning the “W” on paper, chalk up the game as a moral loss. For four quarters, the ISU offensive line had its way with the Hoosier front seven, paving the way for former Warren Central standout Bell to accumulate 192 net rushing yards on 24 attempts. This was ISU, not Wisconsin and its Heisman Trophy candidate running back Montee Ball. When approached about the inevitable matchup against those formidable rushing attacks, Indiana senior defensive tackle Larry Black, Jr., was guarded. “We just take it one game at a time,” Black said. “We’ll worry about Montee Ball when we get to Wisconsin.” The Hoosier defense would be wise to worry about the issue now. The defensive front seven won’t become a stout bunch overnight, while nightmares of Bell cutting and slashing his way to those mind-numbing 192 rushing yards continues to plague the Hoosier defense.Controlling the line of scrimmage was an issue on the other side of the ball, as well. IU starting running back sophomore D’Angelo Roberts worked his way to a pedestrian 67 rushing yards on 22 carries, good for an average of just more than three yards per carry. Center Will Matte, a senior and leader of the young offensive line, openly admitted the struggles his group encountered down the stretch. “We kind of shut down a little bit in the second half,” Matte said. “I’m a little bit disappointed in how we played there. I messed up a snap and had a holding call at a key point.“We have to get in the film room and correct our mistakes and move on.” Matte and his fellow offensive linemen simply can’t afford to go through the motions for long stretches, or else the offense will become one-dimensional, a likely possibility that will keep Wilson up at night. Controlling the line of scrimmage is a task the Hoosiers just can’t seem to grasp.
(08/31/12 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>There’s something special and unique about this time of the year. As the leaves begin to fall and the mercury on the thermostat initiates its inevitable plummet from the 80s to the 50s and lower, the sound of shoulder pads and helmets cracking can be heard from stadiums across the country.It’s a brief three-and-a-half month period that takes what seems like an eternity to arrive and whizzes by like a gust of wind.At 8 p.m. Saturday, Hoosiers will echo those sounds of fall on the field at Memorial Stadium, where they’ll face the Sycamores of Indiana State. While a high percentage of the Hoosier Nation might have its sights set on basketball season, this season’s Hoosier football squad is no team to scoff at. Last season’s abysmal 1-11 record is now in the rearview mirror, a season from which IU Coach Kevin Wilson, his staff and his players are long removed. No, the program hasn’t forgotten the dreadful 2011 season. The team has derived a slew of valuable lessons from it. Remember, the Hoosiers remain an overwhelmingly young squad with 15 sophomore starters.Those who aren’t familiar with Indiana football would likely write off a team with a chunk of underclassmen in starting positions, but those familiar with the program understand young players have made tremendous strides since starting as freshmen a season ago. The most promising aspect of Wilson’s squad is the continued progression of the spread offense the second-year head coach brought from Oklahoma, where he served as the Sooners’ offensive coordinator. The most critical aspect of that progression is returning sophomore starting quarterback Tre Roberson, who accumulated 937 passing yards as well as 426 rushing yards a season ago. With the growing pains out of the way and with legitimate starting experience under his belt, expect to see the former Indiana Mr. Football have a breakout season. Roberson will be the Hoosiers’ key figure against Indiana State on Saturday night. It’s likely he’ll be without top-receiving target junior wide receiver Kofi Hughes, one of three players facing one-game suspensions.Even if Hughes sits out Saturday evening’s contest, Roberson will have a field day against a Sycamore defense that finished last season ranked outside the top 50 in passing defense at the Football Championship Subdivision level.The lesson to be learned here is that IU fans will be rewarded for attending Saturday evening’s game. A metaphorical fireworks show will be on display from the Hoosier offense. It’s a unit that will give all IU fans reason to pay attention and to keep the daydreaming about basketball season away for a while.It’s time to believe.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(08/29/12 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In a sport that has been muddied by scandals, allegations and wrongdoing of all varieties, the good and virtuous are, more often than not, overshadowed. It’s an unfortunate aspect in the game of college football, but it’s the dark reality that has encompassed one of the world’s most popular and celebrated sports that has ever existed. A recent disturbing spike of seedy activity in college football began with “tattoo-gate” at Ohio State. Former Buckeyes Head Coach Jim Tressel was forced to resign after Sports Illustrated revealed it had credible information that a small group of his players had given autographed memorabilia in exchange for free tattoos. The trip down scandal lane made its way to Miami, where the football program was revealed to have turned a blind eye when booster Nevin Shapiro provided players and recruits with cash, cars, prostitutes and the like. The next stop was Penn State, where former Nittany Lions Defensive Coordinator Jerry Sandusky was the lead antagonist in a gut-wrenching child sexual abuse scandal that has rocked State College, Pa., to its core. After that was North Carolina, where the Tar Heels football program has become embroiled in an academic fraud case that has only just begun. Where has all the positivity in college football gone? It hasn’t gone anywhere at all, actually. Plenty of light emanates from our university’s football program, which has successfully avoided the deathly grip of scandal in an era of college football where that task has become increasingly difficult. IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s ability to maintain a clean program is due in large part to feel-good stories, such as Nick Stoner’s.The sophomore wide receiver from Greenwood, Ind., is a singular ray of light breaking through the darkness clouding college football. Stoner, who arrived at Indiana as a cornerback, is a shining example of all that is good and right about college football. Hailing from a town 45 miles north of Bloomington, Stoner has become a hero to the citizens of Greenwood.“I’m really blessed,” Stoner said. “I go home to Greenwood, and people know who I am because I’m playing for the Hoosiers. I’m extremely blessed to have that privilege.” Stoner’s perspective on his position as a Big Ten football player is a thoroughly refreshing one given all of the self-absorbed behavior occurring at college football’s highest levels on a daily basis.What many of college football’s high-profile players so often forget is that they are role models to the fans who watch them play week in and week out. Stoner hasn’t forgotten that and relishes being a role model. “People come talk to me all the time,” Stoner said. “I’ve had adults message me on Facebook and kids message me on Facebook. People ask for my number. I’m totally glad to help. I’ve been blessed with these talents, and I want to help anybody that I can.” Stoner doesn’t pick and choose when to be a role model, either. The 6-foot-1-inch, 173-pound receiver successfully juggles schoolwork, his social life and two sports, as he participates in track and field as a sprinter for IU Coach Ron Helmer’s squad in the spring. All the while, Stoner avoids falling into lingering temptation many college football players are faced with on a daily basis. Stoner resembles the selflessness that is so rare in college sports, a trait too often ignored by the media at large. Stoner’s story is one of many throughout the country that would be a welcome change from the negativity swirling around his sport. It’s up to the people covering football to allow stories such as this one to see the light of day. Maybe one day it could overshadow scandals and negative press. One day.
(08/22/12 1:40am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If you are a close follower of IU football, you know the names of the team’s most talented and consistent players by heart. There is no doubt players such as junior tight end Ted Bolser, senior center Will Matte and senior defensive tackle Adam Replogle will be the stars of the show Saturdays this fall.But which players will rise from the ranks of the virtually unknown to highly recognizable Hoosiers? Here are my top three candidates.Cody Latimer, sophomore wide receiverLatimer, a 6-foot-3-inch, 208-pound Ohio native, enters the 2012 season as a favorite to claim a starting receiver position in IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s spread offense. Unfortunately for Latimer, Wilson has declared the receiver position the “worst of the offense.” Latimer has an opportunity to lead a turnaround effort, especially with starting junior wide receiver Kofi Hughes likely to be suspended for the Hoosiers’ season-opening contest against Indiana State after Hughes violated team rules.The Dayton, Ohio, native had a quiet first season as a freshman in 2011, hauling in 12 receptions for 141 yards and two touchdowns in eight games of action. The highlight of his freshman season was a 44-yard touchdown reception at North Texas which might be a sign of things to come for the physically imposing receiver.Jason Spriggs, freshman left tackleAnother physically dominant player on the IU roster, Jason Spriggs will be a pleasant surprise.The 6-foot-7-inch, 268-pound Spriggs played tight end in high school but projects as a tackle in the Hoosier offense. The Elkhart, Ind., native dominated the northern Indiana high school football scene as a prep star, smothering opposing defensive lines with his sheer size and strength.The scene changed for Spriggs when he arrived at campus earlier this summer as he was no longer the strongest or largest player on the field. Time in the strength-training program enabled Spriggs to increase his weight and compete for a spot on the offensive line. He has impressed the coaching staff, and Wilson says he might be the Hoosiers’ starting left tackle Sept. 1.Jacarri Alexander, junior linebackerAlexander, who graduated from Iowa Central Community College, is entering his first season with the Hoosiers and is well on his way to earning a starting spot at linebacker. A native of Winter Haven, Fla., Alexander was named Iowa Central’s Defensive Player of the Year after amassing 78 tackles, six sacks, 4.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. He was also named team captain, an indication of the type of leadership Wilson seeks in his players daily.Wilson and his staff demand perfection from their players and accept nothing less. While Latimer, Spriggs and Alexander are far from perfect football players, they’re showing signs of what Wilson is attempting to build in the Hoosier football program.It’s a gradual building process, but each player on the roster, particularly these three, are beginning to understand and appreciate the competition within the team. In any sport, healthy competition within the roster promotes a “never-say-die” attitude, which typically results in a winning program.And a winning program is exactly what Wilson intends to have at IU in the near future.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(08/16/12 1:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Success in any facet of life begins with a clear and concise vision of one’s goals. First, the foundation must be laid before the building process begins.Such is the case with IU football.In IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s second season at the helm, the expectations will be at their highest since the Hoosiers earned a bid to the Insight Bowl against Oklahoma State following the 2007 regular season.Riding the excitement of the team’s first bowl bid since the 1993 Independence Bowl, Hoosier fans were clamoring for another bowl in 2008, only to be disappointed by a 3-9 showing in former IU Coach Bill Lynch’s second season.Are Hoosier fans in store for a similar letdown in Wilson’s second season?The answer is no.Wilson coordinated an Oklahoma offense that hit its peak during the Sooners’ run to the 2008 BCS National Championship Game against the Florida Gators. That Oklahoma team set the NCAA record for most points scored in a single 14-game season with 716.Sure, Wilson does not have the same level of talent on his depth chart. But with the returning players, there’s reason to believe IU could make a serious run at winning six games and earning a bowl bid.It all starts on the offensive side of the ball for Wilson’s squad, led by returning starting quarterback Tre Roberson.Roberson, a sophomore, gives the Hoosiers a true dual threat, as witnessed by his 426 rushing yards last season in addition to his 937 passing yards, yet the freshman suffered from a 57 percent completion percentage.Yet, with a season of experience, we can expect to see Roberson become a more accurate passer.Roberson will be complemented by junior running back Stephen Houston, who’s coming off a 2011 season where he compiled 802 rushing yards on 151 carries in addition to his 164 receiving yards from 17 receptions.However, the offense will be hindered by a group of receivers that Wilson said is the worst offensive position group in fall camp. The good news is the level of talent available, with returning starters Kofi Hughes and Shane Wynn.The Hoosiers take on Indiana State on Sept. 1 at Memorial Stadium, and only then will IU fans will see whether or not the returning starters have gelled to the point of being a threat to win six games and qualify for a bowl game.The vision of the program is clear and the foundation has been laid. All that is left to do is start building.— ckillore@indiana.edu
(04/30/12 3:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track teams grabbed a number of victories at the Penn Relays.A week after shining at the Larry Ellis Invitational at Princeton, senior Andrew Poore earned a victory in the 3,000-meter steeplechase on day one of the relays in Philadelphia. Poore finished the race in 8:43.52.Poore’s distance squad teammate, junior Zach Mayhew, was also a victor on day one, claiming first place in the 5,000-meter run in 13:53.94. Mayhew’s win puts him in elite company, as he is the second Hoosier to win the event at the Penn Relays. Fred Wilt won in 1941. On the final day, junior Derek Drouin walked away from the high-jump pit with a first-place finish, the second Penn Relays title in the event for the Ontario native. Drouin earned the victory by clearing 2.22 meters, the same mark that won the junior the title in 2010. On the same day, two Hoosier alumni also finished the three-day event with first-place finishes. Molly Beckwith finished first in the women’s Olympic Development one-mile run in 4:36.71. Fellow alumnus David Neville recorded a time of 46.7 seconds on the 400-meter leg for the Team USA Blue squad. Rounding the events out for IU Coach Ron Helmer’s squad was senior sprinter Kind Butler, who placed third in the 100-meter dash in a time of 10.50 seconds.
(04/30/12 3:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After a highly successful beginning to the outdoor season, the IU men’s and women’s track and field squads will continue their quests to the NCAA Outdoor Championships despite the semester coming to a close. On Friday, the Hoosiers will partake in the Billy Hayes Invitational on the Bloomington campus at Billy Hayes Track. The event will be a warm-up for the Big Ten Outdoor Championships, which will take place the following week at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, Wis.The Hoosier men’s squad will be seeking to capitalize on its Big Ten Indoor Championship by taking the outdoor title, as well. The meet will mark the end of the season for those athletes who have not qualified for the NCAA Outdoor Championships. Those athletes who have qualified will see their seasons extended. The weekend of May 24-26 will feature the NCAA East Preliminary Round in Jacksonville, Fla. Any athletes who make it through the preliminary rounds will advance to the heralded NCAA Outdoor Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, on the campus of the University of Iowa.Hoosier athletes to keep an eye on for the Outdoor Championships are senior sprinter Kind Butler, junior high jumper Derek Drouin, junior distance runners Andrew Bayer and Zach Mayhew and senior Andrew Poore, among others. On the women’s side, junior pole vaulter Kelsie Ahbe will seek to make a return trip to the NCAA tournament, where she finished sixth in 2011. Senior distance runner Breanne Ehrman will attempt to qualify for the Outdoor Championships a season after only making it to the preliminary round.
(04/27/12 2:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU track and field squads will participate in what is perhaps the nation’s most illustrious meet this weekend. The Hoosiers will travel to Philadelphia to compete in the Penn Relays, which have been at Franklin Field annually since 1895. IU Coach Ron Helmer said he believes having his teams participate in the meet comes with a few well-deserved perks. “If the weather is good, there will be 30,000 people there on Thursday, 40,000 people there Friday and 50,000 people there Saturday,” Helmer said. “There’s the exposure we get to the whole world. Our kids have responded to the positive energy and the vibe really well when we’ve gone.“What we talk to them about is that they have to put up with a bunch of stuff. You have to put up with standing around for 30 minutes waiting for your race. You put up with people pushing and shoving.” Helmer said winning at the Penn Relays is a tall order and requires more focus than a usual meet due to the large crowd and high volume of athletes at the facility. But the fifth-year head coach said earning a victory in Philadelphia is beyond sweet. “To win at Penn is one of the coolest things in the sport,” Helmer said. “You’re very much appreciated by the crowd. We spend hours as a staff figuring out who to send because we want to send the right message: This is who we are, this is how we compete and this is what we’re all about.” He is not short on experience at this prestigious event, either. Helmer has attended the Penn Relays for more than 10 years. That experience has significance not just to his assistant coaches, but to the athletes.One IU athlete who will compete in the relays is freshman and Greenwood, Ind., native Nick Stoner, a dual-sport athlete for the Hoosiers. Stoner also competes on the Hoosier football team, and Helmer said a crowd at Memorial Stadium on a Saturday is nothing compared to the Penn Relays. “Not even the same thing,” Helmer said. “You can’t explain it. It’s just a different crowd. It’s a very appreciative crowd. It’s not ‘this team versus this team’. At the Penn Relays, the crowd appreciates whoever is winning. It’s a crowd that comes to root for the winners, and they’re right there on top of you.” Regardless of how well his athletes perform on the track, Helmer said he remains concerned about their performances in the classroom with finals right around the corner. “I’m worried more about the academics than whether or not they’re going to perform,” Helmer said. “I worry about how long it takes them to figure out that a trip back to the hotel room to prepare for finals is vital to what we do.”
(04/23/12 2:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the first home meet for the IU track and field squads, the Hoosiers posted a number of top finishes. IU Coach Ron Helmer’s athletes did just enough to eke out a team victory at the Polytan Invitational on a blustery, cold afternoon Sunday at Billy Hayes Track.“For the most part, we have more and more people doing a really good job,” Helmer said. “There are a lot of places where people are doing really good things.” Senior female distance runner Breanne Ehrman represented the program by dominating the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase Sunday afternoon, finishing with a time of 10:04.25. She is now ranked sixth nationally in the event.“It’s really exciting,” Ehrman said. “I just wanted to come out and run fast today. There have been some other girls in the Big Ten Conference putting up some big numbers, so I was just ready to get a fast time.” Four others with victories during the weekend were seniors Andy Weatherford, De’Sean Turner, Adrien Dannemiller and Andrew Poore. The group swept the top four places in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at the Larry Ellis Memorial at Princeton University. Poore’s time of 8:36.41 is the top collegiate mark in the event this season, while Turner turned in the nation’s second-best mark at 8:36.61. “It’s cool because we’re all fifth-year seniors who live within 50 miles of each other back home that have all been pretty close since the beginning,” Poore said. “It shows the growth of our program.”Poore said those results were the product of consistent training and hard work, for lack of a better phrase.“It’s definitely worth it,” Poore said. “I know for myself, I hadn’t gotten the results I was looking for, especially during cross country and the indoor season. It was definitely worth the wait, and the other guys would agree with that.” Helmer was on hand to watch the quartet, which was special for the fifth-year head coach, considering he typically would not travel with such a small group. “I did that trip for me, as much as for them,” Helmer said. “They were going to run just fine if I was there or not. I needed to be there and feel that because it helps me get focused on the product of the program, and they represent what I think is a very positive product of our program.”
(04/20/12 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IU men’s and women’s track and field squads will be back at it again this weekend, as the Hoosiers will compete at home at the Polytan Invitational at Billy Hayes Track in Bloomington.The events will take place on Saturday evening and Sunday afternoon. However, four Hoosiers from the men’s squad – Adrien Dannemiller, Andy Weatherford, Andrew Poore and De’Sean Turner – will be traveling to Princeton, N.J. to compete in the Larry Ellis Invitational as a distance medley relay group. “They’ll go run well,” IU Coach Ron Helmer said. “I may line one of them up (Saturday night). I may use one as a rabbit here or there.” Once that group returns home, they will be witnesses to the first home meet for the Hoosiers since February. Helmer hopes that his athletes use the home environment to their own advantage. “I would hope they’d take a little bit of pride in running well at home when there’s more people watching them,” Helmer said. Which athletes will be accepting that challenge remains a mystery, but Helmer makes it clear to his athletes that they have the opportunity to improve each and every day through hard work and discipline. “We put that challenge out there every week,” Helmer said. “Every meet, what we’re trying to get people to understand is that they have to be better than just good enough.” One athlete who has gone above and beyond that challenge is redshirt junior sprinter Chris Vaughn, who moonlights as an author. “If I’m running the 400 meters this weekend, I hope I hit that 46-second goal that I’ve been aiming for,” Vaughn said. “I just hope we run really fast and hit some big time personal records again.” Vaughn is happy with the fact that he will have the opportunity to hit that mark at home. “We’re familiar with the track and we feel comfortable,” Vaughn said. “I definitely think it’s a slight advantage.” The Polytan Invitational will give Vaughn a chance to improve on his already impressive marks. He went so far as to say he could he could get a lot better. “I really would like to get my time in the open 400 down to 46 flat,” Vaughn said. His efforts are also a part of a concentrated effort to claim the Big Ten Conference Outdoor Title, after the Hoosier men’s squad won the indoor title.“I really do think that we have a talented group of guys,” Vaughn said. “I think we can go out there and repeat an outdoor victory.” Helmer also believes his men’s squad certainly has a chance to claim an outdoor title, but he said he does not need to remind the squad about its indoor title. Rather, it’s a process of evolving. “I think they appreciated what they did indoors, and then we step aside and let things evolve,” Helmer said. “We’re not talking at all about anything other than training hard and going out and competing.” The lone home meet of the outdoor season will be an excellent opportunity for the Hoosiers to do just that.