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(10/05/01 6:45am)
Much has been said about the season snowballing and confidence disappearing after the football team's 0-3 start.\nThe Hoosiers' offense has struggled, and its defense -- although improved -- is giving up too many key first downs.\nCoach Cam Cameron said he doesn't think about the potential for an 0-4, 0-5, 0-whatever start. His team's motto: There's no such thing as a bad day.\nCameron put a sign reading those words in the IU locker room after he saw the message at former assistant coach Pete Schmidt's house.\nSchmidt passed away last season, but Cameron still lives by those words.\n"I know the one way for it to start snowballing, if that is the way you want to word it, in a negative way, is to start thinking that way," Cameron said. "I\'ve just never had any success thinking of things negatively.\n"I am a realist though," he added. "We need to get our punting game solved. We need to find out ways to get people stopped on third down. We need to eliminate mistakes on offense. Just keep a consistent level of approach and try to keep getting better. You\'ve got to win one before you can win two."
(10/03/01 5:27am)
Junior L.J. Parker caught two passes last season, one for 16 yards against Northwestern and another against Wisconsin.\nGlenn Johnson redshirted last season, but saw time as a true freshman the year before, playing in eight games without a catch.\nSophomore Travis Haney didn't play in 2000, either, redshirting his first season with the Hoosiers.\nMeet the 2001 IU receiving corps.\nThe Hoosiers entered the season with almost no experience at receiver. Henry Frazier, who had the most career experience with four catches in 11 games, was supposed to be one of IU's go-to guys. The other was senior Antwaan Randle El, a quarterback who started the season as a receiver.\nThings have changed since the season started.\nAfter a season-opening loss to North Carolina State, Frazier hasn't played since. And Randle El returned full-time to quarterback for the second game of the season against Utah.\nThe remaining receivers -- Parker, Johnson, Haney and true freshman Courtney Roby -- haven't played poorly, but they've yet to provide the game-breaking ability IU had at receiver last season, coach Cam Cameron said.\n"We scored a lot of points with our wide receivers last year," Cameron said. "Versie Gaddis made a lot of big plays, and so did Jerry Dorsey, especially early in the year, which helped keep our running game alive late in the year. People were afraid we were going to throw the ball over their head.\n"So I think as our receivers get better, you'll see us score more points."\nBut the Hoosiers' offensive woes aren't limited to a lack of points.\nRandle El hasn't found a favorite target. Or a deep threat.\nAs a result, opposing defensive backs have been able to stay inside and cover IU's short routes. Against Ohio State, the Hoosiers started a drive at their own 5-yard line with 7:30 remaining. No receivers were able to get open down field, and Randle El had to settle for short passes over the middle.\nThe drive ended with a fumble and ate up nearly four minutes of clock, leaving IU with no hopes of a comeback when it got the ball again with 2:45 left, down two scores.\nThe Hoosiers had the same problem against Utah -- no one open deep. In fact, the only deep pass play IU has on this season was a 44-yard touchdown strike to running back Levron Williams against Ohio State.\nRandle El said he hopes to solve the problem before the Hoosiers head to Wisconsin Saturday. The Badgers gear their defense toward stopping the run, and a lack of a passing game might lead to a long day for IU.\n"We've got to be able to (go deep)," Randle El said. "(When) corners play off and inside, we've got to be able to pump them some kind of way and be able to get a deep ball. If not, they're going to do what Utah did.\n"They're going to backpedal just a little bit and sit on those routes. We've got to be able to go deep on them a couple times. We've got to develop, just run something from old that we know we can perfect in the next couple of days."\nJohnson, the team's most reliable receiver thus far with nine catches for 111 yards and a touchdown, said he's confident the receivers are up to the challenge.\nHe also feels he's capable of stepping into a role as Randle El's primary target, taking some of the receiving load off Williams.\n"I feel I earned the quarterback's trust by catching the ball consistently and trying to get yards after the catch," Johnson said. "All of us need to become veteran and trustworthy guys, but I think that I pretty much made it as a go-to guy between me and the running backs and the tight ends."\nLeaving IU with a go-to guy with nine career catches.
(10/01/01 5:20am)
Forgive seniors Antwaan Randle El and Justin Smith if they seem a bit confused.\nAfter a 27-14 loss to Ohio State, neither player could explain what went wrong Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers crumbled offensively in the second half and got burned by Ohio State's rushing game all afternoon, losing their Big Ten opener for the ninth time in the past 10 seasons.\n"I can't tell you exactly what went wrong," said Randle El, who became the first Division IA player to throw for 6,000 yards and run for 3,000. "It seemed like we were just ... It seemed like we had it, but then we didn't have it. I don't know. I've got to check that. I've got to look at the film."\nSo does Smith.\n"If I knew exactly how to fix it, we would fix it," Smith said. "It's just ... Really, I don't know. We've got to address it tomorrow when we come in and watch film as a team and figure out exactly what's going on."\nWithout the aid of film, several things were evident Saturday.\nIU's defense couldn't stop the run, allowing freshman Lydell Ross -- who isn't even on the depth charts -- to run for 124 yards and two touchdowns. As a team, the Buckeyes gained 197 yards on the ground, and each of their three touchdowns was rushing.\nThe Hoosiers also had big-play problems.\nFour times IU gave up first downs on third-and-long. Two of those first downs led to touchdowns, and one led to a field goal. \nAnd all this happened with coach Cam Cameron knowing what was coming.\n"How many times have you seen Ohio State run power and iso?" asked Cameron at the postgame press conference. "Who's the oldest guy in here? That's how long they've been doing it. There's no magic about it. You block them, you get a big back, you run down hill.\n"They did exactly what we anticipated."\nPerhaps what Cameron didn't anticipate was his offense sputtering in the second half.\nIU's first drive of the half lasted three plays before Ohio State's Mike Doss blocked freshman Bryan Robertson's punt.\nThe Hoosiers scored on their next drive, when Randle El found senior Levron Williams down the sideline for a 44-yard touchdown. The score cut the deficit to 20-14 but was all the offense IU could manage.\nThe Hoosiers finished the game with two punts and two turnovers. The first of those turnovers, junior Kris Dielman's fumble with four minutes remaining, all but ended IU's hopes of a comeback.\nWith 7:30 to play and down 27-14, IU began a drive at its own 5-yard line. The Hoosiers got near midfield with a series of short passes, and Randle El found Dielman open over the middle on third-and-six. Dielman gained 22 yards but fumbled at the Ohio State 30. Derek Ross recovered the fumble, giving the Buckeyes the ball and a two-touchdown lead with 3:42 remaining. \nIU got the ball back once more but gained only 11 yards on three plays before Randle El threw an interception.\nThe loss leaves the Hoosiers at 0-3 heading into Wisconsin, and Cameron said the team has two options: "hang in there and just fight tooth and nail" or "quit."\nWhile Smith couldn't find answers as to what went wrong against the Buckeyes, he made clear his answer to Cameron's question.\n"I just want to say right now that this team isn't going to quit," Smith said. "We're not going to quit. We're going to go out next Saturday at Wisconsin and give everything we got. We're not going to quit during practice. We've been through this, and we know we've got to step it up"
(09/28/01 5:16am)
IU had its season opener three weeks ago against North Carolina State. The Hoosiers had their home opener last week vs. Utah. Tomorrow, they'll play their Big Ten opener.\nAnd get their last shot at a fresh start.\nShould the Hoosiers lose, there are no more new beginnings to look forward to. The players know that means this game vs. Ohio State is a big one.\n"We've got some stuff to prove," tight end Kris Dielman said. "It's a new season. The first three games, that's one thing. When you start the Big Ten, it's a totally different season."\nThis new season begins with two teams coming off tough losses. IU lost to Utah last weekend, and Ohio State dropped out of the rankings after losing 13-6 to UCLA. The Buckeyes were 21st in the AP poll before the game.\nWhile IU struggled with defense and kicking in its loss last week, the Buckeyes had trouble moving the ball. They gained 166 yards of total offense and were 1-of-14 on third down conversions.\nIU coach Cam Cameron, however, said he doesn't buy into the ineffectiveness of Ohio State's offense.\n"They are going to do nothing but get better offensively," said Cameron, who's started 0-2 for the second straight season. "I don't think their offensive performance is anything indicative of what they\'ll be. I think UCLA really, from what I can see, has just a tremendous defense." \nOhio State quarterback Steve Bellisari struggled against the UCLA defense, completing just five passes, but he'll face an IU defense that allowed Utah quarterback Lance Rice to go 21-of-29 -- with no interceptions.\nCameron said most of IU's defensive mistakes against Utah were mental, notably the mistakes of the linebackers. His top two linebackers, Justin Smith and Devin Schaffer, might not get a chance to correct those mistakes this weekend; both are hampered by injuries.\nStill, cornerback Sharrod Wallace said the Hoosiers are ready.\n"Utah is a physical team, and that's how the Big Ten is -- physical teams, big guys," he said. "So I think that was a good tune-up game to get us prepared for Ohio State."\nThe Hoosiers will need all the preparation they can get heading into their Big Ten opener.\nIn their past 10 conference openers, they're 2-8. The Buckeyes are 8-2 and beat IU 38-7 the last time the teams played, in 1998.\nCameron hopes to buck the trend tomorrow, and he knows the game gives his team a chance to not only win the conference opener, but perhaps salvage a season before it gets too far in the wrong direction.\n"Irrespective of what happened last week, or a couple of weeks before that, we are afforded a great opportunity," he said. "National TV, to play a very good football team, in Memorial Stadium, in the kind of environment that we want to try to create here on a weekly basis.\n"If we can't get excited about this game, then I don't know what you can get excited about"
(09/24/01 5:08am)
Coach Cam Cameron has probably said it to himself 100 times the past two weeks.\nAnd Saturday night, after IU's 28-26 loss to Utah, he said it publicly for the first time.\nHas there ever been a more obvious decision in the history of the game?\nApparently not.\nOne week after a new-look IU offense sputtered against North Carolina State, senior Antwaan Randle El is back at quarterback. Full time.\nCameron said he didn't know the exact day he decided to abandon "The Plan." He didn't have much of a choice after IU's offensive showing against the Wolfpack.\n"The way we performed against North Carolina State was nothing indicative of what we'd seen prior to that," said Cameron, whose Hoosiers are 0-2 heading into Big Ten play. "Or else, believe me, we wouldn't have done it."\nBut they did do it. And it did fail. So against Utah Saturday, Randle El took the first snap. And with each play thereafter, it became more clear that Cameron made the right decision. \nMidway through the first quarter, Randle El took off to the right, cut up field and had about 10 yards before he turned and threw a two-handed overhand pitch to senior Levron Williams -- who was running a good seven yards to Randle El's right.\nRandle El made a handful of other did-he-really-just-do-that plays throughout the game, showing why IU needs him at quarterback.\n"Randle El is a magician," Utah coach Ron McBride said. "He made some outstanding moves today. He is a once in a lifetime football player."\nYou don't have to tell that to Cameron.\n"Obviously we're spoiled with the kind of plays he makes," Cameron said. "We just get to the point where we expect him to make every single play. I thought with the exception of a play or two, he played extremely well."\nAnd while IU lost the game, its offense looked more like the one that averaged nearly 440 yards per game last season than the one that gained 276 against N.C. State.\nRandle El ran for 69 yards, threw for 157 and had three touchdowns -- two rushing and one passing. He managed only 74 yards offensively in the season opener.\nHe didn't have much to say about the switch back to quarterback, other than "that's fine with me."\nBut he did say that he's still content with his decision to come back for his fourth year of eligibility.\n"I don't think anything can happen this year that I would have regrets about coming back," he said. "I can honestly say that. Just having Cam here and being with my guys as far as (seniors) Devin Schaffer, Justin Smith, Craig (Osika) -- those guys that I know are in it.\n"Not to say that the other guys are not in it, but it means a lot when it's guys that either came in your class or have been playing since they got here."\nNow he has nine more games to spend with those guys, and, after a no-brainer, he'll do so as a quarterback.
(09/21/01 5:57am)
Notre Dame consulted with the FBI and canceled Friday night stadium tours. Police will check the seating and concourse areas with dogs before Purdue plays the Fighting Irish Saturday.\nBut at IU, normal security will be in effect for IU's 4 p.m. game against Utah Saturday.\nFollowing the terrorist attacks on the United States, sporting venues across the country have beefed up security. \nIU has made few changes in its regular security routine.\nAs usual, more than 100 uniformed officers will work game-day security at Memorial Stadium. Those officers represent four agencies -- IUPD, Bloomington Police Department, Monroe County Police and Indiana State Police. The officers will work at stadium entrances and throughout the East and West stands.\nOfficers also have the right to check the contents of bags of any kind brought into the stadium.\nIU made no plans for extra security measures until Wednesday, when a press release said the University will have "heightened awareness among security officials and game day management personnel." The release came days after several other colleges, including Notre Dame and Purdue, made plans to tighten security at their home games Saturday.\n"We really didn't decide to make any changes," said Jeff Fanter, the athletics department director of media relations. "The message has gone out to everybody to be much more aware, be on the lookout for any potentially dangerous situations. But we're confident with the staff we have in place." \nThe football players and coaches don't seem to be worried about security at Saturday's game. Running back Levron Williams said security wouldn't bother the team, and football sports information director Todd Starowitz said "our staff has great faith in the decisions made by the University administration and the IU athletic department"
(09/10/01 5:40am)
It won't work.\nLee Corso says so. So do I.\nMoving Antwaan Randle El to wide receiver seemed like a good idea. He'd keep defenses on their toes. They wouldn't know what to expect when he switched from receiver to quarterback and back to receiver.\nBut North Carolina State knew exactly what to expect Thursday.\nThe Randle El experiment failed, and it failed early.\nCorso's analysis after one quarter:\n"From what I see right now, next week, Randle El is back at quarterback. I'm tellin' ya right now, in the first quarter, it's not gonna work."\nIt's not gonna work.\nSurely those aren't the words coach Cam Cameron wants to hear one game into the season. The Hoosiers spent the past five months preparing this plan.\nBut Corso's telling the truth. Randle El proved ineffective at both positions against the Wolfpack. Corso and Co. talked all game about the drawbacks of the position change. Randle El wasn't getting the ball enough, they said. He caught only four passes and ran the ball seven times for 37 yards. And when he went under center, the Wolfpack knew what was coming -- the option. Kirk Herbstreit pointed that one out, adding that IU needed other receivers to step up so defenses couldn't key on Randle El.\nThose are just a couple of flaws in Cameron's big plan.\nHere are a couple more:\n•Tommy Jones can't get a rhythm going when he's pulled every other play. Randle El found a rhythm several years ago, but Jones doesn't have the experience Randle El has. Jones has started one collegiate game now. He needs to stay in or he won't be effective.\n•Randle El isn't as effective when he has to know the playbook as both a quarterback and a receiver. He looked tired at times, dropping balls he should catch and not gaining as many yards on the ground as he used to.\nThe Randle El issue aside, IU didn't do much else to impress the guys at ESPN.\nThe punting game was horrible.\nRyan Hamre takes too long to punt the ball, which resulted in two blocked punts on his first two attempts. And who knows why he could only manage 12 yards on his third kick. After Randle El punted one for 36 yards, an announcer said it was the best punt of the night because it passed the line of scrimmage.\nThe Hoosiers couldn't catch a break, either. NC State fumbled and NC State recovered. IU fumbled and N.C. State recovered. In short, nothing went IU's way.\nSo here we are one game into the season, and things look about like they did last year.\nThe Hoosiers had a chance to show a national audience how much they've improved. Instead, they showed why the Randle El experiment won't work.\nCorso said it again in the fourth quarter, that Randle El has to move back to quarterback full-time and that IU "cannot win many games with this offensive system."\nLate in the game, when the Hoosiers got on the board and trailed 35-7, one of Corso's cohorts asked if an onside kick recovery and another touchdown would do any good for the Hoosiers.\nCorso's answer -- and the theme behind IU's season opener:\n"No. They know that they got the crap kicked out of 'em"
(09/06/01 6:14am)
IU's playmate of the year\nSenior Antwaan Randle El appears in September's issue of Playboy after being named an All-American by the magazine.\nRandle El, a triple-threat weapon for the Hoosiers this season, is the first "multiple-threat player" ever named to the Playboy All-American team.\n"That was a great experience, hanging out with some of the guys on other teams," Randle El said. "I met a lot of people I can say I'm friends with, guys I can call and talk to."\nWhat's the Butkus?\nSenior Justin Smith said he wasn't too sure what he was being nominated for last season when he heard he was named to the Butkus Award watch list.\nHe was fairly new to his position -- linebacker -- after moving from strong safety as a sophomore in 1999. So it might be understandable he was not familiar with the award for the top linebacker in the country.\nThis season, after earning second-team All-Big Ten honors last season, Smith is up for the award again. He's one of 69 college linebackers on the list, which is narrowed to 10 semifinalists Oct. 18.\nWhile he knows what the award is this year, he still doesn't get too worked up about it.\n"I really didn't know what is was," he said. "The only awards I really knew were the Heisman and the Jim Thorpe award for (defensive backs). When the coaches told me about it, I had to ask them what it was.\n"But as far as that goes, individual accolades will come with the success of the team. Our primary goal is to get this team winning."\nMixing up the rotation\nSeveral positions on the roster are being filled by committee early this season. Senior Levron Williams, IU's leading rusher behind Randle El last season, won't start against North Carolina State; sophomore Brian Lewis got the nod. Two tight ends, freshman Aaron Halterman and junior Kris Dielman, will see plenty of playing time, as well.\n"We're going to do some rotating at some positions, especially defensively and early in the season when it's hot," coach Cam Cameron said. "But the good news is we have several positions where you've really got more than one starter. An example of that would be at running back.\n"Our running back spot, we will be rotating probably three guys through at tailback. Whether that guy starts or not really is insignificant in my mind."\nThe big show\nThe Cam Cameron Radio Talk Show has found a new home for 2001. The show, which airs Monday nights from 7:05-8 p.m., will be broadcast live from the Student Recreational Sports Center.\nThe first show aired Monday, Sept. 3, and 11 more will follow, ending with the final show Nov. 19. Questions for Cameron, from both callers and people attending the show at the SRSC, are welcome. The show is open to the public.\nOther notes\nCornerback Marcus Floyd, center Craig Osika and linebacker Devin Schaffer, all seniors, will join co-captains Randle El and senior Kemp Rasmussen as game captains tonight against North Carolina State. Randle El and Rasmussen both served as captains last season as well, and coach Cameron will select game captains to join his permanent pair for every game.\nIU's home opener Sept. 15 is also Youth Football Day at Memorial Stadium. Players and cheerleaders from youth football teams in Indiana receive free admission to the Kentucky game, and four complimentary chaperone tickets will be provided per team. Tickets must be ordered through the IU sports marketing department. For more information, call 855-9517.
(04/17/01 5:28am)
Jonathan Purvis won't race in the Little 500 Saturday. He won't have a chance to be on the winning team, and he won't hear anyone cheering for him at Bill Armstrong Stadium.\nBut with some help, he will do about everything else imaginable.\nAs associate director of the IU Student Foundation and coordinator of the Little 500, Purvis organizes Little 500 and everything it involves. He's the one in charge of ironing out every detail and coordinating who does what.\nIn short, he does all the work fans don't know about.\n"Fortunately, we have lots of help," Purvis said. "We have a membership of over 300 students, and we do have a small professional staff, not to mention just countless community and University volunteers and alumni volunteers.\n"Luckily, I don't have enough free time to sit back and feel overwhelmed."\nThat's because Purvis's free time this time of year isn't free time. It's more time to work on race activities.\nIUSF works on Little 500 all year, director Heather Anderson said, but that work gets more intense as the race grows nearer. The foundation forms six committees, each of which has a particular task.\nThe committees -- alumni affairs, pre-race, special events, students and scholarships, marketing and Little 500 cycling committee -- handle various tasks, from advertising to awards ceremonies and everything in between.\nThe student volunteers who form the committees have two chances to join the IUSF. A call-out meeting at the beginning of the fall semester invites juniors and seniors to join, and a similar meeting at the beginning of spring semester invites sophomores as well.\nAnderson said the IUSF gets other volunteers throughout the year, when some students contact the foundation and ask to join.\nShe also said that she, Purvis and assistant director Erin McCauley take pride in seeing all of the volunteers help put the races together.\n"The feeling for all of us is incredible," Anderson said. "From my perspective, the neatest thing is seeing how proud our students are of their accomplishments. They're running events and organizing volunteers.\nThe riders also appreciate the work IUSF does.\n"When it comes down to race time, they're out there more than we are," junior Acacia rider Kevin Vanes said. "There's always going to be people saying they don't do enough or there are other things they could be doing. But as far as getting ready for the race, they do a good job.\n"We're kind of out there doing our thing, and they're out there to help us. It's nice to know they're there if you need them"
(04/16/01 5:41am)
Antwaan Randle El hasn't lined up under center except for a few times this spring. He's played strictly receiver for the first three weeks of spring practice and finally took some snaps last week.\nIs he rusty?\nNowhere near it.\nIn Saturday's Red-White Spring Game, two defenders for the white team jump offsides, busting through the line almost before Randle El takes the snap. He spins left, circles right and leaves the two men in white grasping air, the distance between them and him growing. "'Twaan," as many call him, nears the line of scrimmage, still running to his right, and fires a pass back toward the middle of field.\nIt finds David Lewis wide open. Touchdown red team.\nCoach Cam Cameron bends the rules a bit, this being the spring game, and gives the ball back to the red team so it can practice the two-minute drill.\nRandle El, a senior next fall, has the ball, and 2 minutes, 37 seconds to go 70 yards. His team trails 21-14.\nHe gains 17 yards with his feet on the first play, then throws for 14 more two plays later. With 17 seconds left, Randle El has run three times for 34 yards and the score is tied, 21-21.\nSo no, Antwaan Randle El is not rusty. He's still capable of playing quarterback.\nHe also still insists he's not the starter.\n"It's probably going to be Tommy (starting the first game)," says Randle El, signing anything a fan hands him after the spring game. "More than likely it's going to be Tommy. I'll play some quarterback during that game and throughout the season, like we've been planning."\nRandle El and Cameron devised the plan, which would move Randle El to wide receiver and shuffle quarterbacks, in part to prepare Randle El for the NFL and in part to fill holes in the offense. \n"I think this thing's going to work," Randle El said. "I take that back. I know it's going to work. We just have to continue working at it."\nTo go, or not to go\nRandle El got tired of losing last season.\nThe Hoosiers lost eight games and won three, good for Randle El's third losing season in as many years as starting quarterback. IU allowed more than 40 points in seven of the losses, more than 50 in two and lost the first two games of the season in the final minute.\nThe frustration perhaps pushed to the forefront an already pressing issue: Should Randle El forgo his final year of eligibility and enter the NFL draft?\nRandle El gave that question much thought. He talked to NFL players, executives and coaches. He talked to friends and family. He talked to Cameron.\nAfter talking to everybody, Randle El had a fair idea of where he stood. The draft advisory committee, Cameron said, informed Randle El he would be taken in the upper part of the draft.\nHe was also being projected at a position other than quarterback.\nAt 5-foot-10, Randle El doesn't have the size of the typical NFL quarterback. His height parallels that of San Diego quarterback Doug Flutie, who made it as an NFL quarterback only after spending the majority of his career in the Canadian Football League.\nBut not many quarterbacks can run like Randle El can.\nThat alone makes Randle El feel he can play quarterback at the professional level -- especially in an era when players like Joe Montana and Dan Marino have been replaced by the likes of Daunte Culpepper and Donovan McNabb.\n"I've always said that I'm a quarterback until somebody tells me different," said Randle El, who led all Division I quarterbacks in rushing yards last season. "And that's what I'm sticking with. They look and say, 'You're short.' And I say, 'Look at the film.' ... But they see you making plays like that, it kind of, not puts them in a bind, but opens their eyes a little bit."\nRandle El's eyes might have opened some, too, after talking with the NFL folks.\nHe announced Jan. 12 that he would stay for his final season.\n"I think he made a good decision," Cameron said. "This gives us an opportunity and gives him an opportunity to do some things other than play quarterback in college. I think it was, at this point, a wise decision."\nOn the opposite end\nRandle El met with Cameron the morning after Randle El announced his decision to stay at IU.\nAt the meeting, Randle El made a proposal: Give him a shot at receiver.\nThe two exchanged ideas and came out of the meeting with a plan.\nRandle El would start at wide receiver and either Tommy Jones or Gibran Hamdan at quarterback. Randle El would play quarterback at times, keeping opposing team's defenses guessing; Randle El also would return punts.\nCameron and Randle El both said the plan will do several things. It gives Randle El experience catching balls and returning punts, two things he might do in the NFL. It puts IU's best 11 players on the field. And it gives the Hoosiers a boost at receiver, a position at which the team lacks experience.\nThe team took a big hit with the loss of wide receivers Versie Gaddis, Jerry Dorsey and Derin Graham. IU's returning receivers accounted for only 71 yards last season. Gaddis, Dorsey and Graham accounted for 1,353. That left a void at receiver that Randle El hopes to fill.\nBut just as Randle El isn't the typical quarterback, he isn't the ideal receiver either. His height might hinder his productivity, and he doesn't have experience at the position.\nCameron said a long list of positives outweighs those negatives.\n"Ideally, you want a big receiver," he said. "But there's a lot of things that Antwaan brings that you can't measure -- his work ethic, his energy, his attitude, his heart, his toughness, his hands."\nAnd his moves. Randle El makes people miss, and he does so consistently.\n"You've seen what he does when the ball's in his hands," said Henry Frazier, a senior receiver. "He's a great runner, great passer, and, now that he's a receiver, once he gets the ball in the open field, it's over. His strength is just making people miss. That's what he's always been good at. That's what he's good at now."\nRandle El plans on continuing to make people miss at his new position, and he knows he'll have to be more deft than ever. As a receiver, he won't start each play with the ball in his hands.\nHe won't have the luxury of turning a busted play into a first down.\n"I'm not going to say I'm not going to have the ball as much," he said. "I won't have the ball in my hands as much to start with. I've just got to know when I do get the ball, something big has to come out of it.\n"I feel like if I can get the ball in space, or just get the ball period in my hands, I can make plays. And going back and forth from receiver to quarterback could really tear some defenses up."\nThe catch\nMany good plans have a catch, this one does as well.\nThe entire plan to move Randle El to wide receiver can happen only if Jones or Hamdan proves his worth as a starting quarterback.\nThat's a big "if," considering that the two were a combined 8-of-21 in limited action last season.\n"This past week, we've played (Randle El) some more at quarterback, because we're going to play him some quarterback this fall," Cameron said. "And if one of those other quarterbacks gets hurt, he's going to play quarterback all the time.\n"The keys to this whole thing are Tommy Jones and Gibran Hamdan, not Antwaan Randle El. How well can those guys play?"\nJones made a case for himself Saturday, completing 15-of-25 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns in the spring game. Hamdan, who also plays baseball, didn't play.\nWhile Jones can't create plays as well as Randle El, he can throw the ball.\nOn a 4th-and-7 late in the game, Jones eluded several defenders, scrambled out of the pocket and floated a pass down the sideline to L.J. Parker. The play -- good for 20 yards and a first down -- was perhaps the best play any quarterback made Saturday.\nIt impressed Randle El.\n"Tommy looked good, especially throwing the ball and making plays down the stretch," Randle El said. "That fourth-down play, that was a busted play. He got out of the pocket and made a play, and that's what we need him to do during the season."\nJones seems confident he's up to the challenge, and he agrees with Cameron and Randle El that the change gets the team's top 11 on the field. He hopes his performance Saturday got others thinking along the same lines.\n"I started opening some eyes, I think," he said. "People are going to be able to see I can go out there and lead, and I can go out there and help us win. I don't know how everybody else feels, but I think I got a little more trust (Saturday) from the players and from everybody else."\nJones, or Hamdan, has four months to gain even more trust, to solidify his status as starter.\nShould Jones or Hamdan be the starter, Randle El has lofty goals for himself as a receiver. He has equally high standards for his team.\n"My personal goal is to be the best wideout in the country," he said. "My biggest goal is just to lead this team, playing receiver or playing quarterback, to the Big Ten title and to a bowl game. That's something I've been focusing on for three years, and it's kind of time to make it come true.\n"It's the best shot (I've had)…The last shot"
(04/13/01 5:24am)
Coach Cam Cameron said it isn't often a college football coach gets 15 "excellent" practices out of his team during the spring.\nHe also said his Hoosiers have a shot at making it 15-for-15 Saturday at the Red-White Spring Game.\nIU began spring practice March 21 and will conclude its spring training Saturday with the spring game, its final NCAA-allotted practice. Cameron said he has been pleased with what he's seen so far.\n"We can honestly say, assuming we can play as well as we can in the spring game, we've had 15 excellent practices," Cameron said. "Not one time have we as a staff had to go out and really get after them.\n"I haven't been around many teams that have been able to maintain that for 15 practices. We've had good attitudes in the past, but this team has a chance to have one of, if not the best, attitudes since we've been here."\nCameron said those good attitudes have been complemented by improved play, namely on the defensive side of the ball, where the Hoosiers are "significantly better."\nThe defense has been challenged this spring by an inexperienced offense.\nJuniors Tommy Jones and Gibran Hamdan have been battling for the starting quarterback spot since senior Antwaan Randle El changed positions. Randle El began practicing with receivers this spring and will primarily play that position in the fall.\nThe addition of Randle El to the receiving corps will help balance a lack of experience by other returning receivers; only two of IU's returning receivers played a game last season.\nOne of those two, senior Henry Frazier, said a big difference this spring has been the team's physical play.\n"We were physical last spring, but this spring, we put a lot of emphasis on being physical," he said. "Our defense is hitting more than they've ever been hitting. Our offense is making more plays. I think we're looking way more physical than we did last year."\nStill, 15 solid practices and physical play doesn't mean IU is in perfect form heading into this summer.\n"We've had a little struggles here and there," Jones said. "We've just got to get timing down. We have to start thinking more. We've got to be out there looking for things to happen instead of just thinking it's going to happen because it happened before. The last practices have been a little both ways, good and bad."\nThe Red-White game gives IU one final chance to fix the bad, and it provides a game situation to do so.\nThe Hoosiers have played three Saturday scrimmages thus far, and all have been played in a game environment and refereed by Big Ten officials.\n"You utilize those Saturdays to let the guys get game experience," Cameron said. "Sometimes, you have to turn them loose and let them play"
(04/05/01 4:57am)
Even Cam Cameron admits it's no secret that the IU football team's downfall last season was its defense.\nThe Hoosiers allowed 39 points per game and more than 40 points in seven of their eight losses.\nIt's also no secret that the defense's weakest link was its secondary.\nIU gave up 25 passing touchdowns and 271 yards per game though the air, while intercepting its opponents only four times. \n"We definitely know we have something to prove, no doubt," junior safety Joe Gonzalez said. "When you see what happened to our defense last year and the year before, there's no question that we need to improve in the secondary -- period."\nTo do that, the secondary has put an emphasis on one thing -- learning the system.\nWhat plagued the team last season, senior Sharrod Wallace said, was a lack of understanding. James Bell, defensive coordinator and defensive backs coach, brought with him a new defensive system when he came to IU last season.\nThe Hoosiers spent much of the season trying to learn the system and often got burned in the process.\n"Last year we had a lot of guys who were inexperienced," Wallace said. "It was just a lack of knowing the system. That's what it was. It wasn't really a lack of ability or anything like that."\nThe players have had time to fully adapt to the system this spring. A new rule allows for players to meet with coaches on non-practice days, and the defensive backs have used the meetings to go over Bell's system.\nThe defensive backfield will also have several new players, namely sophomore Michael Hanley and junior-college transfers Antonio Watson and Willie Northern.\nBell said Hanley was slated as a starter last fall, but he sat out the season to concentrate on academics. And Watson and Northern are Superprep's first- and third-rated junior college defensive backs in the nation.\nThe Hoosiers signed four other defensive backs as well, and Bell said the addition of so many players will help his secondary.\n"You'll be able to play more people, and that always helps you," Bell said. "The more people you can play, the better off you're going to be. The newness of doing something different was probably the biggest thing (last season), then lack of depth would be the second thing.\n"So many of those guys play on the special teams. So depth helps you. I feel we'll have more guys we'll be able to play."\nGonzalez said the secondary's improvement comes full circle with its improved attitude.\n"There's something new," he said. "And I can't put my finger on it, I can't tell you what it is, but there's something different about this defense, this whole team. I really can't explain it, but it's a different attitude, a different feeling about this team"
(03/30/01 5:19am)
A glance at last season's statistics shows the 2001 IU football team will lack experienced receivers.\nSenior Antwaan Randle El, who switched from quarterback to receiver this spring, said otherwise.\nSure, only two of six returning receivers played a game at the position last season. Sure, those two, senior Henry Frazier and sophomore L.J. Parker, combined for only six catches and 71 yards. And sure, next season, Hoosier receivers will be joined by an equally inexperienced quarterback, either Tommy Jones or Gibran Hamdan, both juniors.\nBut Randle El said that doesn't mean this receiving corps won't be ready for 2001 -- experience or not.\n"We're kind of like guys who have played here and there, but we've just got to put it together," Randle El said. "The tough time is now, but later on, when the season rolls around and we're in training camp, the concern will be gone.\n"The confidence level will be there, and the trust in Tommy and the trust in our receiving corps will be there -- that we're going to make the block or make the catch or whatever it may be."\nReceivers coach T.J. Weist said he shares Randle El's optimism. \nWeist said this group of receivers has a good enough attitude and work ethic to compensate for its lack of experience.\n"I think we've got a group that has a great attitude, and they want to win," he said. "It's really a mind-set for the players. They have to take the approach that every player is going to learn the offense like he's a starter. Whether we have experience or not, they just have to learn the offense and work hard." \nBut the Hoosiers don't have to replace attitude and hard work alone. They have to replace yards. Last season, then-seniors Versie Gaddis, Jerry Dorsey and Derin Graham combined for 1,353 of the 1,424 yards gained by IU receivers.\nFrazier, Parker, Randle El and junior Glenn Johnson have the most experience of the six returners and should pick up much of the slack left by the absence of last year's group of three. Frazier said redshirt freshmen David Lewis and Travis Haney are improving as well.\n"We're trying to be the key guys on the team, set the tempo," Frazier said. "We know we've got a lot of talent at receiver. 'Twaan came to receiver now, and we've got (Johnson) coming up and L.J. and myself. \n"We've been looking good. This is just the first two weeks of practice, so we still need a little work, but I think we're looking good."\nWeist said he feels confident his receiving corps will be ready to compete and said he'll prepare them by focusing on individual progress. Then, he said, the receivers will improve as a team.\nCoach Cam Cameron will need them to produce, as Weist said the Hoosiers have no plans to change their offense. And last season, the offense averaged just under 173 yards passing per game.\n"There may be a little more emphasis on (the passing game)," Weist said. "But our pass offense has always been there. With Tommy, we may focus on the dropback a little more, but we're still going to run our offense.\n"We have one of the best offenses in the country. We're going to run our offense"
(01/07/01 10:07pm)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Creighton lost its battle with the left post on the north goal Friday at Ericsson Stadium, but the loss mattered little.\nFor the post couldn't have advanced to the national championship match with a victory.\nAnd Creighton came back to beat the Hoosiers 2-1 in triple overtime to advance to its first College Cup championship.\nThe Bluejays hit the same post three times in overtime -- twice in the first extra period and once more in the third -- before getting a rebound to bounce their way in the 125th minute.\nWhen Creighton did get a favorable bounce, forward Mike Tranchilla calmly placed a shot into the left corner of the net -- just inside that dreaded post.\n"The third time it hit the post, before it hit the post, I was like, 'Yes, game over,'" said Tranchilla, who assisted on the Bluejays' first goal. "Then it came to me and I had a wide open net. And the game was over."\nCreighton couldn't end the game until falling behind early and tying the game in the second half.\nSophomore forward Pat Noonan opened the scoring in the 30th minute after receiving a ball from junior midielder Ryan Mack.\nMack played a ball to a space near the right edge of the penalty area, where Noonan collected it and cut toward the goal. Noonan danced around a defender and sent a left-footed shot low and to the near post for a 1-0 IU lead.\nThe goal was one of five shots by Noonan in the first half, many of which were created by him checking to the ball.\nBut Noonan's presence wasn't felt much in the second half, when he stopped making runs back to the ball.\n"I was trying to get behind too much (in the second half) instead of checking back like I did in the first half and getting the ball at my feet," Noonan said. "I don't know why I kept doing it, but I kept fading away hoping for the long ball, the through ball, maybe to get that goal.\n"But it just didn't happen."\nHere's what did happen:\n• IU started playing sloppy after halftime, abandoning what worked early and failing to maintain possession.\n• Creighton erased any first-half momentum IU had left by tying the game early in the second half with a goal by forward Brian Mullan.\nIU managed only four shots the rest of the half, and only one was a serious threat. That one, a rocket by senior forward Matt Fundenberger with six minutes remaining, nearly prevented overtime.\nNoonan fed Fundenberger a ball toward the right side of the field, and Fundenberger volleyed it after one bounce. Creighton goalkeeper Mike Gabb, standing four yards off his line, dove and tipped the ball just high and wide of the net.\nThen came overtime.\nAnd the left post.\nTranchilla hit the post two and a half minutes into the first overtime, and defender Peter Henning hit the post with a header at the one-minute mark.\nMullan made bar music for the third and final time with 11:07 remaining in the third overtime, and Tranchilla exorcised Creighton's post demons with the gamewinner.\nIU's best chance in overtime came less than a minute into the third, when freshman forward Lucas Christian ran onto a ball near the six-yard box. Christian got a shot off, but it was a weak one and was deflected by a defender.\nThe Hoosiers' lack of offense in extra time was due in part to the absence of Mack, who left the game late in the second half because of severe muscle cramps. Mack didn't return until the start of the third overtime.\nIU coach Jerry Yeagley said Mack's absence lessened the Hoosiers' chances of scoring the golden goal, but he was quick to credit Creighton for the victory rather than make excuses for the loss.\nHe also gave credit to his team -- a team that few expected to make it to this stage of the tournament.\n"This team this year, I think expectations from the outside were not very strong for IU," he said. "To achieve what they did and come together at the end, and to play some very good soccer and play with some confidence, showed how much this team advanced from start to finish.\n"And again, I'm very proud of that"
(12/11/00 6:28am)
CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- All Jerry Yeagley wanted was a shot at varsity status.\nThat was his final four in 1973 -- turning IU soccer into a varsity sport.\nHe never thought that 28 years later he'd have the second highest career collegiate coaching victories, or that his teams would have competed in exactly half of the final four tournaments they had a chance to make.\nBut Yeagley's teams have been that successful.\nAt Ericsson Stadium Friday, IU played Creighton in its 14th College Cup appearance. The Hoosiers lost 2-1 in triple overtime, ending their season short of the third consecutive national title they set out to win, but the fact that Yeagley got them there surprised many people.\nIU barely made the NCAA tournament and wasn't expected to win its first three games on the road. The Hoosiers did win those games, adding yet another chapter to the IU soccer machine that Yeagley began building almost 40 years ago.\n"You build a tradition by continuing to do the little things, by continuing to not try to take shortcuts, not try to get there with a quick fix," Yeagley said Sunday, while watching the College Cup final. "You've got to do things right all the time. You've got to prepare properly all the time.\n"Then things will fall into place."\n \nThe Family Tree\nYeagley remembers the days when IU soccer was the Indiana Union Soccer Club.\nWhen Yeagley began coaching the club in 1963, coaches and players would line their own fields, move their own goals and make their own fliers to advertise games.\nThey did everything themselves.\n"I think it brought us together and made us appreciate things more," he said. "I've always tried to keep the players focused on the history, what it took, who the pioneers were and to feel respect and pride for the uniform."\nYeagley teaches his players to respect the uniform and history because those pioneers are family, as is every player who passes through the program, he said.\nGreg Mauch didn't even play soccer at IU, but he knows all about the program and its family atmosphere.\nMauch first met Yeagley in 1975 as a freshman at IU. He came to Yeagley's old office in the Health Physical Education and Recreation building bearing a letter of recommendation; he wanted to be a student manager.\nYeagley gave Mauch the job, and their relationship soon turned into that of mentor-student. After being at IU three years, Mauch switched his major; he wanted to coach instead of go into business.\n"He knew I was interested in coaching and he used to take time in practice and say, 'What would the pedagogue be for this?' and give me some opportunities to sit in on some coaching planning sessions.\n"He went way out of his way to help me learn to become a coach."\nAbout five years ago, Mauch had a chance to sit down with a few other people Yeagley has helped during the past 28 years.\nDanny King, the sweeper on IU's national championship teams in 1982 and '83, brought his soccer club from St. Louis to Ft. Wayne, and that evening he, Mauch and a few other IU soccer players got together. \n"It really is a family," Mauch said. "There were five generations of IU soccer people there. To have five generations of players all bound by respect for coach Yeagley and still involved in game because of what he does, I thought that was just a remarkable evening."\nJustin Tauber and Matt Fundenberger, both seniors, are part of yet another generation of IU soccer.\nFundenberger has been at IU for four years and Tauber five. They said they look forward to coming back to IU and watching future generations of Hoosiers play.\nTauber said he'll miss coming to practice every day, but he'll now become an older member of the IU soccer family. He'll get the newspaper clippings and announcements Yeagley sends to alumni. He'll get invited to alumni games and tailgates.\nFor that, he's thankful.\n"It's just great knowing even though you're leaving the program, you're not leaving the family," Tauber said. "They're still going to be there for you. It's just great to be a part of it."
(12/08/00 6:11am)
Bobby de St. Aubin remembers last season's NCAA men's soccer College Cup.\nHe and his teammates got together and watched the games on television. De St. Aubin saw IU beat UCLA 3-2 and Santa Clara 1-0 for its second consecutive national championship -- the Hoosiers' fifth title overall.\nHe must have liked what he saw.\nDe St. Aubin transferred from the University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee and joined IU this year. He said he made the move to challenge himself and he's been happy with the challenges he's found with the Hoosiers.\n"It's just been more than you can imagine," de St. Aubin said. "Everything at IU, the tradition, you hear about it, and it's totally lived up to those expectations. There's no program in the country like it. It's unparalleled.\n"It's been everything I hoped and more. And then to top it off with the final four, that's just great." \nIU might not have made it to its fourth consecutive College Cup, NCAA soccer's final four, without de St. Aubin.\nAfter playing much of the season without making an impact, de St. Aubin played his best game of the season in IU's 1-0 win Saturday at North Carolina. The win qualified IU for today's semifinal contest with Creighton.\nSophomore Marcus Chorvat sat out the third-round game because of a red card, so de St. Aubin started in his place as left outside midfielder. Coach Jerry Yeagley switched de St. Aubin to the right side when the Tar Heels' Noz Yamauchi began getting past IU junior midfielder Tyler Hawley early in the first half.\nDe St. Aubin tackled the ball away from Yamauchi the first time the North Carolina midfielder tried to make a move.\nDe St. Aubin also gave the Hoo-siers a spark on offense, hustling to grab balls and controlling the ball in the midfield.\nThe performance impressed Yeagley, who said de St. Aubin started to make his mark on the team in the North Carolina match.\n"For him to give that performance, play 90 minutes and play at that level was the surprise of the match," Yeagley said. "It was a real positive of the match. I was very pleased for him. It was great for his confidence.\nDe St. Aubin admitted he hadn't played to his potential until the North Carolina contest.\nHe came to IU hoping to help a team that returned a solid core of players but didn't make a major contribution before he injured his groin in mid-October.\nAfter the injury, de St. Aubin missed several games and played little in several others. He played in each of IU's first two tournament games but had less of an effect than he did against North Carolina.\nJunior sweeper Josh Rife, who also transferred to IU this season, said de St. Aubin's breakout game shows what kind of player he is.\n"He's a real explosive-type player," Rife said. "If you're not watching, he'll catch you. He's strong on the ball and a good passer, too."\nDe St. Aubin said he hopes to continue to be a force in the College Cup. He said he expected more from himself, even more so after his game against the Tar Heels.\nAnd, as Yeagley says, de St. Aubin should expect a good game. Yeagley likes players to have a certain amount of arrogance when they step on the field. \n"He's very quiet," Yeagley said. "But we want him to change his personality when he gets on the field, get a little bit of an arrogance to him. He could be the man. He could do more. I think sometimes he just feels, 'Hey, I'm new. These guys are here. I just better help them,' rather than, 'Hey, I'm going to go out and do my thing and help this team myself when it's my time.'"\nIf the North Carolina game is any indication, de St. Aubin has decided to take the second approach.
(12/05/00 3:04pm)
John Swann has proven himself this season.\nThe sophomore marking back has repeatedly marked the opponent's most dangerous attacker, and, for the most part, he's been successful in shutting his man down.\nSwann didn't let UCLA's McKinley Tennyson Jr. or Portland's Olympian Conor Casey do much against the Hoosiers. And just this past weekend, he kept North Carolina's Chris Carrieri, the nation's leading scorer, from scoring a goal.\nSwann, in fact, said marking a team's top attacker is no different than marking junior Ryan Mack or sophomore Pat Noonan in practice.\nSo this weekend should be no sweat for Swann.\nHe'll mark Brain Mullan, who leads Creighton with 17 goals and 12 assists, in IU's final four game against the Bluejays. Nothing Swann can't handle, right?\nSort of.\nWhile Swann has shown he's capable of tackling most any marking assignment he receives, he and freshman marking back David Prall \n did fail to stop one team this \n season.\nThat team was Creighton, and the Bluejays waltzed their way around and through IU's defense in a 4-1 victory Sept. 15.\nMullan scored two goals in the game, while Mike Tranchilla, Creighton's second-leading scorer with 18 goals and eight assists, assisted on both of Mullan's goals and scored one of his own.\nThe two proved to be the only duo IU's faced this season that Swann and Prall haven't stopped.\nNeither Swann nor Prall has forgotten the loss, either.\n"It's another incentive for me," said Swann, who marked Tranchilla in the game. "He's the one I feel like lit me up this year. That was the worst loss in, I think they said, 28 years here."\nThe loss didn't break any 28-year old records, but it tied some.\nThe three-goal differential tied the worst IU's ever had in a loss. As for the four-goal total, it also tied IU's worst defensive effort ever. It marked the first time since 1989 and fifth time ever the Hoosiers allowed four in one game.\nSwann, Prall and the rest of the Hoosiers get a chance for redemption this weekend in Charlotte, N.C., and they might change some things to stop the Bluejays.\nSwann will mark Mullan, and either Prall or senior midfielder Justin Tauber will mark Tranchilla. Assistant coach Caleb Porter said Tauber might take Tranchilla because Tauber is one of IU's best one-on-one defenders.\nThat would leave Prall to mark Keith Sawarynski, Creighton's third forward and third-leading scorer, but the Hoosiers have yet to make a definite decision on who will mark who.\n"It's more of a move the way the players fit each other," Porter said. "I think Tauber matches up well with Tranchilla because he's hard to beat one v. one. And that's (Tranchilla's) strength, whereas the other guy is kind of a battler, hard worker and kind of fits Prall's game a little better."\nSwann and Prall agreed that Tranchilla's one-on-one abilities and Mullan's deceptiveness distinguish them from other attackers Swann and Prall have marked this season. And those differences could play to IU's advantage. \n"With Mullan and Tranchilla, their strength is the ball at their feet," Swann said. "They try to cut you up. Against the speedsters, you've got to lay off them and give them space.\n"But with Mullan and Tranchilla, you've got to be up tight with them. That's our game right there, to get up in their jersey."\nEven if IU's marking backs come prepared to stop Creighton's attackers, they'll likely have a tough time doing so.\nEither Mullan or Tranchilla has had a hand in every NCAA tournament goal Creighton has scored. And the two forwards don't need many opportunities to get the ball in the net. Both Mullan and Tranchilla have scored on more than 40 percent of their shots.\nThat ability to score goals while not taking many shots is what put IU out of the game in September, when Creighton needed only seven shots to get its four goals. But in that game, Swann said, the Hoosiers didn't play their best. And Swann thinks this game will be different.\n"We didn't really give them 100 percent pressure (in the first game)," Swann said. "We've just got to make sure that they know that we're going to be in their jerseys the whole game. And I think that's going to get to them"
(12/04/00 7:04am)
CHAPEL HILL, N.C. -- Eddie Robinson said he took his eyes off Ryan Mack for two seconds Saturday at North Carolina's Fetzer Field.\nFor two seconds, Robinson watched the ball instead of his man.\nBecause of that brief moment, the Tar Heels can only watch the NCAA men's soccer College Cup this weekend.\nMack, a junior midfielder, received a ball from senior midfielder Justin Tauber and turned on Robinson in those two seconds, finding himself a half step ahead of the Tar Heel midfielder with nothing in front of him.\nThen, with 31:08 remaining in the quarterfinal game, Mack sent a shot to the upper near corner and past North Carolina goalkeeper Michael Ueltschey. IU hung on to win 1-0. The victory, IU's third in three tournament road games thus far, sends the Hoosiers to their fourth consecutive final four.\n"That's the way it is, especially at this level," Robinson said. "It's Indiana. You can't watch the ball against these guys. They're too good."\nAnd too resilient this day.\nThe Hoosiers never took their eyes off the Tar Heels Saturday, throwing bodies in front of shots and against attackers in an attempt to stop one of the nation's top offenses.\nSophomore marking back John Swann successfully shut down North Carolina forward Chris Carrieri, who led the nation this season with 25 goals, and freshman marking back David Prall contained the Tar Heels' other forward and second-leading scorer, Caleb Norkus.\nThe rest of the Hoosiers did anything they could to stop the Tar Heels from scoring.\nIn the 19th minute, junior goalkeeper Colin Rogers' diving save stopped a Carrieri header, just as it reached the far post.\nSeven minutes later, IU junior midfielder Tyler Hawley retreated behind Rogers and cleared a sure goal off the line after Tar Heel midfielder Matt Laycock beat Rogers with a header.\nThe North Carolina attack became more intense after Mack scored.\n"I thought they sent their basketball team out in the last 20 minutes," IU coach Jerry Yeagley said. "They kept getting bigger and bigger, and we didn't have any answers to their size.\n"And when they play direct up to those big guys, you've just got to hang on. And that's what we did."\nThe Hoosiers survived the final half hour of play.\nSave for a few counter attack opportunities, IU packed it in and played defense after Mack's goal, while North Carolina went with three forwards and did nothing but attack.\nJunior marking back Ryan Hammer, one of IU's best players in the air, entered the game with 27 minutes remaining, replacing Prall, and Prall re-entered as an extra defensive midfielder with six minutes left.\nIU's ability to keep the Tar Heels scoreless surprised North Carolina coach Elmar Bolowich, whose team had not been shutout all season. North Carolina outshot the Hoosiers 18-8 and held an 8-4 advantage in corner kicks.\n"I was convinced that we would score," Bolowich said. "I was convinced that we would pull this game out. And the chances we did create, they were legitimate chances right in front of the goal.\n"It's just their keeper threw himself in, their players threw themselves into the balls that were ready to be shot, and they did a good job at that. They're the masters of it. They're composed. They don't panic."\nThe Hoosiers didn't panic, Tauber said, because they've been in the situation before, while the Tar Heels are new to tournament play. The most tournament experience any North Carolina player had was last season's first round defeat to Furman.\n"It's just a different atmosphere," Tauber said. "It's a tournament atmosphere. We know that a lot of the guys on North Carolina haven't been a part of that atmosphere, so we felt very confident coming into a game like this. The tournament's a lot different than the regular season. It's a lot different than the ACC tournament." \nIt's something the Tar Heels appeared the be ready for. Except for those two seconds.
(12/01/00 5:27am)
Jerry Yeagley uses a unique description when explaining the matchup between his defense and North Carolina's attack.\nYeagley's men's soccer team travels to North Carolina tomorrow to play the Tarheels in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament, and a key factor will be whether IU can shut down North Carolina's high-octane offense.\n"If we're matching up size-wise," Yeagley said, "we're sort of the gremlins in this one, the smurfs. The tough smurfs."\nThe Hoosiers indeed lose the size battle against the Tarheels, but IU's defense hasn't banked on its size this season. Its strength is its grit.\nSo the Hoosiers aren't too worried about North Carolina's 6-foot forward Caleb Norkus or 6-3 midfielder Michael Bucy. Or even 6-5 Matt Laycock, who scored two goals in the Tarheels' 3-2 first-round victory over William & Mary.\n"(Freshman David) Prall and I match up real well against them," sophomore marking back John Swann said. "We're both real aggressive. They've got some height on us, but we can get in on them, use our strength to push them off the ball and get them off balance when they go up for the head balls.\n"I don't think the size is really going to bother us in the back."\nWhat concerns Yeagley more than the size disadvantage is the finishing ability of North Carolina's primary attackers.\nNorkus has more goals (15) and assists (13) than any IU player. And he's second on the team in both categories.\nChris Carrieri joins Norkus up front to form one of the most productive forward tandems in the nation. Together, they've scored 40 total goals -- the same as IU's team total.\nSwann tackles the task of shutting down Carrieri, and Swann will mark Norkus. Senior center midfielder Justin Tauber will mark Bucy, who leads the team with 15 assists and is third in goals with nine.\nYeagley said he knows stopping those three players will determine whether IU advances to its third consecutive Final Four.\n"That's going to be it -- which team can defend the most," he said. "Because it's not outscoring your opponents at this point that wins it. In fact, four of our five championship games, we scored only one goal in regulation time.\n "That's going to be the bigger challenge -- stopping their attack."\n Yeagley said he knows the Tarheels will have a challenge of their own in stopping the Hoosiers' trio of Ryan Mack, Pat Noonan and Matt Fundenberger.\n With sophomore outside midfielder Marcus Chorvat out because of a red card against Washington last weekend, IU will have to rely more on its center midfielders and forwards.\n IU's go-to players have been up to the challenge thus far.\nMack, a junior midfielder, has tallied a goal and an assist in tournament play, while Noonan, a sophomore forward, has a goal and two assists and Fundenberger, a senior forward, has two goals.\n"We just need to keep doing what we've been doing in the first two games, and that's working both offensively and defensively," Noonan said. "And creating chances and finishing the chances that we have. And so far, we've done that throughout the playoffs."\nBut the Hoosiers have yet to do it against a team as talented as North Carolina.\n"They're the real deal," Yeagley said. "They have no weaknesses. They have good bench strength. And, like I've been told from a number of coaches, they're the biggest, strongest team that we'll play this year"
(11/27/00 7:15am)
SEATTLE -- Marcus Chorvat had a busy night Saturday in Seattle.\nAgainst Washington in NCAA men's soccer tournament, the sophomore midfielder scored a goal, got ejected and said plenty of prayers. In that order.\nHis goal helped IU stay in the game. His second yellow card and ensuing ejection hurt IU's chances of holding on for a victory. \nAnd his prayers, well, they were answered. \nIU beat Washington 2-1 in the second round of the tournament for the second consecutive season to advance to the national quarterfinals. \n"I said a Hail Mary probably three times, Our Father probably five," Chorvat said. "That was probably the most nerve-wracking moment of my life."\nThe moment, to be exact, lasted 16:29 -- the amount of time remaining when Chorvat was ejected.\nIU coach Jerry Yeagley dropped one of his forwards into the midfield after the ejection, in an attempt to thwart the Huskies' attack. The Hoosiers needed all the defensive help they could get, as Washington attacked with four forwards in the final 15 minutes. \n"They sent everything and the kitchen sink at us at that point," said Yeagley, whose team improved to 15-6. "We defended extremely well. We didn't give them many high percentage shots. We gave them some opportunities, but we did withstand a lot of pressure."\nThe Huskies pressured IU by sending balls into the penalty area any time they were within striking distance.\nThat game plan didn't differ much from how Washington usually plays; the Huskies like to attack from the outside. But in the game's waning minutes, the Huskies wide attack became much more intense. \nBut IU junior goalkeeper Colin Rogers was up to the challenge. \nRogers snagged ball after ball sent into the penalty area, and IU defenders headed away most anything else. Rogers' performance late in the game made up for a poor play on Washington's first goal.\nThe Huskies opened the scoring six minutes into the game with a restart. Midfielder Ben Somoza took a direct kick from outside the left corner of the penalty area. The shot was weak, but Rogers misplayed it; the ball skipped over him to give Washington a 1-0 lead.\n"I knew I made a mistake, but through mistakes I've made in the past I knew it was far from over," said Rogers, who started in place of senior T.J. Hannig, who reaggravated a knee injury during the week. "I just had to pick it up from there. Nine times out of 10, I make that save. I just refocused and put it out of my mind."\nThe IU attack helped Rogers put the goal out of his mind with a goal of its own 5:37 later.\nSophomore midfielder Pat Noonan received a ball near the top of the penalty area and carried the ball into the box. He put a move on a defender and fired a shot that was deflected by Husky goalkeeper Chad Olsen. Chorvat, playing on the left side, collected the deflection and tapped it in for the tying goal.\nThe play by Noonan was one of several opportunities he created. He tallied five shots in the game.\n"I thought that Patty Noonan really caused them some problems off the dribble," Yeagley said. "He was slicing and dicing out there. I think he was a key to our offense (Saturday night)."\nNoonan nearly gave IU a lead just before halftime.\nHe got the ball on a takeover from freshman midfielder Vijay Dias and took it up the middle of the field. Noonan sent the ball through a defender's legs, recollected it and fired a shot from about 30 yards out. Olsen made a diving save to punch the ball wide just as it neared the upper right corner.\nThe save was one of several diving stops Olsen made in the game. But he couldn't stop IU from scoring early in the second half. \nSeven minutes into the half, junior midfielder Tyler Hawley misheaded a cross and sent the ball back wide. Junior midfielder Ryan Mack collected the ball on the left side and crossed it back into the penalty area. Senior forward Matt Fundenberger stood unmarked on the near post and headed it in near side for the game winning shot.\nThe goal sent IU into the next round of NCAA tournament play and ended the Huskies' season.\n"It was close the whole way," Washington coach Dean Wurzberger said. "You've got to make your own breaks against a team like that. They lost their last three before the tournament, but they've got that tradition."\nAnd a few prayers to help.