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(11/19/03 6:15am)
With the Purdue Boilermakers coming to town, practices will be a little more intense this week.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo and the Hoosiers (2-9, 1-6 Big Ten) have their eyes focused on the prize, or Bucket in this case, as they prepare for the 106th rendition of the Old Oaken Bucket game against Purdue.\nPurdue leads the all-time series 64-35-6 and won last season in West Lafayette 34-10. IU beat Purdue the last time the Boilers visited Memorial Stadium 13-7 in 2001.\nDiNardo said a rivalry game like Purdue changes things up a bit.\n"I think the way you practice should change in a rivalry game," DiNardo said. "How much tape you watch on your own should change. How much you think about the game should change. I think the way you play the game should change. The one thing that should stay the same is you don't say anything about your opponent. You keep your business to yourself."
(11/17/03 8:30pm)
STATE COLLEGE, Pa. -- Amid another blowout loss for IU, a bright spot emerged on the Hoosier horizon in the form of freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis.\nWhile Penn State pounded the Hoosiers 52-7 Saturday, Green-Ellis pounded the Nittany Lion defense 42 times for 203 yards. \nDuring this performance, records fell and rankings were climbed.\nGreen-Ellis' 42 rushing attempts broke Tony Dorsett's record for attempts by a Penn State opponent and set a new Beaver Stadium record. He was the first player to rush for 200 yards against PSU since 2001 and tied for seventh for yards by a Penn State opponent.\nThe New Orleans native moved into fifth on the IU rushing list for yards by a freshman in a single game. It was the 23rd time a Hoosier had eclipsed the 200-yard barrier and marked the first time since Levron Williams did it in 2001.\nGreen-Ellis said he wants opponents to remember him after the game.\n"Every play I play I want to leave a lasting impression when I come back again or when they come to our field next year," Green-Ellis said. "For them to be like, 'that's that kid.' I want them to be thinking about that in the back of their mind so I can damage them in a lot of different ways."\nIU's leading rusher damaged the Nittany Lions in different ways Saturday, either between the tackles or on the perimeter. He didn't waste time doing it either.\nOn IU's opening drive, Green-Ellis darted for 45 yards on eight carries and nearly broke a long run for a touchdown but a shoe-string tackle by PSU's Yaacov Yisreal prevented the score. The Hoosiers scored anyway on senior Glenn Johnson's 12-yard touchdown reception.\nGreen-Ellis delivered more than half his damage in the first half as the workhorse gained 117 yards on 24 carries. The Hoosiers trailed 21-7 though.\nIn the third quarter, a relatively close game turned into a complete route. Penn State scored 31 points in the third to put the game well out of reach.\nIn the meantime, Green-Ellis kept plugging along. A 9-yard gain up the middle, a 24-yarder around left-end, an 8-yard run off the right side. While the Lions kept scoring, Green-Ellis kept running.\nHe credited the offensive line, the fullbacks and junior Matt LoVecchio for changing the play at the line when necessary.\n"The offensive line did a good job of picking up all the blitzes and Matt did a good job of checking into good plays," Green-Ellis said. "They put me into good position to get the right amount of yards."\nIU's running back's coach Gerald Brown said he expects nothing less for the talented freshman who chose IU over Florida State.\n"He's a strong guy and a very talented player," Brown said. "He's capable of doing that any Saturday."\nPenn State coach Joe Paterno, who's seen quite a few running backs in his 38 years of coaching at PSU, said Green-Ellis caught his eye.\n"He's a good back," Paterno said. "I was impressed."\nFor Green-Ellis, he hopes Saturday's effort won't be his last record-setting afternoon as the freshman has his eye on bigger prizes.\n"First of all, being a running back, the Heisman," Green-Ellis said. "I want to break all the IU rushing records. All the rushing records you can think of, I want to break them all."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(11/14/03 4:31pm)
When IU and Penn State square off Saturday at Beaver Stadium, two teams with identical 2-8 records will meet.\nWhile records indicate a competitive match-up, oddsmakers have placed PSU as a 19-point favorite over the Hoosiers, according to sportsinteraction.com.\nJunior wide receiver Courtney Roby, who moved into fifth on IU's all-time receiving yardage last Saturday, said the team is focused on the task at hand.\n"We don't think about that," Roby said. "They can put caps on the game if they want to. It just all boils down to who wants it more. We're just going to go out there and play. We're not going to pay attention to who's the underdog."\nJudging by past history of the PSU-IU series, the oddsmakers might not be too far off. PSU owns an 8-0 lead in the series and routed the Hoosiers 58-25 last season at Memorial Stadium when Nittany Lion running back Larry Johnson raced for 327 yards.\nA year later, much has changed at Penn State. The Lions are winless in the Big Ten this season. PSU has ensured itself of its third losing season in the past four.\nTheir legendary coach, Joe Paterno, has come under fire in his 38th season. Web sites have emerged promoting Paterno's firing, including joepamustgo.com.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said Paterno has earned the respect to leave whenever he wants to, comparing him with former Notre Dame and Michigan coaches.\n"You have people who admire what he has done at Penn State, and I would include myself in that group," DiNardo said. "To me, it is important that when he does decide to leave, it is in the style and grace he has always had, much like when Ara Parsegian and Bo Schembechler left."\nOffensive grace has been in short supply for both clubs. IU ranks 10th in the conference in total offense with PSU ranking 11th.\nDefensively, PSU gains an advantage. The Lions rank sixth in the conference, with IU last in total defense.\nThe Hoosier defense did show improvement in last week's win over Illinois. IU will look to carry over a strong fourth quarter when University of Illinois was held without a first down on its last four possessions.\nSenior safety Joe Gonzalez is concerned the team might dwell on the win too long.\n"The tough part is to move on from (the win)," Gonzalez said. "That game's over. The challenge now is to get this team, that hasn't had as much success as we'd like, to not have confusion on how to deal with the win. That win doesn't mean anything anymore. It's going to mean a lot to this program if we can build on it."\nThe oddsmakers don't think the Hoosiers can.\nGonzalez hopes an upset is in order.\n"I hope we'll make people lose a lot of money this weekend," Gonzalez said.\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(11/12/03 6:08am)
They're a staple in college campuses across the country. Football video games have invaded the college culture dating from Nintendo's Tecmo Bowl in the 1980s to EA Sports NCAA Football 2004 currently. \nStudents compete in dorms. College bars, such as Kilroy's Sports Bar on Walnut Avenue, sponsor tournaments. \nLike other college and IU students, Hoosier football players, like sophomore running back Chris Taylor and freshman Marlin Lynch, participate in team tournaments in NCAA Football 2004 and Madden 2004.\nWhile tournaments are few during the season, they were very common during fall camp in August.\n"We all go over to somebody's house and play the game and have fun," Lynch said. "(Junior) Kevin Smith would play. I'd play. Chris Taylor would play. (Junior) Josh Moore would play. We'd just gather up and play the game. It's fun."\nLynch and Taylor are roommates who also challenge each other individually in Madden and NCAA. Both players play with IU some, but competition forces the players to branch out.\nWhen not playing with IU, Taylor controls his home-state Tennessee Volunteers. Lynch opts for Virginia Tech's strong rushing attack.\nTaylor admits that Lynch wins most of the time, but he's equally quick to point out that he's improving. \nLynch also wastes no time stating the obvious, in his opinion.\n"Yeah, I'm way better than Chris is," Lynch said. "I usually blow him out whenever we get a chance to play. The games are close when my team makes mistakes. When my team is on their game, nobody can beat me on the team. I'm the game genie. When it comes down to PlayStation games, I'm good."\nHow close is the game play to the real thing? The results are mixed, according to the Hoosiers.\nTaylor is listed as the third-string running back on the game but is actually the second-team tailback for the Hoosiers. The Memphis, Tenn., native said he quickly inserts himself into the lineup, no disrespect to the other running backs.\n"You have to sub yourself in," Taylor said. "I have to get some carries. I play with myself most of the time."\nTaylor and Lynch laugh at the virtual bodily characteristics EA Sports gives each one of the Hoosier players.\nPlayers' bodies vary from size, skin color and tone, hair color and styles, whether or not they have facial hair, and what additional equipment they wear on their bodies, like wristbands.\nTaylor chuckles at the disparities between the game and real life, including junior Matt LoVecchio's virtual mustache.\n"LoVecchio has a bush below his nose," Taylor said. "(Sophomore) Tyke Spencer has a mustache. I normally wear wristbands and gloves, but I don't have anything on my arms. It's cool though."\nLynch, who isn't featured on the game as a freshman, said he teases Taylor about the differences.\n"Sometimes we joke around about that," Lynch said. "They got (Taylor) light skinned in the game, and he's dark skinned in real life. We just laugh about that."\nThe discrepancies when it comes to game play aren't fodder for as many jokes. Taylor and Lynch agree that the game made Taylor slower than he actually is, prompting Taylor to say he was "mad" about the mistake.\nThe differences also include having Taylor and junior Travis Haney returning kickoffs. Neither Taylor nor Haney have returned a kick all year.\nTaylor said he was very surprised when he saw himself and the 6'4" Haney awaiting kickoffs. \n"When I first saw that I was shocked," Taylor said. "I remember my friends used to call me and be like, 'Hey man, you returning kicks.' I didn't have the game yet."\nOn the shock of Haney standing next to him, Taylor was even more surprised.\n"I didn't think they'd put somebody who's 6'5" back there returning kicks," Taylor said laughing. "I don't know about that."\nJunior Herana-Daze Jones, in his fourth year at IU, doesn't play NCAA or Madden as much as he used to when he was a youngster like Taylor and Lynch.\nWhen Jones did play frequently, he squared off against departed Hoosiers like Antwaan Randle-El and Justin Smith.\n"We used to call it the ACC because they used to live at Arlington Crossing," Jones said. "It was the Arlington Crossing Conference. We used to have a win-loss board, schedules and everything."\nAll three players, whether playing each other, in a tournament, or against the computer, try to close the gap between the game and real life by incorporating what they've learned as a Hoosier.\nMost of the adjustments, according to the trio, occur on the defensive side of the ball. Jones said he uses his experience in the secondary to the betterment of his defenses.\n"I move my safeties two yards outside the hash so they can play better cover two," Jones said. "They don't play good cover two on the video game. If you do a seam and a corner route, you can pick on one safety."\nIn their down time away from football and school, Taylor, Lynch, and many other IU students will be picking on each other on the virtual gridiron.\nTaylor said Lynch better watch out because he's going to be improving.\n"If I work on my game, I'll be able to beat (Lynch) one day," Taylor said. "Once I start practicing, he doesn't want to see me in a game. You can tell him I said that too."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(11/10/03 6:09am)
It's been an interesting week for junior Matt LoVecchio.\nSeven days removed from being forced to sit because of lingering effects of a concussion, LoVecchio scrambled for eight yards and dove head first across the goal line with 24 seconds remaining to score the winning touchdown in IU's 17-14 win over Illinois.\nLoVecchio said he took what the Illini defense gave him.\n"My first look was to throw the ball, and they kind of set back, and I was able to run the ball on them," LoVecchio said. "I was looking at (junior) Aaron Halterman and (sophomore) John Pannozzo. They dropped back on them and covered them pretty well. That enabled me to run it into the end zone. It feels great to get this win."\nLoVecchio's run capped a 12-play, 66-yard drive that began with 2:52 on the clock, trailing 14-10, with the Hoosiers facing do or die implications. LoVecchio and the offense responded. He was five of seven on the drive for 46 yards and ran four times for 19 yards. \nHis favorite target on the drive was junior Courtney Roby. Roby caught two balls for 25 yards and had eight catches for 81 yards on the day. LoVecchio might've been looking Roby's way more frequently on Saturday because of the absence of IU's second leading receiver, senior Glenn Johnson, who was suspended for missing a team meeting.\nLoVecchio finished 17 of 24 for 161 yards and showed a willingness to pull the ball down and run as he rushed 14 times for 59 yards, but only 36 net after sacks against. IU snapped an 11-game Big Ten losing streak.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said the Hoosiers had a very good week of practice, especially LoVecchio after missing last Saturday's game against Minnesota.\n"I think the Minnesota thing built his confidence," DiNardo said. "And he seemed more comfortable all week than he has been."\nThe Hoosiers looked very comfortable on their first drive as they promptly marched 76 yards in 12 plays. Freshmen BenJarvus Green-Ellis started at tailback and enjoyed gaping holes as he ran eight times for 52 yards on the drive and plunged in from one yard out to put IU on top 7-0.\nIllinois, after stopping Green-Ellis on fourth and one with 57 seconds left in the first half, used an effective two-minute drill when senior Dustin Ward found senior Eric McGoey from 6-yards out to tie the game at half.\nDiNardo said the team expected a dogfight between the two bottom dwellers in the Big Ten.\n"What I told the team (at halftime) and what my attitude was did anybody expect anything different," DiNardo said. "Did they think we were going to be winning by a lot at halftime? We certainly didn't think we were going to be losing by a lot."\nThe Hoosiers did fall behind 14-7 in the third quarter on Ward's 34-yard strike to junior Ade Adeyemo. IU countered with a 40-yard field goal by junior Bryan Robertson before LoVecchio's game-winning run.\nSpecial teams miscues and the offenses' inability to move the ball in the fourth quarter cost Illinois. The Illini missed two field goals and had a punt return for a touchdown called back.\nThe IU defense got the ball back to the offense when they needed it, and junior Herana-Daze Jones secured the win by intercepting Ward on the game's last play.\nSenior defensive lineman Jodie Clemons said the team's morale got a big boost with Saturday's win. \n"It's big," Clemons said. "We work so hard and to not get a win, it really hurts you. To actually come in here tomorrow (Sunday) on the winning side is going to feel real good tomorrow. It's going to feel great tonight."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(11/05/03 6:15am)
Saturday's game was perhaps the most injury-riddled contest of the 2003 season. The Hoosiers played without senior captains Joe Gonzalez and Brian Lewis. Lewis didn't play because of a concussion, and Gonzalez left the game in the first half limping off the field. Gonzalez's X-rays were negative.\nJunior Matt LoVecchio missed the game because of lingering effects of a concussion.\nJunior right guard Chris Jahnke was injured in the first half, as well, but X-rays were also negative on the Louisville, Kent., native. In addition, senior Glenn Johnson bruised his ribs.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo commented Tuesday on the current status of the injury situation and who would be practicing.\n"What I know today, I believe Joe (Gonzalez) will go, Matt (LoVecchio) will go, I believe (sophomore) John Pannozzo will go," DiNardo said. "I don't believe Chris Jahnke will go. Now that could change, as well, but this is what I know as of noon. Glenn Johnson is fine."
(10/31/03 6:04am)
Playing in the Big Ten, it's necessary to bring your 'A' game every week. \nLast weekend, the Hoosiers fell far short of a passing grade in their 35-6 loss to Ohio State. IU's defense surrendered a season-high 603 yards of total offense to a then-struggling OSU offensive squad that ranked near the bottom of the conference. \nIU (1-7, 0-4 Big Ten) and the defense will face another tall task containing the No. 1 offense in the Big Ten, the Minnesota Golden Gophers (7-2, 3-2), Saturday in Minneapolis.\nThe match up will feature the best vs. the worst. While Minnesota's offense peers down at the rest of the conference, IU's defense strains its neck looking up as the Hoosiers rank last in total defense.\nIU defensive coordinator Tim Kish said that Minnesota's offense is very simplistic. The few plays it runs, it runs very well, according to Kish.\n"They just repeat the zone play. They repeat the stretch play," Kish said. "They have a little reverse action off of it."\nMinnesota's action offensively starts with fifth-year senior and two-time captain Asad Abdul-Khaliq. When Khaliq turns around, he will see any of three running backs in sophomore Marion Barber III, freshman Laurence Maroney and fellow fifth-year senior Thomas Tapeh.\nJunior defensive tackle Jodie Clemons said the Gopher offense will be a big challenge.\n"It's kind of hard to prepare for three different running backs," Clemons said. "But everybody has to do what we're being coached to do. With (Abdul-Khaliq), he's very accurate when he throws the ball. He's a great scrambler. He can just flat-out beat you."\nSaturday's meeting is the first rendition of the series since 2000 when IU outscored the Gophers 51-43 in Bloomington. Minnesota leads the all-time series 33-24-3, but IU has closed the gap by winning nine of the last 12 meetings.\nIU's offense hopes to rebound after the OSU loss, as well. Junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio, who left the OSU game early complaining of dizziness, will return to action Saturday.\nIn relief, freshman Graeme McFarland completed six of six passes for 54 yards and a touchdown. When asked on Tuesday if McFarland would play an early series against Minnesota, IU coach Gerry DiNardo responded with a simple, "No."\nAlthough his team is 1-7 and has lost its last 11 on the road, DiNardo said he isn't worried about his team practicing and playing hard Saturday. If they do that, maybe they'll earn a passing grade for the remainder of the season.\n"There's a picture frame outside our team room reserved for the next bowl team at IU," DiNardo said. "I want them to work on that. I want them to practice and play as if their practice and play will have an impact on when that picture frame will be filled. If they continue to work to fill that picture frame, it will be a successful last third of the season."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(10/27/03 5:41am)
Senior Joe Gonzalez sat in front of his locker Saturday afternoon with disgust on his face. The safety had just seen IU's defense surrender 603 yards of total offense to the Ohio State Buckeyes in their 35-6 win over the Hoosiers.\nPrior to Saturday, OSU's offense ranked 114th in Division I-A in total offense.\n"That's embarrassing as a defensive player," Gonzalez said. "You don't want that. For a team that's 114th coming in to run and throw the ball all over you doesn't sit well in your stomach."\nThe Buckeye's defense dominated as well in shutting down the Hoosier offense.\nIU was held to 12 yards rushing and added some passing yards late to have 143 through the air. When it was all said and done, the Hoosiers mustered only 131 yards of total offense.\nOSU's physical defense took its toll on IU. Junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio left the game in the fourth quarter and didn't talk to the media after the game. LoVecchio went straight to the training room following the game, and then left, complaining of dizziness.\nSophomore Graeme McFarland replaced LoVecchio. McFarland said he could tell during the game that LoVecchio wasn't himself in the second half.\n"At the beginning of the fourth quarter I could kind of tell when I was giving him signals that he was kind of swaying back and forth," McFarland said. "He came off and I asked him if he was alright and he said he was a little bit dizzy. He'd come off and I would ask him a question he would trail off into something else. He definitely wasn't himself, so I knew something was wrong."\nLoVecchio's status is unknown for practice this week or the Nov. 1 game at Minnesota.\nThe No. 8 Buckeyes didn't waste anytime pounding on the overmatched Hoosiers. OSU took the opening drive and handed it over to junior Lydell Ross. The running back ran six times for 67 yards on the drive, often utilizing an inside counter play. Ross capped the drive with an 11-yard touchdown run.\nEarly in the second quarter, OSU senior Craig Krenzel went to the air and found senior Drew Carter for 49 yards to the IU five yard line. One play later, Ross walked into the end zone for a 14-point lead.\nPerhaps the most demoralizing score for OSU came late in the second quarter. LoVecchio was intercepted by freshman Donte Whitner at the OSU 46. Krenzel directed the Buckeyes down the field, and with eight seconds left in the half found freshman Santonio Holmes for a 21-point lead.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said the score before the half deflated his team.\n"I thought that third score in the first half really hurt us from an emotional standpoint," DiNardo said. "We would have gone in losing 14-0, which isn't any fun, but 21-0 at half-time, the way it happened, really hurt our guys emotionally. Our locker room was flat as a pancake, no enthusiasm, no excitement. That was about as bad as our locker room has been at any point this year, and it was that third score that did it."\nOSU did it two more times in the second half to lead 35-0 at one point. McFarland was successful in his IU debut, going six of six for 54 yards including a 17-yard screen pass to sophomore Chris Taylor for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.\nAfter his team gave up 603 yards of total offense, sophomore defensive end Victor Adeyanju was asked if he knew that OSU was ranked 114th nationally in total offense. \n"What?" Adeyanju said. "No way. No way. They were pretty good."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(10/24/03 6:33am)
Rudy" brought them into the limelight. They're the definition of what college football is all about.\nThey're walk-ons.\nSenior Matt Foss and junior Kyle Warriner walked onto the IU football team in 1999 and 2000, respectively. This summer, both were given scholarships by IU coach Gerry DiNardo for their hard work and contributions to IU's special teams.\nFoss starts on the kickoff, kickoff return, punt and punt return teams. Warriner long snaps on field goals and punts.\nBoth said it was a dream come true to have all of their hard work come to fruition.\n"I was excited first of all to tell my parents they didn't have to pay for school," Foss said. "It's like getting your first job and being able to pay for your food without someone else supporting you."\nFor a team that touts only 64 scholarship players compared to the NCAA maximum of 85, the Hoosier walk-ons are even more necessary at IU than other Big Ten schools. If those walk-ons work hard enough, they can be rewarded with a full-ride. Ten current IU players are now on scholarship that weren't offered one out of high school, said DiNardo.\nWarriner said good walk-on players are necessities.\n"I remember hearing that good programs have a great walk-on base," Warriner said. "You've got to get good walk-ons."\nFlashback to when the two were freshmen and they weren't as enthusiastic. Foss and Warriner said freshman year was the hardest time to be a walk-on. It was also the most tempting time to quit.\nFor Warriner, the combination of school and football freshman year was almost too much.\n"Freshman year, when you're just getting down into school, everything is so overwhelming," Warriner said. "You're buried four deep on the depth chart. All you do is go out there (practice) and get your butt kicked on the scout team. That was the darkest time."\nWalk-ons suffer from an inferiority complex, according to Foss, meaning that walk-on players know that scholarship players recognize them as walk-ons.\nDuring Foss' freshman year, he had a run-in with a famous former Hoosier, Antwaan Randle El, reminding him that his high school gridiron days at Snider High School in Fort Wayne were over.\n"The hardest time as a walk-on is when you're known as a walk-on," Foss said. "That first year when you're talking to 'Twan and he knows. You talk to those guys and you feel kind of out of place. You used to be the guy that everybody else looked up to. Now you're the guy at the bottom looking for somebody to hold on to and help you through the whole thing."\nHelping Foss and Warriner though three and two years of practice, respectively, without playing was the shot of getting on the field. \nFor the Plainfield, Ind. native, Warriner's first moment on the collegiate gridiron came in 2002 in the season-opening game against William & Mary. Unlike the remaining majority of the punt team, all eyes were on Warriner as the punter awaited the snap.\n"I went out there and I was terrified," Warriner said. "If I fired the snap over (the punter's) head, they're going to say 'He's done.' After I got that first snap and put it right in his stomach, I was fine after that."\nDiNardo said he will continue to reward walk-on players.\n"(The program) has been terrific," DiNardo said. "We could not function the way we do on a day-to-day basis without them. We had a 46-man rookie squad and only signed 26 guys. We did a terrific job recruiting walk-ons and bringing them in for visits, and it has reaped good benefits."\nFinancially, the benefits for Foss and Warriner started this summer. \nBut playing in a game made the pair feel like a part of the team.\n"Before I put on an IU jersey and stood on the sidelines," Foss said, "I had all of the flashy stuff and all of the Nike gear. But it never really meant anything to me until I got on the field. That first play felt like the thousand plays I played in high school. Every play after means so much more and I remember it so much more. I played college football. I played Big Ten football."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(10/15/03 5:36am)
IU's offense finally awoke from its season-long slumber against Northwestern Saturday by putting up 531 yards of total offense and 31 points. IU rushed for 327 yards on the afternoon as freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis and senior Brian Lewis both eclipsed the century mark with 136 and 128 yards, respectively.\nThe offense's season-best performance is clouded by the fact that Northwestern ranks last in the Big Ten in total defense and second to last in rushing defense.\n"Our game plan coming into the game was to run the ball," Green-Ellis said. "The run complements the pass and the pass complements the run, so I was not surprised at all that we ran the ball as much as we did. It's a bad feeling when you run the all as well as we did and you put in all this hard work and still lose the game."\nGreen-Ellis' hard work was most evident in the third quarter when the 6-1, 208 pound running back broke four tackles on his way to a 27-yard touchdown run. Green-Ellis finished with three rushing touchdowns on the day and has five on the season.\nSaturday was the first day IU had two running backs rush for over 100 yards since sophomores Chris Taylor and Yamar Washington did it in Nov. 2002, coincidentally, against Northwestern.
(10/13/03 5:28am)
You can see it in the numbers. \nTwenty-four points compared to seven. Two hundred ninety-nine Northwestern yards compared to 59. \nThese were the contrasts from the first to the second half in IU's defensive play of Saturday's 37-31 overtime loss to Northwestern.\nThe defense came out flat, according to senior safety Joe Gonzalez, and fell behind 17-0 before the first quarter ended. IU went into halftime trailing 24-14. And although the Hoosiers played significantly better in the second half, according to IU coach Gerry DiNardo, the defense's first half woes proved to be their ultimate demise as IU gave up 17 early points. That deficit put the Hoosiers in a hole that they recovered from, but in the end gave Northwestern the opportunity to make it close.\nIU outscored Northwestern 17 to seven in the second half but remained tied at the end of regulation and went on to lose in overtime.\n"It was like we hadn't practiced their offense all week," Gonzalez said. "Something clicked in our heads in the second half. But by that time you could argue it was too late. You have to play four good quarters and we didn't."\nThe Wildcats possessed the ball for 18:35 compared to IU's 11:25 in the first half. Northwestern only out-gained the Hoosiers by 37 yards as the offense gained 262 yards, but two plays set the Wildcats up.\nJunior quarterback Matt LoVecchio and the IU offense faced third and five from the IU 45 midway through the first quarter. LoVecchio dropped back to pass, and his pass across the middle was intercepted by linebacker Pat Durr at the 50 who returned it 24 yards to the IU 26.\nAnd five plays later running back Jason Wright scored from one yard out putting NU up 10-0.\nA few moments later, IU's first half defensive struggles reached their climax as quarterback Brett Basanez found wide receiver Brandon Horn for a 77-yard touchdown. Sophomore safety Buster Larkins looked to have good coverage on the play, but went for the interception and missed.\n"I felt like our defense was awful in the first half," DiNardo said. "We weren't playing hard. We were blowing tackles. We weren't lining up right. I felt that was the worst half of football we played all year. The defense obviously played better in the second half."\nIU's defense opened the second half forcing a Northwestern three-and-out for its first of the game. The Wildcats only gained 16 yards of total offense in the third quarter as the defense was reenergized with emotion.\nThe defense remained stout as the Wildcats had been shut out in the second half until a special team's breakdown allowed Northwestern to even the score at 31 midway through the fourth quarter.\nThe Wildcat's Mark Philmore 70-yard punt return put NU in business at the IU six. Four plays later, Wright scored again to tie it at 31.\nJunior safety Herana-Daze Jones said the defense turned it around in the second half.\n"We were very confident in the second half," Jones said. "We had a lot of adrenaline, and we were excited. We were pumped up."\nFor the Hoosiers, practice will continue as the team heads into their bye week before facing Ohio State on Oct. 25. \nOn that day, IU will look to put two halves together.\n"It's pretty gut-wrenching when you come so close," Gonzalez said. "It's tough. We're inches away."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(10/10/03 6:07am)
In order to regroup his team after a 1-5 start, this past Sunday and Monday Coach Gerry DiNardo met individually with every player who has played this season. \n"We have a team that has not had recent success. I just wanted to make sure we are all on the same page, and I wanted to make sure it was my page," DiNardo said. "Our guys are great, and they all are on my page. Some of the meetings lasted one minute, some lasted 10 minutes."\nDiscussed in that span were the player's academic standing, their special teams' points, and what the player thought he could do better in the second half of the season compared to the first.\nDiNardo must wait until Saturday's Homecoming game against Northwestern to know the final results. But meanwhile, the Hoosiers have responded with a solid week of practice including Tuesday's, which senior captains Joe Gonzalez and Brian Lewis said might have been the best so far this season.\nDiNardo said the team has improved since the Connecticut game and must progress through the season's close against Purdue.\n"We only control half of it," DiNardo said. "We don't control the other side. I want to make sure I'm controlling that half. That's why we met individually."\nGonzalez remembers the last time a coach met individually with his players during the season. It was 2001 when former coach Cam Cameron patrolled the sidelines, coincidentally, before the Northwestern game that year.\nFollowing Cameron's meetings, the 2001 Hoosier squad beat Northwestern, beat Michigan State the following week, lost to Penn State, and closed the season beating Purdue and Kentucky. \n"It just comes at such a perfect time for Coach DiNardo to have those meetings," Gonzalez said. "We have a lot of motivation going into this game. They beat us last year at their place. (Saturday's) going to be an exciting game."\nLast season IU didn't come close to stopping Northwestern's rushing attack as the Wildcats rambled for 240 yards in their 41-37 victory in Evanston, Ill. Senior running back Jason Wright torched the Hoosiers for 196 yards alone.\nGonzalez said stopping the run is the defense's focus against the Wildcat team, who in their two victories this season over Kansas and Duke have rushed for 248 yards and 286, respectively. \n"You turn on the film this year and their whole team got bigger, including (Wright)," Gonzalez said. "He fits their scheme perfectly. He's a real slashy type back, very quick, and great vision. They give him the ball and just let him find the seam. It's on the whole defense to play disciplined."\nGonzalez, a fifth-year senior, said he is looking forward to Homecoming Saturday and the return of former players he played with.\n"I'm still close with a lot of guys I played with my first couple years here," Gonzalez said. "I care a lot about this place, and I have a lot of pride playing here. It means something special to me."\nLewis, another fifth-year man, returns this week after missing the Michigan State game with a strained right hamstring.\nAnd Lewis said for him, Gonzalez and the rest of the Hoosier squad, now is the time.\n"Coach (DiNardo) keeps saying we're one step away," he said. "And that's what it's all about. We've just got to come together and play as a team."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(10/02/03 6:12am)
Old habits are hard to break for junior Josh Moore. The Hamden, Conn., native is starting at linebacker for IU. But for Moore it has been a long road to the gridiron of the Big Ten. \nHe spent his first two years at Valley Forge Military Academy.\nMoore said he's carried over the character traits he learned in the military to his everyday life. He still keeps his room clean. He still makes his bed in the military style. \n"It's a habit," Moore said. "You get good habits when you're in the military. I chose to stay with it. Even though I'm not there now I try to keep the same mindset."\nAnd Moore has achieved that goal so far in emerging as a leader and big-play man on a young Hoosier defense. Moore is tied for the team lead in total tackles with 43, sharing the lead with linebacking mate, sophomore Kyle Killion.\nBut Moore's senior year of high school wasn't as rosy. Moore was denied clearance by the NCAA Clearinghouse for an English and a math course that were not on the Clearinghouse's list of approved courses. That ruling dropped Moore's core GPA from a 2.3 to below the necessary 2.0. Moore had the SAT score he needed. But overnight the 6-1, 210 pounder went from evaluating Division I schools to looking at possible junior colleges.\nMoore chose Valley Forge.\n"I really needed the discipline," Moore said. "So it helped me out in the long run."\nWhen Moore arrived at Valley Forge, he underwent an eight-week plebe system. While Moore was a plebe, he couldn't watch television, talk on the telephone or surf the Internet. \nMoore said he was cut off from the outside world.\n"That was basically to get your mindset to try to change you to a strong young man," Moore said.\nMoore did change -- he performed well academically in his first year. And following that performance, the academy asked Moore to become a master sergeant, the second-highest rank in a platoon besides the lieutenant.\nThe master sergeant is accountable for everybody in the platoon, according to Moore. There are four platoons in a company, and the companies at Valley Forge consisted of about 200 cadets.\nMoore was in charge of between 45 to 50 cadets in his platoon.\n"I was responsible for where they were at all times of the day," Moore said. "I had to make sure they got to their classes on top of doing my own work plus football. It was pretty tough, but it helped me as far as leadership skills and communication."\nMoore said that his leadership skills were one of the main reasons that coach Gerry DiNardo recruited him. Moore chose IU over Big Ten rivals Michigan State and Wisconsin along with several other Division I-A schools.\nDefensive coordinator Tim Kish also knows a little something about military academies. Kish coached at Army from 1984 to 1991.\nKish said he reminds Moore of his background from time to time.\n"I refer to it a lot when he's undisciplined and when he does things out on the field that I couldn't believe he would do," Kish said. "I was in a military academy too, so I can relate a little bit."\nOne player who has definitely seen Moore's military style is junior Kevin Smith. Smith first met Moore when he was his host on Moore's official visit to IU during the recruiting process.\nBut Smith didn't fully see Moore's military academy lifestyle carry over until he roomed with Moore during fall camp.\nSmith said it started right away with Moore, who used to rise every morning at 5:15.\n"The funny thing is the first couple of days he would be up way before we were supposed to be, studying his playbook," Smith said. "He made up his bed all the time military style. It was kind of weird."\nMoore, who also lists making music and comic book card collecting as personal hobbies, said he wouldn't be donning number 13 today for the Hoosiers if it weren't for Valley Forge, even though it was an all male school.\n"It was kind of good because you could focus, and you didn't have any distractions as far as the classroom," Moore said. "But then the downside was there was no females. As far as academics, it got me here so I wouldn't trade it for the world."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/29/03 6:41am)
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Two plays were the difference.\nWhen the first quarter ended, IU trailed 14-0. But the Hoosiers' defense had shut out Michigan's offense with two drive-stopping interceptions. \nA special teams miscue and a Matt LoVecchio interception nullified the defense's effort and proved to be the deciding margin in the 31-17 Wolverine win. \nThe first was a 69-yard punt return for a touchdown by Michigan sophomore Steve Breaston and a 60-yard interception return for a score by senior Jeremy LeSueur put IU in the 14-point hole. Michigan's high powered offense had yet to put a point on the board.\n"You don't need to spot Michigan 14 points in Ann Arbor," coach Gerry DiNardo said. "That's not a good way to get started."\nBreaston didn't get a good start to his return as sophomore Leonard Bryant appeared to have wrapped him up. \nBut Breaston broke free, avoided a few IU defenders and juked freshman punter Tyson Beattie on his way to the 69-yard score.\nBryant said it never should have happened.\n"I take a lot of that on my own shoulders," Bryant said. "I feel like nobody can block me when I'm at the (gunner) position. All respect to (Breaston), but he didn't deserve that play. I give him his props. He took it to the house and that's his job."\nBryant had done his job on Michigan's first possession as the cornerback picked off Michigan senior John Navarre's first down pass. It was one of four Wolverine turnovers in the first half and the first of two in the opening quarter as senior Duane Stone intercepted Navarre, as well.\nIU's offense couldn't capitalize on the good fortune the defense provided them. Following Michigan senior Chris Perry's fumble, IU's offense was set up in good field position at their own 39. \nBut four plays later, fortunes turned again for the Hoosiers as LoVecchio looked for junior receiver Travis Haney. Haney ran an out-pattern, and LoVecchio threw the ball too far to the inside.\nA few seconds later, LeSueur crossed the goal line and Michigan led by two touchdowns with IU's defense on the sideline. \n"The cornerback (LeSueur) made a good read on it," LoVecchio said. \nThe 14-point deficit discounted the IU defense's effort of holding Michigan to 17 points for the rest of the ball game.\nSenior safety Joe Gonzalez said IU played as hard as they could. \n"The only thing we can control on defense is ourselves," Gonzalez said. "We can't control what the offense is doing. But ultimately we can only control how we play. And those 14 points, however they got them, doesn't matter. We're still down."\nDiNardo said the two plays disrupted the flow of the game.\n"Their offense wasn't on the field and hadn't scored, and they were up 14-0," DiNardo said. "That's a tremendous advantage." \n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/26/03 5:38am)
Based on the history of the IU-Michigan series, there aren't many victories to talk about. IU trails 46-9 in the series against the Wolverines. Michigan owns an 11-game winning streak and has won 26 of the past 27 games. IU last beat Michigan (3-1) in 1987 with a 14-10 victory when Bill Mallory coached IU. The Hoosiers lost 58-0 in Ann Arbor the last time the teams faced off in 2000.\nIU senior wide receiver Glenn Johnson said the Hoosiers can't think about that.\n"The team is focused on trying its hardest to win this game because probably every person in the country thinks we're gonna lose this game," Johnson said. "The objective is to not fall into that trap. We know that people aren't giving us a chance. So we have to give ourselves a chance. We have to practice hard and do things above and beyond what has been done."\nTo give themselves a chance, according to coach Gerry DiNardo, IU must do a better job of controlling the ball and converting on third-down conversions. IU was only 4 of 16 on third downs against Kentucky and is converting only 35 percent on the season.\nDiNardo said along with third down conversions, the kicking game and turnover battle will be key.\n"I don't think the answer to beating Michigan is any different than the answer to beating anyone else," DiNardo said. "You have to play the game at a more efficient level than the opponent."\nThe offense has been limited by a young offensive line in which four of the five starters are freshmen and sophomores with true freshman center Chris Mangiero anchoring the middle.\nAnd the offensive line has struggled at times this season with their pass protection. \nJunior quarterback Matt LoVecchio was sacked five times against Kentucky and many times was forced to get rid of the ball quickly. The pressure has cut into Johnson and his wide receivingrunning mate, junior Courtney Roby's, average yards per catch.\nJohnson is averaging 12.8 yards per catch in 2003. In 2002, the Clewiston, Fla., native averaged 19.7 yards per catch through four games. Roby's average is down as well from 23.6 yards a catch last year to 11.87 yards per grab this year.\nJohnson said the chemistry with LoVecchio isn't there yet, compared to last year with former quarterbacks Tommy Jones and Gibran Hamden.\n"It's fine, but it's not where Tommy and Gibran was because those guys have known me for three years," Johnson said. "With Matt, he's trying to get adjusted to a new system, and it's going to be hard for him until he gets used to everybody. We haven't had many balls thrown our way, but it just comes with time. Once (LoVecchio) adjusts, it will eventually happen."\nAt times it has happened for IU, but turning possessions in the red-zone into points has been a problem, according to DiNardo. The Hoosier rushing attack has been successful the last two games with two back-to-back 100 yard efforts from freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis and senior Brian Lewis, respectively. But most of their success has been from 20 to 20 and not in the red zone.\nSophomore offensive lineman Adam Hines said this young Hoosier team is getting more confident every day but still faces growing pains.\n"With us being such a young team, we don't know how to adapt to adversity," Hines said. "Things like an interception, a bad pass, a sack, etc. It's easy to let off the gas pedal when everything is going your way and you are feeling good. Then all of a sudden something bad happens, and we are not used to being able to adapt to that."\nAdversity will stare IU in the face Saturday in the form of 110,000 plus fans and one of Michigan coach Lloyd Carr's top team's ever according to DiNardo. The Hoosier defense will have its hands full with Michigan's high powered offense of senior quarterback John Navarre, junior wide receiver Braylon Edwards, and senior running back Chris Perry. \nPerry led the nation in rushing prior to last week's loss to Oregon and now ranks second. Hines knows it's going to be a challenge Saturday.\n"I think every season is uphill," Hines said. "It doesn't matter if we had won last week, we would still have had to prepare tough for Michigan and then Michigan State. It's harder being 1-3 than 2-2. Big Ten season is here, and we have to go out every week and fight, because it's going to be tough for us."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/19/03 6:15am)
He's been called the 'Round-Mound of Touchdown.' He's been called 'mobile, agile, hostile and hungry.' He's senior Jared Lorenzen. He weighs 260 pounds. And he's the quarterback of the Kentucky Wildcats who are preparing to face IU this Saturday.\nLorenzen said his favorite nickname is more celebrity-like.\n"I like J-Lo," Lorenzen said. "I say that it's my favorite because maybe the real J-Lo will want to meet me."\nEver since Lorenzen was named starting quarterback the summer before his freshman season, the main discussion about the Ft. Thomas, Ky. native has been his weight. But after three years of jokes and jibes, Lorenzen has silenced most of his doubters with a rocket arm and surprised them with mobility that makes him one of the hardest signal callers to sack.\nLorenzen said all of the insults don't bother him anymore.\n"When I was younger, I'd read the newspaper and I'd be concerned," Lorenzen said. "Now I don't worry about it. I just think it's funny, and I'm the first person to crack jokes about myself."\nIU junior Herana-Daze Jones doesn't make jokes about Lorenzen. Jones, who ranks fourth on the team in tackles from his safety position, has the responsibility of leading a very young secondary against Lorenzen and his favorite receiver, senior Derek Abney.\nJones said that Lorenzen is in better condition in '03 than he was in '02 when Kentucky defeated IU 27-17.\n"He's a lot smarter with his throws," Jones said. "He's a lot stronger and he's in better condition. Last year he'd get tired in the fourth quarter."\nWhen Kentucky brought in coach Rich Brooks in the off-season, conditioning became a huge priority. And Lorenzen has benefited from the work. \nHe said that the team runs every day after practice and hit more in '03.\n"Last year I was getting to the fourth quarter and I'd be dead," Lorenzen said. "This year I'm getting to the fourth and I'm excited about it."\nOpposing quarterbacks have reason to be excited when facing IU's pass defense. The Hoosiers are surrendering 263.7 yards per game through the air and have given up six touchdown passes.\nLorenzen said he isn't licking his chops to face IU's secondary that at some times has three true freshmen on the field in Will Meyers, Ryan Skelton and Cedric Henry.\n"If they're true freshmen they're starting for a reason," Lorenzen said. "Occasionally they're out of place but very rarely. I might test them a few times."\nIU Coach Gerry DiNardo didn't expect this many freshmen to be playing this early. And DiNardo said Lorenzen has improved for his fourth season starting.\n"He's harder to bring down if you can believe it," DiNardo said. "He has always been a hard guy to tackle. I say that's the biggest difference. He has a terrific arm, been a terrific competitor and he has always been a good quarterback. He's bigger than the guys who are trying to bring him down."\nLorenzen, who weighed 13 pounds, three ounces at birth, is used to the comments about him being bigger than the defensive players. And "J-Lo" doesn't care.\n"I'm sure (opposing coaches) laugh," Lorenzen said. "I hope they are. If they're focusing on my weight, they're not focusing on our offense."\nAnd Lorenzen, who's 2-1 against Indiana, said football fans should get ready for a show Saturday.\n"This rivalry is a dog fight," Lorenzen said. "I love the intensity."\n-Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/18/03 6:08am)
It was 2nd and 16 from the Hoosier 20 yard line as Indiana State freshman quarterback Jake Schiff stood at the line looking for a hole in IU's defense to cut into the Hoosier's 16-3 lead. Freshman safety Will Meyers crept closer to the line of scrimmage as Schiff got ready to take the snap.\nAs Schiff dropped back, Meyers blitzed through a wide-open hole in the left side of the ISU line. Schiff never saw Meyers coming as the Chesterfield, Mo., native blind-sided Schiff, forcing a fumble.\nMeyers said his eyes got real big when he saw his opportunity of a clean shot on the quarterback, a dream hit for defensive players.\n"I was like 'Wow,'" Meyers said. "I couldn't believe it."\nThis was one of the many big plays the freshman has been making for IU's defense. Meyers has been given the opportunity to play because of a defensive secondary riddled with injuries. Senior Joe Gonzalez has been out, but may play this weekend. Sophomore Will Lumpkin is gone for the season.\nBut Meyers has made the most of his shot as he is IU's second leading tackler with 28, ranks fifth in the Big Ten in total tackles, second in forced fumbles and fifth in fumbles recovered.\n"That stuff really doesn't mean much to me," Meyers said. "Tell me that at the end of the season, and I'll feel good. Right now, I've only played three games."\nDuring those three games, Meyers has been a bright spot for a Hoosier defense. He is one of three freshmen who has seen action in the secondary, joining Ryan Skelton and Cedric Henry, prompting head coach Gerry DiNardo to remark that safeties coach Curt Mallory should be getting extra day care money.\nMeyers has also been one of the most energized defensive players. He is frequently running around and congratulating his defensive teammates on a big play. He said that's the way it should be.\n"I love to play football," Meyers said. "We should be out there having fun and flyin' around, patting everybody on the back when they make a good play and feeding off each other."\nTwo players that have helped Meyers make his own big plays are junior Herana-Daze Jones and Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a fifth-year safety, and Jones moved back to the secondary this year after two years at linebacker.\nMeyers said Gonzalez and Jones have really helped him out a lot. Jones said Meyers is doing his part.\n"He's been playing terrific," Jones said. "A lot of teams have been trying to run at him, and he's been holding up pretty well. He's been in position, and he's doing a great job. He's a play maker."\nMeyers and the rest of the defensive secondary need to be ready to make plays this Saturday against Kentucky seniors Jared Lorenzen and Derek Abney, a potent pass and catch combination.\nCompeting shouldn't be a problem for Meyers, who is a competition junkie as he wants to win in whatever he does, releasing some of his competitive fire on the chess board.\n"It's kind of dorky," Meyers said. "I'm in an Internet chess club. Me and my dad play chess. It's somewhat similar in the X's and O's standpoint."\nDiNardo knows about X's and O's, but said Meyers needs to keep it up the entire season.\n"He has a long way to go," DiNardo said. "He had an energy level the first game, but this is an endurance game, so we will see if he does it this week and then the following weeks." \nMeyers said he hopes to keep his performance up and relate his style on the chess floor to the field.\n"I'm pretty aggressive," Meyers said. "I like the aggressive type of style."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/12/03 6:18am)
1925 was a long time ago. \nThat's how long it's been -- 78 years -- since IU squared off with the Indiana State Sycamores (1-1). And IU (0-2) will hope to duplicate their success three-quarters of a century ago when IU shutout the Sycamores 31-0.\nThe new AstroPlay surface will be a welcome site for the road-weary Hoosiers. IU stumbles into their home opener after being outscored 72-23 in their first two ball games while nearly surrendering 1,000 yards of total offense in the losses to UConn and Washington.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo's goal is for his club to put it all together.\n"Play the entire game," DiNardo said. "We played one game without playing either half, then we played one half, so the natural progression would be to play both halves."\nIn order to play well Saturday and get a win, the Hoosiers desperately need a strong outing from a very young defense. Against Washington, IU only started one senior, cornerback Duane Stone, with five of the remaining 10 being freshmen and sophomores.\nAnd the true freshmen have stepped up so far for the Hoosiers. One true freshmen, free-safety Will Meyers has played well and ranks fourth in the Big Ten in tackles with 10 per game while filling in for injured senior Joe Gonzalez. Meyers is scheduled to start on Saturday.\n"I think (the freshmen are) progressing and you can see improvement in almost every one of them," DiNardo said. "I'm disappointed in some second-year guys. Some guys that have been with us for two years that still aren't playing smarter football, and I'm not saying anything they haven't heard."\nTwo players that have carried IU are two of his top three tacklers in sophomore middle linebacker Kyle Killion and junior college transfer junior Josh Moore. Moore leads the Hoosiers with 25 total tackles and Killion counters with 20. Both have intercepted passes in the first two games for IU's only picks.\nWhile Killion started four games last season, Moore's infusion into the starting lineup has been a welcome addition to a club that only had two scholarship linebackers during spring practice.\n"Josh is playing great," Killion said. "He's a good player. He has had to learn a whole new defense and pick it up fast. I have tried to help him out as much as I can."\nMoore said that Killion, junior Kevin Smith, and defensive coordinator Tim Kish have all been instrumental in his ability to understand the complexities of a new defense. And it was this ability that has allowed him to start so soon.\n"(The coaches) told me coming in that they expected great things from me," Moore said. "I knew that if I adjusted well to the system that I'd have a good opportunity to start. No one expects to come into a program like this and get anything handed to you, but I worked my butt off."\nUsually a Division I program like IU can handle a D-1AA club like Indiana State. But with IU only having 64 scholarship players instead of the usual 85, the playing field has been leveled. \nAnd players like Moore and Killion should expect to play the entire game Saturday to help put the Hoosiers in the win column for the first time this season.\nIndiana State is coming off a big 13-10 win over Florida International. The Sycamores use multiple offensive sets and have a quality offensive line to block for junior running back Jake Shields. Shields rushed for 213 yards last week and has 357 yards on the season. The Hoosiers have 195 yards rushing as a team.\nMoore said IU is prepared for the Sycamores and hopes that chapter two in the series will be written just like the first one 78 years ago.\n"Even though they are 1-AA, you can't take any team lightly," Moore said. "So we're going 100 percent just like we're playing Michigan. They're going to be hyped. They're going to come for us."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/05/03 6:10pm)
It was Wednesday's practice of the UConn game week. Coaches yelled, whistles blew and over 100 players moved from one organized drill to the next. Coach Gerry DiNardo walked the fields observing every part of his second IU team. He watched his assistant coaches work. He watched his players practice.\nTo the casual observer it might appear to be organized chaos. But this practice, along with every other one in fall camp, has been thoroughly planned over the summer by DiNardo and his staff. Along with planning practices, the staff evaluates game film, scouts its first four opponents, and reviews countless tapes of high school prospects during the hot summer months.\nDiNardo said the hands-on coaching is his most enjoyable.\n"I enjoy being on the field more than anything," he said. "But if I can't be on the field, I love studying the game, watching tape and coming up with new ideas."\nDiNardo has had four months since spring practice to figure out how to improve this year's club from last season's 3-9 campaign. But because of NCAA regulations, he can't have any contact with the players. That leaves him and his staff the long summer days of running the IU football program.\nAnd running a major college football program is a lot of work with many distractions. While DiNardo would much rather devote all of his time to coaching, he spends many of his least enjoyable hours taking care of the business of major college football.\n"The least enjoyable activities I do are the other things other than coaching and recruiting," DiNardo said. "There's a lot of distractions in college football so sometimes you spend 80 percent of your time on the things that are 20 percent least important. Maneuvering, that is always the most difficult thing."\nIf DiNardo is tied down by non-football obligations, the rest of the staff stays busy. Staff members continue to prepare for the season, filling their collective heads with every bit of info available on IU's first four opponents: UConn, Washington, Indiana State, and Kentucky.\nDefensive coordinator Tim Kish spends countless hours in the film room trying to find ways to stop opponents offenses and evaluating potential recruits. Kish, in his second season at IU and 28th in coaching overall, said most of his time during the summer is spent on recruiting.\n"I think we did a great job on evaluating film during the spring and summer," Kish said. "It enabled us to get a better feel for the guys we are really interested in for the fall of next year."\nKish prepares his current players by giving them film evaluation sheets after spring practice to help them study opponents while watching tape. The evaluation sheets assist the players in understanding and recognizing opponent's offenses.\nA veteran player who has plenty of experience in all aspects of the defensive side of the ball is junior safety Herana-Daze Jones. The 5-11, 205-pound Jones made the biggest position change of the off-season moving from linebacker to safety. And Jones said while watching tape helped him make the switch, playing linebacker helped more.\n"I watch a lot of tape," Jones said. "I know the defense. It wasn't like I didn't know what I was doing because as a linebacker I knew what everybody was doing. I just needed to get comfortable again playing back there."\nDiNardo and Kish have the comfort of knowing their team better going into their second season. And DiNardo expects he'll have a better football team the second go around.\n"We all know what we want to do," Dinardo said. "We all know we want to win, but I think it would be most disappointing if this team wasn't better than last year's team if they played one another. But we've worked them hard and I believe we're ready."\nContact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.
(09/04/03 5:19am)
His high school coach called him the 'Sowell-taker.'\nAnd in his first season starting, sophomore offensive lineman Isaac Sowells, pronounced "souls," will be the sole protector of junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio's blind side.\nSowells' side is the left one as he is the starting left tackle for the Hoosier offense. And for the 6-foot-3-inch 320-pound Louisville, Ky., native, it seems like a long time since his high school coach ordained his nickname.\n"My high school football coach called me that name because I was a pretty good defensive end in high school," Sowells said. "I never played offensive line until I came to college."\nWhen his college career started, Sowells was red-shirted in 2001 and played in all 12 games in 2002. But with the graduation of three starting offensive linemen, Sowells saw his opportunity and took it.\nHe hit the weight room and studied the playbook hard during the off-season. The result: 25 pounds added to his 6-foot-3-inch frame and the confidence of knowing his job.\n"Last year was my first time actually playing so I made a lot of mistakes," Sowells said. "But when I came into the spring, I really got into the playbook to make sure I didn't make any mistakes. When you don't make any mistakes, that's half the battle, which makes you a better player."\nKnowing the playbook inside and out is key, according to junior right guard Chris Jahnke, who started all 12 games last year. Jahnke is one of the leaders of this year's group, and he said he's impressed with Sowells' dedication on and off the field.\n"Before, he's been confused about his plays," Jahnke said. "He really took the initiative to get in his playbook and learn everything (for this season). He's just a whole different person, and I respect him for that completely."\nSowells was raised in a single-parent household with his mother, Dwaina Brooks, acting as both mother and father as Sowells grew up.\nSowells is a criminal justice major, and he said his mother has been supportive in whatever he undertakes on the field and after college.\n"She was at every football game," he said. "She comes to every IU home football game. She's always there."\nAs for after college, Sowells would like to pursue a career in a law-enforcement agency. But only, of course, if a career in the NFL doesn't pan out.\nAnd Sowells knows what his mother thinks.\n"I'd like to be an FBI agent or a CIA agent," Sowells said. "But, of course, my mom's always telling me, 'Go to law school, go to law school.' So we'll just have to see what happens."\nBut for now, Sowells must pass the bar of keeping opposing defensive linemen from splitting LoVecchio in two. Sowells said he had quite a few butterflies for his first game starting against UConn, and his technique suffered.\n"There's nothing worse than a quarterback getting hit from his blind side," Sowells said. "It's a terrible thing to see. So I work extra hard to make sure LoVecchio doesn't get hit. It's my focus. It'll kill me more than it'll kill him."\nWhile Sowells focuses on his job, coach Gerry DiNardo said Sowells is ready to be the "soul-man" at left tackle.\n"He's a Big Ten caliber left tackle," DiNardo said. "A lot of the reasons of where he is now are because of his off-season. He's done a terrific job."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodge@indiana.edu.