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(04/09/10 3:33am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Having lost 20 seniors and returning only four defensive starters from last season, IU coach Bill Lynch ended 2009 with a hazy view of his team’s on-field leadership.Entering the spring, things have become much clearer.In his March 22 press conference, Lynch was quick to tag to-be seniors quarterback Ben Chappell and linebacker Tyler Replogle as key leaders. Four weeks into spring practices, they have done nothing to change his mind. “You’ve got to perform,” Lynch said. “On the field, you’ve got to back up what you’re saying. That’s why you want your best players to be your leaders on the field, because certainly guys are willing to follow.” Based on resume alone, Chappell started to collect a following last season. He ranked third in the Big Ten in 2009 in passing, tossing nearly 3,000 yards and 17 touchdowns. Coming off an honorable mention All-Big Ten season, Chappell said he needs to be the one steering the offense toward victory. “I’ve got to just be smart, get us in the right play, don’t turn the ball over, score in the red zone and stuff like that,” he said. “I’ve just got to be the guy to step up and make a play and get the team in the right place.” On the flip side, Replogle has also been building a reputation for himself. After recording 80 tackles — second highest on the team — his defensive mates said he has established himself. Before practices started, Replogle told the team to make the best of the spring and have fun with it. After all, he said, if you aren’t having fun then you shouldn’t be here. “I think he’s stepped up as a huge leader on this defense,” said to-be senior safety Mitchell Evans. “Everybody’s going to stand behind him. He stood up and spoke to us in the meeting room and I think the guys respected that.” Evans, who played wide receiver last season, will start in a defensive backfield unit returning only one starter. That, he said, leaves the door open for him to take the reins.“I was there as a leader on the offense,” Evans said. “I think I have that personality and I’m going to try and lead over here. Even if I’m not on the field I’m going to try and lead and keep guys positive.” As Evans attempts that transition, Replogle said he knows what he has to do to be the dominant voice on the defense.“Just trying to do your job and make sure you lead by example,” he said. “Anyone can step up and talk to people, but people really respect someone who can do it.”
(03/23/10 3:47am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the IU football team trains before and during the 2010 season, the players will wear workout shirts with the word “finish” scrawled in large letters across the back.But before the Hoosiers can finish, they’ll have to start. With spring practice kicking off today, IU coach Bill Lynch said at his press conference he is excited for new beginnings at Memorial Stadium.“When you’re a football coach, it’s a great time of year because you get a chance to get back on the field with the guys,” he said. “They’ve worked awfully hard in the offseason in the weight room, in early morning conditioning; all the other things that go into being a Big Ten football player.”Going into spring practices, Lynch said his main goal is to find out who his top 50 players are. The task grows tougher this year, with 20 seniors, including NFL prospects such as defensive ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton and offensive lineman Rodger Saffold, gone from last season’s roster.The defense, returning just four starters, suffers the most turnover.The secondary is a group hit particularly hard, as graduating seniors Austin Thomas, Collin Taylor, Ray Fisher and Nick Polk carry 182 combined tackles and 8 of the team’s 16 interceptions out of Bloomington. To combat the losses, Lynch is moving a pair of wide receivers — juniors Mitchell Evans and Matt Ernest — to the defensive backfield. Evans, who started his IU career as a safety, will return to his original position after hauling in 33 receptions for 366 yards and 3 touchdowns last season. Evans also found a spot as a Wildcat quarterback, a space Lynch said will be filled by redshirted quarterbacks Edward Wright-Baker or Dusty Kiel. Ernest, moving to cornerback, will balance spring football with his duties as a pitcher for the baseball team. Lynch said he expects Ernest to provide many of the same talents as Fisher did in his similar position switch. He added that playing two sports could bring the best out of Ernest.“I was a two-sport guy myself, and I know that was long time ago, but there’s nothing like competing,” Lynch said. “I think he’ll be fine.”To further accommodate the personnel changes, Lynch said he will change schemes defensively to fit a more athletic group of defenders. He said he will run a mix of 4-3, with four defensive linemen, and 3-4, with four linebackers.Although changes are being made across the board, Lynch said third- and fourth-down conversions hurt the team last season. The Hoosiers were seventh in the Big Ten on third down, converting on 39 percent of those situations. They were also last in the conference in third-down conversions allowed.Lynch said multiple games came down to getting one first down or stopping the opponent from doing so, and finishing will be a point of emphasis as the work begins.“If there’s one thing, going back, that’s what we didn’t do a very good job of, and that’s what we’re really going to work hard on this spring,” Lynch said.
(02/08/10 6:52am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tracy Porter was never supposed to be famous. Unranked by Rivals coming out of high school, he was considered too soft and not a big enough hitter to play on the big stage. He played at IU, a school not known for its football program. And, despite a strong senior season in which he had 6 interceptions and helped his Hoosiers get to the 2007 Insight Bowl, he slipped to the second round of the NFL Draft. Now, everyone knows Porter’s name. With just over 3 minutes remaining in Super Bowl XLIV, Porter jumped in front of an Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning pass and sprinted 74 yards to pay dirt. His touchdown put the New Orleans Saints up 31-17, a final score that will forever be etched as New Orleans’ first-ever world championship. Porter had 16 interceptions in his time at IU and has 5 in his two-year NFL career, but none will measure up to the one he grabbed in Miami on Sunday night. It now puts him in the same category as Joe Montana and Adam Vinatieri: Super Bowl clincher.His hand motion instituted on the Memorial Stadium field, where he threw his open palms into the air before clenching his fists and thrust them back to his chest, is still used by defensive players and students when a stop has to be made.His name will forever come up in conversations when scouting a potential defensive back. “Yes, he’s good, but is he the new Tracy Porter?” IU students and alumni will ask. “I bet Tracy Porter would have made that play,” they will prognosticate.But this is IU. In a basketball-crazy town, it’s not hard to memorialize a football player as the best to ever hit the Bloomington campus. His Super Bowl interception, though, makes him a national legend. Saints quarterback Drew Brees was named the game’s MVP, but it will be Porter’s play that will be Super Bowl XLIV’s most-run highlight.For Colts fans, it’s devastating. For Hoosier fans, it’s mesmerizing. For Tracy Porter, it’s immortality.
(02/08/10 6:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Tracy Porter was never supposed to be famous. Unranked by
Rivals coming out of high school, he was considered too soft and not a
big enough hitter to play on the big stage. He played at IU, a school
not known for its football program. And, despite a strong
senior season in which he had 6 interceptions and helped his Hoosiers
get to the 2007 Insight Bowl, he slipped to the second round of the NFL
Draft. Now, everyone know’s Porter’s name. With just
over 3 minutes remaining in Super Bowl XLIV, Porter jumped in front of
an Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning pass and sprinted 74
yards to pay dirt. His touchdown put the New Orleans Saints up
31-17, a final score that will forever be etched as New Orleans’
first-ever world championship. Porter had 16 interceptions in his time
at IU and has 5 in his two-year NFL career, but none will measure up to
the one he grabbed in Miami on Sunday night. It now puts him in the same category as Joe Montana and Adam Vinatieri: Super Bowl clincher.His
hand motion instituted on the Memorial Stadium field, where he threw
his open palms into the air before clenching his fists and thrust them
back to his chest, is still used by defensive players and students when
a stop has to be made.His name will forever come up in conversations when scouting a potential defensive back. “Yes, he’s good, but is he the new Tracy Porter?” IU students and alumni will ask. “I bet Tracy Porter would have made that play,” they will prognosticate.But
this is IU. In a basketball-crazy town, it’s not hard to memorialize a
football player as the best to ever the Bloomington campus. His
Super Bowl interception, though, makes him a national legend. Saints
quarterback Drew Brees was named the game’s MVP, but it will be
Porter’s play that will be Super Bowl XLIV’s most-run highlight.For Colts fans, it’s devastating. For Hoosier fans, it’s mesmerizing. For Tracy Porter, it’s immortality.
(01/20/10 6:43pm)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The past week - like most weeks - for IU basketball created quite a buzz around the IDS comment boards. Let's take a look at the most popular topics discussed by fans and writers alike. Victor OladipoOn Monday, basketball columnist Jordan Cohen put up a post on Hoosier Hype with some links and screen shots of 2010 recruit Victor Oladipo showing off his hops.At one point in the video (caught by a screen shot), Oladipo pulls up his white T-shirt, unveiling an IU basketball shirt underneath, causing some virtual smiles. If Oladipo has had any criticisms after his signing, it's been that everything anyone has ever seen from him has been a dunk. After watching the video, some IU fans don't think it's necessarily a bad thing. Hoosier from CT: Even though we will be heavy with guards, we will finally have a player that can throw down a monster dunk on a fast break instead of a tough layup or getting fouled, which is the case with ALL our guards. Even if VO comes of the bench, it’s still improvement after Dumes and Moore.The Hoosiers could use a slasher like Oladipo, as that's one large element the team is missing this year. Add in his ability to cut to the basket and Maurice Creek/Matt Roth's ability to knock down open 3-pointers, and Oladipo could be one of the missing pieces to the IU rebuilding puzzle.Court stormingAfter a thrilling overtime victory against Minnesota, the IU student section erupted onto the court at Assembly Hall. It was a time of excitement, jubilation and - most of all - relief. Still, the general consensus around the comment boards was that it was completely unwarranted and, on some level, embarrassing.MB: Kids - please do not storm the court after we beat an unranked team. Have some pride and expect to win games like that at home.For the generations of fans that have seen National Championships go through Bloomington, a court-storming after a win against a team like Minnesota can seem that way. But the last banner was risen after the 1987 season, before most of the current student body was born. Sunday's court-storming was like all the students yelling out "Finally!" after two seasons of utter disappointment. Poll question - What is the Hoosiers' biggest downfall?With so many things going against the team recently, it was hard for voters to pin the struggles on one problem. Turnovers allocated 37 percent of the vote, free throws 35 percent, Creek's injury 25 percent and defense a mere 3 percent. It's not surprising that turnovers garnered most of the vote, given their Big Ten-worst ball security. However, it is surprising to see defense cast aside, especially given the double-digit leads given up against Illinois and Minnesota.
(01/18/10 1:41am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Everyone wanted to know how the IU men’s basketball team would bounce back after a blowout loss at Michigan, but no one expected what happened Sunday. The Hoosiers jumped out to double-digit leads – as big as 15 - multiple times during their contest with the Minnesota Golden Gophers and saw all of them disappear. The momentum went back and forth, but it ended in IU’s favor when sophomore guard Verdell Jones hit a jumper falling away to take a 79-78 lead. After a Minnesota miss, freshman forward Christian Watford hit two big free throws and a Gopher prayer went unanswered to give IU an 81-78 win.How did the Hoosiers go from welcome mats to victors in a matter of days? Here are some observations from the editor’s desk.Big men on campusOne of the Hoosiers’ biggest downfalls this year has been their lack of a post presence, and in Sunday’s win, the frontcourt had a Jekyll-and-Hyde performance. Freshman forward Christian Watford started the game turning the ball over with reckless ball control but finished with 16 points in 36 minutes played. Sophomore forward Tom Pritchard pulled down 6 rebounds and provided some second-chance points, but he leaned in on shooters far too often and fouled out in regulation.Even freshman forward Bobby Capobianco got into the mix, providing a huge spark with scrappy play and some big shots. But he, too, fouled out and had 2 turnovers in just 15 minutes of action.Momentum slowedMinnesota’s plan to keep the crowd down to a dull roar was evident throughout the game. After a big dunk, a dagger 3-pointer or any other standing-ovation-inducing play from IU, the Gophers hurried down the court to get a quick bucket.The Hoosiers had no answer for the sudden burst of speed, and, most of the time, the strategy worked. Although the Hoosiers were jumping out to big leads and showed obvious intensity, very rarely did the crowd get to stand and cheer as the Gophers ran an offensive set. Own the glassWhen was the last time anyone could say the following? The Hoosiers dominated on the offensive boards. The discrepancy (17-10) doesn’t tell the whole story. IU attacked the boards all game, earning second-chance points and controlling the pace of the game. When Minnesota made its comeback, offensive rebounds had a very small part. The Hoosiers simply tried to save, not extend, their lead, and were forced several times to force up bad shots. Player of the game - Verdell Jones - 24 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assistsHow could it go to anyone else? You could make the case for Devan Dumes or Christian Watford, but with the game on the line, Jones ran the offense. Down 78-73 in OT, Jones scored six unanswered points, including the game-winning shot with 32 seconds on the clock.
(12/03/09 4:48am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When are three Big Ten championships, two Big Ten Coach of the Year titles and one National Championship not enough to keep your job? Apparently, when you’re IU men’s soccer coach Mike Freitag. The handpicked successor to IU men’s soccer Godfather Jerry Yeagley, Freitag will not return to Bloomington after a 13-11-1 season, the program’s worst record. However, as Athletics Director Fred Glass astutely pointed out, IU’s record is not the reason Freitag is being let go. Sure, the storied program hasn’t had a season this bad since 1985, but every sport is allowed to have a down year. Instead, Freitag is gone because of a tight, downward spiral sucking the Hoosiers off their once-earned pedestal. Glass said he and Chris Reynolds, IU associate athletic director for regulatory affairs, took a look at the program’s past several years and where it was going. What they saw was a team that hadn’t been to a College Cup since the National Championship in 2004, making this senior class just the second not to see the Final Four. They earned the worst home record in IU history in 2009. After the Hoosiers’ season-ending 1-0 loss to North Carolina, Reynolds reached out to the team to ask their opinion on the team’s state with Freitag as head coach. What they said is unknown, but because Freitag was deemed expendable one can assume their reviews weren’t glowing. Freitag criticized the staff for holding the interviews immediately after a tough loss, saying “emotions were still high,” but Glass said he didn’t hear anything he hadn’t heard before. “These comments were not inconsistent with comments that other exit interviews and other things that we have heard from the players over the course of the season,” Glass said. The news that Glass chose not to renew Freitag’s contract came within months of him saying that he will fulfill IU football coach Bill Lynch’s contract, leading many to ask the question: Why Freitag and not Lynch? The main difference between the two programs lies within the history books. Essentially, IU soccer is a winner and IU football is not. Plus, Freitag is not being fired in the middle of a contract as Lynch would have been, which makes the financial differences between the two black and white. For Glass, a coach’s on-field success was only one small part to consider when deciding to keep or discard either coach. “I really feel and am convinced that the soccer program was going in the wrong direction, and I believe the football program is going in the right direction,” Glass said. “So I think you take into account the record and you don’t ignore the record because, ultimately, all of us are ultimately judged upon the wins and losses, but it’s only part of the puzzle.” If a team is having historic lows and the players aren’t adamant about keeping the coach, that team is indeed going in the wrong direction. These aren’t players forced to play for Freitag, either. They’re the guys he recruited, coached and, at last, failed. These players came to IU because of its rich history of dominance, brilliance and confidence. They chose IU over other schools because they wanted to – and thought they would – win. When something is lost like IU’s commonplace winning record, it’s time to make a change. Now, let the speculation begin over Freitag’s replacement. Glass said he would prefer an IU alumnus, and his top options would have to be Caleb Porter, 1998 IU graduate and current coach of the No. 1 Akron Zips program or 1994 graduate and Yeagley’s son Todd Yeagley, currently the head coach at Wisconsin. It will be Glass’ first hire, and it couldn’t be any tougher. If his choice is a failure for one of IU’s top programs, his judgment of coaches will forever be questioned. It would tarnish the program’s reputation and the top recruiting classes IU is used to having would be limited. The right move was made for now, but a wrong move in the future would be worse than sticking with the status quo.
(12/02/09 5:18am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>What a long, strange trip this will be. Fresh off a more than disappointing 4-8 season, the Hoosiers can officially pack up 2009 and prepare to unfurl 2010. Returning next season are the figure heads of IU football in junior quarterback Ben Chappell, sophomore wide receiver Tandon Doss, and, of course, IU coach Bill Lynch. But past that, the Hoosiers will enter their first season this decade with questions all around the board. Defensive youth movement The list of seniors leaving the IU defense is staggering. Household names like Jammie Kirlew, Greg Middleton, Ray Fisher and Matt Mayberry are all graduating. In fact, about 56 percent of the team’s total tackles will be gone next season. The biggest concerns for the Hoosiers defensively come from the defensive line and the secondary. It’s unknown how well sophomore defensive ends Fred Jones and Darius Johnson will lead because both were injured for most of 2009. Fortunately for IU, however, the men in the middle have proven their worth and then some. Freshmen defensive tackles Adam Replogle and Larry Black, Jr. had outstanding seasons, combining for 12.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks. The Hoosiers will take their biggest hit in the secondary. Gone are safeties Austin Thomas and Nick Polk and their cornerback and leading return man with Fisher. IU does have junior safety Jerimy Finch returning, and junior Adrian Burks played solid as a starter at this season’s end. But, while the talents of the younger players stepping up is unknown, the voids in a secondary already ranked ninth in the Big Ten in passing defense cannot be ignored. Season of change? To offset such changes in the defense, Lynch may have to dip into his talent pool and switch some positions. Last year, the big name switch was Fisher’s move from receiver to cornerback, and before that it was Polk’s move from receiver to safety. This year, junior wide receiver Mitchell Evans could be that name. Evans appeared in all 13 games in 2007 at safety and special teams, even intercepting two passes against Western Michigan, and starting against Akron. With the Hoosiers stockpiled at receiver, his move would make sense. They might miss him most in their Wildcat packages, but there is a new face coming in that could play the part just as well, if not better. Three names, how many games?Freshman quarterback Edward Wright-Baker spent most of his first season at IU as the No. 2 quarterback. But having not touched the field once, he will have four more years of eligibility. The question is, how will he be used in his first of those four years? Not only does he have the mobility and athleticism to run the ball, he has the arm to throw it. The Hoosiers scarcely passed with Evans running the show, allowing defenses to stack the box and stuff the run. With Wright-Baker behind center, defenses wouldn’t have that luxury.It’s that kind of threat with multiple options that would make the Hoosiers an offensive force in the Big Ten. And with a defense that will probably allow its share of points, they’ll need that to win games in 2010. Expectations It’s been two years since the Hoosiers’ seven-win season in 2007, and in those two years, they have won a total of seven games, finishing in dead last in the conference both times. Still, when you play the “what-if” game, the 2009 Hoosiers could have been playing in a bowl game this month. Whether their close calls against Northwestern, Iowa and Wisconsin were signs of life or mere flukes will be known by next October. Barring injury or catastrophic regression, the offense should be one of the conference’s best next season. The trio of Chappell at starting quarterback, Willis as running back and Doss as receiver will give Hoosier fans reason to be excited. That being said, if the Hoosiers don’t explode offensively with the talent and experience they possess, changes will need to be made at the top. Fans have lamented over offensive coordinator Matt Canada’s playcalling the past few years. Canada has done a remarkable job with Chappell and former IU quarterback Kellen Lewis in his time at IU, so if the offense struggles, finding a new play caller while keeping Canada aboard should be a top priority. Defensively, it’s never good to lose so many seniors but, on the bright side, that senior-led unit still allowed the most points in the Big Ten. Perhaps a complete overhaul is just what they need to turn it around. It’s impossible to expect much from a last place team, and 2010 is going to be one of those “expect the worst, hope for the best” kind of years.
(11/23/09 2:45am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>This team was supposed to be different. The 2009 Hoosiers preached from August to November about the changes in the program and about how they were going to make football relevant at IU.In a 38-21 loss to Purdue, that progress was hard to find.It was an all-around ugly game on both sides, as was to be expected between two mediocre teams playing for nothing but pride. No one expected a perfect game, but signs of change would have been sufficient. But the program’s directional change IU coach Bill Lynch and company talked about was, admittedly, hard to see on the field. “On the outside, all you see is what’s played on Saturday and the final score, and that’s obviously what we’re judged on,” Lynch said. “But if you’re asking me about making progress, it’s what I see every day in the halls of this complex in terms of work ethic and accountability and leadership and all those things that you get tired of hearing me talk about.” What everyone sees is a team that, despite all the talk of improvement, finished 2009 with only one more win than last season at 4-8 on the season. It’s a team that has finished at the bottom of the Big Ten yet again. Adding to the disappointment, at least for those outside the locker room, was another missed opportunity to hook a legion of fans to IU football. Just as it did when Ohio State came to town, Memorial Stadium’s student section expanded and sold out. It was a refreshing sight for my eyes, as a packed and rabid student section should be a staple of every Big Ten football stadium. It was a godsend for the IU Athletics Department, with its largest money-generator finally paying off.However, just as they did Oct. 3, those students left early while IU dropped a game it never really had a chance to win.It’s hard not to argue, though, that the team does appear to have a heightened desire to win and a feeling of greater responsibility. You could see it in the defense’s intensity in the second half Saturday, and you could hear it in the upset voices in postgame interviews.But while shoulders sagged as Purdue celebrated with the Old Oaken Bucket on the Hoosiers’ field, Saturday showed some reasons to remain optimistic. IU’s brightest future lies in the wide receivers, and junior Mitchell Evans threw his name into the ring with 10 catches for 112 yards and a touchdown. And freshman running back Darius Willis showed he could be an All-Big Ten player when healthy, scrambling for a game-high 142 yards on 19 carries. The influx of young talent could neutralize the effects of losing the Hoosiers’ senior leaders, but that will depend on their commitment to turning the program around. One of those seniors, running back Bryan Payton, said he’s leaving a team primed for success. “They’re in good hands,” Payton said. “I think the young talent on this team is definitely going to carry the team to great heights. There is no doubt in my mind they’re going to be a great team next year.” Filling the running back’s shoes, Willis will be one of the main weapons counted on to be a leader in the next few seasons, and he said he feels he’ll be part of a much different team. “We don’t give up anymore; people play all out,” Willis said. “There’s a lot of togetherness, We’re playing as a team, and you can see that in the locker room, and you can see that on the field, even at practice. “This program is changing, and we have the right people. We’ve just got to keep moving forward.” It’d be nice had it changed already, but for at least one more winter, we’ll have to wait.
(11/20/09 4:42am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>When the Hoosiers storm the field for the last time in 2009 to take on Purdue, it will be a reminder that this is what college football should be. When you strip the game down to its most primal state – throwing away the bowl games, recruiting implications and the dollars and cents of the business – it’s about pride in yourself and your team. It’s about earning that pride from your enemy, an enemy that has beat you handily and has been the object of your comparison. For both IU and Purdue, the buck stops Saturday. They’ll play like there’s no tomorrow, because there isn’t. Both at 4-7, the Hoosiers and the Boilermakers will be forced to watch December games from home. It’s rivalries like IU-Purdue that make the most mundane and seemingly meaningless games worth watching. On the national scale, this game means nothing, but the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket hits home every year. For 21 Hoosiers this time around, it means one last shot at raising bandaged hands in the air and showing whatever teeth are left after four grueling years with a euphoric grin. “I always see a rivalry game as a game for seniors,” IU coach Bill Lynch said. “That is why this game is tucked at the end of the season because if it is in the middle of the season, then it loses some of its flare.” You don’t have to be a football guru to see the rivalry in play. During practice, the scoreboard indicates “Purdont” as the visiting team. Flyers reading “Punt Purdue” and “Take the Bucket” litter campus. Other words directed toward West Lafayette simply can’t be printed. And the seniors, like tackle Roger Saffold, have given this game a bump in importance. “This is almost like our bowl game, to tell you the truth,” Saffold said. “Going against Purdue is just real excitement. It excites everybody around you. “You’ve got friends from the other side talking trash to you, and all you do is take that, bring some more energy into practice, get prepared better and see how it works out on the field.”The seniors’ intensity, and how the younger players will feed on it, will be the determining factor in Saturday’s outcome. It worked in IU’s favor in 2007 when a field goal was propelled by the collective will of IU fans, Terry Hoeppner’s survivors and believers of fate. It worked against the Hoosiers when Purdue, driven by former coach Joe Tiller’s desire to finish his career on top, put 62 points on the board in 2008. There are the proverbial X’s and O’s to consider when looking at this game, but the teams are so similar it’s irrelevant. This game should be about the subtleties of college football, not the grand schemes. It should be about the throngs of IU students who will cloud Memorial Stadium’s east side to, if nothing else, rub victory in the face of their friends that traveled down Interstae 65 to Bloomington. It should be about a group of young men trying to etch their names in the record books while hanging a gold “I” on the Bucket. When the Hoosier seniors are introduced, their mothers will hold the only roses they’ll smell this season, and the only bowls they’ll see after Saturday will be filled with stuffing. Yet this game puts everything both teams have worked for on the line. It will end with pride, bragging rights and a sense of accomplishment in one locker room and disappointment, heartache and a sense of longing in the other. But that’s what rivalries are, and forever should be, about. Prediction: The Big Ten’s worst passing defense (IU) and rushing defense (Purdue) headline Saturday’s matchup. Purdue is poised to shred the IU secondary, as quarterback Joey Elliot is No. 1 in the conference in passing, right above junior IU quarterback Ben Chappell. IU, meanwhile, would appear to have trouble exploiting the Boilermakers’ weakness with the 10th-ranked rushing offense in the Big Ten, but freshman running back Darius Willis is finally healthy again, and he should be able to break big runs. Also healthy is junior wide receiver Mitchell Evans, and the Hoosier passing game, led by Chappell and sophomore wide receiver Tandon Doss, is always dangerous. It’s the last game of the year, so expect to see some creative Wildcat packages, reverses and maybe a fake kick or two. It will be another high-scoring affair, but this time, it shouldn’t be so slanted toward Purdue. IU 38 – PU 35
(11/18/09 5:25am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>With both teams suffering defeats last weekend, IU and Purdue will meet for their annual contest with nothing to play for but the Old Oaken Bucket. IU’s season will end regardless of the outcome, which is anything but unique. However, the 2009 Hoosiers are on the edge of breaking school records heading into Saturday’s contest with their most bitter rival. Chappell’s 1st starting season Records on the line: completions, attempts, completion percentage, yards Junior quarterback Ben Chappell took control as the team’s undisputed starting quarterback with the dismissal of former IU quarterback Kellen Lewis in the spring. But questions remained about how he would perform. Not only has he put inquiries of his starting status to rest, but he has a chance to etch his name in the record books as one of the best seasons an IU quarterback has ever had. Chappell is 369 yards away from breaking Lewis’ record for most in a season, but that would be a career-high, and Purdue ranks fifth in the Big Ten in passing defense. If he does hit that mark, he will probably have to drop back quite a bit, which might bring him another record. Chappell is 53 throws away from breaking Lewis’ attempts record, and while that seems high, he did chuck 51 last week at Penn State. While he will be hard-pressed to break those records, several others are within easy reach. He is only 21 completions away from breaking another one of Lewis’ records, and he is on pace to be the first Hoosier quarterback to ever have a completion percentage above 60 percent. At 63 percent going into Saturday, he will need at least an average performance to stay on top. Doss running through the IU record books On the line: receptions The team’s best surprise and most dangerous weapon, sophomore wide receiver Tandon Doss, has benefited from Chappell’s great year as his No. 1 option. It became evident Doss would be deeply involved in the offense from the start, as he hauled in eight receptions in a victory against Eastern Kentucky. Since then, he has never had a game in which he had less than five catches.Doss, sitting pretty with 73 catches, is seven away from passing James Hardy on the team’s single-season reception list. His chances are good, considering he has had five games with at least that many catches. He only has one record to break this year, but don’t be shocked to see him vying for more top spots next season. The Rock is (almost) packed
On the line: attendance marks While there won’t be any records set and there is no anticipation of the unknown, when the game is underway Saturday, IU will have broken the 40,000 mark in average attendance for the first time since 1992. The highest average attendance in Memorial Stadium was 53,319 in 1969, a far cry from the Hoosiers’ 40,478 thus far. But the highest average in 17 years is certainly worthy of recognition, especially given the team’s 4-7 record. Last season, when the team was 3-9, average attendance was just more than 31,000. And although the team has only one win in the last eight games, the rivalry with Purdue has allowed IU Athletics to expand the student section by more than 50 percent. And if the home crowd fuels the team to victory, it will be the first time IU has taken home the Bucket in at least two out of three years since 1994-96. By a great margin On the line: conference lead in turnover margin Although it has been much-maligned for an inability to keep a lead in the fourth quarter, the IU defense has excelled in getting the ball back to its offense. At plus-11, the Hoosiers trail only Ohio State (plus-12) in turnover margin in the Big Ten. Since the conference began keeping the statistic in 1987, IU has never finished the season on top. The Hoosiers’ defense has done its part, leading the Big Ten in takeaways with 29, averaging a plus-one margin per game. The offense has been scrupulous with the ball itself, but just not enough to be in the lead. If the defense keeps its ball-hawk mentality in check and the offense limits the turnovers, the Hoosiers might walk away with the title as the conference’s most careful and simultaneously theft-minded team in IU lore.
(11/16/09 2:43am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As if football wasn’t a complex enough game with the rules in the book, the unwritten rules – generally accepted ways of the game – come into play throughout an entire contest. While most are proven correct in the course of a Saturday afternoon, some defy the laws of common sense. In the Hoosiers’ 31-20 loss at Penn State, some major unwritten rules were put to the test. Rule No. 1: If you can’t run the ball or stop the run, you’re going to lose the game.Verdict: True When the Hoosiers have been able to run the ball effectively (see: Michigan, Illinois), the offense is diverse, threatening and explosive. When they can’t stop the run (see: Virginia, Wisconsin), the game is out of the Hoosiers’ control and they’re forced to play catch up. At Penn State, the Hoosiers struggled with both. IU managed just 48 yards on the ground on 24 attempts, good for 2 yards per attempt. Senior running back Bryan Payton, who led the team with 30 of those yards, said it wasn’t any exotic scheme, but sound, fundamental football that kept the Hoosiers in the backfield. “They’ve got some good players out there, some NFL players,” Payton said. “But I think more than anything, they know what they’re doing, and they do it to near perfection.” Meanwhile, the Nittany Lions found multiple ways to move with the ground game. Altogether, they ran for 181 yards, averaging 4.6 yards per carry. Senior linebacker Matt Mayberry virtually echoed Payton’s sentiments, saying Penn State did nothing out of the ordinary other than simply “getting the yards that they needed.” On Saturday, the running game was effective early and IU jumped to a 10-0 lead. Its failure throughout the remainder of the game, though, forced junior quarterback Ben Chappell to sling it 51 times. Mistakes are bound to come in that many attempts, and when they came, they were back-breakers. It’s been a problem all year for the Hoosiers, who rank in the bottom of the Big Ten in both rushing yards and rushing yards allowed. Rule No. 2: The turnover battle wins the game.Verdict: False If the turnovers alone won or lost games, the Hoosiers would be playing for the Rose Bowl. At plus-11, IU is second in the Big Ten in turnover margin and first in total takeaways with 29. To win any game, especially one against a top-20 team, having more takeaways than turnovers is essential. But it doesn’t end there. When you get the ball, you have to score. The Hoosiers had all four of their takeaways come in the first half and converted them into just seven total points. It’s something junior quarterback Ben Chappell knows is unacceptable. “It’s been a huge issue, and there’s different reasons for that,” Chappell said. “We’re just not making plays when they’re there.” Playing hurt and opportunistic, the defense made the kinds of plays needed to win. If it wasn’t forcing a turnover, it was popping a receiver at the goal line to prevent a touchdown. Winning close games has been something the Hoosiers haven’t done this season, but if they could convert on their golden opportunities, they could put the game out of reach early. Just like they did against Iowa, where they intercepted five passes but didn’t score off them, the Hoosiers failed to put the unwritten rule in effect. Rule No. 3: Third-down conversions and field position tell the storyVerdict: True Converting on third downs offensively and stopping them defensively was on top of IU coach Bill Lynch’s priority list going into the weekend, but it unfolded the same old way at Penn State. The Hoosiers showed why they are nearly the conference’s worst on third down, converting 8 of 18 times and allowing Penn State to go 8 of 12 in the same situation. Where they started didn’t help. In the first half, when they played evenly and ended in a 10-10 tie, IU’s average starting position was their own 33-yard line. In the second half, their average starting point was their own 18-yard line. Not surprisingly, Penn State had the opposite effect. The Nittany Lions’ average field position went from their own 24 in the first half to their own 40 in the second.
(11/13/09 4:53am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>As the Hoosiers prepare for a date at Penn State, there’s an immense elephant in the room. The terms “must-win,” “do or die” and “win or go home” will have their place in every preview of Saturday’s game, but they aren’t points of emphasis within the Memorial Stadium walls. “They know that. I don’t have to talk about that,” IU coach Bill Lynch said. “We’re getting away from the things we have to do in order to be successful on Saturday (if we talk about it).” IU needs two wins in as many games to be in the bowl-game discussion, and the final stretch will begin in hostile territory at Beaver Stadium, a place where IU has never won. In fact, the Hoosiers have never beaten the Nittany Lions, period. But neither past nor future will be on Lynch’s mind heading into Saturday. “If we worry about how it’s a must-win at Penn State, we’re going to be caught up in that,” Lynch said. “I’m more worried about how we’re going to execute on third down.” Lynch pins the team’s performance on third down as one of the main reasons for their demise against Wisconsin last weekend, and with good reason. The IU offense was 4-of-11 in third-down situations, and the defense struggled to get off the field as well, allowing 11-of-17 Badger third-down plays to be converted. It’s been a problem all year, as the Hoosiers have moved the chains on just 37 percent of their third downs and allowed opponents to convert 47 percent of their tries. On a metaphorical scale, the Hoosiers also fell short on their season’s third down. IU is two blown leads and a short comeback attempt away from already being bowl-eligible, and now, it faces a fourth and long situation. They’re one loss away from losing all hope at a postseason berth in 2009, but their chances, while slim, aren’t as dire as they appear. Penn State, once favored to win the Big Ten, has had a disappointing season. Both of its losses have been against ranked opponents –the only ranked teams faced all year – on home turf. And legendary coach Joe Paterno seems to be hitting the senile slope, at least when it comes to IU football.“Well, what they’re doing is what we’ve seen a lot of people do now with the really good running quarterback,” Paterno said. “It’s a version of the old triple option from the shotgun.” Junior quarterback Ben Chappell has been called a lot of things throughout the year, but “good running quarterback” usually doesn’t make the cut. Perhaps he was thinking of junior wide receiver Mitchell Evans, but he has only attempted seven passes on the year, so considering him a quarterback would be a stretch. As for Lynch’s scouting report, there is no doubt how Penn State wins games. The Nittany Lions are first in scoring and passing defense and second in rushing defense in the Big Ten. It won’t get easier when the Hoosiers, who remain at the cellar of the conference in total defense, will line up against Penn State’s No. 2 offense, either. The stats make it look like it could get ugly Saturday, but maybe the Hoosiers will be best with their backs against the wall. After all, the last time Lynch faced a similar situation, he went home with an Old Oaken Bucket and a bowl bid. A victory Saturday will cause a circus when Purdue comes to town next week, so that elephant they’ve been ignoring might come in handy. PredictionWhen thinking of this game, I’m reminded of Dan Fouts in “The Waterboy” saying, “It’s the last game of the year – can’t hold anything back now!” The Hoosiers actually have two games left, but as far as their postseason dreams are concerned, it’s a one-game season. IU will have to empty the playbook to win this one. Lynch has to come up with the game plan of his life to get IU’s first-ever win against Penn State, and there will have to be wrinkles, both offensively and defensively, no one has seen before. The Nittany Lions allow only 10.8 points per game – they have something to prove – and the Hoosiers have let surer things get away. But I haven’t picked an upset this year. So, what the heck? I’ll join Lynch in leaving it all on the field this week. IU 23 - PSU 21
(11/09/09 3:13am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>While their season may be dying, there will be no white flags raised on the IU sideline in the final stretch. The Hoosiers, who have lost six out of their last seven games, could have folded on Saturday. As they entered halftime with a 17-7 deficit, the 3Wisconsin Badgers had their way in the trenches, rushing for 196 yards and limiting IU to one yard on the ground. IU coach Bill Lynch saw a team lacking energy, and as the team regrouped in the locker room, he put it upon them to find the vigor they would need to pull off a comeback. “This week, he really didn’t see the fight in us in the first half, so he challenged us to bring up the intensity and try to make plays in the second half,” sophomore wide receiver Tandon Doss said. It seems vague and obvious, but second-half intensity has been a problem in Bloomington, and Wisconsin has been an example of that before. Just last year, the Hoosiers trailed the Badgers by only four, and the thin crowd at Memorial Stadium saw Wisconsin go on a 31-0 second-half rampage. In the previous two games as well, mistakes in the final 30 minutes led to gut-wrenching losses. In their 31-28 loss Saturday, the Hoosiers showed they at least have guts to wrench. Junior quarterback Ben Chappell, terrorized by Wisconsin defensive end O’Brien Schofield and friends throughout much of the game, absorbed hits and threw two interceptions. The running game, with the Hoosiers playing from behind and starting freshman Darius Willis leaving injured, was virtually non-existent, putting the weight of the game on Chappell’s shoulders. But through it all, he gave the team a backbone to lean against. With 323 yards and three touchdowns, his inspiring performance left Lynch with one word to describe his leader. “Gutsy,” Lynch said. “He is exactly what you’re looking for, because he is one tough guy.” As he watched his quarterback leave it all on the field, Lynch did the same. He called for the Hoosiers to stay on the field on three fourth downs, converting on each. On one occasion, with IU trailing by 10 and the ball on the two-yard line, Lynch faced a familiar dilemma. Just as he did at Northwestern two weeks prior, he decided to pass on a field goal to go for the gusto. Instead of using a Wildcat formation, Lynch gave it to junior running back Trea Burgess this time, with defensive tackle Adam Replogle leading the way, for a touchdown. The conservative call would have been to take the easier three points, but, as Lynch said, the Hoosiers played the game to win Saturday. When you’re trying to turn 125 years of losing into a successful program, you have to have unconventional, go-for-it-all games. The gutsy demeanor and play calling didn’t lead to a victory, but that’s come to be expected. The Badgers dominated on the ground with 294 yards and the Hoosiers defense couldn’t get off the field, as Wisconsin was 11-of-17 on the third down. Yet, thanks to the team’s play-to-win philosophy, the game still came down to one play. The Hoosiers needed to stop one more third down to get the ball back with a chance to make a drive for the win, but a Badger receiver got open and sealed the game. The execution isn’t there, and the Hoosiers still have a long way to go to be consistent winners, but their refusal to surrender Saturday gives hope to a once hopeless program.
(11/06/09 5:15am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Before Adrian Burks could put on the pads as a starting cornerback, he had to put on a dress. In “An American Ma(u)l,” an IU theater and drama play last March, the junior played the part of a drag queen named “Ruth.” It’s something his teammates won’t let him get away with. “You have to (make fun of him),” senior safety and Burks’ good friend Collin Talyor said. “It’s funny enough that you actually know the person who was the crossdresser, and for him to be a football player, he might be the last person you would imagine being out there. “I thought it was hilarious.” But in his first career start in Iowa City, Iowa, last week, a 42-24 loss at the hands of Iowa, there wasn’t much to merit laughter. At least, that is, not until later. The victim of a phantom pass interference penalty in the early stages of last Saturday’s game, Burks had every reason to be frustrated with the controversial officiating. Now, it’s time to move on. “I saw it a couple times, and I was kind of upset because I thought it was great coverage,” Burks said, laughing. “I didn’t think I touched him, but the ref said I did. ... What can I do?” The best thing Burks can do now is hit the film – hard. With senior cornerback Ray Fisher having surgery to repair an injured knee and sophomore Donnell Jones banged up, there is more pressure on Burks than he has had in his previous years in Bloomington. For co-defensive coordinator Joe Palcic, Burks’ improvement from the hostile field in Iowa to the friendly confines at home comes down to his mindset. “Confidence is a big thing with corners, because you’re left alone so much out there,” Palcic said. “When you make a mistake, the whole stadium sees it.” Palcic wants his new starting cornerback to step up the mental side of the game by playing his coverages better, and Burks doesn’t disagree that smart football is how he must progress going into Saturday. “At Iowa, we had some miscommunication a couple times,” Burks said. “I just have to be coming up, making more hits, just doing my job so everyone else follows.” Taylor, who saw his first significant playing time in a victory against Illinois three weeks ago, said simply being named a starter makes the whole week different than it would be as a backup. “We practiced every day like we’re going to play on Saturday,” Taylor said. “The only problem is, we haven’t played on Saturday. When you know you’re going to be out there, you can kind of step it up another notch. You watch more film, you go harder in the weight room and pay full attention in practice.” As Burks prepares for his second start against Wisconsin, concentration will be just as – if not more – important, as miscues in coverage will be amplified. In their run-first scheme, the Badgers seldom ask quarterback Scott Tolzien to win the game. He has yet to have a 300-yard passing game this season, and in last week’s 37-0 victory against Purdue, he was only asked to throw the ball 13 times. With the team focused on stopping the running game that dominated for 441 yards in last season’s meeting, Burks should expect to be left out on an island, one-on-one with a wide receiver. The threat of giving up a big play doesn’t faze Burks, who is just excited to be on the field as a starter. “Wherever they need me to go, I want to be,” Burks said. “I just want to make some plays and beat Wisconsin.” For a guy who dressed as a woman in public, his compliance should come as no surprise. Prediction: More than 400 yards rushing is unthinkable in most offensive coordinators’ dreams, but after a 55-20 drubbing at the hands of Wisconsin in 2008, it’s still in IU coach Bill Lynch’s nightmares. The Badgers, dominating IU last season with their patented power sweep, still live and die by the running game, so stopping that is the No. 1 priority. Offensively, the Hoosiers simply need to find a way to score points in the second half. If IU could keep it close with Iowa, the team should be in a spot to win in the fourth quarter against Wisconsin. But after being outscored 38-0 in the final quarter in their last two contests, the question is, will the Hoosiers finish? IU 23 – Wisconsin 31
(11/05/09 5:12am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The Hoosiers competed in five roller coaster games in October, the most of any month. In 31 days, the Hoosiers went from bowl contender to Big Ten bottom feeder. They went from making the officials work to getting worked by officials. October, for better or worse, defines every college football team, and the Hoosiers have carved out their own definition. Let’s take a look at the crazy month and what it means for the future of the program. Hoosiers in OctoberRecord – 1- 4Points scored/game – 20Points allowed/game – 33Rush yards/game – 92.2Pass yards/game – 226.4Rush yards allowed/game – 188Pass yards allowed/game – 274.2 Player of the month Tandon Doss, sophomore wide receiverOctober stats: 33 rec., 377 yards, 2 TD; 6 car., 41 yardsDoss was expected to breakout as the team’s best playmaker eventually, but no one expected him to be in the conversation for the Big Ten’s best receiver. He exploded in a victory against Illinois, hauling in seven catches for 130 yards and a touchdown, and he had at least five receptions in each October game. Doss was also a threat in the running game, taking at least one carry in each game this past month. Doss and fellow receiver Damarlo Belcher are set to form a one-two punch for years to come, and when highly-touted freshman receiver Duwyce Wilson hits the field, Doss will continue to find open holes in the passing game. He may not be the fastest receiver in the Big Ten, but he might be the quickest. With soft hands and superb route running, Doss should be playing on Sundays in a year or two. Disappointment of the month Demetrius McCray, senior running backOctober stats: 14 car., 48 yards, 0 TDThe disappointment doesn’t stem from McCray’s production on the field, but his lack of being there at all. After rushing for a career-high 134 yards and a touchdown against Western Michigan in September, McCray disappeared from the Hoosier backfield. The emergence of freshman Darius Willis and the use of Wildcat formation has trimmed the running back committee to a one-man show. It’s a spot Willis has definitely earned, but what’s interesting is how little McCray has been used, even as a complement back. He had three games in October with no carries, and only had more than one when filling in for an injured Willis at Virginia. McCray won’t be returning to the team next year, so, hopefully, November gives him a chance for a better swan song. Game of the month IU loses to Iowa, 42-24Storylines: Second-half meltdown, officiating, upset bid.The final day of the month gave the Hoosiers a game to remember, but it’s one they’d like to forget. IU had just come off a heartbreaker in Evanston, blowing a 25-point lead in a 29-28 loss. But that could have been forgotten if the Hoosiers could have knocked off a top-10 team on the road. They came so close. The Hoosiers took a 21-7 lead into halftime against Iowa and were in complete control throughout much of the third quarter. But as the game went on, the Hoosiers’ misfortune snowballed. In between the plays were several calls against the Hoosiers that turned the tide. Somehow, the officials didn’t know that one foot in the end zone equals touchdown, you can’t have a helmet-to-helmet hit with a shoulder or that Iowa offensive lineman are capable of holding, too. In the end, Iowa exploited the Hoosiers’ inability to close out a game, but it also showed IU coach Bill Lynch’s knack to game plan – if only for a half. The Hoosiers will have to develop a killer instinct to be consistent winners, and thanks to Athletic Director Fred Glass’ vote of confidence for Lynch late in October, they’ll have at least two more years to get there. October gradeC- While a 1-4 record would usually be grounds for failing marks, the Hoosiers had some signs of promise in October. They showed, in most spots, they have the talent to match up with every team in the conference. But the defensive secondary was burned an awful lot in each of the team’s four losses, and both sides of the ball were far better in the first half of games than the second. The inconsistency turned wins into losses and put them in an unfavorable position for a bowl bid. Bright spots like Doss and Willis on offense and defensive linemen Larry Black and Adam Replogle on the on the other side of the ball give the Hoosiers hope for the future, but not all is roses for IU. The list of seniors is startling, especially defensively. Both starting safeties in Nick Polk and Austin Thomas, the leading tackler in Matt Mayberry and their leading return man in Ray Fisher are all in their last year. And, most importantly, defensive ends Jammie Kirlew and Greg Middleton are also seniors. The Hoosiers will have a tough time replacing all of them after the season.For now, the seniors and the rest of the squad, after underperforming in October, will need at least two wins in November to play a 13th game.
(11/02/09 4:50am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>If the Hoosiers are consistent with anything this year, it’s being inconsistent. In a 42-24 loss at Iowa, the Hoosiers, for the second consecutive week, saw a comfortable lead disappear and a previously dominated game lost. Again, the game featured an unstoppable IU team in the first half and a group of patsies in the second. As icy winds oscillated through Kinnick Stadium, so, too, did the game’s momentum. With a 14-point lead at the half and Iowa’s home crowd voicing its displeasure, the Hoosiers had an upset and a detractor-silencing win in their hands. The second half, which has been the Hoosiers’ poison pill all season, was a different story once again. In past cave-ins, IU coach Bill Lynch stressed how there wasn’t one play that turned the tide. On Saturday, the turning point was obvious to all. With a 21-7 lead and the ball on the Hawkeyes’ two-yard line, junior quarterback Ben Chappell threw a pass that hit just about everything except his intended receiver, eventually ending up in Iowa safety Tyler Sash’s hands for a pick-six. Chappell, lying face-down more than half the field behind a celebrating Iowa team, served as the perfect symbol for the Hoosiers’ performance from then on. IU put only one field goal on the board in response, but even that would have been enough to win if the defense continued to lock down the way it had in the first half. For one quarter, it did answer the call. Throughout the third, every Iowa possession ended in an interception, as Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi completed as many passes to his own guys (four) as he did to Hoosier defenders. Yet the number four, so favorable to them in that quarter, would prove to be the Hoosiers’ greatest enemy. IU was trampled 28-0 in the fourth quarter. Iowa went 4-4 on third downs, with the Hoosiers going 0-4, and Chappell, the man donning the number, threw for just 57 yards and two more interceptions to close out the collapse. As the Hoosiers jogged off the field, their fifth loss in six games added yet another chapter to the their book on how to not deal with adversity. After their first defeat in Michigan, a game everyone thought they should have won, the Hoosiers came out flat against Ohio State. When Virginia began piling on the points early in the following contest, IU players admittedly rolled over in shock. And as Northwestern began clawing back from a 25-point hole last week, the Hoosiers failed to buckle their chinstraps and take back what was theirs. A mere theory at one point was all but proven as fact, as the seconds ticked away from the upset bid – when things go wrong, IU has no answer. During much of the game, adversity took the form of the officials. Yet while the officiating was beyond horrid, it cannot be solely blamed for this loss. Yes, if not for a reversed play call that defied the laws of sight, junior wide receiver Terrance Turner should have had at least one touchdown reception. But the Hoosiers can pardon the officials and pin the blame on themselves this time. Iowa, as good as they have been all year, didn’t deserve this win, but the Hoosiers let them have it. The Hawkeyes have done an admirable job closing out games all year, so it wasn’t the fact that they came back but the magnitude of their resurgence that stands out. In the telltale fourth quarter, the defense gave up scoring passes of 92 and 66 yards and easy touchdown runs of six and 27 yards. The offense, not doing itself any favors with four penalties, three of which were accepted, continued to hit dead ends. The Hoosiers have played only 30 minutes of great football far too often this season, and if they want to pull off a miracle and go to a bowl game this season, they’ll need to go the full 60 with the same passion, focus and execution they show at the start.At Iowa, though, they reverted back to same song and dance. Their failure to rebound from a tough set of circumstances ultimately led to their crumble, but it wasn’t surprising. Finding a way to lose a game they looked poised to win has been the one constant all year.
(10/30/09 4:32am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>The buses carrying Hawkeyes and Hoosiers couldn’t have been more different last Saturday.The Hoosiers were silent, angry and heartbroken following their one-point loss to Northwestern; the Hawkeyes were thrilled and confident as they left Michigan State with a two-point victory.Those three combined points tell the story of two teams going down similar, yet vastly different, paths this season.The Hoosiers, losers of four out of their last five games, sit with a mediocre 4-4 record, and making a bowl game is a steep hill to climb. Iowa, meanwhile, has the nation’s second-best winning streak at 12 games and is a perfect 8-0.As black and white as it appears, shades of gray dominate a comparison of the two teams.Despite the four-game lead Iowa has on IU, the teams are almost statistical reflections of one another. Other than Iowa’s daunting defensive statistics, the teams would appear to be on equal footing.Yet the Hawkeyes are moving toward the National Championship, and the Hoosiers are only two losses away from staying home in December.The difference between the two cannot be analyzed statistically, and it can’t be found on game film. Iowa, despite their many flaws, wins games they should lose as the Hoosiers do the exact opposite.The Hawkeyes have what every championship contender wants, but what that is remains nameless. They have something pundits can only deem as “it,” the undeniable tendency to always, regardless of what happens, win.And the Hoosiers, with all their talent and desire to be great, don’t have that “it” factor. Last Saturday, the evidence was palpable.The Hoosiers, having already seen a 25-point lead dwindle to two, couldn’t close the game. The defense allowed Northwestern to drive deep into its territory, setting up for a chip-shot field goal to steal the victory.Now, flash back to Week 1 in Iowa City, Iowa. Northern Iowa was a mere kick away from upsetting the Hawkeyes in Kinnick Stadium. Iowa blocked the game-winning attempt and, thanks to the ball not crossing the line of scrimmage, blocked a second kick.On Saturday, IU couldn’t block Northwestern’s only chance, and freshman kicker Nick Freeland didn’t have a miracle in him as his 59-yard field goal fell short, handing the Hoosiers their fourth loss.Just a few hours later, Iowa was in a close grapple at Michigan State, fighting for its BCS life. The Spartans looked poised for the upset with a 30-yard, go-ahead touchdown pass with under two minutes remaining.But the Hawkeyes showed why they are undefeated. As time expired, Iowa quarterback Ricky Stanzi hit Marvin McNutt from seven yards out to continue their perfect season.The heart-attack Hawkeyes approach has been a common theme in 2009. Four of their wins – coincidentally, the number separating themselves and IU – have been by three points or less. In the same situation, the Hoosiers are 0-2.The disparity has Iowa at No. 4 in the BCS standings and IU at 10th in the Big Ten. It has Hawkeye fans forming treasured memories and Hoosier fans trying to forget.And, if the game comes down to one play Saturday, it will make the bus trip to Bloomington another long one.Prediction:IU faces the best team they have had to face all year when they travel to Iowa City, Iowa, this weekend. The Hawkeyes’ defense has been nearly impenetrable this season, and the Hoosiers’ offense has been unpredictable at best.Iowa will be without a starting guard and their starting running back, but the Hawkeyes have not won with their offense all year. The Hoosiers will need to keep Iowa at single digits throughout much of the game to have a chance, but the holes in the pass defense should allow more than one big play.IU 9 – Iowa 20
(10/29/09 3:38am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>Amid a sea of disappointments and subsequent speculations, IU coach Bill Lynch finally found a lifeboat. Casting the buoy is IU Athletics Director Fred Glass, who made it part of his Wednesday agenda to tell the Indiana Daily Student his intentions of retaining Lynch as head coach, at least until the final two years of his contract expire. The problem, though, might not be with the actual contract, but in the fact that there is a contract to begin with. After leading IU to its first bowl game in more than a decade, everyone got swooped up in the excitement and Lynch was given the title of head man and an extension by former Athletics Director Rick Greenspan. It wasn’t Glass’ decision to do so, but he said he is set to make sure contracts mean something at IU again. Lynch has two years remaining, and Glass will simply let those years play out, for better or worse. It’s a noble, if not untimely, stance to take. But he’s now put himself in a tough situation. If the team struggles so badly that Glass is forced by his self-proclaimed IU fan personality to look for a new coach, he’ll come off as a hypocrite whose word means nothing to those future coaches. If he sticks by his conviction, and the team does continue to struggle, he’ll lose fans faster than you can say “Kicks for Keeps."Glass said he doesn’t want to speculate on what would happen if the team doesn’t improve. He doesn’t want to get into the “what-ifs.” Yet he also wanted to make the point that, save a few unfortunate plays, the team could be bowl eligible already. He has a point, as the losses at Michigan and Northwestern were both lost by three points or less, and in both games, IU had complete control of the game at one point. But what happened to not thinking about the “what-ifs?” After all, the team has been equally inconclusive in victory. In wins against Eastern Kentucky and Western Michigan, a late-game fumble in their own red zone saved points and, possibly, the game for the Hoosiers. From a pure “what-if” standpoint, the Hoosiers could be 2-6 just as easily as they could be 6-2. Just speculating on how many games the Hoosiers could have lost isn’t sufficient justification for a fire, but thinking about how many games they could have won isn’t enough to keep a coach, either. You can point out how close the Hoosiers have been to breaking through, but the simple fact is they haven’t. Good teams don’t make excuses for losing; they put themselves in a position to win. To Lynch’s credit, he has done a pretty decent job trying to push that idea. He always preaches that one play doesn’t make a game, and he seems to be trying harder this year to make the team forget losses. Eventually, IU needs a coach that won’t have to work on getting past losses as frequently. Whether that turns out to be Lynch or not depends only on time. For now, there will be no great flood pouring from the IU Athletics office, wiping out the IU coaching staff, but Lynch has to turn it around. With the time he is getting, he will be expected to build a consistently successful program. Losses are his riptide, and if Lynch doesn’t turn it around, he’ll drown out just as countless others have done in Bloomington.
(10/28/09 2:34am)
____simple_html_dom__voku__html_wrapper____>IU coach Bill Lynch’s already-hot seat is starting to sizzle. After a 3-9 disaster last season, tempers around Bloomington went from boiling to tepid once 2009 kicked off. The Hoosiers, paced by exciting young players and a new determination to win, started the season on a very positive 3-1 note. A 1-3 record since, culminating with a 29-28 heartbreaker at Northwestern, has brought it all back to square one. Images of “Fire Lynch” bed sheets in Memorial Stadium now resonate as IU’s season is on its last breath. And as of Monday, the future appears to be on life-support as well. Jibreel Black, the Hoosiers’ top recruit and brother of current defensive tackle Larry Black, revoked his verbal commitment to IU and said he plans on playing for his home state Cincinnati Bearcats. Black said he would be lying if Cincinnati’s recent success, and IU’s lack thereof, didn’t play a role in his decision. “The past is what you have as an indicator of the future,” Black said. The desire to be a part of a winning program – and ditching IU for that reason – is nothing new. Before the 2007 season, safety Jerimy Finch, who had already de-committed from Michigan, made a verbal pledge to play for the Hoosiers. An up-and-coming IU team finally had their prize recruit, and it seemed like a marriage that was meant to be. However, when a chance to play for a National Championship came calling, with Florida coach Urban Meyer asking for Finch’s services, IU was left at the alter. If it weren’t for a knee injury and a release from Florida, Finch would never have put on a Hoosier jersey.Even the storied basketball program, in the wake of Kelvin Sampson’s tidal wave of deceit last year, had top prospects such as Devin Ebanks decide to back out of their cream and crimson contracts, and the team struggled their way to a last place finish. With a fresh history of heartbreak endured by Hoosier teams, it shouldn’t come as much of a surprise that Black left. Yet his departure instills deeper feelings of disappointment than many of the past de-commits have, and the cause comes straight from his stirring words. “I don’t care about the history of the school. It’s about now,” Black said after committing to the team in June. “Hopefully, I can be the one that sets it where other recruits aren’t going to be ashamed to come here. I can be that spark.” With his retraction now, Black might have the exact opposite effect. With his name out of the picture, IU’s 2010 recruiting class drops in Rivals’ rankings to dead last in the Big Ten. And of the eight three-star recruits still committed to IU, three hail from the Cincinnati area. Only wide receiver Tim O’Conner did not have Cincinnati listed as a school of interest, and defensive lineman Pete Bachman even had a scholarship offer from the Bearcats. With the top dog bolting from IU to the hometown team, it wouldn’t be shocking if the others followed. When a team has this kind of series of misfortunes, the scapegoat, at any level of football, will inevitably be the head coach. Without missing a beat, Hoosier fans have hit the message boards and radio shows calling for Lynch’s dismissal from IU. The loss to Northwestern, all but ending the team’s postseason chances, was the spark that started the fire, and Black’s de-commitment is the gasoline making it rage. It’s nothing that winning wouldn’t cure, but the schedule doesn’t yield positive thoughts. The Hoosiers have road games against the two best teams in the Big Ten in Iowa and Penn State, and they return home to face teams in Wisconsin and Purdue that don’t seem as beatable as they did a few weeks ago. And now, with Black’s exit, Hoosier fans have two disheartening questions to ask themselves: Will IU win another game this year, and who will join the team in 2010? Lynch can only hope he sticks around long enough to learn the answers.