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(10/14/11 4:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Co-Offensive Coordinator and Quarterbacks Coach Rod Smith sees a common number threading through Saturday’s matchup against Wisconsin.“They’re in the top 10 in defense, top 10 in offense and they’re a top 10 team,” Smith said. “I think they’re giving up 10 points a game on the defensive side. We’ve been lucky to score 10 points the last couple weeks. It’ll be a dogfight for us.”Forgive the IU players if two other numbers remain in their minds, though: 83 and 20.Last season, the Hoosiers traveled to Madison and left with a 63-point loss, allowing at least 21 points in each of the final three quarters.“For me personally, last year was a horrible feeling,” junior center Will Matte said. “It was just awful, so it’s a little bit personal for me. I know it is for a lot of other guys. That one’s going to stick with you the rest of your life.“This is a chance to turn that around and at least somewhat lessen the pain of last year.”On paper, IU appears to be overmatched once again. Entering Madison at 4-5 last season, IU is 1-5 this year.Wisconsin stands at 5-0 with a No. 4 national ranking. Wisconsin has taken the last six games between the teams.“We try to let our guys know ‘they tie their shoes, they put their pants on just like you do,’” Smith said. “They’ve won more games than we have so we’ve got to match their intensity, and we’ve got to match their confidence. You know they’re going to be a confident team. We’ve got to match that.”The IU team facing Wisconsin on Saturday is different from the team that was blown out last season. Two-year starter Ben Chappell is gone at quarterback, resulting in a platoon between several players. Sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker is expected to start for IU after he returned from injury and fellow sophomore Dusty Kiel was sidelined for several weeks with an ankle injury.Wisconsin has a new quarterback, as well, but without the instability that IU’s change brought. Russell Wilson, a three-year starter at North Carolina State, transferred during the offseason to play his final collegiate season for the Badgers.This season, Wilson has thrown for 1,391 yards and 13 touchdowns.IU Coach Kevin Wilson said he believes Russell Wilson has benefitted from the lack of pressure on him in Wisconsin’s run-based offense as opposed to the one-back system he was in at North Carolina State.“When he’s throwing the ball, he’s throwing out there one-on-one,” Kevin Wilson said. “Great run game, great line.“He’s become a quality, big-time leader for them and I think that’s probably why they’re off to such a great offensive start.”Russell Wilson has contributed to the run game, as well, with 140 yards rushing and two scores, making him a multi-faceted weapon in Kevin Wilson’s eyes.“I don’t think you call him a running quarterback, but he makes great plays on the run,” Kevin Wilson said. “Very accurate throws, very calm. He’s a solid player on a really, really great offense.”Despite the presence of players such as Russell Wilson and linebacker Mike Taylor, Matte said the team is not intimidated by its highly-ranked foe.“They wake up. They practice. They go to class like we do,” Matte said. “It’s not like they’re gods. They’re a solid team, and we’re just working hard this week.”
(10/10/11 2:57am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Against Virginia, sophomore quarterback Edward Wright-Baker led a fourth quarter IU surge that fell short.Two weeks later against North Texas, it was fellow sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel who led an ultimately failed comeback attempt.On Saturday, yet another two weeks later, it was true freshman quarterback Tre Roberson’s turn to lead the Hoosier offense as it tried to dig itself out of a hole.Roberson scored on a two-yard run with 5:29 remaining, pulling the Hoosiers within two scores with all their timeouts still available.Alas, it was once again a Hoosier comeback that was not to be. The Fighting Illini scored again to pull away and time ran out on the Hoosiers, leaving them with a 1-5 record and, once again, a lack of clarity at quarterback.Wright-Baker, the starter through the first four games, was in uniform and looked set to return. He missed IU’s conference opener against Penn State because of an ankle injury.However, he never entered the game.“Ed did practice, probably could have went, but we think he’s 90, 95 (percent), and we knew we’d have to scramble - run around a lot - so our thought was ‘we’re going to go with Dusty,’” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said.As a result, Kiel, the near-hero against North Texas and older brother of vaunted IU quarterback recruit Gunner Kiel, started for the second consecutive game.For the day, he was 6-for-19 for 71 yards. However, 48 of those yards came on a single play when Kiel, while falling to the ground from a hit, managed to put the ball in the hands of sophomore running back Stephen Houston, who ran all the way to the Illini 30-yard line.“It was a dig route, and I just took my drop and was stepping up,” Kiel said. “We had a little pressure on the outside. I was getting hit and I was just looking for the checkdowns from there. I just threw it before I fell to the ground.”However, on that same play, Kiel sustained an ankle injury of his own.“On that pass I had to Stephen, I just kind of got rolled up,” Kiel said. “We went in the locker and came out, and it was kind of stiff. I just couldn’t take a drop. I couldn’t really push off.”He continued playing but split time with Roberson in the third quarter. The freshman then took every snap for IU in the fourth quarter.“We used Tre a little, went with Tre at the end,” Wilson said. “It wasn’t a battlefield demotion. I think Dusty was a little nicked and couldn’t put some mustard on the ball. It was nice to see Tre make some plays.”Roberson finished 11-for-17 for 148 yards and another 36 yards on the ground.“I managed the game well,” Roberson said. “I need to improve on just learning the game from Coach Smith and Coach Wilson and completing my passes. At the college level, it’s all mental. I’ve got to get the mental aspect of it right.”Wilson said he has wanted to give Roberson playing time for several weeks but was unable to because of close games. This week, though, with injuries to Wright-Baker and Kiel, he had no choice.“We decided this week to play him some,” Wilson said. “When Dusty tweaked his ankle, we had already kind of decided, as the game started, unless something major happened, we were going to save Ed for one more week. That’s why Tre played so much down the stretch.”
(10/08/11 5:29pm)
Indiana takes on Illinois at 2:30 Saturday at Memorial Stadium. The IDS will be live blogging the entire game. Join the conversation.
(10/07/11 7:40pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Max McCombs, Alex McCarthy and Justin Albers discuss IU's loss to Penn State, preview this weekend's game with Illinois and try to make sense of all the depth chart changes.Click on the link to the right to listen.
(10/07/11 4:17am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Two seasons ago, Indiana and Illinois were among the Big Ten bottom-feeders with conference records of 1-7 and 2-6, respectively.The Hoosiers’ lone conference win that season came against the Fighting lllini, a 27-14 homecoming victory in Bloomington.Fast forward two seasons.IU is tied with Minnesota for the worst record this season in the Big Ten at 1-4.The Illini, though, are a perfect 5-0 and fresh off a 38-35 comeback victory against Northwestern in their conference opener after a 7-6 season and bowl win last year.With the win, the team rose five spots in the latest AP poll to No. 19 and six spots in the USA Today Coaches Poll to No. 16.The 5-0 start is the team’s best since snagging a share of the national championship in 1951.So, what’s the secret?IU Coach Kevin Wilson attributes the recent improvement of IU’s adversary Saturday to several coaching changes that have had time to pay dividends.“You go back and look a couple years ago, they make some decisions at coordinator with a defensive coordinator and offensive coordinator,” Wilson said. “They’ve got some stability. They have hired a couple good coaches, and their packages have gotten sound and clean.”Unlike IU, which has Wilson as a first-year head coach, Illinois has had consistency with its head man. Ron Zook is in his seventh season in Champaign-Urbana. As it happens, Wilson is contracted for seven years with the Hoosiers.Coinciding with Illinois’s rise is the emergence of sophomore quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase, a highly sought-after player out of high school who Wilson recruited while offensive coordinator at Oklahoma. Scheelhaase is in his second season as a starter for Illinois and has 1028 yards and seven touchdowns on the season.“They have developed their quarterbacks,” Wilson said. “Their quarterback now is in his second year in that system. The offensive line’s come along.”The hot start for the Illini comes in spite of the loss of three players drafted in the first three rounds of April’s NFL Draft, two on defense.Sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel said the Illini have been able to reload effectively, though.“They’re really similar, just different guys doing the same thing,” Kiel said. “They do a really good job of disguising coverages and bringing blitzes. They really fly around and play fast. They play well together.”Senior wide receiver Dre Muhammad said he remembers one aspect in particular from playing Illinois in the past and expects no different on Saturday.“They were very physical last year and the year before,” Muhammad said. “They still are physical. There’s no difference from last year. They probably lost a couple key players, but that’s about it.”Wilson said he believes that, coupled with the consistency they have established, the Illini’s schedule this season was ideal for a breakout season and momentum heading into Saturday.“Where they have stayed the plan, stayed the course, along the way (they have) recruited some good players, developed some good players,” Wilson said. “They’ve got decent size, decent speed.“That being said, the schedule is set up where they have played well. They have gotten confident. They have had success. It’s kind of snowballing and they will come in as a pretty good football team, so we need to play awfully well this week to get them.”
(10/03/11 2:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Since Penn State joined the Big Ten in 1993, five different IU football coaches have gone winless against the Nittany Lions.Make that six.In IU’s first conference opener with IU Coach Kevin Wilson, the Hoosiers fell 16-10 against Joe Paterno and Penn State despite a first-quarter lead and a late comeback attempt in the fourth quarter.A deep pass from sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel during the final play was nearly caught in a mob of players from both teams a few yards short of the end zone. A touchdown and extra point would have completed a Hoosier comeback after a 16-3 deficit.“Our guys were ready to go all week for this game,” Kiel said. “Defense came out and played great. We just have to keep working on offense.”IU struck first in the game with a 49-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Mitch Ewald in the first quarter. The score capped a drive that began with freshman safety Forisse Hardin’s interception deep in Hoosier territory.Penn State evened the score with a short field goal from IU’s five-yard line with 2:57 remaining in the half. They followed with a takeaway of their own, intercepting Kiel. The game remained tied at the half after a 52-yard attempt by Penn State at the end of the second quarter that fell short.The Nittany Lions took the lead on a 27-yard field goal less than two minutes into the second half before quarterback Matt McGloin found Penn State’s top receiver, Derek Moye, open for a 74-yard breakaway touchdown to give Penn State the two-score lead.“I take full responsibility and blame for that one,” senior linebacker Jeff Thomas said. “We made the right call, should have had the guy doubled. I slipped up in coverage, and the safety had to get me. We had one on one with Greg, but Greg usually makes that play nine out of 10 times, but today the wide receiver was pretty good, and he made a good play.”Penn State tacked on a fourth-quarter field goal for a 13-point lead before IU stormed back with its own scoring drive, which culminated in a touchdown pass to Ted Bolser with 3:51 remaining. “With our hurry-up, we get a couple first downs, and it makes everyone more relaxed and on pace,” Kiel said.IU’s defense forced a punt on the next Nittany Lion possession, giving the Hoosiers the ball back with 2:01 left. The drive was unsuccessful, ending with Kiel’s incompletion on the final play.Hardin was one of several new starters for IU. His brother, redshirt freshman Drew Hardin, also started at safety, while true freshman Bobby Richardson started at defensive end and true freshman Mark Murphy, recently converted from safety, saw playing time at linebacker. He played both positions Saturday. Several of the new starters were among the statistical leaders on defense for IU. Drew Hardin tied for the team lead in tackles with nine while Richardson, who recently switched to defensive end from defensive tackle, had eight.“What I think I did best is just run to the football every play, every time that I could,” Richardson said.On offense, Kiel made his first career start for the Hoosiers in place of sophomore Edward Wright-Baker, out with an ankle sprain that prevented him from practicing at all during the week. Wilson expects him to return to practice this week.Kiel finished the game with 22 completions on 45 attempts for 184 yards, a touchdown and an interception. He completed passes to 11 different receivers on the day.“Dusty played well,” Wilson said. “He needs his supporting cast to play better, but he also has some glitches, and as he plays.”Also starting for the first time was sophomore running back Stephen Houston, who finished with 60 yards during 18 carries. True freshman D’Angelo Roberts did not play due to injury, and former starter redshirt freshman Matt Perez played sparingly.Though Penn State kicker Anthony Fera had a career-high three field goals in the game, several of the field goals were the aftermath of IU goal line stands that prevented Penn State from turning long drives into touchdowns.“We’ve been doing pretty well with people in the red zone,” Thomas said. “We just have to keep chugging along.”
(10/01/11 4:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A first quarter lead and a fast-paced fourth quarter comeback attempt were not enough for the Hoosiers in Saturday’s Big Ten opener as IU fell to Penn State 16-10.A deep pass from sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel on the final play was nearly caught in a mob of players from both teams a few yards short of the end zone.After a tie at the half, the Nittany Lions took the lead on a 27-yard field goal less than two minutes into the second half.Matt McGloin found Penn State’s top receiver, Derek Moye, open for a 74-yard breakaway touchdown to give Penn State the two-score lead.IU’s lone score came on a 49-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Mitch Ewald in the first quarter. The score culminated a drive that began with redshirt freshman safety Forisse Hardin’s interception deep in Hoosier territory.It was not the only turnover in IU’s favor in the opening quarter, as an IU punt touched a Penn State player, was not caught, and subsequently was recovered by the Hoosiers. IU did not capitalize on the recovery with a score, though.Penn State evened the score with a short field goal from IU’s five yard line with 2:57 remaining in the half, then soon followed up with a takeaway of their own, interception sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel.The Nittany Lions attempted to take the lead with a 52-yard field goal as time expired in the half, but it was short.They tacked on a fourth quarter field goal for a 13-point lead before IU stormed back with their own scoring drive that culminated in a touchdown pass to Ted Bolser.Hardin was one of several new starters for IU. His brother, true freshman Drew Hardin, also started at safety, while true freshman Bobby Richardson started at defensive end and true freshman Mark Murphy, recently converted from safety, got the start at linebacker. He played both positions Saturday.
(09/30/11 4:26am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three years into retirement after 15 seasons in the NFL, former Indiana quarterback Trent Green will be among Friday’s inductees into the IU Athletics Hall of Fame.Green, from Cedar Rapids, Iowa, played for IU from 1990 to 1992, earning three football letters and gaining 5,400 yards through the air, fourth-best all-time in school history.In 1991, he set a then-school single-season record with 2,627 yards passing.After playing on three bowl teams at IU coached by Bill Mallory, Green slipped to the eighth round of the 1993 draft where he was chosen by the San Diego Chargers. After years as a backup and one season in the Canadian Football League, Green became the starting quarterback for the Kansas City Chiefs in 2001.With the Chiefs, Green started every game for five consecutive seasons, including 2004 when he threw for 4,591 yards and 27 touchdowns. He retired after the 2008 season.
(09/30/11 4:20am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Max McCombs, Alex McCarthy and Justin Albers discuss the IU football team as it heads into Big Ten season.Click the link to the right to listen.
(09/30/11 3:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A week after falling to a fellow team with a new head coach, IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s football team faces a much different situation this weekend.The Hoosiers’ Big Ten season opens Saturday when Penn State, coached by Joe Paterno in his 45th season, comes to Memorial Stadium. The Nittany Lions are 3-1 on the year, and their only loss is against the No. 3 Alabama Crimson Tide.“I know they’ve had a few years where they might not have been up to their standards, but they’ve kind of gotten back on track,” Wilson said. “It’s not just Coach Paterno. It’s their whole staff, who seem to have been together forever, for the most part.”In comparison to IU’s all-new coaching staff, Paterno and his nine assistants have been at Penn State for an average of 21 seasons.For all the consistency of the Nittany Lion coaching staff, though, the team has far less stability at the quarterback position where Rob Bolden and Matt McGloin have split time, often both playing extensively in the same game.“As we go through and break down tape, every play is noted as to who is at the quarterback spot,” Co-Defensive Coordinator and Safeties Coach Doug Mallory said. “As you go through and study as to when No. 1 is in there and No. 11 is in there, I don’t know that their offense really changes a whole lot. I think they are both very capable quarterbacks.”Whoever is throwing the ball for Penn State usually looks to wide receiver Derek Moye, a preseason All-Big Ten selection that leads the team with 285 receiving yards and two touchdowns.“They have a talented receiving corps, a veteran offensive line,” Mallory said. “I think it is a very talented offense.”While the quarterback rotation-led offense ranks 11th in the conference in yards per game, Penn State’s defense has allowed an average of 249 yards each game. They are led by defensive tackles Devon Still and Jordan Hill, each of whom has 21 tackles on the season.“Penn State’s defense is very good,” Co-Offensive Coordinator and Wide Receivers Coach Kevin Johns said. “They’re sound and they run well and they’re physical. They bring lots of challenges. I tell you what is unique is they line up and they do one thing and they do it very, very well, and they’ve been doing it for a very long time.“From our standpoint, it is a matter of us picking the right plays that we want and really being able to execute those plays.”The IU offense hopes to have senior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher return for Saturday’s contest. Belcher did not travel with the team to Denton, Texas last weekend after being sidelined with a bone bruise. He returned to practice this week.Though entering Big Ten play with a blemished record for the first time in three seasons, senior left tackle Andrew McDonald said he believes the team is ready for the Big Ten.“We’re not under-motivated because we know this is the start of Big Ten,” he said. “We’re excited. We’re hyped, about to go out there and actually play in conference.”
(09/29/11 4:04am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Beyond the crisply uniformed product seen on the baseball diamond exists a world of awkward pauses, hideous polo shirts, inequality, chewing tobacco and, most of all, an unquestioned tradition in how to go about business. “Moneyball” is the story of a man challenging that tradition and nearly succeeding. The film is an adaptation of Michael Lewis’ 2003 book of the same name. Lewis chronicled both the 2002 Oakland Athletics season — in many ways the epitome of the sabermetrics revolution — and the history of sabermetrics, a system of statistics that goes below the surface of common baseball stats to pinpoint exactly what qualities of a team led to winning. Given such a number-heavy topic, the film version smartly and naturally focuses on the narrative aspect. Brad Pitt stars as Billy Beane, Oakland’s general manager. A one-time surefire top baseball prospect, Beane’s professional career — shown in flashbacks interspersed throughout the film — was a bust, and he has come to regard himself as living proof that the traditional theories of baseball scouting based on physical characteristics and gut feelings are flawed. Before the 2002 season, Beane meets Jonah Hill’s Peter Brand (based on the real-life Paul DePodesta), a young Yale economics graduate that introduces Beane to sabermetrics. Beane hires Brand as his new assistant general manager, and together the pair goes about replacing several star players that left the low-budget A’s for bigger contracts elsewhere. The result is a collection of has-beens, oddities and afterthoughts from submarine pitcher Chad Bradford (Casey Bond) to catcher-turned-first baseman Scott Hatteberg (a likable Chris Pratt). After early season struggles, Beane’s methods are roundly criticized by the “old boys’ club” of baseball scouts and commentators. After some tweaking and clashes with manager Art Howe (Phillip Seymour Hoffman in a solid, but surprisingly small role), though, the A’s catch fire and go on an exhilarating 20-game win streak that propels them to the playoffs before an eventual loss to the Minnesota Twins. Despite the presence and solid performances of other notable actors, “Moneyball” is largely a two-man show with Pitt and Hill. Accordingly, the film’s strongest scene is simply the two of them sitting in an office masterfully working the phones at the trade deadline, shedding all doubts by the audience, if not the scouts, that these two men know exactly what they are doing. Pitt is blunt, brash and commanding as Beane, determined to prove his ways work to others so that he in turn knows they work himself. Hill, smartly restrained compared to some of his past roles, plays Brand as bumbling but brilliant and also desperate for success to reassure himself that he belongs. The script, co-helmed by Aaron Sorkin and Steve Zallian, does a strong job of capturing the thrust of the book, though prior readers will certainly find the film more accessible. That said, adapting a book based on the economics of baseball is a daunting task, and all parties involved, from the screenwriters to Pitt to director Bennett Miller, come together to produce a better on-field product than could really ever have been hoped for.
(09/29/11 3:44am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>1. “Raging Bull” (1980)Jake LaMotta would take a beating in the boxing ring to combat his devastating inner turmoil of jealousy, anxiety and an unbridled craving for abuse and conflict. Martin Scorsese’s “Raging Bull” is the most elegant, visceral, brutal and stylish sports movie ever made, and it’s all to depict the tragic beauty of a self-beaten soul.2. “Hoosiers” (1986)Although no one is sure what a Hoosier is, this movie embodies everything good about our state. From Gene Hackman speeches to last-second shots, “Hoosiers” will forever be a favorite son to those of us that call Indiana home.3. “Field of Dreams” (1989)The tagline should actually be “If you watch it, tears will come.” Perhaps the greatest baseball movie ever made, “Field of Dreams” will leave you thinking about much more than just a game.4. “Rocky” (1976)In many ways the forerunner to the modern sports underdog film, the timeless story of a low-level Philadelphia boxer who gets a shot at the championship remains powerful and heartwarming, thanks to Sylvester Stallone’s all-in portrayal of a simple man trying to seize the opportunity of a lifetime.5. “Remember the Titans” (2000)Denzel Washington plays the perfect tough-love coach in this heartwarming story of integration and a high school football team in Virginia in 1971.6. “Million Dollar Baby” (2004)The simple message of being able to find a champion in anyone with real heart speaks to how a film can overcome, with grace and tenderness, even the worst melodrama. Clint Eastwood’s marvelously acted boxing movie “Million Dollar Baby” does just that and becomes a lovely and touching masterpiece.7. “Breaking Away” (1979)Putting “Breaking Away” on a list of top sports movies to Bloomington viewers could be considered pandering, but even without the local connection, it’s one of the top cycling movies out there. Complete with us versus them rivalries, a stunning last-minute comeback and even Dennis Quaid in jorts, it should not be ignored by sports fans.8. “The Wrestler” (2008)Randy “The Ram” Robinson puts himself through so much abuse in the wrestling ring, but outside it is where he feels most hurt. Darren Aronofsky’s gritty, yet tender drama “The Wrestler” finds both pain and love through the violence of the sport, and Mickey Rourke’s tortured performance is utterly heartwarming. 9. “Chariots of Fire” (1981)Running on the beach to the operatic, electronic score by Vangelis is now a cliche, but it fits this British period piece’s victorious feel. “Chariots of Fire” is the best, if one of the few, movies about running ever made, and there’s something riveting about a sprint through the Cambridge courtyard.10. “Space Jam” (1996)How could a movie with Michael Jordan, Wayne Knight, Bill Murray and the Looney Tunes not be a rollicking good time? Tailor-made to be nostalgic for all generations, “Space Jam” is a goofy, quintessential ’90s retelling of Jordan’s return from retirement.11. “Moneyball” (2011)This Brad Pitt-starring film from “Capote” director Bennett Miller is only a baseball movie inasmuch as “The Social Network” is a Facebook movie. The story of Oakland Athletics General Manager Billy Beane’s unorthodox approach to scouting players is an essential look inside a brilliant, iconoclastic mind.12. “Caddyshack” (1980)Basically an excuse to put Bill Murray, Chevy Chase and Rodney Dangerfield on screen together that happens to be set at a golf course, “Caddyshack” mercilessly roasts country-club culture through a combination of one-liners, gopher puppets and general ridiculousness.13. “Rudy” (1993)How can you not root for the little guy who once proclaimed, “Goonies never say die”? As far as unlikely hero stories go, “Rudy” is as good as it gets. Rudy! Rudy! Rudy!14. “The Pride of the Yankees” (1942)This film about the life and career of Lou Gehrig could be the very definition of the word “melodrama.” That’s no strike against it, though. Gary Cooper’s poignant depiction of a common man who rose to the highest level of America’s pastime only to have it stripped away early by a terminal illness is heart-wrenching and brilliant, and his recreation of Gehrig’s “luckiest man on the face of the earth” speech is one of the finest monologues in classic cinema.15. “Hoop Dreams” (1994)When Steve James began gathering footage of Chicago high school basketball stars William Gates and Arthur Agee for a half-hour PBS special, he had no idea it would result in a 171-minute documentary. It’s a good thing it did — the film was hailed by Roger Ebert as “the great American documentary” and has been accepted into the National Film Registry.16. “Slap Shot” (1977)Paul Newman is the most lovable actor-turned-salad-dressing-peddler of all time, so it’s no wonder his turn as a rough-and-tumble player-coach for a minor league hockey team in this classic comedy is as endearing as it is enduring.17. “Friday Night Lights” (2004)More so than the TV show it spawned, this adaptation of H.G. Bissinger’s classic book offers the most genuine depiction of Texas high school football seen on film as it chronicles the 1988 Odessa Permian Panthers and the undersized underdog team’s struggles to raise the spirits of their downtrodden, football-obsessed town.18. “A League of Their Own” (1992)Madonna, the ultimate girl power symbol, takes on the world of professional baseball in this classic American tale of the struggle for the first female league.19. “Cinderella Man” (2005)This is the story of Great Depression-era boxer James J. Braddock and how the supposedly washed-up fighter lifted America’s spirits with his surprise run to the heavyweight title. Russell Crowe is solid as Braddock but outshined by Paul Giamatti’s timeless performance as Joe Gould, the boxer’s manager.20. “The Sandlot” (1993)This all-time favorite epitomized the tradition of backyard baseball. “You’re killin’ me, Smalls” will forever be ingrained in our daily lexicon, and we will always “fear The Beast.”
(09/28/11 3:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>In his weekly press conference Tuesday, IU Coach Kevin Wilson cleared up a number of questions regarding the team’s roster.• Senior right tackle Josh Hager, injured against Ball State and declared done for the season, will not apply for an additional year of eligibility next season, ending his career.The team initially adjusted to Hager’s injury by moving senior right guard Justin Pagan to right tackle. However, he was benched in favor of true freshman tackle Peyton Eckert before IU’s game against South Carolina State. The depth chart released Tuesday, though, once again listed Pagan as the starter.• Wilson acknowledged that junior back Darius Willis is not currently able to play due to a lingering knee injury from last season and likely will never play again. He may seek a medical hardship waiver.The IDS previously reported that Willis would miss the rest of the season. He was seen during the weekend at a professional wrestling event in Bloomington, which he briefly participated in.• Senior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher’s previously undisclosed injury, which kept him from travelling to Denton for Saturday’s loss to North Texas, was announced as a bone bruise that occurred last Wednesday. He returned to practice Monday. He is listed on the depth chart as a starter, along with sophomore wide receivers Duwyce Wilson and Kofi Hughes, each of whom played sparingly against North Texas.Neither senior wide receiver Dre Muhammad nor sophomore wide receiver Jamonne Chester, each of whom played extensively against North Texas, is listed on the two-deep.• Junior kickoff specialist Nick Freeland was confirmed to be out for the year with a leg injury. He will have surgery this week.• Senior linebacker Leon Beckum will be out for several more weeks. Wilson said it is possible that he will not return before the end of October.• Wilson again confirmed that junior defensive end Kevin Bush, a U.S. Army veteran, quit the team. He also said that two redshirt freshmen, running back Xavier Whittaker and wide receiver Tim O’Connor, quit the team prior to the season.• True freshman D’Angelo Roberts is listed as the starting running back for the first time this season. Redshirt freshman Matt Perez, previously the starter, is listed second.Perez also appears to have been demoted from kick returner. True freshman cornerback Kenny Mullen is now listed as the backup to true freshman wide receiver Shane Wynn at the position.• Despite leading two late touchdown drives against North Texas, sophomore Dusty Kiel remains the backup at quarterback behind sophomore Edward Wright-Baker, according to the newest depth chart.
(09/27/11 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>D’Angelo Roberts remembers the moment he showed everybody he could run.He was 12, playing Pop Warner football, and his team’s punt returner was injured.“I was chubby, but I was fast,” Roberts said. “They put me back there. I was playing linebacker, never caught a punt in my life.“Punt goes up in the air. I don’t know how to catch it so I let it bounce to about the two-yard-line, pick it up and run it 98 yards down the field. Ever since then, I got the ball in my hands.”And that was how Roberts, after bouncing around from defensive tackle to the offensive line to linebacker and safety, became a running back.The transition worked. Running out of a Wing-T formation, Roberts said he ran for 330 yards in his first game as a true running back and reached pay dirt three times.Roberts, now a 5-foot-10-inch, 187-pound freshman running back for IU, said his Pop Warner days also taught him the lessons necessary to overcome his lack of size as a rusher.“One of my little league coaches told me — and it’s kind of stuck with me — ‘Hit or be hit,’” Roberts said. “He told me that after I got my bell rung. It was all my fault. It was a crack back, and I was about to crack this kid, but he was an oversized kid. He was about 240, 250. I was about 110 pounds.“I kind of second-guessed it and he put me on my back. I’m seeing stars and my coach came up to me and told me, ‘Hit or be hit.’”Roberts said he took his coach’s advice to heart and proved so later in the game.“I was on kickoff and he was one of the wing guys going to block, and I just ran straight through him,” Roberts said. “I was about 13 years old. From that point on, I felt the same way. If you’re 240 pounds, I’m just going to try to run straight through you. There’s no need to hide for me. Hit or be hit.”Fast forward to this season, and Roberts’ instincts, described as “violent” by Co-Offensive Coordinator Rod Smith, not only remain but have manifested themselves to other parts of his game, including pass blocking.“Pass pro, as far as I’m concerned, is something you’ve got to want to do,” Running Backs Coach Deland McCullough said. “For D’Angelo, as far as size and physically, he’s one of the smaller guys, but he’s one of the more vicious pass protectors. He can translate his running style into pass pro, too. It’s harnessing that and getting him to use his hands more. He’s not used to that. He’s wanting to go up and throw his shoulder in and knock a guy out.”McCullough said he devotes considerable practice time to working with Roberts on refining his pass-blocking skills, and Roberts takes to it well, even if he does not enjoy it. “He hates practicing because we just keep doing it over and over,” McCullough said. “I tell the guys on defense, ‘Kill him. Run through him. Try to destroy him.’ And I make him do it my way, by using his hands. He wants to just knock the guy out.”However, McCullough said he believes Roberts, a Bloomington North graduate, benefits from the constant attention he receives in practice.“When we do walkthroughs, he’ll take 90 percent of the reps just because he’s one of those hands-on guys who just has to do it, can’t talk about it in a classroom,” McCullough said. “We’ve got to go outside and just do it and put him in a position to be successful.”Although he’s a true freshman competing for playing time among several more experienced running backs, Roberts leads the team with 187 yards rushing. He is currently listed second on the depth chart behind redshirt freshman Matt Perez.“It’s not easy for a freshman running back to come in and play,” Co-Offensive Coordinator Kevin Johns said. “It’s different from a wide receiver who maybe just needs to learn the routes. As a running back, you have to learn every run, every protection and every pass route as well. So there’s a lot on his plate, and he’s really grown quite a bit.”McCullough said Roberts quickly made an impact in practice upon arriving to campus and put himself in position for playing time, even if he is not as big as his coaches eventually hope for him to be.“Seeing him out the first few days and hit it up in there, I knew he was definitely somebody who was going to be able to pay us some dividends this year,” McCullough said. “It was just harnessing the things and getting him under control, knowing our system, getting to know what the expectations are here and working within our framework.”In IU’s 38-21 win against South Carolina, Roberts notched more than 100 yards, primarily in the second half, as he helped the Hoosiers run time off the clock.“Getting 100 yards, that’s an accomplishment, but I’m pretty sure I got a scholarship for rushing for more than 100 yards,” Roberts said. “As a running back, you can never be satisfied with what you do.”Though Roberts was named Big Ten Freshman of the Week for his efforts, his head coach likewise expects more out of him in the future.“If that’s all you wanted, you’ve got low standards,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “That’s what we’re trying to teach our guys: how to have high standards, how to respond, how to keep coming.”Still, Roberts acknowledged that the game, which included his first collegiate touchdown with his mother watching from the stands, was special.“My mom’s been my number one supporter since I’ve been playing football, since I was eight years old,” Roberts said. “She saw my first touchdown, and I want her to see a lot more.”
(09/26/11 4:08am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Midway through the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 24-21 loss to North
Texas, IU had cut its deficit to 17 — in no part thanks to the offense.
When IU recovered the ensuing onside kick but squandered the possession
with a punt, IU Coach Kevin Wilson said he decided it was time for a new
tactic.
“We just went for a change,” Wilson said. “We just felt we needed a
spark. We had played three quarters, hadn’t gotten to the end zone.”
That spark was sophomore quarterback Dusty Kiel.
The reported leader of the preseason quarterback battle coming out of
spring practices, Kiel lost the starting job to sophomore Edward
Wright-Baker in fall camp.
Kiel sat out IU’s first two games and played sparingly against South Carolina State, going four for six for 27 yards.
Saturday, after entering the game with 6:50 to play, Kiel led a pair of
swift touchdown drives, pulling the Hoosiers to within three points
before running out of time.
Both touchdowns — a 44-yard strike to freshman wide receiver Cody
Latimer and a 67-yarder to sophomore Kofi Hughes — were largely the
result of Kiel capitalizing on busted coverage by the secondary.
“It’s nice that he saw it, took advantage of it, but he missed a couple, too,”
Wilson said.
Kiel ended the game going 7-12 for 145 yards and two touchdowns while
Wright-Baker, playing the first three and a half quarters, was 23 for 40
for 209 yards and an interception.
Regardless of who was under center Saturday, the IU passing game was never at full strength.
Senior wide receiver Damarlo Belcher did not travel with the team after
reportedly suffering an undisclosed injury while Hughes and sophomore
wide receiver Duwyce Wilson played sparingly, particularly in the first
half, with wrist and back injuries, respectively.
The status of the receivers, as well as who will start at quarterback next week against Penn State for IU, is unclear.
Wilson said a change at quarterback is not necessarily imminent, but the
situation will continue to be evaluated as he looks for each signal
caller to reach his potential.
“Both those guys have been battling,” Wilson said. “We’ll keep working
through it. It’s not like we have a controversy or a change happening,
but the other guy’s pretty good or has a chance to be pretty good. I
don’t think either one of them works hard enough. I don’t think they
study enough. I don’t think they work at it, so we’re still a work in
progress with those guys.”
(09/25/11 4:01am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>A late-game quarterback switch and comeback were not enough for the Hoosiers to come back from a 24 point deficit Saturday as IU dropped their final non-conference game of the season to North Texas 24-21.The Hoosiers are now 1-3 on the season.A scoreless first quarter that saw three Mean Green drives reach Hoosier territory, but none of the three ended in points. A blocked field goal ended North Texas’ opening possession while fumbles gave the ball to IU on the next two. The Hoosiers were unable to capitalize themselves, though.In the second quarter however, UNT quarterback Derek Thompson threw three touchdowns, including an 83-yarder to running back Lance Dunbar, giving UNT a 21-0 lead.The closest IU came to a score, however, was a missed 49-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Mitch Ewald.The second half started no better for IU as sophomore quarterback Edward-Wright Baker threw an interception less than a minute into the third quarter. The Mean Green turned the field goal into another three points with a field goal.The fourth quarter however, was different. 3:19 into the final period, freshman linebacker Mark Murphy returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown.An onside kick gave IU the ball again, but the drive ended with a punt and forced a quarterback change.Sophomore Dusty Kiel led IU on its final two drives. Both resulted in touchdowns, including a 66-yard score to sophomore wide receiver Kofi Hughes with a minute left.The subsequent onside kick was not recovered, though, and North Texas ran out the clock to pull the upset.How it all happened:First
Quarter, 9:58 left: A quick Mean Green drive down the field is stopped
in the red zone by the Hoosiers. The field goal attempt was blocked by
IU.First Quarter, 6:55 left: UNT picks up a first down on fourth-and-one on quarterback Derek Thompson’s run.First
Quarter, 6:27 left: Jarrell Drane recovers the ball on a Lance Dunbar fumble. Also, Damarlo Belcher reportedly did not make the trip after sustaining an undisclosed injury.First Quarter, 3:10 left: D’Angelo Roberts fumbles the ball back to UNT at the Mean Green 20.
First Quarter, :33 left: Another fumble by Dunbar. Darius Johnson recovers.
End
of First Quarter: Scoreless game after one quarter of play. IU has
notably played almost exclusively back-ups at wide receiver. Lance
Dunbar has 66 yards through one quarter, but two fumbles as well.
Second Quarter, 13:39 left: Lance Dunbar takes a short pass from Thompson 83 yards for a touchdown. PAT is good.
Second Quarter, 10:38 left: Penalties force IU into a fourth-and-30 situation. Adam Pines subsequent punt goes for 27 yards.
Second Quarter, 6:37 left: Pass to Chris Bynes from Thompson for touchdown. PAT good. UNT has 314 yard of total offense already.
Second Quarter, 2:52 left: Mitch Ewald misses a 49-yard field goal attempt on fourth down.
Second
Quarter, :55 left: Thompson throws for another score, this time to Michael Outlaw for 32 yards. Outlaw was down on the turf for a moment
before walking off. PAT was good. UNT has 371 yards of offense.
(09/23/11 5:00am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Max McCombs, Alex McCarthy and Justin Albers are back to discuss depth chart changes and preview IU's road game against North Texas.Click the link to the right to listen.
(09/23/11 4:29am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Three games into his reign as IU’s starting quarterback, sophomore Edward Wright-Baker can still list improvements he needs to make.“Decision making, knowing when to throw the bubble and knowing when to run the ball when the play breaks down, knowing when to not take unnecessary hits,” Wright-Baker said. “I think I improved from week two to week three on my deep balls.”That could be a scary thought for future defenses. IU Coach Kevin Wilson noted after the Hoosiers’ season opener against Ball State that it was largely Wright-Baker’s improvement on long passes that won him the starting job, instead of fellow sophomore Dusty Kiel. Wright-Baker backed up his coach with a 65-yard touchdown bomb to sophomore Duwyce Wilson against Ball State and a 40-yard scoring strike to sophomore wide receiver Kofi Hughes against South Carolina State.Deep passes aside, Wright-Baker has often found himself forced to make plays with his legs this season. He is averaging 33.7 yards per game this year on the ground, which he acknowledged is perhaps too much.“I’m hurting the receivers more when I’m out scrambling and running everywhere,” Wright-Baker said. “Let the play develop — that’s what I need to do.”Wright-Baker’s willingness to flee the pocket has cost the Hoosiers at times this season. Against Virginia in IU’s home opener, the quarterback fumbled at IU’s own 14-yard line with 1:13 to play, setting up the Cavaliers’ game-winning field goal. A third-quarter drive against South Carolina State ended deep in opposing territory after Wright-Baker again fumbled from a hit.“It’s a wake-up call,” he said. “I have to hold the ball with two hands in the pocket and hold it tight. Getting out of the pocket with the ball in one hand, I’ve really been hurting myself. It’s not what my coaches want me to do. I get yelled at every time I’m out there with one hand. I’ve got to put two hands on the ball every time I’m out scrambling and running. I’ve got to protect the ball.”Wright-Baker found himself briefly on the bench after fumbling the ball against the Bulldogs. That was a decision by Wilson, though, and not at all due to injuries from the jarring hit.“That’s one thing that doesn’t go through my head at all,” Wright-Baker said. “When I make that decision, it’s all instincts. I’ve been playing since I was young. I trust what I can do with my feet and my ability, that I can pick up a first down, make a play. It’s just instincts.”Steve Cooley said he remembers those instincts. As Wright-Baker’s head coach at Jeffersonville High School, Cooley oversaw the quarterback’s development from raw runner to starter for the Red Devils.“He’s always been an athlete,” Cooley said. “Developing that pocket presence has been a thing. His whole life — he’s always been able to run. It’s really good that he developed that kind of pocket presence. He’s really worked hard to make himself a pocket passer.”Wright-Baker started for three seasons at Jeffersonville, leaving as the team’s all-time leading passer with 6,558 yards on 271 completions.“I just remember a lot of little moments,” Cooley said. “He really turned it against Evansville Reitz his senior year. He was just all over the field, an unbelievable play-maker during the game.”Wright-Baker, though, argues he was far from a complete player in high school.“I didn’t really get good at passing until I got here, honestly,” he said. “In high school I could run it. I could throw a deep ball, or I could just throw quick slants or something.”Cooley said Wright-Baker received interest from a number of college teams, including Notre Dame, but many wanted him as a safety. Wright-Baker had been a signal caller since seventh grade and hoped to continue in that role. IU, Purdue, Kentucky and West Virginia recruited him as a quarterback. The similarities between the offenses IU ran under Bill Lynch and Cooley’s Jeffersonville schemes ultimately brought Wright-Baker to IU.“We ran a pistol offense, sort of what Auburn does,” Wright-Baker said. “It was sort of what Indiana did last year. Ran the ball, did a lot of read plays, did a lot of quick slants like we did here.”Wright-Baker redshirted his first year on campus before playing sparingly, mostly late in games, last season behind Ben Chappell. Though reportedly behind Kiel after spring drills, Wright-Baker emerged as the team’s starting quarterback based on his improvement in fall camp.“He looks night-and-day different every week,” Cooley said. “He’s definitely taken his decision making to the next level. If anyone is going to be successful, it’s going to be Edward. He’s too determined to fail. He’s a winner in everything.”
(09/21/11 4:10am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU Coach Kevin Wilson touched on a number of topics in his weekly press conference Tuesday. Here is some of what he had to say:On the defense against South Carolina State:“There were too many plays that were four and five (yards). We’ve got to keep working to get on it, tackle the gaps, getting off blocks, take the four and five yard plays and get them down to one and two.”On penalties and mistakes:“You coddle the young guys and say it’s excused because he’s a young guy. When you’re making a bunch of mistakes, to me it’s a couple things. One, the guy’s confidence level or maturity or thought process that’s causing him to think about things where he’s missing an assignment, missing a play and then having a penalty. Football is a game far away from perfect, so there are a lot of errors. Whether it be missed assignments, blown coverages or missed tackles, there’s always the negative that you try and eliminate the self-inflicted wounds, as Coach Hep and I used to call them at Miami many years ago. You try to decrease those each and every week. Last week those crept in really big. To say it’s a young guy as an excuse — I don’t get that.”On the coaching staff’s responsibility for penalties:“A lot of times you can point fingers at the players, but you also need to make sure you’re pointing a thumb at yourself in practice and what you’re doing as you move forward. It’s a double-edged deal, and I think a lot of that falls back on our shoulders as coaches.”On North Texas thus far this season:“We’re going into their stadium. It’ll be an exciting deal for them. It’s their second game in there. It’s a brand new facility. They have a new coaching staff, and they’re looking for their first win. They’ve played three quality opponents in Florida International — who is off to a 3-0 start having beat North Texas, Louisville and Central Florida. Houston is 3-0, doing well like they’ve been doing the past few years. And they played Alabama, so they’ve played three really good teams.”On playing a true road game:“I think this game is going to be a bigger challenge than most, and I’m looking forward, as we build what we are doing, to see if our guys have the week we need. We had some success on Saturday. Now can we practice hard after success? We talked last week about practicing hard after failure. Can we practice hard after success, and can we take it on the road? We are going to get a good challenge from North Texas and not just on kick returns, in all phases. Their running back is a heck of a player.”
(09/21/11 4:07am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Junior running back Darius Willis will miss the remainder of the 2011 season, a source with knowledge of the situation told IDS football columnist Justin Albers Tuesday.The source said Willis, who has not played this season, has not healed from a knee injury he suffered last season.Willis has two year of eligibility remaining, but it is unclear when he will play football again.The former Franklin Central standout and Indiana Mr. Football runner-up also dealt with injuries during his freshman season, when he rushed for 607 yards and six touchdowns. Willis had three games with more than 100 yards rushing that year, including a 152-yard, two touchdown outburst at Michigan. He was named to the All-Big Ten Freshman team following the season.As a sophomore last season, Willis started twice more and played in the team’s first four games before his knee injury ended his season.