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(09/20/12 3:11am)
Following junior college defensive tackle Jordan Heiderman’s commitment to IU last week, IU’s 2013 recruiting class is now at ten committments. Headlined by a four-star safety from Indianapolis, check out who is slated to become a Hoosier come next fall.
(09/17/12 3:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It was a comeback to be remembered in Bloomington. That is, until the party got spoiled.Despite what seemed like a magical comeback for IU during Saturday’s game against Ball State, scoring 14 points in less than three minutes to take a late fourth-quarter lead, the Cardinals hit a last-second field goal to steal the win from the Hoosiers, 41-39.“I’m very proud of our kids,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “I thought all along we played well. I appreciate the way they hung in there and battled.”Down 38-25 with only four minutes and seven seconds remaining in the game against Ball State and a freshman quarterback under center, it all seemed like IU was about to fall to a 2-1 record. In fact, the Hoosiers had not scored since the second quarter. In their five second-half drives to that point, IU had lost possession on every single one. The team had very little momentum.“We just couldn’t get in rhythm,” Wilson said. “That’s a credit to one, their defense making a stop or just whether you’re throwing the ball. I know we tried to throw a couple short passes there early and just didn’t connect. We just didn’t do a good job with execution or play selection.”With about four minutes remaining in the game, freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld found sophomore receiver Cody Latimer for a 70-yard touchdown pass, the second-longest touchdown of the season for the Hoosiers.Following a defensive stop on the next Ball State drive, IU then drove 77 yards on only six plays. On a Sudfeld pass to sophomore wide receiver Shane Wynn in the end zone, the Hoosiers tied the game with only 49 seconds left.When junior kicker Mitch Ewald knocked in the extra point, the Hoosiers took the 39-38 lead. “(Wilson) just kept calling plays, and I felt good about them,” Sudfeld said. “I knew the receivers were going to make plays and the line was giving us some time. I just felt comfortable, I felt like I had been out there before. That said, I knew Ball State was a good team, and I knew it was never over.”After Ball State was able to drive the ball to the IU 43-yard line with only seven seconds remaining, BSU quarterback Keith Wenning completed a pass to IU’s 25-yard sideline with only one second on the clock. Though the play was reviewed, the call on the field was confirmed.With that one second remaining, Ball State senior kicker Steven Schott nailed the 42-yard field goal, sealing the Cardinal’s victory over the Hoosiers.“Coach has always taught us to just keep playing,” senior defensive tackle Adam Replogle said. “You have your highs and your lows, but you have to just keep playing. We just kept going and things worked out there for a little bit, but we weren’t able to finish.”With Saturday night’s loss, IU now has a 2-1 record on the year. Despite what could be called a “heartbreaking” result, Wilson said his team is not going to dwell on this loss.“This is a good team, and a lot better than what most of you guys think,” Wilson said. “We’re going to get a heck of a lot better with every second of every day. I promise you that.”
(09/14/12 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s football team is off to a 2-0 start in 2012 following a 1-11 season in 2011.Offensive production is higher. The defense is allowing fewer points. Saturday night, IU’s improvement will be tested to its core when the Hoosiers face Ball State at Memorial Stadium.The Cardinals have beaten the Hoosiers in two consecutive games.“I don’t know if anyone is perfect for us to be playing, because it doesn’t matter who we’re playing, we’re on the wrong side of the ledger,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “It is a great opportunity to play those guys again, and a lot of those guys who played well against us last year are back.”The Cardinals beat the Hoosiers 27-20 in last year’s opener at Lucas Oil Stadium. Ball State had three players rush for more than 60 yards while quarterback Keith Wenning added three touchdowns.The Hoosiers, however, were kept at 375 yards all game and allowed four sacks. In their first game with a new coach in a new system of offense, things did not go according to plan.Fast forward 12 months, and the Hoosiers are quite changed from the two schools’ last meeting.“I think last year, we were learning ourselves,” Wilson said. “We’re better, but we’re still learning and growing, and we’ll keep doing that every day, both coaches and players.”One of those changes has been seen on the Hoosiers’ offensive side of the ball. In the first two games of the 2012 season, IU averaged 16th in the country in rushing yards.Against a Ball State team that gave up only 103 yards on the ground to the Hoosiers last year, a clear sign of change within IU’s offense will be if it is able to run successfully Saturday night. In the 2012 season, the Cardinals have allowed on average 167 rushing yards per game. “Schematically, I don’t think they have changed a ton from a year ago,” IU Assistant Offensive Coordinator Kevin Johns said. “But you’re seeing kids that can run. They’re a year older, and they’re a year stronger. It will be a great challenge, and I know both teams will be ready to go.”In the first two games of the 2012 season, IU’s rush defense improved. Ranked 59th in the nation, IU has allowed only 127 rushing yards per game compared to more than 243 yards per game in 2011. In their first two games, Ball State’s three-headed rushing attack of Jahwan Edwards, Horacio Banks and Barrington Scott has ranked amongst the top 10 in the nation in yards gained.“They’re all good, physical runners,” IU Co-Defensive Coordinator Doug Mallory said. “You get nervous when a running back breaks through and a defense like Clemson can’t catch them, and that happened last week. We’ve got to do a great job of keeping the ball inside and in front.” While Ball State’s strengths have remained similar since their last meeting with IU, the Hoosiers’ have changed. With new personnel at nearly every position, this 2012 IU team is not the same as the 1-11 team that lost to Ball State in 2011. Whether those changes will result in a Hoosier win Saturday night will be realized though, when the two teams take the field at Memorial Stadium. “Everybody talks about improving from week one to week two,” Wilson said. “But when you’re a young team and if you’re a good team, you improve week after week. We expect that against Ball State, too.”
(09/11/12 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Charles Love III has been an Indiana Hoosier for as long as anyone on IU’s roster.In fact, he has been a part of the program since he committed to IU on Dec. 14, 2007, a time when half of IU’s current undergraduate students were still in the eighth or ninth grade.Love, a wide receiver turned tight end, never caught a pass in his collegiate career before this year. He has battled through injuries and coaching changes throughout his five-year span in Bloomington. Last Saturday, Love finally experienced the personal glory that had previously eluded him during his tenure as a member of the IU football team. His name was finally recorded in the statistics books with two receptions and a touchdown in IU’s 45-6 victory against Massachusetts.“I was just excited and happy to be back from all the injuries I’ve had in the past,” Love said. “I was happy to be back out there with the team.”Getting on the field has not been that simple for Love. A fifth-year senior from Memphis, Tenn., he sat out his first year at IU to gain a year of eligibility. During the following two seasons, he underwent a position change and an ACL injury, which further complicated his collegiate career. Though he played on special teams, Love rarely had opportunities to make a name for himself in scrimmage.After former IU Coach Bill Lynch was fired at the end of Love’s sophomore campaign, Love had a new chance to earn playing time with IU Coach Kevin Wilson.In a cruel twist of fate, during a practice only one week before IU opened its 2011 season against Ball State, his leg planted the wrong way, and he fell to the ground. In a freak accident, as Love called it, he tore his ACL. He did not play his entire junior year, and a season of his eligibility was burned.“There were a lot of ups and downs,” Love said. “I had to work from starting at zero to go right back up to playing again. It was just really tough for me.”Heading into this season, Love knew this would be his last chance to prove himself on the field. Despite graduating in May 2012 with a degree in recreational sports management, he had one year of NCAA eligibility left.If he wanted to play again, Love said he knew he would have to recover quickly and train hard.He did just that. Heading into the 2012 season, Love was healthy and was named the second string tight end on IU’s roster.“I love Chuck,” senior center Will Matte said. “He’s battled and stuck through everything. Last year in camp, I know he tore his ACL, and that was hard to see, but he is a warrior. He just fights, and I’m really happy for him.”During IU’s game Saturday, Love caught his first pass of his career from sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman while jumping between two UMass defenders in the second quarter. If that wasn’t enough for Love, in the fourth quarter, he caught his second pass of the day. The 12-yard fade pass into the end zone was Love’s first touchdown as a Hoosier. Despite two ACL injuries and playing as a backup for most of his career, Love finally arrived at the moment he had been waiting for. He jumped in the air and was rushed by his teammates as he put his team on the scoreboard 44-6. “I was so happy,” Love said. “Just coming back from all of my injuries and catching balls and touchdowns, it feels good. Actually, it feels great.”Moving forward, Love said his goals focus on team success rather than himself. He has always said the team comes first.Love said he wants to play and produce for his team on the scoreboard. Now, after a journey not many players have endured, he can finally say he has done that.“That guy works his tail off and has been through thick and thin,” Matte said. “He’s resilient, and to have him out there producing, it’s really awesome.”
(09/10/12 4:31am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In a single second, a football player’s dreams can be destroyed, and the dynamic of a team can be impacted significantly. With about 13 minutes remaining in the second quarter during IU’s game Saturday afternoon against UMass, that nightmare scenario unfolded right in front of Hoosiers’ eyes.Sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson rushed up the middle on a third-and-goal opportunity. As he was tackled, his left leg buckled under a UMass defender. At that moment, everything changed. The Hoosiers had lost their quarterback and needed two players in their first season at IU to fill the void immediately.“It is what it is,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said after the game. “It’s unfortunate, and it’s a little bit of a freak accident.”Following that play, everyone involved got back up except Roberson. Trainers came onto the field, followed by an ambulance.Roberson, who had already compiled more than 200 yards of offense and three touchdowns in the game, was placed onto a stretcher, loaded into the emergency vehicle and taken to the hospital.It was later announced after the game that IU’s starting quarterback had broken his left leg and would be sidelined for the remainder of the season.“The coaches were stressing that I need to be ready at any point,” sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman said. “I have been putting just as much pressure on myself during the week as if I were the starter, so I felt prepared.”As the aftermath drama of the injury unfolded on the field, Coffman warmed up on the sidelines, preparing for his first NCAA snap. A transfer student from Arizona Western College, a junior college in Yuma, Ariz., Coffman had to step in and take the reins from Roberson, who has led the IU offense during parts of the last two seasons.In his first drive as IU’s quarterback, Coffman completed three of four passes for 51 yards, leading the Hoosiers to a touchdown on a run from junior running back Stephen Houston. “When I came in, we had a 21-point lead or something,” Coffman said. “It was a good way to get acclimated and get used to it a little bit.”Coffman ended the game with 16 completions of 22 attempts, with 159 yards passing and a touchdown to his name.True-freshman quarterback Nate Sudfeld, who was going to redshirt this season before Roberson’s injury, also played against the Minutemen. In burning his would-be redshirt, Sudfeld passed for three completions on four attempts, with 28 yards credited to his name.“By that point in the game, the edge had been taken off the offense, there was a different style of play and the weather changed and got us a bit,” Wilson said. “(Coffman) will get better. We might have redshirted Nate if the year were through, but now we will have to raise him as a backup.”With Roberson now gone for the remainder of the season, Wilson announced that Coffman will be the new starting quarterback. With the new NCAA rules requiring that if a player’s helmet comes off, he must be taken off the field for at least one play, Sudfeld will have to be ready to play at any time.“We’ll miss (Roberson’s) leadership,” Wilson said. “He’s a great guy. We’ll miss his ability to make some plays with his feet. We will see how Coffman handles it going forward.”
(09/07/12 4:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It has been nearly two years since IU’s football team has won a road game.Saturday afternoon, the Hoosiers will attempt to change this state of affairs.In its farthest road trip of the 2012 season, IU will travel to Foxboro, Mass., to face first-year Football Bowl Subdivision team Massachusetts in the second game of the year.“To me, it will be good to go on the road and win,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “It would also be good to get win number two. Whether they’re FCS or FBS, we’re trying to get W’s.” Following last week’s victory against Indiana State, IU matched its win total from its entire 2011 season.The team now has an opportunity to eclipse that total this weekend, as well as win its first game against an FBS opponent in the Wilson era.Sophomore linebacker David Cooper said this could be a prime opportunity for that win to come, as there will be a lot of familiarity in this game.“Watching film that I’ve seen so far, they run the same type of offense as ours, so it shouldn’t be anything difficult,” Cooper said. “We’ve been going against the spread since spring time, so it shouldn’t be anything complicated. We’re already picking up on it.”Heading into this week of practice, Wilson said he was worried about how his team would respond following its first win of the 2012 season.Wilson said that last year, his team reacted poorly to success. After the team’s first and only win of the season against South Carolina State, the Hoosiers went on to lose nine straight games.This season, he said an over-confident response has not been the case.“What I like is we addressed our players aggressively on what we saw and on making strides,” Wilson said. “I really like the way we worked on Monday and Tuesday.”With such a positive week of practice, Wilson said, he looks forward to the challenge Massachusetts will bring despite a 37-0 loss in its opening game of the season to Connecticut.Massachusetts is undergoing a similar transformation to IU’s last season. Former Notre Dame Offensive Coordinator Charley Molnar is in his first year at the helm and the Minutemen offense has a new quarterback, IU Co-Defensive Coordinator Mike Ekeler said. The team is currently transitioning from a two-back power offense to a spread up-tempo type.“Any time you do that, there’s a little bit of an adjustment period,” Ekeler said. “I’m sure they learned a lot about themselves after one week.”Whether the Hoosiers eclipse last year’s win total remains to be seen. It appears that all systems are ready to go, Wilson said. The Hoosiers have no injuries that will keep players out Saturday, Wilson said. Three suspended players, junior wide receiver Kofi Hughes, junior cornerback Lawrence Barnett and sophomore safety Drew Hardin, will all be eligible to play when the game starts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday. The game will also be broadcast on ESPN3.com.“We’re better than we were a week ago, and we’ll keep moving forward with that,” Wilson said.
(09/05/12 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU sophomore linebacker David Cooper looked to his right. His best friend and junior linebacker Jacarri Alexander stood next to him and nodded back.It was go time.The two were about to play the first snap of their Division I football careers side by side as the Hoosiers faced in-state foe Indiana State.Perhaps it was fitting they both started the game. Perhaps it was destiny that they stood next to each other as play began.Whatever it was, the two were in it together, ready to make their mark on Indiana football.Separate beginnings merge pathsCooper and Alexander did not take typical paths toward playing football at the Big Ten level. Instead of enrolling at IU straight out of high school, both took alternative routes ending in Bloomington.Coming out of Auburndale (Fla.) High School in spring 2008, Alexander decided to pursue a collegiate football career. However, he did not get the opportunity to play at the NCAA level, so he enrolled at Iowa Central Community College.Cooper graduated from Brookwood (Ga.) High School in 2010 and enrolled at Coffeyville (Kan.) Community College.Both said they focused on improving their discipline in the classroom and on the field. NCAA teams took notice. During the 2011 season, Division I teams started to recruit them.Alexander boasted offers from Bowl Championship Series teams Kansas State and Pittsburgh. Cooper had multiple scholarship opportunities, including Iowa State, Kentucky and Minnesota.The two shared one common offer: Indiana.On Sept. 27, 2011, Alexander committed to the Hoosiers, becoming the 14th commit of the 2012 class.“Indiana is great for academics,” Alexander said. “With the whole football situation, I just want to be a part of changing the environment with (IU) Coach (Kevin) Wilson’s program.”About two months later, Cooper would join the Hoosiers’ class, committing Nov. 16, 2011. Despite a change of heart that caused him to decommit in mid-December, he affirmed his pledge to IU for a second time 10 days after.He said he could not pass on the opportunity to play Big Ten football.“I am more than excited,” Cooper said at the time of his enrollment. “I’m ready. It’s been something I’ve been dreaming about since I was a little kid.”The start of a friendshipDespite their separate journeys, Cooper and Alexander found themselves to be roommates at the start of the 2012 spring semester.Hundreds of miles from home, both were about to start their new lives at IU as NCAA student athletes.The two bonded immediately. They had both been through similar journeys, trekking through the junior college ranks to get to this point.They quickly became best friends, spending time together on and off the football field.“We’re like brothers,” Cooper said. “He’s the big brother and I’m the little brother, but we love to compete. I can’t really describe it. It’s just a brotherly love type of thing. We bonded, and it feels good to play right next to him on the field.”The two shared much of their time together during their first few months at IU. Both also said their friendship has only grown since arriving in Bloomington in January.“We’re always together,” Cooper said. “It’s kind of like we’re like twin brothers. We’re everywhere with each other, man. You don’t see him without me. You don’t see me without him.”Suiting up and taking offThroughout fall camp, Alexander and Cooper gained the respect of their coaches and teammates.IU Co-Defensive Coordinator Doug Mallory said at one point both would likely be starters.Sophomore linebacker Chase Hoobler said they brought great competition and leadership to the table.When dusk fell Saturday night, Alexander’s and Cooper’s dreams of playing Division I football came true.Both were on the field for the first play of scrimmage, officially tabbed as IU’s starters.Despite the pregame butterflies, Cooper and Alexander said the comfort of playing next to their best friend made the situation a lot easier to handle.“We talked about it all the time of what we’d do in game situations,” Alexander said. “That’s all we do, is talk the game, on and off the field, so it felt good to finally get to do it.”In that season opener, the two combined for 10 of IU’s 60 tackles en route to a 24-17 Hoosier victory.Cooper provided one tackle for loss, while Alexander, on his birthday and playing in front of his family for the first time since his senior year of high school, made a tackle in the open field that prevented ISU running back Shakir Bell from picking up a large gain.“It was a good start,” Wilson said of their performance. “I thought they did well, but it will be interesting to see where they are in two to three weeks from now.” Now that game one is out of the way, Alexander and Cooper said they are much more comfortable playing in IU uniforms. They are adjusting to NCAA game tempo, the balance between classes and football and the meaning of what it takes to be a Hoosier football player.Both players said competing alongside your roommate and best friend is worth it all and what has made this journey so special.“I know he’s going to do his job, and I know I am going to do my job,” Cooper said. “What’s great is we just help each other get better like brothers do.”
(09/04/12 3:21am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s nine-game losing streak is finished.In their first game of the year Saturday night, the Hoosiers defeated in-state Football Championship Subdivision opponent Indiana State 24-17 to open the 2012 season 1-0.“We need to be better, but I feel a lot better today than I did last night,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “A year ago, the way we played, we would have found a way to lose that game.”In his first start since last November, sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson showed glimpses during the game of why Wilson had been so excited about his second-year player during training camp a few weeks ago.Roberson passed for 280 yards, a career-high, on 26 completions as he led the Hoosier offense to his first win as a starter. In addition to his one passing touchdown, Roberson also ran for 19 yards and another score.“I was just listening to the coaches all week, all spring and all fall,” Roberson said. “The O-Line protected really well, wide receivers caught the ball and made plays, and it just felt good and comfortable.”On one of those plays, Roberson threw a 71-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Shane Wynn.Not only was the pass longer than any Hoosier touchdown from scrimmage in the entire 2011 season, it tied the game at seven. ISU would not lead again.“We caught them off guard a lot,” Wynn said. “We were able to throw the plays we wanted to throw at them, and we controlled the game.”Despite the Hoosiers’ offensive productivity, the defense struggled to keep ISU out of Hoosier territory.Led by running back Shakir Bell, who ran for 192 net-yards Saturday night, ISU reached IU’s side of the field on seven of its 12 possessions.On its final three drives of the game, ISU was able to get the ball into IU territory each time.“I wish we had been on it a little bit more,” Wilson said. “Our defense needs to be better.”In one of ISU’s final possessions, sophomore cornerback Brian Williams, making the first start of his collegiate career, earned his first career interception after a fourth-and-11 pass from ISU quarterback Mike Perish.That fourth quarter interception in turn led to the Hoosiers keeping their 24-17 lead and allowed more than four minutes of time to be drawn from the game clock.“I know there were a lot of key plays, but I guess mine was one of those that made a good impact on the game,” Williams said. “I just knew it was a good play for us, and I’m just happy that we got the win.”Following Williams’ interception, the Sycamores were able to get the ball back and drive down the field to the IU 36-yard line with only two seconds remaining in the game.As Perish’s final pass sailed into the end zone, IU sophomore wide receiver Cody Latimer knocked down the ball, sealing the Hoosier victory.While giving up almost 200 rushing yards to the Sycamores, the Hoosier defense still compiled five sacks and two turnovers on the game.“It’s a decent start, but I’d like to see those guys continue to play better,” Wilson said. “I thought they did well, but with those junior college linebackers and some other guys, it will be interesting to see where we are in two or three weeks from now.”With Saturday’s victory, IU matched last season’s overall win total.Though Wilson said some lingering issues remain from the 2011 team, he said this Hoosier squad is not the same as what it was in 2011.“We made some of those plays last year where we were on the wrong side of the ledger,” Wilson said. “This year we’ve got to take those plays out, but we were still good enough to overcome those plays and get a W for win one. We’re ready to move forward.”
(09/02/12 4:22pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU’s nine-game losing streak is no more. In their first game of the year on Saturday night, the Hoosiers defeated in-state Football Championship Subdivision opponent Indiana State 24-17 to open the 2012 season 1-0. “We need to be better, but I feel a lot better today than I did last night,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said following the game. “A year ago, the way we played, we would have found a way to lose that game (tonight).” In his first start since IU faced Purdue last November, sophomore quarterback Tre Roberson showed Saturday night why Wilson has been so impressed with the second-year player recently. Roberson passed for 280 yards on 26 completions, a career-best mark, as he led the Hoosier offense to his first win as a starter. In addition to his one passing touchdown, Roberson also ran for 19 yards and a touchdown. “I was just listening to the coaches all week, all spring and all fall,” Roberson said. “The O-Line protected really well, wide receivers caught the ball and made plays, and it just felt good and comfortable.” One of those plays Roberson was able to instigate was a first quarter 71-yard touchdown pass to sophomore wide receiver Shane Wynn. Not only was the pass longer than any Hoosier touchdown from scrimmage in the entire 2011 season, it tied the game at seven. ISU would not lead again. “We caught them off guard a lot,” Wynn said. “We were able to throw the plays we wanted to throw at them, and we controlled the game.” Despite the Hoosiers’ offensive productivity, the defense struggled to keep Indiana State out of Hoosier territory. Led by running back Shakir Bell, who ran for 194 yards Saturday night, ISU reached IU’s side of the field on seven of it’s 12 possessions. On it’s final three drives of the game, ISU was able to get the ball into IU territory each time. “I wish we had been on it a little bit more,” Wilson said. “Our defense needs to be better.” On one of those final possessions in which ISU forced the ball into IU territory, sophomore cornerback Brian Williams, making his first start of his collegiate career, earned his first career interception after a 4th-and-11 pass from ISU quarterback Mike Perish. That fourth quarter interception in turn led to the Hoosiers keeping it’s 24-17 lead, and allowed over four minutes of time to be drawn from the game clock. “I know there were a lot of key plays, but I guess mine was one of those that made a good impact on the game,” Williams said. “I just knew it was a good play for us, and I’m just happy that we got the win.” Following Williams’ interception, the Sycamores were able to get the ball back and drove down the field to the IU 36-yard line with only two seconds remaining in the game. As Perish’s Hail Mary pass sailed into the end zone, IU sophomore wide receiver Cody Latimer knocked down the ball, sealing the Hoosier victory. Though not the most efficient in its victory, the Hoosier defense still compiled five sacks and two turnovers on the game. “It’s a decent start, but I’d like to see those guys continue to play better,” Wilson said. “I thought they did well, but with those junior college linebackers and some other guys, it will be interesting to see where we are in two or three weeks from now.” With Saturday’s victory, IU has now matched last season’s overall win total. Though some lingering issues remain from the 2011 team, this Hoosier squad is not the same as what it once was, Wilson said. “We made some of those plays last year where we were on the wrong side of the ledger,” Wilson said. “This year we’ve got to take those plays out, but we were still good enough to overcome those plays and get a W for win one. We’re ready to move forward.”
(08/31/12 3:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>It’s a new start for IU’s football program.Following the team’s worst season since 1984, the Hoosier squad will make its 2012 season debut Saturday night against Indiana State.IU Coach Kevin Wilson has made it clear this game will not be a “walk in the park.” IU is Indiana State’s lone Football Bowl Subdivison opponent this year.“I believe they’re going to come in and fight to win the football game, and we better be ready to answer the bell, because this one is not going to be easy,” Wilson said. “We’ve been talking about that for several weeks.” The Hoosiers have reason to worry in this game. In the 2011 season, IU was the third-worst team in the FBS in rushing yards allowed. The Hoosiers allowed an average of 243.7 yards on the ground per game.Whether IU’s rush defense has improved will be made clear Saturday. Indiana State’s running back, Shakir Bell, was last year’s leading rusher in the Football Championship Subdivision, compiling 1,670 rushing yards in an 11-game span. A 5-foot-8-inch, 185-pound junior from Indianapolis, Bell is a running back who Co-Defensive Coordinator Doug Mallory described as a “runner with power, but with great vision and patience as well.”“He’s a very quality back,” Mallory said. “We’re going to have our hands full with him.”On the other side of the ball, in IU’s last season, the offensive line allowed 31 sacks, the fourth worst record in the Big Ten.In their first game of the 2012 campaign, the Hoosiers’ offensive line will have their first test against an FCS All-American defensive end. Senior Ben Obaseki recorded 7.5 sacks last season for the Sycamores and had one game in which he logged 22 tackles, five tackles for loss and three sacks. “He plays at a high level and is a good football player,” IU Offensive Line Coach Greg Frey said. “All you can ask of a football player in your program is to play at a high level, and he does that.”With Obaseki’s and Bell’s prowess on the field, Wilson said he knows the Hoosiers will not be able to take Indiana State lightly, especially based on IU’s performance last season.This is a new team and a new start for the IU football program. Whether the defensive front seven and the offensive line have improved will be made clear.“They’re going to take away that run and try to get you one-dimensional, get you third and long and tee off on your quarterback,” Wilson said. “They’re impressive. We’re going to play a lot of teams with probably more talent than Indiana State, but there’s a reason why they’re talking about being conference champions.”
(08/28/12 4:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Growing up is a hard thing to come to terms with.Just ask senior center Will Matte what it feels like.In 2008, Matte was a freshman center on the scout team, looking up to teammates and current NFL offensive linemen Rodger Saffold and James Brewer.Now heading into the 2012 season, Matte is the oldest member of IU’s offense as a redshirt senior, and is ready to have his swan song campaign as a Hoosier football player. “When I look back at it, it really flew by,” Matte said. “I probably still don’t fully realize it, but it’s just incredible that I’m at this point. I’m going to make the most of it.”Four years ago, Matte arrived in Bloomington from Wheaton-Warrenville South (Ill.) High School. He did not play one down of football during his first year at IU.“I still remember my first camp,” Matte said. “It was totally crazy, I had no idea what was going on. I’m definitely proud that I stuck it out, and though this experience has been tough, I’ve battled through.”As a redshirt freshman in 2009, Matte had the opportunity to start all 12 games for the Hoosiers. His efforts didn’t go unnoticed. Matte was named to the freshmen All-Big Ten team by Sporting News and was a freshman All-American honorable mention by CollegeFootballNews.com. In his three playing seasons thus far, Matte has started 33 games in 34 appearances. He has also been a captain for nine games, including seven during his junior year.Heading into the 2012 season, he was named to the preseason watch list for the Rimington Trophy, an annual award given to the nation’s best center.He has also battled through injury and pain to get to this point in his career. As a center, Matte’s right hand is constantly swollen with almost constant blisters.It is just part of the job he does on a daily basis to ensure sure he gets better, Matte said.“He’s been through a lot of battles,” IU Offensive Line Coach Greg Frey said. “But I think he’s in better physical condition than he’s probably ever played it. He’s playing hard.”Frey said Matteis practicing in addition to the younger players on IU’s offensive line.Frey said hard play will be important in 2012. “Will has done a good job leading, he really has,” Frey said. “There’s only so much you can do as a leader. You can be demanding, you can be their friend or you can pick them up, and he does all those things.”Frey said no single player’s performance will be enough for IU’s offensive line to be successful in 2012. Matte said he hopes he can inspire the freshmen and sophomores on IU’s offensive line to be one day at the point where he is now.Matte said it will still take some time to realize that the 2012 season will be his last in a Hoosier uniform.“I love the guys in the O-Line room,” Matte said. “For the most part, they’ve all bought in and done what they’ve needed to do. I want to be able to leave my mark, and hopefully they can carry on what we started.”
(08/22/12 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Prayer. Family. Positive thoughts.That’s what took IU junior running back Stephen Houston through what he calls a tough stretch in his football career less than 12 months ago. When he came to IU in July 2011 from Independence Community College in Kansas, Houston said he thought everything would be handed to him. He was the lead running back at Independence, having rushed for 1,082 yards on 165 carries in his sophomore season.“I just tried to stay positive throughout the whole thing,” Houston said of the situation. “It was hard, but I just never wanted to give up.”As he sat on the bench, not competing with the offense in the second game of the 2011 season, Houston said he came to a sudden realization. Though he wanted to be a team player, he also wanted to be in the spotlight. It was sink or swim, and he said there was no other choice.“I realized nothing would be handed to me,” Houston said. “You have to go out there and earn it, and that’s what I had to do.”When he arrived for fall camp in 2011, Houston was out of shape, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.At one point, Houston said he thought Wilson and his staff were “screwed up” when they tried to push him beyond his physical limits.“We were yelling at him to go harder, and he was looking at us like we didn’t know what we’re talking about,” Wilson said. “He wasn’t very good in August, and he was getting a little bit better in September. By October, he was our best back.”Despite not starting the first four games of the year, Houston was named the starting running back for the team’s Big Ten opener against Penn State on Oct. 1, 2011. “He was a big back who could run,” IU running back Coach Deland McCullough said of the decision to start Houston. “He was a guy who could show us a skill set that would translate well to the Big Ten.”After leading the team in rushing yards that game, Houston would not lose the starting job for the remainder of the season. He ended the 2011 campaign as the team’s leading rusher, gaining 802 net yards on the ground. He led the team in individual touchdowns with eight on the year.“He got a lot better,” McCullough said. “There was definite growth, but I still think there’s a lot more that can happen that will tip him over the edge.”Now into his second year with the Hoosiers, Wilson said Houston has become his model example of what dedication can do for success.When two junior college cornerbacks, Antonio Marshall and Tim Bennett, transferred to IU and started late in the summer, as Houston did, Wilson approached Houston and asked him to talk to the two players.Houston has taken the role of an older brother figure to ensure their success at IU, he said.“I tell them all the time to stay humble and stay hungry, because the first time you get cocky or complacent, that’s when somebody can go take your spot,” Houston said. “I’m just telling them that I’ve been there in the hard times of not playing, but as long as you work at staying consistent, your chance will come.”There is no guarantee Houston will make as significant an impact this year as he did on last season’s squad due to the depth at his position. McCullough said sophomore D’Angelo Roberts and freshman Tevin Coleman have recently played better than Houston in practice.That situation does not mean Houston will go down without a fight for playing time. He’s been in that position before.“I just want to do everything to the best of my ability, whether it be being the fastest, the strongest or whatever it may be,” Houston said. “I know what I need to bring to the table.”
(08/21/12 4:23am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Only two weeks ago, junior walk-on running back David Blackwell was called into the office of IU Coach Kevin Wilson.He was pulled out of a lunch line and was ushered into a one-on-one meeting with the second-year head coach, who was about to tell him about a life-changing proposition.“I hadn’t done anything bad, so it couldn’t have been anything bad,” Blackwell said. “I walked up there, and he let us know one-by-one.”Blackwell was among seven IU football walk-ons awarded an athletic scholarship that day. Born and raised in Bloomington, Blackwell said it was a lifelong aspiration realized to be awarded that scholarship at his hometown university.“Being from here, I was always an IU fan,” Blackwell said. “As soon as I got the opportunity to play here, it was a dream come true. There was no other place I’d rather go.”During his high school days at Bloomington High School South, Blackwell was a two-sport star in both basketball and football.In his senior year, he was not named only the football team’s Most Valuable Player, rushing for 1,200 yards, but also was a member of the 2009 BHSS 4A state championship basketball team that went 26-0.Also an honors student and participant in school plays, he had the opportunity to attend multiple schools on scholarship. DePauw and Holy Cross had offered him the chance to play football at their schools. When former IU Coach Bill Lynch approached him with the opportunity to be a preferred walk-on at IU, it was something Blackwell could not refuse.“The reason I came here is because it’s the big time level,” Blackwell said. “And getting to this point, it’s pretty awesome. I don’t know if I could have done it if I was from somewhere else.”During his first two years at IU, Blackwell did not see any game action.He was a redshirt freshman for the 2009 season, and despite being named the Special Teams Scout Team Player of the Year, Blackwell failed to make it into a game the next year.To make matters more complicated, when Lynch was fired in November 2010, Blackwell had to start from scratch attempting to impress Wilson and the new coaching staff.“It was really difficult for me,” Blackwell said. “Being a walk-on definitely gives you a fire, and I just had to transfer it twice.”During the 2011 season, he finally found the field in competition. He received his first career carry on Nov. 19, 2011, against Michigan State, posting a five-yard gain on the final play.Since then, he said he’s worked hard to reach the point where he is now but knows this will not guarantee playing time.It is something Wilson stressed when he awarded Blackwell this opportunity and continues to emphasize to this day.“I just told all of them that we’ll be a better team not because you’re on scholarship, but because you stay hungry,” Wilson said. “And you keep playing hard to help us win.”For the townie in Blackwell, that’s all he needed to hear. Now that he is on scholarship for the team he has watched from his backyard and loved all his life, he said it has been easy for him to transfer that passion toward making Indiana football a winning program.“I’d rather go to the Rose Bowl than be on scholarship any day,” Blackwell said. “I strongly believe that we will get this ship turned around.”
(08/20/12 2:40pm)
Highlights from IU's football camp
(08/20/12 3:28am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Wilson names tentative starting quarterbackHeading into this season, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said every starting position on his football team would be an open competition.As of Aug. 11, one of those jobs has been filled. The second-year coach tabbed sophomore Tre Roberson as the tentative starting quarterback.Roberson is the only returning quarterback from the 2011 roster and started the final six games for the Hoosiers last season.After hiring former Arizona offensive coordinator Seth Littrell, however, Wilson says Roberson is successfully transferring his talent toward a pass-first offense.“Tre, for the athlete, is really throwing it better, and it’s great to see,” Wilson said.Wilson looks for improvement from wide receivers After the first five days of fall practice, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said he’s seen very little to be excited about from his receiving corps thus far.“Not very much,” Wilson said. “They’re not very good. It’s the worst part of the offense.”He proceeded to single out wide receivers sophomore Cody Latimer, junior Duwyce Wilson and junior tight end Ted Bolser as capable of improving. He expressed the need for them to compete.“For us to be where we want in our passing game, I expect those guys to really keep coming through, and they need to. And they should,” Wilson said.IU football season ticket sales soarIU Athletic Director Fred Glass said that as of Aug. 2, approximately 26,033 season tickets have been purchased, the most sold in more than 20 years.Glass does admit, however, that football season ticket sales are at a ceiling, and the only way to improve the numbers is for wins to come on the field.“We’re going to continue to try to have the greatest experience in and around the stadium that we can have,” Glass said. “We’re confident that the play on the field will soon be on that level as well.”
(08/16/12 1:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In the 2011 season, IU’s defense produced the sixth fewest interceptions in the Football Bowl Subdivision and a turnover margin that was the third-worst in the Big Ten.Heading into the 2012 season, defensive back improvement has been a point of emphasis for the Hoosier football team.“From a coach’s perspective, it’s probably my fault because we didn’t make turnovers an expectation last year,” IU Cornerbacks Coach Brandon Shelby said. “For a defense that maybe isn’t as talented, you definitely have to go get turnovers to help us win a game.”IU’s leading interception leader from 2011, junior Greg Heban is returning in 2012. Heban, who had two interceptions last season and was third on the team with 62 tackles, has taken on a leadership role for the Hoosiers in 2012.“Heban is a guy that every day is the one guy in the secondary that when we go to the practice, he practices hard,” Shelby said. “He’ll not only be successful this year, he’ll be successful in life. You’ll talk about that kid for a long time. I wish every player was like him.”Other returning players IU Coach Kevin Wilson expects to make an impact are junior Lawrence Barnett and sophomores Kenny Mullen and Brian Williams. After Wednesday’s practice, Wilson said Williams had been unable to “get over the hump” until recently. Wilson also said Mullen will be playing a lot this season.“We’re going to put those guys on islands sometimes,” Wilson said. “Last year, a couple of times we got burned. Sometimes we blew coverage. Sometimes we got burned. For our defense to work, those guys have to hold up for you. Whether they can, we’ll see.”One newcomer, junior Antonio Marshall, a transfer from Georgia Military College, has impressed his coaches in the short time he has been at IU, Shelby said. Marshall arrived in Bloomington just in time for fall camp and was initially out of playing shape, Wilson said.In a similar situation last season, junior running back Stephen Houston, a junior college transfer, arrived at IU in July “with a poor mentality,” Wilson said. He did not start the first four games of the season, but eventually started the final eight games and became IU’s leading rusher.With mentoring from Houston, Shelby said Marshall has drastically improved during his time at IU and will contend for playing time this season.“It takes you 30 days to break an old habit,” Shelby said. “It’s taken him a couple of days, but he’s getting better every day, and every day he goes out there and gives it his best. If he continues to do that, he’ll be a good player for us.”Shelby said IU will not be successful, even with their talent level, if the team cannot produce turnovers. He said the Hoosiers will model it’s 2012 campaign after the 2011 Oklahoma State defense, which led the NCAA in turnover margin despite allowing the 14th most yards per game in the FBS. That team went 12-1 and won the Fiesta Bowl.“If you go back from the beginning of football, if you’re typically plus-two in the turnover margin throughout the year, and you’re pretty good in special teams, you’re going to be a bowl team,” Shelby said. “That’s kind of how our motto is, and it tells our defense you can bend but not break. I truly believe we’ll see an increase in turnovers this year.”
(08/15/12 1:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Following Monday’s IU football practice, Indiana Daily Student football beat writer Jordan Littman sat down with Offensive Coordinator Seth Littrell. Here’s what the first-year coach had to say about his new team:IDS: I saw you a little bit fired up during practice today. What was going on?Littrell: Nothing was really going on. It’s just a part of two-a-days during camp where you really have to up the intensity, because if you don’t, it’ll be very easy to relax and go back to creating bad habits. I think every day when you step on the field, there has to be an intensity about you to make sure you’re not creating bad habits, you’re creating good habits. It’s very easy to create bad habits in camp when you feel a little bit fatigued and tired, and if that happens, it comes out in the first game. So we’re really trying to protect against that, and I want a certain edge about people when they come to practice. IDS: IU Coach Kevin Wilson said on Saturday that Tre Roberson is the starting quarterback. What are you seeing out of him at camp and why do you think he’s “the guy”?Littrell: As far as being “the guy,” that’s Coach Wilson. He’s the head coach, and I’m going to leave those answers up to him. The biggest thing I’ve seen, though, is watching all three of those guys grow, and they’ve worked extremely hard. Coach (Kevin) Johns and Coach Wilson have done an unbelievable job with those guys. They’re really starting to feel comfortable and see and understand different little aspects of defense that they’re going to see pre-snap and post-snap. We’re getting a lot of reps of the same play with a lot of different formations, so it may look a lot different, but really we’re trying to keep the schemes simple, but at the same time effective, so that they know pre- and post-snap where they’re going with the football. IDS: Earlier in preseason camp, Wilson said the wide receiving corps is the weakest part of the offense. At this point, do you agree with his statement?Littrell: Again, that’s for him to say, but my deal is acknowledging we all have deficiencies and we all have areas of the game we need to continue to develop. I can handle mistakes, but my thing is I can’t handle loss of focus and loss of playing full speed every snap. We have gotten better. When you turn on the film even during the first scrimmage, we have gotten better in that area since I’ve got here. That scrimmage was one of the best efforts that I’ve seen since I’ve been here, and that was encouraging, but again, we still have a lot of mistakes we have to correct. We’re not there yet, we don’t have to be perfect today, but I think those guys are working at getting better at their deficiencies. And that’s a hard thing to do because in films, it’s not always easy to get called out on something you’re not good at, and you have to be man enough and confident enough in yourself and your abilities to take coaching well. They have to understand it’s not a bad thing; it’s just something you have to work hard on to fix.IDS: Do you feel like you’ve seen improvement out of them?Littrell: I’ve seen improvement from the entire team, and we just have to continue to do that on a daily basis. In practices, the one thing I’m pleased at is we haven’t taken many steps back, but we’re working hard and they’ve been doing what they’re asked to do. At times, there will be lulls. At times they’ll feel a little bit sorry for themselves just like everybody, but they overcome it quickly, not only through us but through each other and the leaders on this team. Again, it’s getting better as we go, and we just need to continue to grow as a team.IDS: Do you like what you’ve been seeing out of your offensive line thus far?Littrell: Yeah, I think Coach (Greg) Frey does an unbelievable job with those guys, and we have a lot of young guys at that position. Especially with the eight freshmen on the O-Line, Coach Frey has done a really good job of studying and getting a grasp of what they need to do, because when it’s all said and done, they still need to be a physical group. For us to be successful, they have to be physical in all areas, whether it’s pass block or run block. Overall, I think they’ve done some great things. They just need to continue them.IDS: In your eyes, are there any freshmen in particular on the offensive side that have stuck out since practice has started?Littrell: I think Ricky Jones has really done some good things at slot. He’s a guy who, if he continues to work and practice the way he’s done, I’d really like the things I’d see from him. Tevin Coleman is another guy at a skill position who is starting to learn a little bit more about the offense. Early on, it’s hard, it’s fast-paced and there’s a lot of different stuff he has to know, so the more comfortable he gets, you’ll see him running for us more and more. And then all of those freshmen O-Linemen I think really have a chance to be really special. Coach Frey has done a good job with them. I’ve been impressed with them, but at the same time they need to get to a point where they’re not a really good freshman, but to a point where they’re a really good Big Ten football player. They just have to continue to work with the ball, and I think there are some guys who are on track to help us out.
(08/07/12 4:00am)
IU junior high jumper and 2012 NCAA runner up Derek Drouin can one more accolade to his name: Olympic Medalist.
(06/21/12 12:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With the 2012 U.S. Olympic Team Diving Trials well underway at the Weyerhauser Aquatic Center in Federal Way, Wash., a new generation of current and former IU contenders is proving to be successful.Led by 2009 graduate Christina Loukas, who competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, multiple Hoosiers have booked spots in the finals of their events, putting them one step closer to competing in London. “I’m really happy that we made the finals,” said former IU diver Gabby Agostino, who clinched a spot in the finals for the 3-meter synchronized dive. “We are not really focused on place going into finals. Rather, (we’re) focused on doing our dives well and what we work on every day in practice.” Agostino, who recently completed her four-year eligibility at IU in 2012, and former IU and now Virginia Tech diver Logan Kline ended Sunday in sixth place in the 3-meter synchro competition. The duo has 490.20 points, 147.60 points behind the leaders Abby Johnston and Kelci Bryant.Agostino ended last season with three top-six finishes in the Big Ten Swimming and Diving Championships but missed out on a bid to the NCAA Championships after not recording a top-three finish at the NCAA Zone C Diving Championships.“After my last season at IU not ending the way that I would’ve liked it to, it feels good to be in the finals,” Agostino said. “That was our goal coming into the meet.”In the same event, Loukas, Agostino’s former teammate, currently sits in second place with partner Kassidy Cook. The duo trails Johnston and Bryant by only 6.51 points. The final round of the women’s 3-meter synchro is Thursday evening, when divers will have one final chance to add to the cumulative score they built over the previous rounds.The pair with the highest cumulative score after the finals will advance to the Olympics.If Loukas fails to advance in that event, however, she is currently in line to qualify for the 2012 Olympics in the 3-meter individual springboard dive. In that event, the top two finishers make the Olympics.After Tuesday’s preliminaries and semifinals, Loukas sits in second place with 679.65 points, 39.20 points behind leader Cassidy Krug and 26.40 points ahead of Cook, who is in third. “I was really happy with the semifinals. I think I handled everything well,” Loukas said in an interview with USA Diving. “I was playing it safe this morning. I was more aggressive and confident this evening, and it worked. I’m going to stick to that for finals.”Also advancing to the finals of an individual event was former IU diver Zac Nees, who qualified in 12th place in the men’s platform dive. Nees was the 2012 Big Ten Diver of the Year before deciding to transfer to University of Miami (Florida) for his senior year.The finals for the men’s platform dive will be broadcast live nationally at 4 p.m. Saturday on NBC. Loukas’ event, in addition to the men’s 3-meter dive and women’s platform dive, will be broadcast live at 3 p.m. Sunday, also on NBC.
(04/23/12 3:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Six years ago, Delta Tau Delta finished the Little 500 in 31st place after qualifying in 33rd.After Saturday’s race, Delt is on top of the world.Led by a breakaway effort from RJ Stuart, Delt won its first Little 500 in front of a packed Bill Armstrong Stadium, ending the Cutters’ five-year winning streak.“This is probably the greatest feeling I’ve ever experienced,” Delt rider Luke Momper said. “Like I said earlier, we qualed 33rd six years ago, and to come out and qualify top 10 the last couple times and come away with the victory six years later, it’s the best turnaround the program has had in its recent history.”In a race in which there was no clear leader for the first 183 laps, as teams such as Theta Chi, Phi Delta Theta, Sigma Chi, Beta Theta Pi and the Cutters fought with Delt for the lead, Momper decided to pull away from the field and make a move.It paid off. Delt never lost the lead from that point on, as riders Phil Sojka and Stuart, the Individual Time Trials champion, carried the team through to the finish line.“You never know you’re going to win until the last lap is counted because anything can happen,” Sojka said. “I knew RJ was the fastest guy on the track and had the biggest heart here, and I expected him to hold on, but you’ve got to be on pins and needles because it’s a scary situation. Luckily, it worked out.”Delt’s win also signified the end of an era dominated by the Cutters. After five consecutive championships, the Cutters found themselves in fourth place Saturday when all was said and done. Their finish was attributed to two crashes, including one late in the race as rider Kevin Depasse attempted to speed past Beta to move into first place. Depasse slipped and crashed as other leading teams, such as Black Key Bulls and Theta Chi, were brought down.“We had two crashes that were hard to come back from, and we were coming back from the last one, but there just weren’t enough laps for us,” Cutters rider Tim Nixon said. “It hurts, but we’ll be back next year.”Despite having a clean race and being in the lead peloton throughout, Phi was never able to respond to Delt’s breakaway. Out of the remaining finishers, Phi Delt finished second in the race.Following Phi Delt in third was Sigma Chi, which overcame a 10-second penalty at about lap 110 after trying to advance its position during a caution to being in contention toward the end. Saturday’s finish was the second year in a row Sigma Chi finished third in the race.“We were just in attack mode, just go as fast as you can, hammer, hammer, hammer, and suffer as much as possible while you’re out there,” Sigma Chi rider Brian Arfmann said. “Unfortunately, RJ had too much of a lead, and we were working as hard as we could, so I’m definitely glad for our house.”Rounding out the top 10 was Theta Chi in fifth, followed by Black Key Bulls, Beta, Gray Goat, Acacia and Wright Cycling. Wright went from finishing in 30th in Qualifications to number 10 overall. The team’s 20-spot improvement was the highest of any team in this year’s race. “As soon as we got the Quals position and knew we were in the way back, that was our goal that we would get the Dixie Highway (Trophy) no matter what,” Wright rider Jack McMahon said. “The great thing was, we crashed in Lap 50 and lost two laps from it, but we stayed on that lap for the rest of the race. We really pulled together and made it happen.”With Delt’s first title in the books after 62 races in the Little 500 history, the Delt riders are ready to celebrate and are hopeful Saturday’s finish will put them at the top for years to come.“I just don’t hope we get kicked off campus tonight, honestly,” Stuart said Saturday. “It’s a big moment.”