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(11/19/11 6:12pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Thanks to 272 yards from Kirk Cousins and the Michigan State passing game, the Spartans defeated the Hoosiers 55-3 today at Spartan Stadium in East Lansing. In the first half, IU punted to end their first drive of the game. Michigan State then completed a pair of passes to B.J. Cunningham and Garrett Celek to put the Spartans on the Indiana eight yard line with a first-and-goal situation. A third down open field tackle by Mullen, whose blown coverage allowed Cunningham’s catch, forced Michigan State to settle for three points. On Michigan State’s next possession, a fake reverse led to a wide-open Cunningham hauling in a 63-yard scoring pass from Cousins. The Spartans followed that up with a 47-yard pass to Keshawn Martin, who broke a tackle, then ran uncontested to the endzone. IU got on the board in the second quarter with a 10-play, 55-yard drive that ended with a 22-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Mitch Ewald. The Spartans responded with a long kickoff and a 19-yard reverse for a touchdown by Martin to make it a three-score game once again. IU went three-and-out its next drive, then allowed another MSU score on a 10-yard Baker run. MSU tacked on a field goal, then intercepted true freshman quarterback Tre Roberson to effectively end the half. The third quarter began with essentially a continuation of the second quarter. Michigan State manufactured a methodical eight-play drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Cunningham. IU responded with a 3:51 drive, but it ended with an interception that was returned by the Spartans’ Johnny Adams for a touchdown. Three straight quarterback rushes by Roberson resulted in an IU punt. Michigan State’s backup quarterback, Andrew Maxwell, led the ensuing drive, which ended with Edwin Baker’s second touchdown of the afternoon. The Hoosiers also inserted their backup signal caller, sophomore Edward Wright-Baker, in the second half. The team put together a 4:14 drive in the first possession with Wright-Baker under center, but it ended with a turnover on downs. Junior Adam Follett also saw his first action of the season in the fourth quarter on the final few plays of the game. Senior linebacker Jeff Thomas lay in the field for several minutes at one point early in the third quarter, but managed to walk off the field himself. He has not returned to the field. The fourth quarter featured a brief appearance by true freshman cornerback Nick Stoner at wide receiver.
(11/19/11 5:51pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>True freshman cornerback Kenny Mullen and the IU defense managed to salvage the first long pass given up today in East Lansing and give up only three points. The next two times, they never had a chance. Thanks to 183 yards from Kirk Cousins and the Michigan State passing game, the Spartans lead the Hoosiers 17-0 after the first quarter. After IU punted to end their first drive Michigan State completed a pair of passes to B.J. Cunningham and Garrett Celek to put the Spartans on the Indiana eight yard line with a first-and-goal situation. A third down open field tackle by Mullen, whose blown coverage allowed Cunningham’s catch, forced Michigan State to settle for three points. On Michigan State’s next possession, a fake reverse led to a wide-open Cunningham hauling in a 63-yard scoring pass from Cousins. The Spartans followed that up with a 47-yard pass to Keshawn Martin, who broke a tackle then ran uncontested to the endzone. Meanwhile, through one quarter, IU has 57 yards of total offense. Senior wide receiver Dre Muhammad leads IU with three catches for 15 yards.
(11/18/11 5:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Despite a roster depleted by season-ending injuries at several positions, the Hoosiers have more of one thing heading into Saturday’s road contest with Michigan State than they have had all season: time.Last week brought the Hoosiers’ annual bye week and a chance to recuperate from injuries and refocus on fundamentals.“I think it’s a benefit,” senior linebacker Leon Beckum said. “It makes you rest your body. A lot of us are kind of beat up. It gives us time to relax a little bit, refocus. It’s beneficial. It’s not making us rusty or anything.”Beckum is one of a number of Hoosiers who has missed time with injuries this season. Several players, including senior right tackle Josh Hager and sophomore wide receiver Duwyce Wilson, have been lost for the season, while others, such as sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel, true freshman right tackle Peyton Eckert and junior defensive tackle Mick Mentzer, will probably not play this week due to ongoing injuries.Junior center Will Matte missed the last three games due to an injury, the first time in his IU career he has been sidelined. He is expected back against Michigan State and listed as the starter at center. Redshirt freshman Collin Rahrig, who started at center in Matte’s absence, has moved back to right guard.“It was perfect timing,” Matte said. “I pretty much healed up completely, and I know a lot of guys got to go home and regenerate. It just helped our bodies get back, and that’s always important deep in the season. It was good that we had that where it was.“It’s been really weird these past few weeks sitting out. It definitely wasn’t enjoyable at all, so I’m happy I’ll be able to get back against a talented team and prove myself.”Given the plethora of injuries the team has encountered, though, some in the program wish the bye week had come earlier in the season. Last season, IU’s bye week came after its first game.“Unfortunately, ours was toward the end of the season, so it was kind of a grind early on,” Co-Offensive Coordinator Rod Smith said. “It would have been nice to have had it at the beginning of the year, but it is what it is. You play the cards dealt to you, and you move forward.”The No. 12 Spartans are the second-highest ranked team the Hoosiers have faced this season, aside from Wisconsin. Like the Badgers, the Spartans employ a balanced offense featuring quarterback Kirk Cousins and running backs Edwin Baker and Le’Veon Bell.“They’re big,” Co-Defensive Coordinator Mike Ekeler said. “They’re physical. Obviously, they have a phenomenal senior leader in the quarterback, the running backs. They’re loaded. They’re loaded at the skill positions.“They’re a great team. There’s a reason they won the Big Ten last year, and there’s a reason they’re in the position they’re in right now.”Senior linebacker Jeff Thomas sees similarities to a different Big Ten opponent IU has already seen this season.“They’re a similar team to Ohio State,” Thomas said. “They like to run the ball with power. They like to stretch. It’s a lot of the things we’ve seen before with Ohio State.“It’s just their quarterback can throw a little bit better than Ohio State’s, but Michigan State’s is not as mobile. We’re just taking our Ohio State game plan, tweaking it and doing our own thing with it.”IU Coach Kevin Wilson said IU’s game with Ohio State was among their best performances this year. He hopes the team takes a similar approach against Michigan State but emerges with a different result.“I thought to some degree we went on the road to Ohio State with a greater sense of energy and a greater sense of purpose, a greater sense of confidence,” Wilson said. “We battled and didn’t get it done, so we’re disappointed and frustrated by that. Our goal wasn’t to be close. We thought we could win that game, and we didn’t. Our goal this week in going to Michigan State is to put a plan together that we think will give us a chance to win.”
(11/18/11 4:59am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Host Max McCombs returns with Justin Albers and Alex McCarthy to discuss IU's upcoming game against Michigan State and the effect of the bye week.Click the button on the right to listen.
(11/07/11 4:54am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The seasons of 1-9 IU and 6-3 Ohio State have few similarities, but in the Hoosiers’ 34-20 loss to the Buckeyes on Saturday, one commonality between both teams played a central role.Each team is now starting a true freshman at quarterback, Tre Roberson for IU and Braxton Miller for OSU, after opening their seasons with more experienced players under center.“I would probably say Tre’s quicker, but Braxton has more stride, but that’s it,” junior defensive tackle Larry Black Jr. said. “Both guys are good players.”Roberson was 11 of 21 for 174 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his third career start. He also led the Hoosiers in rushing with 70 yards in 20 carries.“He kept his poise throughout the whole game,” sophomore running back Stephen Houston said. “He made plays with his feet when he had to. He threw the ball. He made the right reads. My hat goes off to Tre for keeping his poise.”While Roberson helped keep his team in the game with a 34-yard touchdown pass to wide-open sophomore wide receiver Kofi Hughes in the third quarter, he also ended a late, potentially game-tying drive and helped seal the Hoosiers’ defeat with an interception to OSU’s Travis Howard with 4:18 remaining in the fourth quarter.“I was looking for my over,” Roberson said. “I was trying to get it to him, but it was a bad ball on me. It was all my fault.”Similarly to Roberson, Miller was responsible for both a long scoring play — in his case, an 81-yard quarterback run in the first quarter — and an interception. He finished five for 11 for 55 yards passing, but he also had 105 total yards on the ground, despite being sacked six times.“Obviously, he’s a heck of a football player and can run the football very well,” said Luke Fickell, Ohio State’s head coach. “He’s getting better at everything.”Redshirt freshman outside linebacker Chase Hoobler said the IU defense did not view Miller’s inexperience as a starter as a sign he could easily be rattled.“It didn’t really matter who they’re playing with at quarterback, freshman or senior,” Hoobler said. “I was just trying to do my job, personally, on the team and play with my technique.“You’re not thinking about ‘Oh, this guy’s a true freshman.’ The other players on the other team, you don’t really pay attention to what year they were. He was just the quarterback of the other team. That’s always the No. 1 guy you’re trying to get while you’re blitzing.”IU Coach Kevin Wilson noted that in a game featuring two of the 12 true freshman starting quarterbacks in the entire Football Bowl Subdivision, each team used its young signal-caller differently, with Miller primarily a runner for the Buckeyes while Roberson was employed in a more balanced manner.“Tre as a quarterback,” Wilson said. “We’re a little bit different, doing maybe a little more than they do with Braxton at this point. We’re still picking our spots with him.”
(11/05/11 3:56pm)
The IDS is blogging live from Ohio Stadium in Columbus for today's IU football game against Ohio State. Join the conversation.
(11/05/11 3:54pm)
The IDS is blogging live from Ohio Stadium in Columbus for today's IU football game against Ohio State. Join the conversation.
(11/05/11 3:53pm)
The IDS is blogging live from Ohio Stadium in Columbus for today's IU football game against Ohio State. Join the conversation.
(11/04/11 4:27am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A year ago, Kofi Hughes was a true freshman and IU’s fifth-leading wide receiver, Stephen Houston was playing junior college football in Kansas and Tre Roberson was a high school senior in Indianapolis.Three months ago, Hughes was slated to be IU’s third option at wide receiver, Houston was part of a crowded running back backfield and Roberson was the least-experienced candidate in a five-man quarterback battle.Now, the three underclassmen are the core of a youthful Hoosier offense for the rest of the season, and perhaps further.“Fundamentally, we’re a young team,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “Fundamentally, we’re not very good, as much as systematically, so we’ve got to keep working on that. We’re actually trying to extend down the stretch without over-practicing.”On an offense that has had multiple starters at every position this season, a combination of injuries, players leaving the team and demotions have resulted in the current lineup slated to see the field Saturday. Three seniors, a junior, three sophomores and four freshmen are set to start, according to the most recent depth chart.“It’s changed a little bit, but that’s why you coach all the kids in your room,” said Kevin Johns, co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach. “I wanted to build depth the first day I walked in.”Though freshmen guards Collin Rahrig and Bernard Taylor will start on the offensive line Saturday against Ohio State and two other freshmen-guard Cody Evers and tackle Peyton Eckert, have started at some point this season, the youth movement at the skill positions has perhaps become more pronounced.Senior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher, the team’s leading returning pass-catcher entering the season, was dismissed from the team Monday for an unspecified violation of team rules. He had missed games at various points in the season with a combination of injuries and a suspension.For the rest of the year, IU will also be without the services of wide receiver Duwyce Wilson, a sophomore in his third year in the program.That leaves Hughes, currently with 20 catches for 298 yards and a pair of touchdowns, as the Hoosiers’ de facto go-to receiver for the rest of the season.“He’s completely bought in,” Johns said. “If you ask our players, he’d be one of the hardest working guys on the practice field. He’ll walk off the practice field and his socks will be squishing with water from the sweat. We need him to take over that role and we need him to step up and keep rolling.”IU returned three contributors at running back from last season, but none of the three remain on the roster. Junior Darius Willis has not played due to injuries and is seeking a medical-hardship waiver while sophomores Nick Turner and Antonio Banks have left the team.IU has started three players at running back this season, but Houston, a sophomore transfer from Independence Community College in Kansas, appears to have emerged as the starter after a 151-yard outburst against Northwestern.“He’s not a finished product, but he’s a lot closer to being a very effective guy in his route-blocking,” Running Backs Coach Deland McCullough said. “Stephen possesses a lot of skills, close to a complete package.”At various times during the season, sophomores Edward Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel appeared to be locked in as the starting quarterbacks, but after injuries slowed them, the true freshman Roberson has stepped into the role. Last week against the Wildcats, he threw for 169 yards and ran for an additional 121.“Tre has an interesting dynamic with everybody,” Johns said. “The reason I say that is he has such a great personality. He’s such an easy kid to be around. He has that charisma. I’ve said it before; he has that ‘It factor’ at quarterback. Tre’s just a fun guy to be around for our whole offense.”With an all-around young offense featuring starting linemen under 295 pounds, a quarterback with running ability and several players with gadget capabilities such as Hughes and true freshman wide receiver Shane Wynn, Johns said the offensive game plan will continue to be tweaked to best utilize the players’ talents.“Right now, we’re trying to find as much offense as we need to help us win games,” Johns said. “We’re going to do what it takes to win. If that means option, that’s what we’ll do. If it means throw it 70 times, that’s what we’ll do. It’s hard to see where it’s going to continue to grow, but right now, we’re just trying to win games.”
(10/31/11 4:24am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When IU scored 38 points — its season-high — against South Carolina State, it walked away with a victory.In the Homecoming game Saturday, 38 points were not enough.IU fell to Northwestern, 59-38, Saturday at Memorial Stadium, dropping to 1-8 for the season, despite tying its highest-scoring effort of the season.“We’ve jelled together coming from each week to week,” sophomore running back Stephen Houston said. “I think we’re doing things better as a whole, both offensively and defensively. But once again, it starts with Coach Wilson and then comes down on us and executing it and doing it to the best of our ability.”Though they were outscored in each of the first three quarters, the Hoosiers had an early lead after a six-play, 77-yard opening drive that ended with a 12-yard scoring run by true freshman quarterback Tre Roberson, who was making his second straight start.Just four minutes later, however, Northwestern led 10-7. The Wildcats kept the lead for the rest of the game with a pair of 10-point deficits in the second quarter, the closest the Hoosiers came to matching the Wildcats’ output.Drake Dunsmore had four touchdown catches — a school record — and 112 receiving yards.One of those touchdown catches was courtesy of backup quarterback Kain Colter, who also played a jack-of-all-trades role, finishing with 115 receiving yards and 38 more on the ground to go with his passing performance.IU was led by 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns from Houston during 19 carries. Roberson also had a 100-yard rushing performance for IU, finishing with 121. He also had 169 passing yards, a touchdown and an interception.“(Houston) got more than what was blocked,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “In some ways, we blocked a little bit better, too, and not that he was playing on his own out there, but he definitely took some one and two yard plays and got six, seven, eight, nine or 10 a few times. The more he’s played, the better he’s got.”Such efforts, which contributed to 488 total offensive yards for IU, could still not keep pace with the Northwestern offense, which finished with 616 yards and did not punt until the fourth quarter.“We’ll keep battling and playing through it,” Wilson said. “I don’t have excuses, but we’re playing some young guys. They were going to line up basically in two main formations, and they actually put a third one out there. It was nothing unusual.”Wilson said the IU defense was predictable as well, something that must change in the future, even with the Hoosiers employing numerous freshmen regularly on defense. “I would like to see us be a lot more multiple than we are because I think with our skill set — if we kind of line up and people get a beat on us — it’s a little easier to pick apart,” he said. “But with young guys, the more you do, the more mistakes you have.”Sophomore cornerback Greg Heban has shared the secondary with freshmen at both cornerback and safety and said the trial by fire the freshmen are going through at the moment was inevitable and ultimately necessary.“They are still learning,” Heban said. “Everyone’s still learning. You can’t be perfect. You’re going to learn every week. As freshmen, they are getting experience — they’re gaining experience, and I trust them out there just as much as I trust anyone else.”
(10/29/11 4:49pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The seniors who were part of a Homecoming upset of Northwestern as freshman could not end their final IU Homecoming the same way. IU fell to Northwestern 59-38 Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium to drop to 1-8 on the season despite tying their highest scoring effort of the season. Drake Dunsmore torched IU for four receiving touchdowns, a school record. IU was led by 151 rushing yards and two touchdowns from sophomore running back Stephen Houston on 19 carries.
(10/29/11 3:54pm)
The IDS is blogging live from Memorial Stadium as the Hoosiers take on Northwestern in this year's Homecoming game. Join the conversation.
(10/28/11 2:39am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Do not put too much stock in the outcomes from Thursday’s IU wrestling intrasquad scrimmage.At 149 pounds, for instance, true freshman Eric Roach took nearly two minutes of overtime to score a takedown and an 8-6 decision against junior Geno Capezio, who moved up a weight class for the second time in as many years.Neither is the probable starter at the weight, though. That would be redshirt freshman Taylor Walsh, who was defeated on the evening by a cold. “I’d say Walsh will probably be the guy in there,” IU Coach Duane Goldman said. “He just didn’t wrestle tonight. That was a good match, but it didn’t have a lot of bearing. Walsh is fine.”Likewise, at 184 pounds, true freshman and highly-touted recruit Lucas Sheridan made his Hoosier debut against redshirt freshman Cheney Dale, a 174-pounder. Sheridan won 8-1, largely due to a five-point move on a headlock and nearfall. However, Goldman said Sheridan will redshirt this season and Dale is penciled to start.Even with the outcomes ultimately playing almost no role in who the season’s starters will be, the event provided the public their first look at a Hoosier team seeking to replace Kurt Kinser and Paul Young, lineup fixtures the past four seasons, and Ricky Alcala, a heavyweight who placed fifth nationally in his only season at IU.New NCAA rules meant the Hoosiers could not begin practice until October 10. “Wrestle-offs are really difficult,” Goldman said. “They see each other every day and they know each other’s moves real well, so sometimes they’re not the most exciting matches. They’ve only been in the room a couple of weeks.”While the outcomes of matches Thursday may not indicate the starters, Goldman said the Thursday wrestlers in most weight classes are the same athletes in contention for the starting jobs.This is especially true at 165 pounds, a spot vacated by sophomore Ryan LeBlanc’s move to 174 pounds. In a battle of redshirt freshmen, Preston Keiffer defeated Sawyer Morris in one of three matches that went to overtime.“165 (pounds), that one was really too close to call,” Goldman said. “Again, these matches, as far as really the lineup, have very little impact (but) those are the guys.”
(10/28/11 1:55am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers will not be going bowling this season.Senior right tackle Justin Pagan knows this.He knows that, at best, he has four games left for IU.He knows Saturday is his last Homecoming, even if the festivities are for the fans, not the players.Still, this will not be the first time a Homecoming game against Northwestern has held some significance for him. In 2008, IU upset then-No. 24 Northwestern 21-19 in a Homecoming game for the Hoosiers’ only conference win that season.“Coach Wilson brought that up, how the last time we took them here was 2008, and that was my first career start,” Pagan said. “For me to think about that, it’s kind of weird to see, because I remember very vividly.”This Saturday, Pagan and his senior teammates have the opportunity to bring their careers full circle. It is once again Homecoming, and the Wildcats are the opponents one last time.After receiving votes in the initial three AP top-25 polls of the season, Northwestern, like IU, has lost five in a row entering Saturday.“This is a must-win for us, not because of our losing streak, but because we’re at home,” sophomore running back Stephen Houston said. “That’s what we’re going to do. You always want to protect your house.”Pagan said none of the hoopla and festivities of Homecoming make the game more important to the players than any other.“It’s not more significant or less significant than any game we’ve played this year,” Pagan said. “We come out and play every week with the same goal of winning that game and getting better each week.”As each team seeks its first conference win, neither squad’s offense will look quite the way the teams may have anticipated entering the season. Houston and true freshman quarterback Tre Roberson, along with several offensive linemen, will start for the Hoosiers after beginning the season as reserves.“We’re gelling,” Houston said. “We’re coming together (as) a whole unit, putting the pass game with the running game. Now it’s just time to translate it from practice onto Saturday’s game field.”For Northwestern, an early injury to starting quarterback Dan Persa, a Maxwell Award watch-list member, allowed Kain Colter to emerge in his absence. Colter has also played slotback and receiver, along with his time at quarterback, for the Wildcats and leads the team with 421 rushing yards. Persa leads in passing yardage with 990 yards and six touchdowns.“(You have) got to have respect for Mr. Persa, what he is fighting through, his background, but the Colter kid comes in, and they don’t miss a beat,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.For seniors such as Pagan, with a losing senior season guaranteed at this point, there still is motivation to leave their mark on the football program.“This is the first year of the Wilson era, as we call it, so we’re going to lay a good foundation for these younger guys,” Pagan said.With one-third of the season left and a bowl game out of the question, Wilson said he is still focused on this season, not looking toward next year.“My deal is I’m trying to keep them pretty positive, because if we’re not, then nobody else is going to be,” Wilson said. “My gig each day is we’ve got to be the guys with the energy, the guys with the enthusiasm. We’ve got to make sure that we keep finding good in what we’re trying to do.”
(10/21/11 4:19am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Host Max McCombs is once again joined by Justin Albers and Alex McCarthy to discuss IU football, their loss to Wisconsin and Saturday's game against Iowa.Click the link to the right to listen.
(10/21/11 3:46am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Running backs Darius Willis and Nick Turner were returning.Nearly 2,000 yards of receiving production returned as well.Kevin Wilson, the guru behind the highest-scoring offense in NCAA history, was taking the reins.Even with a new quarterback, IU’s offense looked to be its strength entering this season, as it had been the previous two years.However, through seven games this season, IU is averaging 21 points per game. Willis has yet to play due to injury, Turner left the team and no receiver is averaging more than 40.86 yards per game.Wilson put much of the blame for the offensive letdown on the receiving corps. “I would have been of the opinion that our receiver crowd and our offensive line, with some seniors, would have been the groups that would have led us,” Wilson said. “Those groups have been the two most inconsistent groups.”Even with the offensive line starting at least two freshmen for much of the season and weathering injuries to senior tackle Josh Hager and junior center Will Matte, sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker said he is still responsible for making plays.“I feel comfortable when I go out there every game,” Wright-Baker said. “I have to do everything right. I have to have my footwork right. I have to have my reads right.”The receiving corps is taking responsibility for the sluggish offense, too, despite the inexperience on the line that might force the quarterback to hurry his throws.“We’ve just got to be more urgent,” sophomore wide receiver Duwyce Wilson said. “We’ve got to realize the quarterback doesn’t have that much time. We’ve got to run faster. We’ve got to break quicker. We’ve got to make our blocks, and we’ve just got to do our job so everything can click on offense.”Last Saturday, in IU’s 59-7 loss to Wisconsin, the Hoosiers unveiled several new wrinkles in the offense, trotting out a pair of formations previously unused this season.One was a Wildcat-type formation featuring sophomore wide receiver Kofi Hughes under center, though he was a quarter back in high school. He rushed seven times for 31 yards but did not attempt a pass.“Each week we’re going to change our game plan and try to show different looks, just trying to find different ways to get the ball in the hand(s) of some of our best players,” Co-Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Kevin Johns said.The Wildcat was popularized in recent years by the University of Arkansas and the Miami Dolphins. It utilizes a variation of the single-wing formation of old and typically features the quarterback, or whomever lines up under center, taking a direct snap and immediately running to whichever side of the line is loaded with blockers.IU also debuted a lesser-used formation known as the Diamond on Saturday. It features three players in the backfield surrounding the quarterback, with two of them typically serving as blockers.On Saturday, Hughes, senior tight end Max Dedmond and redshirt freshman running back Matt Perez joined Wright-Baker behind the offensive line.“The more you bring guys into the box, the more defensive guys you bring into the box, as well,” Johns said. “It’s not like they’re still going to stay back. It gives you more guys to protect, but it gives you less guys to get on the routes. There’s some give and take on the formation. “It was productive Saturday. We’ll see how it develops and where things go as we move forward.”Even when using the new formations, though, some things do not change, the roles of the offensive line among them.“I just block the defensive end,” senior tackle Andrew McDonald said. “I don’t think formations really affect me too much. Coach tells me what I need to do. We see what we need from the play and what we need to accomplish.“With three guys back there, it throws the defense off because they have to adjust to it. Plus, it just adds another thing the defense next week has to prepare for. I feel like we get some help on the edges with pass (protection). All around, it’s just a win-win.”
(10/17/11 3:37am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Host Max McCombs is joined by basketball beat writer and former baseball beat reporter Kevin Bowen to discuss the IU baseball Fall series and offer an early preview of the 2012 IU baseball team.Click the link to the right to listen.
(10/17/11 2:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Within the first 2:01 against Wisconsin on Saturday, IU accomplished something it failed to do last year against the Badgers: stop a drive.After not forcing a single punt against the Badgers last season, the Hoosiers forced six Saturday in Madison.Yet, Wisconsin still prevailed 59-7, with the game quickly devolving to resemble last season’s one-sided contest.“They’re a big physical team,” freshman safety Mark Murphy said. “They’re going to run the ball. They’re going to play-action. You know what they’re going to do. They threw in a few trick plays.”One such play came 3:28 into the second quarter, with the Badgers already boasting a 14-0 lead, thanks to their ground game. Wisconsin running back Montee Ball took a pitch from quarterback Russell Wilson, then threw a 25-yard touchdown strike back to Wilson.Ball led the way for the Badgers, racking up 142 yards and three rushing touchdowns to go with his passing score and a 46-yard reception. Backup running back James White had 87 yards and a first-quarter touchdown.“If they get out in space, those two backs are pretty good,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “I don’t know if they have blazingly great speed, but it’s pretty good speed. They run through trash, and they’re always moving forward. They had a bunch of nice eight-, nine-, 10-yard runs and then some big ones.”The Hoosiers got on the scoreboard themselves after a 67-yard run by sophomore running back Stephen Houston with 4:07 left in the first half.Houston had 135 yards in 19 carries to lead an IU rushing attack that had 223 yards. Wisconsin responded to IU’s score with a 38-yard field goal, then snagged an interception to end an IU drive. The Badgers scored on a Wilson pass with four seconds remaining in the half.“(Russell) Wilson is a good player,” Wilson said. “I watched him from afar when he went to NC State. Now, he’s up here playing with a pretty complete offense.”The third quarter began with a showcase of defense as three drives by IU and two by Wisconsin ended in punts.The Badgers’ defense ruled the fourth quarter. Wisconsin downed a punt on the Indiana one-yard line and, two plays later, forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown.Sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker, in his first action this season against Big Ten competition, was six of 15 for 54 yards and two interceptions. Sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel was out with an ankle injury, but true freshman Tre Roberson played on several series. IU had a season-low 64 yards passing.“I felt like I can be out there playing,” Wright-Baker said. “We just keep shooting ourselves in the foot every week. We can’t do that. We can’t give good teams the ball. We can’t turn the ball over if we want to (win) games. We can’t do it against Wisconsin or any good Big Ten team.” In addition to Kiel, true freshman defensive end Bobby Richardson missed the game with a concussion, while the Hoosiers lost their leading receiver, senior Damarlo Belcher, to an injury in the second quarter, and junior center Will Matte left with an injury in the fourth quarter.The Hoosiers finished with 287 yards total, their second-worst output of the season and hardly half of Wisconsin’s 524.“We’re all trying to work hard,” Murphy said. “We’re all putting the time in, and we’re just not getting the results we want. We just need to translate our play from the practice field to the game field. Once we start doing that, we’ll start to see the results.”
(10/15/11 4:48pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Within the first 2:01 against Wisconsin Saturday, IU accomplished something it failed to do last year against the Badgers: stop a drive. The game quickly devolved to resemble last season’s one-sided contest, however, with Wisconsin triumphing 59-7. Each of IU’s first two drives on offense ended with a punt, the second of which travelled only five yards on a botched rugby-style punt. Wisconsin scored on each of the ensuing drives after punts with running backs Montee Ball and James White leading the way with touchdowns. The Badgers ended the Hoosiers next two drives with a fourth down stop and an interception in the end zone respectively. Ball capitalized on each possession for Wisconsin, tossing a touchdown pass on a trick play to quarterback Russell Wilson, then scoring on a 35-yard run. The Hoosiers got on the scoreboard themselves with 4:07 left in the first half on a 67-yard run by sophomore running back Stephen Houston. Wisconsin responded with a 38-yard field goal, then snagged an interception to end an IU drive. The Badgers scored on a Wilson pass with four seconds remaining in the half. The third quarter again began with a showcase of defense as three drives by IU and two by Wisconsin ended in punts. After IU’s third possession, though, the subsequent punt by junior punter Adam Pines was returned 60 yards for a touchdown by Jared Abbrederis. Ball tacked on another touchdown on the next Badger drive with a 54-yard run on the first play. He finished with 141 yard and three touchdowns on 14 carries to go with his passing score to Wilson. Defense again ruled the fourth quarter. Wisconsin downed a punt on the Indiana one-yard line and, two plays later, forced a fumble and recovered it in the end zone for a touchdown. Houston had 143 yards on 19 carries to lead an IU rushing attack that had 218 yards. Sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker, in his first action this season against Big Ten competition this season, was seven of 16 for 69 yards and two interceptions. Sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel is out with an ankle injury, but true freshman Tre Roberson has played on several series. IU had a season-low 64 yards passing. In addition to Kiel, true freshman defensive end Bobby Richardson missed the game with a concussion for IU, while the Hoosiers lost their leading receiver, senior Damarlo Belcher, to an injury in the second quarter and junior center Will Matte left with an injury in the fourth quarter. Wisconsin was without its leading receiver, Nick Toon.
(10/15/11 3:57pm)
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