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(11/22/13 5:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In advance of the IU football team’s Saturday game against Ohio State, the Indiana Daily Student exchanged questions and answers with the Lantern’s Eric Seger.IDS Ohio State has won 22 straight games and is undefeated under Urban Meyer. Did anybody think this kind of success would occur so fast under Meyer’s regime?SEGER I can’t really speak for anybody else who covers Ohio State or are fans of the Buckeyes, but I do know that when Meyer was hired, it did bring an excitement to campus and athletics. I think mostly it was because of the 6-7 season the year before, which is something that Buckeye Nation was not used to. Meyer’s track record prior to being coach at OSU is pretty outstanding with the two national titles at Florida, so I think it’s safe to say fans were excited with his arrival.IDS With Michigan next week, how likely is it Ohio State will overlook the Hoosiers? What is the perception of IU on campus?SEGER Even though OSU beat Illinois by 25 last week, the mood in the locker room and post game press conference was a bit dejected because the team (and Meyer) did not think they played their best. That having been said, and based off everything the players and coaches have said this week, it does not appear that they will overlook Indiana. Especially since it is Senior Day at Ohio Stadium, all the seniors we have spoken to this week said their mindset is leaving Ohio Stadium with a victory.IDS How does QB Braxton Miller look compared to former Buckeye QBs such as Terrelle Pryor and Troy Smith? Is there more or less hype/excitement around him?SEGER Miller’s development has been visibly apparent since he started two years ago as a freshman. His work with Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Tom Herman has been lauded by Meyer in press conferences. He is confident and has been playing well this year when healthy. I’m not sure if there is more hype around him necessarily, but being an OSU quarterback comes with a lot of expectations. Injuries have kind of derailed his Heisman chances, but a skilled Buckeye quarterback will always be expected to get recognition.IDS Besides a 3-point aberration against Wisconsin, IU has scored 28 points in all of their games. Will Ohio State’s defense be smothering like Wisconsin’s, or will it allow IU to score as Illinois was able to last week?SEGER OSU’s defense was ravaged by injuries against Illinois. A pair of starting linebackers, Joshua Perry and Curtis Grant, did not play because they were hurt, and defensive end Joey Bosa left the game with a neck injury midway through. Indiana has a solid passing attack and put up 49 against OSU last year, a game where a former fullback (Zach Boren) had to play linebacker. Meyer said there are a lot of players on defense they are expecting to get back this week, so they should be better, and according to Co-Defensive Coordinator Everett Withers and Meyer, they will play better this week.IDS What is your prediction for Saturday’s game, with a score?SEGER Ohio State 56, Indiana 14.Follow football reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer
(11/22/13 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Missouri’s James Franklin had 404 total yards.Illinois’s Nathan Scheelhaase had 495.Michigan’s Devin Gardner — 584.In addition to prolific yardage figures, the three quarterbacks had a combined 11 total touchdowns against IU.This season IU has struggled against mobile quarterbacks. At 3:30 p.m. Saturday on ABC, IU might have its toughest test to date with Ohio State’s Braxton Miller.“He’s a Heisman caliber quarterback,” junior cornerback Tim Bennett said. “We have to do a great job of watching film and seeing his tendencies.”When the Hoosiers (4-6, 2-4) venture into “the Horseshoe” to play the No. 3 Buckeyes (10-0, 6-0), they will be underdogs. As of Thursday afternoon, Ohio State is favored by 34 points by several betting establishments on yahoo.com.Miller, a junior from Huber Heights, Ohio, is third in the conference in total offense, averaging 258 yards per game.His Buckeye unit is first in the Big Ten in total offense (537 yards a game), scoring offense (49 points a game), first downs (27 a game), third down conversion rate (52 percent), rushing offense (315 yards a game) and passer efficiency (164.6).Miller has been prolific on the ground. In Ohio State Coach Urban Meyer’s spread offense, Miller is averaging 74 rushing yards a game, second on the team.“He is a tremendous runner,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “And can beat you with his arm with some great guys with a great challenge for defenses.”Ohio State’s up-tempo offense reminds Defensive Coordinator Doug Mallory of his own team’s offense.“Spread, up-tempo, very dangerous,” Mallory said. “They’re very well coached, so it’ll be a great challenge for us this week.”The 6-foot-2, 215-pound quarterback doesn’t make many mistakes. He has just three interceptions versus 17 touchdowns. His touchdown-to-interception ratio of 5.7-to-1 is only bested by his backup, senior Kenny Guiton. Guiton saw playing time after Miller was sidelined with a knee injury. Now Miller is back and wreaking havoc on the Big Ten.Ohio State averaged 60 points in their last three games. Now they will face IU’s defense, the conference’s worst in scoring defense, pass defense and run defense. Freshman defensive lineman Darius Latham said Miller isn’t different from any other mobile quarterback they’ve faced this year. He doesn’t get caught up in the hype.“I just take it as another player,” he said. “I really ain’t worried too much about it.”Follow football reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/20/13 2:02am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>On third down, the IU offense has failed to convert 82 times.IU Coach Kevin Wilson then has a choice. Go for it on fourth down, or punt?He’s elected to punt 59.8 percent of the time, and his offensive staff knows as soon as it’s first down if the team is in four-down territory or not.Wilson relays the following message to his staff.“I said it the whole game,” Wilson said. “When it’s first-and-10, you’re in four-down territory.”Wilson remembers the days when he was a play-caller, when it was third-and-eight, and he thought the team would punt the ball if they did not convert.The head coach would say only then, after the failed third down conversion, that it’s four-down territory.“And I thought, golly, I might have thrown a slant pass or screen or run,” Wilson said. “Because you’ve got fourth down in your back pocket.”For the season, IU is seven for 16 on fourth down, a 43.8 percent conversion rate. This figure is 10th in the Big Ten, and the 16 attempts are the fourth highest.“That 40-something percent ought to be higher,” Wilson said. “Our offense is better than that.”With IU ranking 122nd out of 123 Football Bowl subdivision teams in total defense, the Hoosiers might want to go for it more on fourth down.This season, IU’s defense has allowed 48 touchdowns and eight field goals. They’ve forced 37 punts, 16 turnovers on down and 14 turnovers.IU opponents are scoring touchdowns on 39 percent of their possessions and scoring any points at a 46-percent rate.IU is last in the conference for total defense, rushing defense and passing defense.Also, IU’s defense is on the field longer than any other Big Ten team’s. Because of the offense’s high tempo, the Hoosiers have an average time of possession of 24 minutes and seven seconds, the lowest in the Big Ten by almost 3 1/2 minutes.The sticking point of a high tempo offense is it’s not the amount of time you’re on the field, it’s the number of plays you get.But IU’s last in that, too.The defense has been on the field for 819 plays this season. No other Big Ten team has been on the field for more than 800 plays.Therefore, IU’s defense is not only worst in the conference, they are on the field more than any other Big Ten team.Trying to make up for the defense’s shortcomings, should the offense try to give them a break by going for it more on fourth down?IU’s offense has been prolific. Except for a three-point aberration in Wisconsin this past weekend, they have scored 28 points or more in every one of their games.They are averaging 6.7 yards per play, which is only topped by Ohio State and Wisconsin.Looking at their third-down data, it is easy to see they are converting at a high rate. Looking at third downs is useful because IU is basically converting the same percentage of third downs (43.4 percent) as fourth downs (43.8 percent). Therefore, if the fourth-down conversion rate were extrapolated, and IU went for it on fourth down as much as it did on third down, the numbers would be roughly the same.On third-and-short, (one to three yards) the Hoosiers convert 65 percent of the time. On third-and-medium, (four to seven yards) they are 40 percent. And on third-and-long, (eight or more yards) they are 29 percent.IU holds its opponents scoreless on just 54 percent of the opposition’s drives. Under projections, the Hoosiers would convert around 52 percent of fourth-and-one to fourth-and-eight situations.Should they go for it?“So, sometimes we’re being aggressive, but you’re picking your spots,” Wilson said. “Where our team is, we have to be aggressive, but if we hang our defense out to dry, that can hurt us really bad when we’re picking our spots.” Follow football reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/19/13 4:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior tight end Ted Bolser was named a semi-finalist Monday for the John Mackey Award, an honor bestowed to the nation’s top tight end.Bolser, a fifth-year senior, was named one of the eight semi-finalists. He joins Michigan’s Devin Funchess as the only representatives from the Big Ten.Bolser is the all-time leader in yards (1,313) and touchdowns (14) and second in receptions (112) among IU tight ends. He is four receptions away from Bob Stephenson’s record of 115 career tight-end receptions.He and Stephenson are the only Hoosier tight ends to have more than 100 career receptions.This season, Bolser has 30 catches for 296 yards and five touchdowns. All these figures are fourth on the current Hoosier team.After opening up the season with two touchdowns in each of the team’s first two games, Bolser has just one touchdown in the team’s last eight games.Former winners of the John Mackey award include Dallas Clark (2002), Kellen Winslow Jr. (2003), Heath Miller (2004) and Tyler Eifert (2012).The finalists are announced Nov. 25, and the winner announced on Dec. 11.— Evan Hoopfer
(11/18/13 4:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Madison, Wis. — It took Wisconsin exactly one play to take the lead.After intercepting sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld at the 7-yard line, Badger running back James White took the handoff.He shed a would-be tackle by defensive lineman Raphael Green, and saw green in front of him.Safeties Greg Heban and Mark Murphy gave pursuit, but it didn’t matter.His blocker, Alex Erickson, escorted White to the end zone, “in case I decided to run slow and get caught,” White said.White never looked back, and neither did the Badgers. The 93-yard touchdown run was the second-longest play in Wisconsin’s 123-year history. The run sparked Wisconsin (8-2, 5-1) to a 51-3 win against IU (4-6, 2-4).“We’re not going to beat them up over it,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said of how to move forward. “We got a lot of things to correct.”Wisconsin amassed 554 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. Four different Badgers recorded a rushing touchdown. The offensive linemen for Wisconsin took pride in the performance.“So after I got taken out, we looked up at the rushing yards,” Wisconsin offensive lineman Ryan Groy said. “It was awesome. It was awesome to see.”White finished with a career-high 205 yards on 20 carries. Sophomore Melvin Gordon had 146 yards on just 13 carries. Corey Clement, the third string freshman, had 108 yards on 11 carries. Even non-running backs were gashing the Hoosier defense. Senior Jared Abbrederis had 86 yards on three attempts for two touchdowns. Abbrederis is a wide receiver.He burned the Hoosier defense for runs of 32 and 49 yards on reverses, something IU hadn’t seen on film.“It’s something we didn’t prepare for,” Heban said of the reverses.Rushing proficiency isn’t new in this series. In the last two games against IU, Wisconsin has run for 1,118 yards. Why have they had so much success against IU?“(IU) doesn’t do a whole lot of fancy stuff,” Wisconsin offensive lineman Dan Voltz said. “They played 4-3 defense, which is what we love ... When you play a defense like that, the results are going to be pretty good.”On the day, the Badgers averaged 11.1 yards a rush. In comparison, the IU quarterbacks averaged 4.01 yards per pass attempt.“They have big guys,” defensive lineman Nick Mangieri said. “They’re good blockers. But I still feel like when we we’re doing our assignments. We were gap sound.”Next week, the competition doesn’t get any weaker. Going into last week, No. 3 Ohio State was averaging 301.1 rushing yards per game, tops in the Big Ten.“We gotta finish,” Heban said. “We’ve always been playing Ohio State pretty well. ... I’m excited.” Follow football reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/15/13 5:22am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Unless they knock off No. 3 Ohio State next week, IU needs to beat No. 22 Wisconsin Saturday to help secure the Hoosiers’ first bowl berth since 2007.Playing in a bowl would help put IU in the national spotlight, somewhere it wants the football program to be.“Indiana (University) is known throughout the world,” sophomore offensive lineman Ralston Evans said. “That’s what we want our football team to be.”To beat Wisconsin (7-2, 4-1), IU (4-5, 2-3) will have to overcome a recent history of Badger domination. In the last three meetings, Wisconsin has beaten IU by an average score of 68-14.“It’s a whole other year,” junior wide receiver Shane Wynn said. “That was last year, this is this year.”In the series history, Wisconsin holds a 39-18-2 edge and has won 14 of the last 16 contests. The 60th installment of the series will be aired noon Saturday on ESPN2.To buck recent history and beat the Badgers, IU will need to do so without sophomore running back Tevin Coleman. The reigning Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week is “probably out,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said, after he suffered an ankle sprain against Illinois.Coleman sustained the injury late in the game after running for a career high 215 yards. Senior running back Stephen Houston will carry most of the offensive load.Along with Coleman, Houston has also run for more than 100 yards in the last two games. He lost his starting job earlier this season when Coleman emerged as the starter.But Houston is used to seeing the Badger defense. The last time IU traveled to Madison, Houston had a big game. He ran for 137 yards on just 19 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per carry.This year, Houston has been a formidable backup, averaging 7.3 yards per rush. “Again, we are fortunate,” Wilson said. “Stephen’s a two-year starter, and he’s played pretty good.”He will face one of the toughest tests of the year.Wisconsin is one of only three Big Ten teams to allow less than 100 rushing yards per game. Leading the defense is 5-foot-11-inch linebacker Chris Borland. The fifth-year senior has a decorated awards cabinet.He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year in 2010, and was a first team All-Big Ten selection the past two seasons.“The best football player in the league may be Chris Borland,” Wilson said. “And there are a lot of great football players in this league. No. 44, the linebacker, is a special, special player.”In several betting establishments listed on yahoo.com, the Hoosiers are 23-point underdogs.When asked if he thought the high line was justified or if the team will take offense, Wynn shrugged his shoulders.“Everybody’s got their opinion,” he said.Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/12/13 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After running for a career high 215 yards on 15 carries and tallying two touchdowns Saturday against Illinois, sophomore running back Tevin Coleman was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. This is the first time Coleman has received the honor. It marks the first time a Hoosier running back has been awarded the honor in 12 years exactly, when Levron Williams took the honor on Nov. 12, 2001.Coleman is third in the Big Ten, averaging 106 rushing yards per game. He also leads the conference with 12 rushing touchdowns and is seventh nationally in the figure.He also ran for 108 yards against Minnesota, making it the first time a Hoosier tailback ran for more than 100 yards in consecutive games since BenJarvus Green-Ellis in 2003.Through nine games, Coleman has the most rushing yards of any IU running back since 2001. Coleman is averaging 7.3 yards per rush on the season and is on pace for 1,276 yards, which would give him the sixth most season rushing yards in IU history.His backup, senior Stephen Houston, has also rushed 100 yards in each of the past two games. He will be IU’s primary back against Wisconsin.IU Coach Kevin Wilson said Coleman is “probably out” this week after sustaining an ankle injury late against Illinois.If Coleman does not play, it will be the first time all season he has not recorded a touchdown in a game.— Evan Hoopfer
(11/11/13 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior wide receiver Shane Wynn lunged and extended all of his 5-foot-7 frame to attempt the catch, but his momentum carried him out of bounds. The play was ruled an incompletion. However, upon further review, Wynn had dragged his calf in bounds for the 27-yard catch. The call on the field was overturned.“As soon as he caught it, they said no and were trying to call a new play,” sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. “I was like, ‘He caught it, he caught it.’ I knew it was going to be a catch.”IU (4-5, 2-3) defeated Illinois (3-6, 0-5) 52-35.The victory was IU’s first since it beat Penn State Oct. 5.Wynn’s catch helped the Hoosiers score on the drive, and they would outscore Illinois by 17 points after the play. “He floated in the air for a second,” junior wide receiver Cody Latimer said. “I was like, ‘Wow, this little guy is flying.’ Great body control.”Latimer was the main target on the day. He had a career game with 11 catches, 189 yards and three touchdowns.“He has the best hands I’ve ever seen,” Sudfeld said.Twice Latimer fought for a first down when he appeared to be stopped at the marker by an Illini defender. But he fought for the extra yard or two to continue the drive for his team.“We need that first down,” Latimer said. “I had to use my strength to make a play and drag those defenders.”Latimer wasn’t the only Hoosier to have a career day. Sophomore running back Tevin Coleman had a career-high 215 rushing yards on just 15 carries, averaging more than 14 yards per carry.It was the most rushing yards by a Hoosier running back in a decade.The Illinois native had runs of 75 and 64 yards and was explosive all day.His backup, senior running back Stephen Houston, also crossed the century mark with 150 yards. Both tailbacks had two rushing touchdowns. “I just handed it off to them every single time,” Sudfeld said, laughing. “So that was pretty nice … I hand it off to Tevin and he makes one cut, and I put my hand in the air because I know it’s a touchdown.”IU had 371 rushing yards, which helped set a season-high 650 yards of total offense.As prolific as the offense was, the defense was porous.Illinois racked up 612 total yards, spearheaded by senior quarterback Nate Scheelhaase. He was 38-57 for 450 yards and two touchdowns.“We’re not there yet on defense,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.The dual-threat quarterback also had 45 rushing yards. He joins the ranks of opposing quarterbacks to put up big numbers against the IU defense.“He’s a great athlete,” senior safety Greg Heban said. “We talked all week about how when he’s out of the pocket, stay fundamentally sound.”The Illini have yet to win a Big Ten game since 2011 when they last came to Bloomington and knocked off the Hoosiers.They are 0-19 in conference play since.Conversely, the IU win snapped a three-game losing streak. The Hoosiers are now two wins away from a bowl berth.“We really feel we’re a really good team when we put everything together,” Sudfeld said.Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/08/13 5:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In Illinois’s 46 previous games, they’ve had the same quarterback for 44 of them.“Talented guy,” defensive coordinator Doug Mallory said of senior Nathan Scheelhaase. “He’s a guy that’s a dual threat quarterback.”Scheelhaase missed two games last season because of an ankle injury. Besides that, the last time Scheelhaase wasn’t the Illinois starter was Dec. 5, 2009, when Juice Williams was running the Illini offense.After a lackluster junior year where he threw just four touchdowns opposed to eight interceptions, the Kansas City native has righted the ship during his senior campaign.He started this year off by throwing for a career-high 416 yards, 340 coming in the first half, in the season-opener versus Southern Illinois.The performance earned him the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honor.After his team thrashed Cincinnati in week two, Scheelhaase had thrown for more touchdowns in just seven quarters than he had in the entirety of last season.“When things break down, he’s got the arm strength to get the ball where he needs to get it to,” Mallory said.Scheelhaase is second in the Big Ten in total offense per game, behind Michigan’s Devin Gardner. When the Hoosier defense faced Gardner earlier this year, he had 584 total yards and five total touchdowns.Another dual threat quarterback IU faced was Missouri’s James Franklin. He lit up IU for 404 total yards and three total touchdowns.Despite the offense giving up 63 and 45 in those games respectively, junior safety Mark Murphy said they haven’t “struggled” against mobile quarterbacks.“It’s just another dimension you have to defend against,” he said of Scheelhaase’s running ability.Even though Scheelhaase has been prolific in his career, it hasn’t coincided with team success. In Illinois’ last 25 games against FBS opponents, they are 4-21 and 0-18 in conference play.Scheelhaase has been the starter for 24 of those games, including all Big Ten action.Illinois brought in a new offensive coordinator this season, Bill Cubit, who also coaches Scheelhaase and the rest of the quarterbacks.Cubit coached Western Michigan for eight years, and put up prolific offensive numbers. In eight games this season, the Illini offense has seen drastic improvement.Last season Illinois averaged 17 points per game, the worst in the conference. This season, they are averaging 29.They have less time of possession though, averaging 28:45 a game, compared to 30:14 last year.However, this is by design — similar to IU, they now run a faster offense.“I don’t think Illinois uses as much tempo as they were last year,” Mallory said.When looking at up-tempo and spread offenses, time of possession has little significance on offensive production.For example, IU is second in the conference in scoring offense, and last in time of possession. The much ballyhooed Oregon offense is averaging 56 points per game, and is last in the PAC-12 in time of possession.“When they get in sync, they’re a very capable offense,” Mallory said, of Illinois. “They’re very similar to us.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/06/13 3:14am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In advance of the IU football team’s Saturday game against Illinois, the IDS exchanged questions and answers with The Daily Illini’s Sean Hammond.IDS In his second season, Illinois Coach Tim Beckman is 0-12 in the Big Ten. Is progress being made on the field?HAMMOND Progress is definitely being made for Illini football. First-year offensive coordinator Bill Cubit has had the biggest impact. Last season co-offensive coordinators Billy Gonzales and Chris Beatty just simply didn’t get it done. Cubit has come in with virtually the same offensive roster and turned this unit into something that is at least respectable. Defensively, the Illini have struggled, but they are also young. Only two seniors roam the field — linebacker Jonathan Brown and defensive lineman Tim Kynard. The secondary has struggled in Big Ten play but showed promise last week against Penn State. Given another year, this unit will be much improved. Without a doubt, Illinois fans are restless. Don’t be deceived by the empty seats in Champaign’s Memorial Stadium, these Illini fans care about the football program. When Illinois is good, (which isn’t too often), they back the team. Fans need to be patient with Tim Beckman and give him another year or two before they start clamoring for change.IDS Illinois started the season 3-1 with an impressive victory against Cincinnati. Since then, they’ve gone 0-4. What’s changed?HAMMOND Illinois’ defensive flaws have been exposed. Like I said earlier, this team is young and inexperienced, especially in the secondary. They have struggled to tackle in open space, and it really shows.The offense hasn’t been anything to brag about in the four losses either, but some of the credit has to be given to the opponents. Illinois’ first three conference games came against three of the better defensive teams in the Big Ten, those being Nebraska, Wisconsin and Michigan State.It’s easy to see that the Big Ten losing streak (which is now up to 18 games) is wearing on these players. None of the previous losses in the past two years has affected these guys as much as Saturday’s overtime loss to Penn State. They want to get this monkey off their back, and Saturday visibly affected their demeanor postgame.IDS Quarterback Nate Scheelhaase is second in the conference with 259.5 yards per game of total offense. Is he the best QB you’ve seen in the Big Ten?HAMMOND He’s certainly up there. Saturday may have been his best game this season. It wasn’t statistically, but he was able to keep the offense moving against a Big Ten opponent, which hasn’t happened very often.He doesn’t have the arm of Christian Hackenberg, who will be a quarterback to watch over the next couple of years, and he doesn’t have the quickness of Braxton Miller or Devin Gardner. But he’s got a little bit of both.Scheelhaase hasn’t run as much this year as he has in the past, but he hasn’t needed to. He’s really flourished in Bill Cubit’s offense, and it seems to be a style of attack that suits him.I wouldn’t be surprised to see him put up big passing numbers against Indiana and Purdue coming up in the next few weeks.IDS The Illini are 11th in the Big Ten in total defense (better than only Indiana). Has the defense looked as bad in person? Why can’t they get stops?HAMMOND They simply can’t tackle when they need to. It’s not a problem of missed assignments — it’s execution. They have looked just as bad in person as one might imagine. There have been countless missed tackles and plays that should have been made that weren’t.Problems were cleaned up quite a bit against Penn State, and it’ll be interesting to see how they play against Indiana. A lot of it goes back to their youth. Give this unit more time, and it will improve in those areas.IDS Who are some offensive weapons to watch?HAMMOND Definitely keep an eye on running back Josh Ferguson. He is dynamic and incredibly fast in the open field. Whether he’s getting the handoff or making a reception, he can make a play. The coaches also tried him out a little bit as a kick returner against Penn State. It’ll be interesting to see if they keep trying to get him the ball in those situations.Ryan Lankford was Illinois’ biggest threat from the wide receiver position. A dislocated shoulder against Michigan State has sidelined him for the rest of his senior season. In his place, Spencer Harris stepped up and made 10 catches last week. He’s not deceptively quick, but he is consistent and reliable.Follow football reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(11/01/13 7:23pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>All IU has to do is win the rest of its home games, and the Hoosiers will make a bowl game. The process starts when IU (3-4, 1-2) takes on Minnesota (6-2, 2-2) Saturday at Memorial Stadium.IU is coming off its second bye week, or “segment,” of the season. Junior defensive end John Laihinen doesn’t think this will be the last segment of the year.“Until we make a bowl game, then we got another segment right there,” he said. After Minnesota, IU has another home game next week against Illinois, who lost to Michigan State last week 42-3. Then IU goes on the road to Wisconsin and Ohio State, which are a combined 13-2 on the year, before heading home to face Purdue, which is 1-6, in the season finale. It has been awhile since the Hoosiers played at home. It was Oct. 5 when IU beat Penn State for the first time in school history.Ever since Minnesota lost back-to-back games to Iowa and Michigan by a combined score of 65-20, the Golden Gophers have been on a tear.Last week they upset No. 24 Nebraska 34-23 to earn bowl eligibility status for the second straight season.The Gophers also downed Northwestern the week before in Evanston, Ill. “They’re a good, solid football team,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.Minnesota will be the stingiest defense the Hoosiers have faced this year in conference play besides Michigan State. The Gophers are fifth in the conference, allowing an average of 23 points per game.The Gophers are a run-first offense, and their passing numbers therefore suffer. They have the worst statistical passing game in the conference, averaging 123 yards per game. That’s 220 yards less per game than the Hoosiers average per game. Despite leading the conference in passing, Wilson still isn’t content.“Offensively, you guys think we’re pretty good,” he said. “We were 108th in interceptions thrown. We moved ourselves up to a whopping 97th.“Look at teams like A&M, Houston, Oregon State that’s throwing for 100 yards more than we are and got about six or seven less picks.” Minnesota’s lack of passing proficiency will likely not temper their offense, as IU gives up an average of 221 rushing yards per game, the most in the Big Ten. Overall, IU’s defense is the worst in the Big Ten against the run and the pass. IU has given up the most points and also the most yards in the conference.Nationally, the Hoosier defense ranks 119th out of 123 FBS teams in total defense, and the team has stressed tackling more in practice, Wilson said. For the second straight week, IU coaches did not name a Defensive Player of the Week. Over the last two games, the unit has given up 105 points.The team and defensive coordinator Doug Mallory has received criticism, but Laihinen said they do their best to block it out.“We really just do our best to zone it out,” he said. “We really can’t look at. We can’t let it get to us. We gotta know what we know and have faith in what we do.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(10/31/13 3:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before the season, there was a quarterback controversy among sophomores Nate Sudfeld and Tre Roberson and junior Cam Coffman. Roberson was named the starter for the team’s first two games and struggled in his second start, failing to register a first down in the first two drives against Navy.Sudfeld came in and has been the starter ever since, despite a slight lack of production as of late.“I’ve seen them both have ups and downs because I think they listen to the public perspective too much,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.Earlier in the season Sudfeld was one of the conference’s best, and he still is statistically one of the Big Ten’s top quarterbacks.Before the Michigan game Sudfeld was on pace to break or come close to breaking IU records in passing yards, passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Even after missing most of the Michigan game, Sudfeld is third in passing yards per game, racking up 246.6 yards per contest.However, against Michigan the script was flipped from earlier this season when Sudfeld was ineffective and Roberson shone. Sudfeld completed less than 50 percent of his passes — he finished 8-19, 42 percent— and averaged just 6.4 yards per attempt. Wilson said he thought Sudfeld, a traditional pocket-passer quarterback, didn’t handle Michigan’s rainy elements as well as the Roberson, who is more of a dual-threat quarterback, could have.“We kind of got after him last week,” Wilson said of Sudfeld. “Quit being so moody and mopey, quit worrying about who goes out first.”He was subsequently benched for Roberson, who helped the IU offense score 40 points in the final three quarters. Roberson finished 16-23 for 288 yards and three touchdowns, and he averaged 12.5 yards per attempt. The other thing Roberson did was open the door for another quarterback controversy.“They both can run our offense,” Wilson said. “And when they both get going, they both have looked really good. And when they both have been off, they both have looked very, very poor.”Wilson said he will wait until the practice week is over to declare a starter.He could opt to go back to Roberson, and he stressed that the job is up for grabs.“Tre might come first this week,” he said. “And we’ll just kind of see where the week goes because I got confidence in him.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(10/30/13 2:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When he was a freshman, nobody wanted to sit with him and the other specialists at dinner table.So senior kicker Mitch Ewald and then-long snapper Jeff Sanders hatched an idea. They would make it a competition. It soon became an honor to sit with the specialists.“Before, nobody wanted to sit with us,” Ewald said. “Now everybody does.”For the last four years, Ewald and the other specialists, punter Erich Toth, long snapper Matt Dooley, backup punter Nick Campos, backup kicker Aaron Del Grosso and backup long snapper Josh Pericht, have published a comedic newsletter every week, that sports a catchy name.Kickin’ it with the Specialists. The newsletter includes quotes of the week from members of the team, often fabricated by Ewald.“We got three quotes of the week,” he said. “Which a lot of times are made up from my imagination.”Every week, the players look forward to who will be named to have dinner with the specialists. “It’s pretty select,” Toth, the punter, said.On Friday, the newsletter is left in the players’ lockers for them to discover when returning from practice. However, before the Michigan game, Ewald, the leader of the specialists, switched things up.“I played a joke on them,” he said.Ewald held the newsletters until the bus ride, where he put them on each of the players’ seats. The anticipation of who would be selected to have dinner with the specialists was killing the players.“They were all going crazy,” he said. “I enjoyed that.”For each Friday dinner before the game, the specialists select one defensive player and one offensive player to occupy the two remaining seats at the specialists’ table.“I always love every Friday coming into the locker room and having a little sheet in my locker,” safety Greg Heban said. “It’s definitely one of the highlights of the day.”The point of the dinners is to integrate the special teams unit with the rest of the team. In practice they usually do activities and drills that only they participate in, so this offers an opportunity for them to get to know the other players better.“Nobody wanted to sit with the specialists,” Dooley, the long snapper, said. “Now it’s a competition. It’s an honor to be able to sit with us.”When asked to name their favorite guest, one name kept coming up: Isaiah “Zek” Roundtree.“I mean, I knew I was going to be their favorite guest,” Roundtree said.Several players said Roundtree is a hilarious guy and has a great personality.“He’s probably one of the most open guys to be around,” Heban said of Roundtree. “One of the funniest, if not the funniest, guys on the team.” Just don’t tell Roundtree that he’s “one of the funniest.”“I’m the funniest guy on the team by far,” he said. “You follow me on Twitter? Then you know what I’m talking about.”Roundtree, a wide receiver who transferred to Bloomington two years ago, is a fixture on the “Kickin’ it with the Specialists” newsletter.Often, he is featured on the quotes of the week section and is surprised when he isn’t.“I just expect to be on there,” he said. “If I’m not, I’m like, ‘Ewald, what’s going on?’”One of the more famous quotes came from earlier this season. Roundtree and the team were going through a ball security drill in practice. The balls were covered with a sleeve, making it more difficult to carry and would therefore increase their ball-carrying abilities.Roundtree voiced his displeasure, which made the newsletter the following Friday.“I don’t want to carry a ball with a do-rag on it,” he said at the time. Ewald confessed to making some quotes up that Roundtree “says.” But Roundtree said he is content with this.“They say stuff that I actually think about,” he said.Roundtree said Ewald goes through his Twitter to retrieve potential quote of the week material.Because of Roundtree’s personality, the players on the team have no trouble believing Roundtree actually said the quotes.“I say some outlandish stuff,” he said.Besides himself, Roundtree said other funny guys on the team are Shane Wynn, Ewald, Darius Latham, Florisse “Flo” Hardin and Cam Coffman.“He’s one of those surprise funnies,” he said of Coffman.Heban added of the third string quarterback, “He’s a dry humor kind of guy.”Roundtree said the coaches know about “Kickin’ it with the Specialists,” and they know he’s a “goofy and silly” guy.“They follow me on Twitter too,” he said.Ewald has been the main orchestrator of the newsletter for the past four years. Who will take over after the kicker graduates?“It’s between Dooley and Toth right now,” he said. “I’d say Dooley has a slight advantage over him; he’s a little bit more creative.”The newsletter is a good way to keep the mood light, but players said the first topic of conversation is always the game at hand.The players discuss the game plan for how they will beat their next opponent, and then the fun ensues. On the bottom of each newsletter, a simple message keeps the team’s priorities in order.“In IU Coach Wilson we trust.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(10/21/13 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>ANN ARBOR, MICH. — When IU recovered a fumble at its own two-yard line, it had a chance to do something no opposing team had done since Michigan Coach Brady Hoke took over: beat Michigan at The Big House.However, the IU offense couldn’t respond as it had all game, and IU (3-4, 1-2) fell to Michigan (6-1, 2-1) 63-47.“We’re so tired of being close,” senior kicker Mitch Ewald said. “We’re going to go home and everybody is going to say, ‘Oh, you were so close.’ We’re tired of that. We want to win.”Junior linebacker David Cooper recovered the crucial fumble as Michigan was going in to score.The turnover gave IU the ball deep inside its own territory and gave the team a chance for its first win at Michigan since 1967.But with the score at 49-47, sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson, who had taken over for sophomore Nate Sudfeld, came out of the game with an injury.“His hand actually cramped up,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “That’s why Nate came back ... We actually thought when he came over he broke his hand. His thumb was pointed cockeyed.”Sudfeld came in and threw an interception, all but extinguishing the hopes of the historic win. IU would not get as close the rest of the game. Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner took it in for a six-yard touchdown run on the subsequent possession, making it a two-possession game with only six minutes remaining.Roberson threw an interception on IU’s next drive, icing the Wolverine victory.Michigan would go on to record 751 yards, nine touchdowns, 35 first downs and a 9.0 yards-per-play average.“It’s embarrassing for our defense to give up that many yards,” senior safety Greg Heban said. “... This game is completely on the defense.”Gardner, who came into the game leading the Big Ten in total yards per game, almost doubled his normal production.The Detroit native had 503 yards, a school record, and two touchdowns through the air.He also had 84 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.Gardner’s 584 total yards was the second most in Big Ten history and the most IU had ever given up to an opposing player.His primary receiver was Jeremy Gallon, who had 369 receiving yards on 14 catches for two touchdowns.Gallon was just 36 yards from the NCAA record for most receiving yards in a game.“Three hundred sixty yards is ridiculous,” Wilson said.Both the number of receptions and yards were records for opposing receivers versus IU.After being bottled up for 27 yards on 27 carries last week against Penn State, Michigan running back Fitzgerald Toussaint bounced back with a productive day.He had 151 yards on 32 carries and four rushing touchdowns.Heban said the Gardner-Gallon combo was one of the toughest the defense has faced this year.“Just the shiftiness of both of them,” he said. “It was wet on the turf, but that’s definitely not the excuse we’re going to use. We gave up way too many yards.”The IU offense was humming to open up the second half. It had seven straight drives in which it scored a touchdown or a field goal, and it averaged 73 seconds per drive.In the end, IU fell flat in its final three possessions.Its last three drives ended with an interception, an interception and a turnover on downs.“If we got some stops we could really gas some people and run them out of the building,” Wilson said. “But it’s kind of putting it all together.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(10/21/13 2:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior kicker Mitch Ewald now holds all significant kicking records at IU.He has more field goals (49), extra points (141) and total points (289) than any kicker in IU’s 129-year history. He is also the schools most accurate kicker, hitting 81.7 percent of his career field goal attempts.Ewald is second to former running back Anthony Thompson in IU career points, passing former quarterback Antwaan Randle El earlier this season.He has not missed a kick this year — a perfect 5-for-5 on field goals and 36-for-36 on extra points.He is on pace to shatter the record for most extra points in a season this year. Former 2007 kicker Austin Starr had 48.Ewald is on pace for 62 extra points this season.Ewald kicked a 50-yard field goal, a career long, to end the first half against MichiganIt was the first time in more than a decade a Hoosier kicker had a 50-yard kick. The last to do so was Bryan Robertson against Purdue in November 2002.After the game, Ewald said he wasn’t concerned about all the records and accolades because his team lost.“Any time you can get on the field as a kicker it’s fun,” Ewald said. “The individual records and stuff like that are great ... I would have loved for those to be touchdowns. I’d rather win the game than get a couple more field goals.”— Evan Hoopfer
(10/20/13 1:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>ANN ARBOR, MICH. -- In an offensive shootout, Michigan defeated IU 63-47 Saturday night at Michigan Stadium. The two teams combined for 110 points, 1,323 yards and 63 first downs.The 110 combined points was tied for third most in a Big Ten game.Many records were set in the offensive expose as the scoring started heating up in the third quarter. IU (3-4, 1-2) outscored Michigan (6-1, 2-1) in the quarter 23-14.IU sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson took over for sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld, and was 16-23 for 288 yards and three touchdowns. The two quarterbacks combined for 410 passing yards and four touchdowns, and two costly interceptions.However, it wasn’t enough to stop the Michigan offense, which accumulated 751 total yards.Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner was 21-29 for 503 yards and two touchdowns. The Detroit native also ran for 81 yards and three rushing touchdowns.Gardner’s 584 total yards was the second most in Big Ten history and the most IU had ever given up to an opponent.The player of the game was Michigan wide receiver Jeremy Gallon. He had 14 catches for 369 yards and two touchdowns. The 369 yards was a Michigan record as well as a record for most opponent receiving yards against IU.The running game was effective as well for the Wolverines. They had 248 rushing yards, with running back Fitzgerald Toussaint accounting for 151 yards and four touchdowns.After a bye week, IU will return home to play Minnesota on Nov. 2.
(10/17/13 4:58am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU’s defense takes the field Saturday, it will face the most prolific player in the Big Ten.Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner leads the conference in total yards per game, with 286 yards of total offense per contest. “He’s a dual threat,” junior safety Mark Murphy said. “He’s got the ability to extend plays and make plays when they break down.”IU (3-3, 1-1) travels to Ann Arbor, Mich., to play Michigan (5-1, 1-1) in a battle of the conference’s top offenses Saturday. The game airs at 3:30 p.m. on the Big Ten Network.To win, IU defensive coordinator Doug Mallory said they need to improve their tackling. Last week against Michigan State, the team missed 18 tackles.IU Coach Kevin Wilson agreed with the importance of tackling.“Defensively, we didn’t recognize anyone,” Wilson said. “I don’t know if anyone necessarily played horrible, but no one played what we consider a championship level that we need.”The Hoosiers’ offense is ranked third in the conference, averaging 42 points per game. Right behind in the rankings is the Michigan offense, spearheaded by Gardner, averaging 39 points per game.Not only does Gardner lead his team in passing yards per game, but he’s the team’s top rusher. However, most of his runs don’t come from designed runs, they just occur organically, Wilson said.“He’s not truly a running quarterback,” Wilson said. “He’s a guy that would just pick his spots. They do some designed quarterback run but not a lot.”IU’s quarterback, sophomore Nate Sudfeld, is also one of the conference’s best passers. He averages 267 yards per game, more than Gardner’s 212 yards per game figure.“We worked with getting out of the pocket and throwing from there,” Heban said. “(Gardner) is going to be scrambling around a lot during the game, so we just have to stay in our coverage.“Gardner reminds players of another quarterback they’ve played this season: Missouri’s James Franklin.Franklin lit up the Hoosier defense in week four. He threw for 343 yards and two touchdowns, the most yards the Hoosier defense has given up this season.“(Gardner is) a little longer, a little taller, but not as big as Franklin,” Murphy said in comparing the two quarterbacks.Despite being one of the conference’s best quarterbacks, he has thrown 10 interceptions on the year. His touchdown to interception ratio is 1.1 touchdowns per interception. In comparison, Sudfeld’s is 2.2.“He’s definitely going to take more risks,” Murphy said. “He’s going to try and make more plays than maybe some other quarterbacks. And that comes with some positives and negatives.”
(10/17/13 2:36am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In advance of IU’s matchup with Michigan on Saturday, the Indiana Daily Student talked with Zach Helfand of the Michigan Daily, the student newspaper at the University of Michigan.IDS: Coming off the four-overtime loss last week against Penn State, how will the team respond? In your opinion, will they come back focused or have a lackadaisical attitude? HELFAND: Michigan, for all its faults right now, hasn’t lacked for effort. This isn’t the first time the team has had to rebound after a pretty painful game, though it is the first loss. They came out flat against Akron and came within yards of an upset. The next week, against a pretty bad Connecticut team, they played pretty poorly again, but not because of intensity. Turnovers were the issue there. Against Minnesota, after a bye week, the execution finally caught up with the effort, and the game turned into a blowout. Michigan Coach Brady Hoke usually gets his teams up after a loss. I’d expect the same this week. The question will be whether they can actually execute. IDS: With Michigan State on the schedule for the following week, any chance the team overlooks the Hoosiers? If not the team, the fans? What is the perception of IU on campus?HELFAND: The loss to Penn State last weekend brought up so many of its own questions that I actually haven’t heard any about the Michigan State game. Certainly not to the team. And even on campus, the talk about Michigan State hasn’t gone further than some concern that Michigan could be in for a battle. (There is a bye week before Michigan goes up to East Lansing, so that may have stunted some of the discussion.) I don’t think Indiana will be overlooked. IU’s win over Penn State really won a lot of believers around the conference. At the beginning of the year, this game looked like a given to a lot of people here. Now, it looks like a potential trap game. Nobody here would be shocked if it’s a close game.IDS: Michigan has had a number of close victories (three-point victory against UConn and a four-point victory against Akron), is Michigan not as good as it’s 5-1 record suggests?HELFAND: That’s an accurate assessment. It’s hard to reconcile with the team that beat Notre Dame pretty convincingly in week two. But the team has had major issues that Hoke and Co. are still addressing. Initially, it was redshirt junior quarterback Devin Gardner who had a rough string of turnovers — something he’s still struggling with. Really, though, the offensive line has not been good enough. Against Penn State, they were pushed into the backfield on most runs. Fifth-year senior running back Fitzgerald Toussaint finished with 27 rushing yards on 27 attempts. That’s the lowest total in Michigan history for a back with that many attempts, but it’s hard to put the blame on Toussaint. The offensive line’s issues have left Michigan with a pretty bad choice: Do you move the ball with the pass but risk turnovers, or do you go with the feeble run game? Like I mentioned, the close wins over UConn and Akron weren’t just effort problems — Michigan just didn’t play that well.IDS: How has QB Devin Gardner looked compared to previous seasons? How has he progressed or regressed?HELFAND: Last year, Gardner stepped into the quarterback role midseason and already looked like a game-changer. In five games, he completed 59.5 percent of his passes for 1,219 yards and 11 touchdowns with five interceptions. Against Notre Dame, he dazzled again. Since then, though, he’s regressed, and that’s because of turnovers. He’s got 1,276 yards in six games in 2013, but he’s thrown 11 touchdowns and 10 interceptions with a handful of fumbles. He’s got the arm and the legs to be a great player, and he played a turnover-free game against Minnesota and had a very nice second half against Penn State. But the turnover concerns are still there. IDS: With IU, their strength is their passing game. How has Michigan’s secondary looked this season?HELFAND: Michigan’s in the middle of the pack in passing defense, at 64th in the nation. That’s a little deceptive, though, because teams have passed quite a lot against this defense. When you break it down to yards per attempt, Michigan is actually 16th nationally. Overall, the unit is deep, with a smattering of young talent seeing time. Redshirt sophomore Blake Countess has been a playmaker at the nickel — he’s got four interceptions and a touchdown already this year. Michigan plays its secondary pretty loose to limit big plays, something it’s done well this season. But that leaves it vulnerable underneath and in between the linebackers and safeties, an area teams have exploited in the past.IDS: How weird has it been watching QB Devin Gardner wear No. 98 this year? HELFAND: It’s definitely fluctuated between kind of cool and really weird. We’re pretty used to it by now over in Ann Arbor, but the first time it was bizarre seeing No. 98 throwing the ball.Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.
(10/16/13 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Senior tight end Ted Bolser was named to the midseason award watch list for the John Mackey Award on Tuesday.He had been named to the award’s preseason watch list before the season.The honor is given to the nation’s top tight end. Four other Big Ten tight ends were also named to the list.Bolser is tied for first nationally for touchdown receptions by a tight end with five this season.The five touchdown receptions is top on the team, and he ranks third on the team with 19 overall receptions.Bolser already has the most career touchdown catches of any IU tight end, with 14.Last week, Bolser became the 20th Hoosier to have more than 100 career catches and 1,000 career receiving yards. He is the third active Hoosier to eclipse the mark this season, joining teammates Shane Wynn and Kofi Hughes.This is not the first honor of the year for Bolser. He was named the John Mackey Tight End of the Week after his two-touchdown performance against Navy in week two.The semifinalists for the John Mackey Award will be named on Nov. 18.— Evan Hoopfer
(10/16/13 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>He’s one of the more soft-spoken players on the team, a quieter guy by nature.“I’ve known him for three or four years now and he’s still pretty quiet,” senior safety Greg Heban said. But when the whistle blows, sophomore cornerback Michael Hunter sheds his quiet and polite manners.“He’s a little more reserved,” junior safety Mark Murphy said. “He gets a little more alive when he gets on the field.”Hunter is the Hoosiers’ starting cornerback. He came back this season after suffering an injury that forced him to go abroad for a procedure.After playing in all 12 games his freshman year, a sports hernia on his right groin sidelined him for a large part of his sophomore campaign. He was subsequently redshirted.Hunter had to travel to Germany to repair his hernia. The procedure, created by Dr. Ulrike Muschaweck, is not available in the United States.If he had opted for the procedure available in America, which uses a mesh system, it would have taken him seven to eight weeks to recover.“And her procedure took two to four weeks,” Hunter said. “It’s a surgery that hasn’t made it to the U.S. yet; she basically created the surgery.”He spent five days in Germany recovering. He made quick progress, jogging and running just three or four days after the procedure.“Yes sir, I’m a lot stronger,” Hunter said in response to whether he’s different after the surgery. “I was in a lot of pain. I couldn’t pick my legs up in the past ... She (Muschaweck) definitely knows what she is doing.”Hunter came into this year and has earned the starting cornerback role, alongside junior Tim Bennett.Bennett is one of the nation’s best corners. He leads the country with 14 pass break ups and leads the Big Ten with 35 solo tackles. “Tim’s a good cornerback,” Hunter said. “So teams are kind of throwing my way, so I just have to pick it up.”With one of the country’s best on the other side of the field, defenses pick on Hunter and throw to him more often.“I think the first couple games they picked on both the corners,” Heban said. “Then when Timmy started making all those plays, they started leaning toward Mike a little bit.”Hunter said he needs to improve his breaks. Meaning if he is playing nine yards off a receiver and they are running a five-yard route, the explosion when he attempts the catch needs to be quicker. “Tim does a great job of that,” Hunter said. “That’s why he leads the nation in pass break ups.”He learns from Bennett, and vice versa.“We watch film together every day,” Hunter said. “We try to teach each other things.”Hunter was born and raised in Louisiana. The No. 81 cornerback in the nation, he was recruited by only one SEC school, Mississippi State. Despite not being recruited by the majority of the powerhouse conference, he doesn’t carry a chip on his shoulder.“Just got to keep working,” he said. “God put me in the best place for me, so maybe it was a blessing in disguise.”He was surprised by the passion Big Ten fans had, and said it was just as much as the SEC.Because he is far from his hometown of Monroe, he doesn’t get to go home a lot. Instead he goes to the house of one of his best friends on the team, junior wide receiver Nick Stoner.“He’s a real good dude,” Stoner said. “Every break, if he’s not with his girl, he’ll come back to my place and chill with my family.”Stoner, a resident of Indianapolis, said he and Hunter used to be the same size. But Hunter’s work in the weight room has made him bigger than Stoner.Players on the team admire his work ethic and how hard we worked after his injury. Because of his work off the field, Hunter is seeing dividends on the field.“He’s been a lot more confident this year and has a lot more self-esteem,” Heban said. “It’s allowed him to make more plays.”Follow reporter Evan Hoopfer on Twitter @EvanHoopfer.