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(10/29/12 3:05am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — For IU football this season, the fourth quarter had proven to be a death trap. During their past three games, the Hoosiers have found a way to lose each time after holding a lead in the fourth quarter.On Saturday, IU broke the curse.With credit to their fourth quarter performance, the Hoosiers (3-5, 1-3) won their first Big Ten game of the year 31-17 against Illinois (2-6, 0-4) during the Homecoming game in Champaign, Ill..“We’ve been doing a lot of things right, but it’s nice to finally get a Saturday scoreboard to go our way,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We want a lot more of those, but by no means was it boring.”Leading 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter, IU was in a familiar place. In its seven previous games, the team led going into the fourth quarter on five times. During recent games, the defense would allow late-game touchdowns and the offense would stall, as seen in the Hoosiers’ losses to Navy and Michigan State.On Saturday afternoon, that was not the case. IU’s defense held the Illini to zero fourth quarter points on 61 total yards, including a game-clinching red zone stand, while the offense was able to produce a late-game touchdown drive.“We just wanted to play like we knew the game wasn’t over,” junior safety Greg Heban said. “We came out there and played as hard as we could knowing that it wasn’t over yet.”As the fourth quarter started, Illinois and IU exchanged stalled possessions resulting in punts. On Illinois’ following drive, the Hoosiers sacked quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase twice, holding Illinois to a three-and-out. When IU got the ball back, the Hoosiers were finally able to execute. A six play, 60-yard possession spanning two minutes and 21 seconds ended in a play-action touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld to sophomore wide receiver Shane Wynn. The Hoosiers had a 14-point lead with five minutes and 48 seconds left in the game.“I saw Shane wide open, and I just thought ‘put it on him’,” Sudfeld said. “I didn’t want to miss him on that, and he just made it easy. It was great play-calling and great execution.”With three minutes and 39 seconds left in the game, Illinois got the ball back after the teams traded possessions. At one point, the offense got to the IU 4-yard line. However, following a Ryan Phillis sack of Scheelhaase, the Hoosiers’ seventh of the day, the Illini were backed up to the 15-yard line.Two incomplete passes later, Illinois was brought to its last chance, a fourth and goal from the IU 15. Scheelhaase’s pass flew incomplete once again, and the Hoosiers forced a turnover on downs.“We’ve got to play 60 minutes as hard as we can,” Heban said. “If we would have lapsed right there, it would have been a touchdown and maybe a whole different game.”As IU regained possession with a minute and 33 seconds remaining, Sudfeld kneeled three times, and the Hoosiers were finally able to seal a fourth quarter performance.Indiana finally was able to celebrate its first Big Ten win since 2010 and the first in the Wilson era. “We played well down the stretch,” Wilson said. “It felt really good to get a win on the road and get on the right side of the ledger for once.”
(10/27/12 9:23pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – For IU football this season, the fourth quarter had proven to be a death trap. In its past three games in which they had led at that point, the Hoosiers had found a way to lose each time.On Saturday, IU broke its curse.With credit to their fourth quarter performance, the Hoosiers (3-5, 1-3) won their first Big Ten game of the year 31-17 over Illinois (2-6, 0-4) on its homecoming game in Champaign. “We’ve been doing a lot of things right, but it’s nice to finally get a Saturday scoreboard to go our way,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We want a lot more of those, but by no means was it boring.”Leading 24-17 heading into the fourth quarter, IU was put into a familiar place. Out of its seven previous games, the team led going into the fourth quarter on five of those occasions. In recent games however, the defense would allow late-game touchdowns and the offense would stall, as seen in the Hoosiers’ losses to Navy and Michigan State.On Saturday afternoon, that was not the case. IU’s defense held the Illini to zero fourth quarter points on 59 total yards, including a game-deciding red zone stand, while the offense was able to produce a late-game touchdown drive.“We just wanted to play like we knew the game wasn’t over,” junior safety Greg Heban said. “We came out there and played as hard as we could knowing that it wasn’t over yet.”As the fourth quarter started, Illinois and IU exchanged stalled possessions resulting in punts. On Illinois’ following drive however, the Hoosiers were able to sack quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase twice, holding Illinois to a three-and-out. When IU got the ball back, the Hoosiers’ second drive was one it had not seen in recent games during the fourth quarter. A six play, 60-yard possession spanning two minutes and 21 seconds ended in a play action touchdown pass from freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld to sophomore wide receiver Shane Wynn. The Hoosiers had a 14-point lead with only 5:48 remaining in the game.“I saw Shane wide open and I just thought ‘put it on him’,” Sudfeld said. “I didn’t want to miss him on that, and he just made it easy. It was great play-calling and great execution.”With 3:39 left in the game, Illinois got the ball back and began to drive down the field. At one point, the offense got to the IU 4-yard line. However, following a Ryan Phillis sack of Scheelhaase, the Hoosiers’ seventh of the day, the Illini were backed up to the 15-yard line.Two incompleted passes later, Illinois was brought to its last chance, a fourth and goal from the IU 15. Scheelhaase’s pass flew incomplete once again, and the Hoosiers forced a turnover on downs.“We’ve got to play 60 minutes as hard as we can,” Heban said. “If we would have lapsed right there, it would have been a touchdown and maybe a whole different game.”As IU regained possession with a minute and 33 seconds remaining, the Hoosiers kneeled three times. They were finally able to seal a fourth quarter performance the entire team could be proud of. Indiana finally was able to celebrate its first Big Ten win since 2010 and the first in the Wilson era. “We played well down the stretch,” Wilson said. “It felt really good to get a win on the road and get on the right side of the ledger for once.”
(10/27/12 6:32pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After a slow start and a quarterback switch, IU has taken a 21-14 lead over Illinois at the halfway point of the game.With a three-and-out and an interception from sophomore quarterback Cam Coffman in IU’s two of its first three drives, IU Coach Kevin Wilson made the decision to replace Coffman with freshman Nate Sudfeld.The move has worked. Sudfeld has six completions on seven attempts for 73 yards and a touchdown, including a 48-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Cody Latimer.However, junior running back Stephen Houston was the star for the Hoosiers in the first half. Accounting for all three of IU’s touchdowns, Houston now has touchdowns in nine straight games. With 12 overall through the first seven-and-a-half games, he also is now in the top 10 list of Hoosiers with the most touchdowns in a single season.Heading into the second half, Illinois will receive the IU kickoff to open the third quarter. When the Hoosiers lead at halftime this season, their record is 2-3. The team remains winless in the month of October, however is looking for its first win since Sept. 8.
(10/27/12 6:06pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – After a slow start and a quarterback switch, IU has a 21-14 lead over Illinois at the halfway point of the game.With a three-and-out and an interception from sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman in two of IU's first three drives, IU Coach Kevin Wilson made the decision to replace Coffman with freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld.The move has worked. Sudfeld has six completions on seven attempts for 73 yards and a touchdown, including a 48-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Cody Latimer.However, junior running back Stephen Houston was the star for the Hoosiers in the first half. Accounting for all three of IU’s touchdowns, Houston now has touchdowns in nine straight games. With 12 overall through the first seven-and-a-half games, he also is now in the top 10 list of Hoosiers with the most touchdowns in a single season.Heading into the second half, Illinois will receive the IU kickoff to open the third quarter. When the Hoosiers lead at halftime this season, their record is 2-3. The team remains winless in the month of October, however, and is looking for its first win since Sept. 8.
(10/26/12 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>For the IU football team, the 2012 season has consisted of many what ifs.Now on a five-game losing streak, the Hoosiers have blown three fourth-quarter leads during that span.Saturday, IU (2-5, 0-3) will head to Champaign, Ill., to find a way to snap that streak against an Illinois (2-5, 0-3) team during its homecoming weekend.“They’re like us in looking hard for a win,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “It will be a tough battle and a difficult challenge, but this team needs to start winning.”Since the Hoosiers’ 45-6 Sept. 8 win against Massachusetts, late-game opportunities have come and gone.Against Ball State, Willie Snead’s catch at the IU 25-yard line set up a game-winning field goal for the Cardinals as time expired. Against Michigan State, the Hoosiers failed to maintain a 13-point halftime lead and lost 31-27. Last week against Navy, up 30-21 with only six minutes remaining in the game, IU again found a way to lose.The Hoosiers have been close to winning many games. They have not been able to get the job done in those situations.“It’s just right there,” senior center Will Matte said. “You can almost taste it. When you look back, you think ‘what if, what if,’ but I’m proud of the way we continue to build.”In defeats this year, the Hoosiers are being outscored 199-174, an average of losing by five points per game. In addition, coaches acknowledged the team is much closer than last year to success. Last year, IU was outscored 427-219 in its losses. Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell said the Hoosiers of this season have taken a big step forward.“We’ve been one play away from winning a bunch of football games,” Littrell said. “We’ve got to start figuring out a way how to make that one play.”With the direction, first-year Head Coach Tim Beckman, the Fighting Illini is winless in conference play, allowing 37 points per game while scoring only seven per game, ranking ninth and last in Big Ten play, respectively.With Illinois’ offense and defense both struggling, the Hoosiers said they are aware they will need to find their killer instinct Saturday.Littrell said this game will be a great opportunity to get back on track in 2012.“You want to be able to finish off teams,” Littrell said. “We just have to continue to make plays against Illinois for the entire game, and good things will happen.”
(10/24/12 5:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>After rumors surfaced on Twitter of his commitment last night, Fairburn, Ga., athlete Rashard Fant has made it official. He is now a member of IU’s 2013 football recruiting class.Fant chose the Hoosiers after also considering scholarship offers from schools including Florida State, Utah, Kentucky and Washington State.A four-star recruit from Our Lady of Mercy Catholic High School, Fant projects to play cornerback and possibly wide receiver during his collegiate career. According Rivals.com, Fant is the No. 17 athlete in the entire country while ESPN lists him as the No. 148 overall prospect in the nation.In a tweet Tuesday evening, fellow IU four-star commit David Kenney prematurely announced that Fant had committed to IU. Fant later tweeted that he had not committed yet.With his announcement today, Fant is now the 12th member of IU’s 2013 recruiting class and its third four-star commitment of the class, the most in school history.
(10/22/12 4:03am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>ANNAPOLIS, Md. — The close losses for IU continue to pile up.Despite leading by nine points with less than six minutes remaining in the outing, the Hoosiers (2-5, 0-3) were unable to keep the lead, losing to Navy (4-3) 31-30.“As good as you play, you always have a couple of mistakes,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Unfortunately, we had a couple of critical ones at the point of attack that cost us the game.”With a 20-14 edge at halftime, IU faced an early gut check during the third quarter after Navy went ahead 21-20 on an option run touchdown.The Hoosiers responded. Only four minutes later, IU retook the lead with a field goal from junior kicker Mitch Ewald.Following a touchdown run from freshman running back Tevin Coleman early in the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers were ahead by a 30-21 margin.A 16-play, 74-yard drive by Navy lasting six minutes and 48 seconds followed.However, a goal-line stand from the IU defense forced Navy to kick a field goal with 5:30 remaining.With the Hoosiers leading 30-24, all they needed was a long, methodical drive to put the game to bed.“I just knew we were going to play hard,” sophomore safety Tim Bennett said. “Our offense was going to be out there, and I knew it was going to do what they had to do.”Unfortunately, two misreads ending in missed passes from sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman resulted in a three-and-out. The drive lasted a total of 42 seconds.One was an attempted handoff where the running back was not in place. The other was an intended go-route that ended with the receiver running an out-route.“I don’t know what (Coffman) saw, but at the end of the day we have to get the first down and get it rolling,” Wilson said. “We just put him in a bad situation.”Following a punt from freshman Erich Toth to the Navy 28-yard line, the Midshipmen used nine plays during a span of two minutes and 46 seconds to drive down the entire field. A Keenan Reynolds pass to wide receiver Matt Aiken ended in a touchdown.One extra point later, Navy was ahead on the scoreboard, 31-30.After the kickoff and during the second play of IU’s subsequent drive, Coffman threw an interception.Only one minute and 38 seconds remained after the turnover, which was not enough time for IU to have one more offensive chance.“I thought the safety was about to drive up on the underneath route that was there,” Coffman said. “I just forced a pass. I shouldn’t have done it.”Navy kneeled for the next three plays, and the Midshipmen celebrated their fourth win of the season.For the Hoosiers, though the opponent was different, the same result showed on the scoreboard.It was the fourth time in IU’s last five games that the team lost by four points or less.“It sucks to lose in general,” Coffman said. “We’re just so close. We’ve just got to keep working every day. We can’t lose hope.”
(10/21/12 3:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The close losses for IU’s football team continue to pile up.Saturday afternoon’s game in Annapolis, Md. against Navy is yet another example of that. Despite leading by nine points with under six minutes remaining in the outing, the Hoosiers (2-5, 0-3) were unable to hold on, losing to Navy (4-3) 31-30.“As good as you play, you always have a couple of mistakes,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Unfortunately, we had a couple of critical ones at the point of attack that cost us the game.”With a 20-14 edge at halftime, IU faced an early gut check in the third quarter after Navy went ahead 21-20 on an option run touchdown.However, the Hoosiers responded.Only four minutes later, IU retook the lead on a Mitch Ewald field goal. Following a Tevin Coleman touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, the Hoosiers were ahead by a 30-21 margin.A 16-play, 74-yard drive by Navy encompassing six minutes and 48 seconds followed, however a goal-line stand from the IU defense forced Navy to kick a field goal with 5:30 remaining.With the Hoosiers leading 30-24 and momentum on their side, all they needed was a long, methodical drive to put the game to bed. “I just knew we were going to play hard,” safety Tim Bennett said. “Our offense was going to be out there and I knew it was going to do what they had to do.”Instead of that result, two misreads ending in missed passes from sophomore quarterback Cam Coffman resulted in a three and out. The drive lasted a total of 42 seconds.One was an attempted handoff where the running back was not in place. The other was an intended go-route that ended with the receiver running an out-route.“I don’t know what he saw, but at the end of the day we have to get the first first down and get it rolling,” Wilson said. “We just put him in a bad situation.”Following an Erich Toth punt to the Navy 28-yard line, the Midshipmen used nine plays over a span of two minutes and 46 seconds to drive down the entire field. A Keenan Reynolds pass to wide receiver Matt Aiken ended in a touchdown. One extra point later, Navy went ahead on the scoreboard, 31-30.IU had lost the lead. They would not gain it back, either.After the kickoff, on the second play of IU’s subsequent drive, Coffman threw an interception. Only a minute and 38 seconds remained after the turnover, which was not enough time for the Hoosiers to have one more chance on offense.“I thought the safety was about to drive up on the underneath route that was there,” Coffman said. “I just forced a pass. I shouldn’t have done it.”Navy kneeled for the next three plays - all it needed - and the Midshipmen celebrated it’s fourth win of the season.For the Hoosiers, though the opponent was different, the same result showed on the scoreboard when the clock hit zeroes in the fourth quarter.In fact, Saturday night’s loss resonates with the likes of the ones to Ball State, Michigan State and Ohio State. It was the fourth time in IU’s last five games that the team had lost by four points or less.“It sucks to lose in general,” Coffman said. “We’re just so close. We’ve just got to keep working every day. We can’t lose hope.”
(10/20/12 9:24pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite allowing a pick-six late in the second quarter, IU has gained a 20-14 lead over the Navy Midshipmen at halftime in Annapolis, Md. On its first three drives, the Hoosier offense was able to produce, scoring in each of them. Sophomore quarterback Cam Coffman had been instrumental in that performance, passing for 18 completions on 23 attempts for 171 yards. However, with three minutes remaining in the first half with the Hoosiers up 17-7, a tipped pass from Coffman led to a Navy interception and touchdown, bringing the Midshipmen within three points. On the following Hoosier drive, IU was able to run down the clock and kick a 23-yard field goal at the closing seconds to extend it’s lead to six points. Both of IU’s touchdowns have been short runs from it’s running backs: junior Stephen Houston and sophomore D’Angelo Roberts each scored on 1- and 3-yard rushes respectively. At the conclusion of halftime, the Midshipmen will receive the IU kickoff to open the third quarter.
(10/19/12 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Very few teams in the country run the triple option attack as their primary form of offense.When they do, the teams they face struggle to stop it.Saturday afternoon, the IU football team (2-4) will have to defend the triple option as the Hoosiers face the Naval Academy (3-3) in Annapolis, Md.“We’ve been working on it for a long time, but it’s a totally different offense,” IU Co-defensive Coordinator Mike Ekeler said. “With their speed, their linemen coming down low on the cut-blocks and all of the angles they create to mess with your eyes, it all comes down to fundamentals on Saturday.”Only four teams in the country utilize the triple option on a consistent basis: Navy, Army, Air Force and Georgia Tech. Most of Navy’s plays begin with a quarterback under center, with two running backs to his left and right behind him and a fullback straight back. Each play, the quarterback makes the decision to either toss it to one of the running backs, who are typically in motion prior to the snap, hand it off to the fullback, run it himself or pass the ball. Most plays unfold faster in a triple option attack than in a typical offense.With an undersized offensive line that is not as physical as a Big Ten defensive line, the Midshipmen’s strategy focuses on utilizing cut blocks, which aims to stop the opposing linemen so space for the option attack opens.“It’s a tough offense to defend,” senior defensive tackle Larry Black, Jr., said. “You have to defend the perimeter plays and beat the chop block. We’ll need to be smart, keep our assignments and be disciplined.” Since the Hoosiers had not seen the likes of Navy’s offense before, during the offseason, IU Coach Kevin Wilson traveled to Colorado Springs, Colo., to watch Air Force run its form of the triple option in practice.From that experience, he implemented the triple option into IU’s practices dating back to this spring so its defense could be better prepared for Navy. Since then, the Hoosiers have practiced against the unusual form of offense. However, the team knows it will still be a challenge to stop it.“We’ve done a bit of preparing, but we don’t do it to the extent of their package,” Ekeler said. “There’s a lot more involved that’s new to our guys. We had a good pace, but from there, there’s a lot to get ready for.”As if IU does not have enough to deal with already, the Hoosiers’ defense allows a Big Ten-worst 221.2 yards per game, and nearly 78 percent of Navy’s offensive plays are runs. The Hoosier defense will also have to play with an increased risk of injury. The Midshipmen’s cut-blocking techniques are dangerous enough that, at any moment, if the defensive line is not prepared, a player’s knees can be blown out.Black admitted he is afraid this could happen Saturday. However, he and his coaches said they cannot afford to be timid against Navy’s offense, especially not when its triple option form of attack has the potential to put a dent into IU’s defense.“It’s kind of risky to be out there, but it’s a risk worth taking for the reward,” Black said. “We’ve got to be prepared for what they do and what they throw at us.”
(10/16/12 5:08pm)
Following decommitments over the last 36 hours from two longtime IU targets that were committed to other Big Ten schools, it appears the Hoosiers are set to land two of its most significant football recruits in recent history.
(10/15/12 4:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Don’t count Indiana out. Down 18 points with 100 seconds remaining in Saturday night’s game against No. 8 Ohio State at Memorial Stadium, it appeared IU was about to suffer its most pronounced loss of the season in front of a home crowd.Then it happened. Much like the Ball State game, freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld led the Hoosiers on a late fourth-quarter comeback.But in the end, it was not enough, as IU fell to the Buckeyes 52-49.Trailing 52-34 with 3:58 remaining in the fourth quarter, Wilson benched sophomore starting quarterback Cameron Coffman in favor of Sudfeld in hopes of providing the freshman with playing experience. At that point in the second half, the Hoosiers had allowed four Ohio State touchdowns on six drives as the Buckeyes pulled away.On a fourth down during Sudfeld’s first drive, he completed a pass to junior wide receiver Jamonne Chester for a first down. Following two personal foul penalties on Ohio State that same possession, Sudfeld found junior wide receiver Duwyce Wilson in the end zone for a touchdown.After the extra point, IU trailed by 11 with 1:40 remaining in the game. “I felt prepared going out there,” Sudfeld said. “I was talking to Cam throughout the game in case anything were to happen. I just felt like I could step in and do it.”That is when junior kicker Mitch Ewald booted an onside kick that the Hoosiers recovered.As the kick went out of bounds, sophomore wide receiver Nick Stoner jumped and tossed the ball backward inbounds. Hoosiers landed on it.On the next drive, Sudfeld completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Stephen Houston to cut the Buckeye lead to five.During the ensuing two-point conversion attempt with 1:05 remaining, in a nearly identical attempt of what the Hoosiers did against Northwestern two weeks ago, sophomore wide receiver Cody Latimer took a reverse pitch from junior wide receiver Kofi Hughes into the end zone to cut the lead to three.“After I scored and we went for two, I just knew we were going to get the ball on the onside kick,” Houston said. “It was a hope, a wish and a prayer.”On their second straight onside kick attempt, it seemed the Hoosiers were going to be able to recover when OSU returner Corey Brown fumbled the kick.Then the magic faded.Brown found the ball and recovered both the ball on the Buckeye 31-yard line and the Ohio State victory.Buckeye quarterback Braxton Miller, who produced 360 yards of combined offense, kneeled twice as the clock expired on the Hoosiers’ comeback.
(10/11/12 4:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It is a tale of two journeys for Ohio State’s and Indiana’s football teams.While the Buckeyes are riding high after a 63-38 victory against Nebraska last weekend which extended their undefeated season, the Hoosiers are trying to recover following their third straight loss, a 31-27 defeat against Michigan State.After blowing a 27-14 lead against the Spartans last weekend, the Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2) will face an undefeated Ohio State team (6-0, 2-0) Saturday night at Memorial Stadium.“We’re learning how to play Big Ten football and learning how to play our best,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Michigan State was the first time in my time here there was a good team that we went after, played good football and had a shot. We didn’t get it done, but let’s learn, let’s grow and let’s keep progressing against Ohio State.”The Hoosiers will face their biggest threat yet this week against the Buckeyes.Under the direction of new coach Urban Meyer, OSU, which went 6-7 in 2011, has started this season with as many wins as it had all of last year.With sophomore quarterback Braxton Miller, who is ranked 11th in the country in rushing yards per game and 87th in passing yards per game at the helm, Ohio State has evolved into the second-best scoring offense in the Big Ten.Come Saturday, IU will have the task of stopping OSU’s attack, which has averaged 38.5 points per game this season.“(Miller) took the majority of snaps under center last year, and that element wasn’t there,” IU co-defensive coordinator Mike Ekeler said. “It’s completely different this year. They’re spreading you out and making plays in space with one of the most electrifying players in college football.”The Hoosiers, meanwhile, will look to come up with some offensive momentum of their own. After scoring 27 points in the first half against Michigan State, IU produced 47 total yards of offense in the second 30 minutes of the game in a zero-point effort.In fact, during the last four halves of play, the Hoosiers have been shut out in two of them. When they did score, they produced a combined 56 points in those halves.Against Ohio State, IU will look to regain its composure in its up-tempo offense.“It’s disheartening, but you can’t dwell on the negatives for too long,” junior running back Stephen Houston said. “You have to take the positives out, build on those and correct the negatives. We’re still practicing harder, faster, smarter and stronger.”Houston’s unit rushed for 40 yards against MSU. A theme the coaches have been talking about this week is putting together an entire-team effort for 60 minutes.The offense will face the challenge of scoring in both halves for the first time since the Ball State game one month ago. Meanwhile, the defense will look to produce second-half stops against the likes of Miller and the Buckeyes. The unit was on the field for nearly 22 minutes during the second half against Michigan State.On Saturday, the Hoosiers will try to reverse the path they have traveled down as they attempt to avoid their fourth-straight loss.“Right now with some negatives, we’ve got to keep fighting the fight to get better,” Wilson said. “That’s what we’re trying hard as coaches and leaders to do for our team. I truly believe we’re getting better every day, but the scoreboards will change with time.”
(10/08/12 2:51am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The shortcomings continue for Indiana football.Despite leading by 13 points at halftime against rival Michigan State, IU (2-3, 0-2) collapsed during the second half as the Spartans (4-2, 1-1) pulled out a 31-27 victory Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.“We played a half real hard today, but in the second half, we just got outplayed,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Credit Michigan State, Coach Dantonio and really credit their kids. It’s disappointing to play hard and with a lot of energy and still come up short.”During the first half against Michigan State, the Hoosiers made the most of their time with the ball, leading the Spartans with more first downs, total yards and points on the scoreboard.However, the second 30 minutes of Saturday’s game was a different story. The Hoosiers had two first downs all half, gained only 47 yards and were held scoreless.Wilson said the performance was peculiar, and the MSU defense did not change it’s scheme.“There were no magic changes from what I was watching,” Wilson said. “They played their base defense and they challenged the inside receivers a little bit more a couple of times, but we got sacked with their lead blitz.”As IU struggled to find its offensive momentum in the second half of the game, the Spartans did not have any problem continuing their progress on the field. Winning the battle of possession against the Hoosiers in the second half by a 21:54 to 8:06 margin, Michigan State found a way to score 17 points, enough to win the game.“I just think we came out flat as a defense in the second half,” junior cornerback Greg Heban said. “The offense couldn’t get going, and if you are coming out flat against any Big Ten team, it’s going to hurt you.”Many of IU’s second half struggles did not exist in the first half. Sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman had thrown for 256 yards on 23 completions out of 30 attempts, passing for three touchdowns in the process. In fact, the Hoosiers’ 27 first half points were more than the Spartans had allowed in any entire game this season as well as nine-times as many points as the Hoosiers scored against Michigan State last season.As IU led by 13 at the halfway point, the team had it’s first halftime lead against a Big Ten opponent since 2009. Adding to the feat, much of the Hoosiers’ offensive production during the half was without a rushing game, as the team was held to just 24 yards on the ground.“As a team, you have to create energy,” Wilson said. “It’s all about making plays. The first half we made plays and we had energy. In the second half, we didn’t make plays and credit Michigan State.”This was the second-straight game at Memorial Stadium in which the team had given up a second-half lead. Against Ball State three weeks ago, the Hoosiers led in the final minute of the game before losing on a last-second field goal.While the team appeared disheartened following the game against the Spartans, both players and Wilson said it is clear this team is turning a corner, having been competitive in every game this season.“You saw how good we can be when we’re playing well, but we’re not into moral victories,” Coffman said. “We fully expected to beat that team, and we didn’t.”
(10/06/12 3:53pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The IDS is chatting live from IU's Homecoming game against Michigan State as Indiana has a halftime lead in a Big Ten game for the first time since 2009. Join the conversation. On IU’s homecoming Saturday, the Hoosiers have come out firing against Michigan State. They lead 27-14 at the halfway point. The Hoosiers got out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter as sophomore quarterback Cam Coffman threw for 172 yards on 15 completions with two touchdown passes in the process. Despite Michigan State closing the lead to only three points in the second quarter, Coffman then drove the Hoosiers on a nine-play, 75-yard drive ending in a touchdown pass to Shane Wynn. Following a personal foul penalty on Michigan State on the touchdown, the Hoosiers recovered an onside kick and were able to kick a field goal on the next drive. Should the Hoosiers hold on, it would be IU’s first Big Ten win since Nov. 27, 2010, and it’s first against Michigan State since 2006.
(10/05/12 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Nov. 19, 2011, is a day many Hoosiers may like to forget.In what tied for IU’s largest margin of defeat in a 1-11 season, the Hoosier football team traveled to East Lansing, Mich., and was defeated by Michigan State 55-3. The Hoosiers produced fewer points and fewer yards in that game than in any other all year.Less than 11 months after that game, IU will face the Spartans again — this time on Indiana turf — as the Hoosiers will look to create offensive momentum against a defense they have not been able to defeat in the past, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.“They play tremendous defense,” he said. “They’re talented at every position, and they’re very aggressive in what they do. They’re one of the better defenses, not only in the Big Ten, but in college ball.”The numbers IU’s offense put up against Michigan State last season included 12 first downs, 236 total offensive yards and a 20 percent third-down conversion rate.Going into Saturday afternoon, the team will try to erase that memory. They said they want the result to change.“They present a lot of challenges, but we showed that to our kids, and they’re ready for it and excited about it,” said Kevin Johns, assistant offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and wide receivers coach. “It will be up to us to go execute our game plan and be successful with it.”One aspect of the Michigan State defense the Hoosiers must adjust to is the Spartan blitz. The Spartans lead the Big Ten in opponent pass completion percentage with 49.7 and rushing yards allowed per attempt at 3.14 yards.“We have to have a lot of blitz answers,” junior wide receiver Kofi Hughes said. “We’re going to not have as much time on a normal play as we do when we’re blitzed, so we have to speed everything up. I think by Saturday, we’re going to have a really good plan for them.”
(10/03/12 4:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What fans saw from IU’s quarterbacks last Saturday against Northwestern was no one-time event.Toward the end of the first half of the Hoosiers’ game in Evanston, Ill., with the team trailing 20-0, IU Coach Kevin Wilson removed starting quarterback Cameron Coffman in favor of freshman Nate Sudfeld. The next drive, Coffman returned to the field. Following that, Sudfeld replaced him again and finished the game as the Hoosiers’ quarterback.Despite Wilson saying at the start of preseason camp that IU will only use one quarterback, a pattern for the Hoosiers at the position has emerged.“They’re close enough in skill level where it’s not a competition,” Wilson said. “It’s rather just, ‘let’s see who plays well, who communicates well and who gets us going.’”Heading into the season, sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson was going to be the starter, with Coffman, a sophomore junior college transfer, backing him up. Sudfeld was not supposed to find the field this season, as Wilson intended to redshirt him his freshman year.Through the first game and a quarter, it went according to plan. Then in the second quarter of IU’s game against Massachusetts, Roberson landed awkwardly while being tackled and broke his leg. From that point, Sudfeld and Coffman were thrown into the ring to compete for playing time.“We certainly didn’t go into it thinking we were going to lose Tre for the year,” said Kevin Johns, IU assistant offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach. “You never know what to expect, and as a coach, you have to prepare for anything.”During the next two games, Coffman started instead of Sudfeld, but the freshman played in all two.The IU coaching staff has made it clear it will not hesitate to remove a quarterback when momentum goes awry. The players said they do not have a problem with that.“It helps a lot because you never get complacent,” Sudfeld said. “You always are going in each week thinking you have to play your best today to help the team get better, and we both take that very seriously.”Against Ball State, when Coffman left due to a hip pointer, Sudfeld gave the Hoosiers an offensive spark, leading them to a fourth-quarter comeback in which they scored two touchdowns in less than four minutes.Against Northwestern, during the first drive of the second half, Coffman led the Hoosiers to a touchdown. When Sudfeld was put back into the game, IU came back to a one-score deficit in the fourth quarter.All the while, the two quarterbacks have stayed supportive of one another. While trying to earn their stripes on the field, both players have said they adopted their coaches’ beliefs that team success is more important than selfishness.“I obviously didn’t think I played very well,” Coffman said. “I couldn’t get the offense going like I had planned. Nate came in, and I thought he did pretty well, but just like everybody, we both have to keep getting better every day in practice and push each other to be our best.” Moving forward, or until one quarterback sets himself apart from the other, Johns said it appears both will continue to get significant playing time over the Big Ten season.“I think we’ll take it game by game,” Johns said. “Certainly in the Big Ten, there’s a chance we’ll continue to be switching between them. We’re going to need them both down the line.”
(10/01/12 4:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>EVANSTON, Ill. — The stat line for Northwestern’s Kain Colter says it all about the Hoosiers’ defensive performance Saturday afternoon against the Wildcats.The junior produced 294 net yards of offense for Northwestern for a record-breaking 704 total yards. The team defeated the Hoosiers 44-29 at Ryan Field in Evanston, Ill.“He is probably one of the best athletes that we’ll face all year,” junior cornerback Greg Heban said. “When he has that threat of running and passing, you can’t focus just on one dimension, and it made it harder for us.”Heading into this weekend, Colter had been one of the leading passers and rushers on Northwestern’s offense. Through his first four games, he rushed for 210 yards and threw for 367 passing yards, producing two rushing touchdowns and two passing touchdowns. He didn’t have a single reception during the first four games after playing mostly as a wide receiver in 2011.Against IU, Colter threw for a grand total of two yards on three attempts. From the quarterback position, he rushed for 161 yards and four touchdowns.He also played wide receiver for the first time this season, and he caught nine passes for 131 yards.“We didn’t really prepare for it that much because we saw him as quarterback for the first couple of games,” Heban said. “Those first couple of drives, we saw him at slot and (Trevor) Siemian at quarterback, and we had to adjust to that from there.”Heban compared Colter’s efforts as wide receiver Saturday to that of former Hoosier wide receiver Tandon Doss, now playing for the Baltimore Ravens. Heban said Colter’s ability to “put a move on you” is among the best IU will face all season.As successful as Colter was as a receiver from the slot, he was also effective from the quarterback position. When receiving snaps, Colter switched between leading option plays and zone reads as the Wildcats ran for a total of 394 yards.Colter succeeded in exploiting the Hoosiers’ flaws in the rush defense, whether it was through his own efforts or his running backs’.“They popped us with some pistol-fast running out in space,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “I think sometimes, actually, we were close but then got blocked on the perimeter by their receivers.”As the Hoosiers came back against Northwestern, closing the Wildcat lead to 37-29 after a touchdown run from sophomore running back D’Angelo Roberts, a Northwestern zone-read option on the following play once again killed IU’s momentum.Colter kept the ball and ran it for 15 yards for a first down, a resounding theme of IU’s defensive play. Though that drive ended in an interception again on the first play of the following Northwestern possession Colter kept the ball on a zone-read option play and ran for 17 yards into IU territory. Colter scored on a 22-yard run that drive, virtually sealing Northwestern’s victory against the Hoosiers.“Any time a team puts 700 yards on a defense, it’s demoralizing,” Heban said. “They’re a great offense, Colter is a great player, but we just have to come back Monday ready to work and show we’re capable of playing Big Ten football.”
(09/28/12 3:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It has been almost 12 years to the day since IU’s football team won a Big Ten opener.On Saturday, the Hoosiers (2-1) will attempt to end that streak as they travel to Evanston, Ill., to take on the Northwestern Wildcats (4-0).“It’ll be a good challenge going up there,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We have talked for a long time with our team about improving and playing better Big Ten games, so this is our first challenge, and it’s a road challenge.”Just barely ranked outside the top 25, Northwestern has shown its ability to beat top-tier opponents. The Wildcats were the first team this season to beat three BCS-level teams, Syracuse, Vanderbilt and Boston College. Northwestern brings with it an offense that contains the dual-quarterback threat of Kain Colter and Trevor Siemian as well as running back Venric Mark, who is averaging about 100 yards per game. The Wildcats defense has allowed fewer than 19 points per game and fewer than 73 rushing yards per game. Northwestern poses a threat the Hoosiers have not faced the likes of this season.“We’ve got numbers on these kids, some of their key guys where we have to know where they’re at on every down,” IU Co-defensive Coordinator Doug Mallory said. “Those guys are numbered, so our kids need to be tuned in and execute the game plan.”When the Hoosiers faced Northwestern last season at Memorial Stadium, they lost 59-38. Heading into this year’s game, the team is expecting another shootout. Northwestern has averaged about 31 points per game while IU has scored 36 per game.However, IU has the opportunity to create trouble on Ryan Field and potentially pull off the upset.The Hoosiers currently rank among the top 10 in the nation in yards per game offensively and also lead all Big Ten teams in passing yards per game with 326. Northwestern, meanwhile, ranks last in the conference in pass defense, allowing about 295 yards per game.The Wildcats have not won a Big Ten home opener since 2004. “They play well as a team, but if you get one of their defenders in a one-on-one situation, they miss tackles,” junior running back Stephen Houston said. “We’re just going to put them on islands, and then we’ll make the plays.”Throughout this week, Wilson has reiterated that despite getting a hip pointer during the Ball State game, sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman will start Saturday afternoon.Despite sophomore starting linebacker Chase Hoobler possibly not playing due to a nerve injury, Wilson noted his team is mostly healthy heading into Evanston. With that good health, he said it will be critical for IU to play well in all three areas of the game Saturday, offense, defense and special teams.“Every day is getting better for us and our program,” Wilson said. “It’s a great challenge to go to Evanston, but we’ll be challenging our team to play some Big Ten football and win.”
(09/24/12 2:00pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A three-alarm fire shut down Walnut and Eighth streets early Monday morning.The Bloomington Fire Department responded to a fire at Japanee Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, located at 320 N. Walnut St., across the street from Kilroy's Sports.Traffic was redirected to Seventh Street until the road was reopened again at about 10 a.m.The blaze, which consumed the back and left sides of the restaurant and front side of the roof, was reported at about 7 a.m. this morning, BFD Chief Roger Kerr, said.There were no flames visible as smoke continued to rise from all sides of the restaurant at about 10 a.m..Nobody was in the restaurant at the time of the call.Kerr said conditions worsened to the point where firefighters retreated and adopted a defensive strategy.A cause of the fire has yet to be determined, he said.As of 10 a.m., firefighters were working to ensure all hotspots of the blaze were extinguished before preliminary efforts of the investigation can begin.An expert in fire restoration said the building is severely damaged with repair costs likely exceeding $100,000. The restaurant had recently reopened following the completion a renovation earlier this summer.