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(12/03/01 6:11am)
It might not have been the prettiest season, but the Hoosiers managed to turn a 1-5 record around and win four of their final five games, including two against big-time rivals.\nFirst came Purdue and the return of the Old Oaken Bucket, and on Saturday the Hoosiers beat Kentucky 26-15 in a emotionally-charged game that erupted on the final snap of the game.\nWith nine seconds left on the clock, senior Antwaan Randle El and his offense, got in the final, "victory" formation. But as soon as the ball was snapped, an IU player and a UK player threw each other on the ground.\nBoth benches emptied onto the field as the clock expired.\n"I've personally never seen a bench clear during the victory formation, but emotions were high out there," senior center Craig Osika said. "(Kentucky was) upset they lost, and we were excited we won and some things got out of hand. I was just taking it all in, until somebody started rushing me."\nJust prior to the grand finale, IU got the ball back on the first interception of the game. \nWith just more than two minutes on the clock senior cornerback Marcus Floyd jumped in front of a pass near the goal, and returned it for nine yards.\nDespite an overall lackluster game, the Hoosiers were able to pull out the win against Kentucky, despite an excessive number of penalties, odd calls and minor scuffles.\nKentucky jumped off to a quick lead after receiving the ball in the first half. In 10 plays, the Wildcats covered 60 yards to find the endzone on a wild play.\nKentucky sophomore quarterback Jared Lorenzen found freshman wide receiver Tommy Cook, who fumbled the ball forward into the endzone. Despite Hoosiers being in the endzone, it was the Wildcats' Derek Abney that fell on the ball first for a UK score.\nBut IU needed only three-and-a-half minutes to score the first of its three first-half touchdowns when junior fullback Jeremi Johnson ran for a 1-yard touchdown.\nFor a team that usually dominates the rushing game, IU took to the air 21 times in the first half. That's only two fewer than the 23 passes the Hoosiers average per game.\nSenior quarterback Antwaan Randle El completed 15 of 31 passes for 194 yards, connected with two touchdowns and saw one of his touchdown passes to freshman wide receiver Travis Haney retracted by an offensive pass interference call.\n"We knew they were a fast-flowing team, so we had to go downhill at them," Williams said. "We just had to run off-tackles, just make plays, and we did."\nThe defense saw big performances from Floyd, who had 11 total tackles and the late interception, and from senior defensive end Kemp Rasmussen, who had six tackles, four for a loss of yardage. In all, he pushed Kentucky back 21 yards.\nPrior to the game, each of IU's seniors was recognized, but following the game, the finality of the game had yet to "sink in."\n"I can't really express my emotions right now, but it's a good feeling," Randle El, who got carried off the field, said. "I'm happy, I'm emotional, but it's a great feeling right now. It's been great here at IU. I've said that a lot of times, but my time at IU has been well"
(12/03/01 6:10am)
Senior running back Levron Williams' mother was fatally shot Saturday night in Evansville. Evansville police report getting a 911 phone call just after 10 p.m. CST, and finding the body of Brenda Douglas, 37, at 10:30 p.m. in the driveway of an apartment complex.\n"Officers were dispatched to the address, and when they pulled into the driveway, it was an obvious gunshot wound," Sgt. Ted Mattingly of the Evansville Police Department said. "The officers called the detectives, (and it became a) crime scene."\nDouglas was pronounced dead on the scene and taken to the coroner. Sgt. Dan Deyoung of the EPD said neighbors in the apartment building reported hearing gun shots in a certain area of Evansville. \nWhile they were following up on those reports, Deyoung said a neighbor discovered Douglas at about 10:30 p.m. Douglas was reportedly shot in the head.\nDeyoung said the Evansville police received various leads and the Police Department were following up those reports.\nWilliams was in Bloomington at the time of the killing. He was informed early Sunday morning of his mother's death by his aunt. Williams remains at his apartment in Bloomington with family members for the time being. \nWilliams had no comment on the situation, but is distraught and upset over his mother's unsettling death.\nDouglas spent Saturday afternoon in Bloomington watching her son's last IU football game.\nThe IU football offices learned of the shooting Sunday afternoon, but because Saturday's game was the final game of the season, the team did not meet.\nCoach Cam Cameron offered the following statement.\n"Indiana University, its athletic department, and our football program offers its prayers and sympathy to Levron and his entire family. We are very proud of Levron's accomplishments and will continue to support him through this most trying time"
(11/30/01 4:53am)
Freshman linebacker Herana-Daze Jones is not asking for much out of the IU offense. He just wants them to find the end zone 15 times this Saturday at Memorial Stadium against rival Kentucky.\n"I want to score 100 points against Kentucky," Jones, a Kentucky native, said. "I don't think (the seniors) have beaten them since they have been here, and it would be great to send them out with a win. I hope we run up the score against them. I hope we blow them out."\nAhh, yet another rival game, and more talking. But the Hoosiers (4-6, 4-4 Big Ten) aren't bad-mouthing the Kentucky (2-8, 1-7 SEC) team, they just have one objective: blow Kentucky away.\nAsk senior running back Levron Williams. Ask senior linebacker Justin Smith. Ask senior wide receiver Henry Frazier. Each of these seniors would love to beat a team that hasn't lost to the Hoosiers in six years. In fact, each mirrored Jones' wishes for this Saturday. All three want to "blow them out."\n"I just want to blow them out," Smith said. "Just to get a win, to win another trophy game, to end the season with a bang. You always want to end the season with a victory."\nIU hasn't ended a season with a victory since the Hoosiers beat Purdue in 1996. But because of the attacks on Sept. 11, the originally scheduled Sept. 15 game versus Kentucky was pushed back to 1 p.m. this weekend.\nKentucky's success has been minimal this year; the Wildcats have beaten a mere two teams. But this doesn't mean that the Hoosiers are over-confident going into this game.\n"They're a totally different team than they were at the beginning of the year," Smith said. "They're pretty good. There quarterback has a pretty good team, but we have a good scheme going into this week defensively. I know that we'll come out successful."\nKentucky's quarterback, sophomore Jared Lorenzen, helped the Wildcats to a near-upset of No.4 Tennessee. Lorenzen passed for 406 yards and four touchdowns, and scored another touchdown on a two-yard run. \nThe Wildcats lead the Vols going into the fourth quarter, before two late touchdowns passes by Tennessee ended with a three-point Kentucky loss.\nLast week, Kentucky had Saturday off, while the Hoosiers were collecting their second trophy of the season.\nSimilar to past games, IU has the better offensive statistics, but Kentucky's defense puts up strong rush defense numbers.\n"They are 2-8, but they are a very improved team," Williams said. "They've had a couple big games, where they've really played well. They could have beaten Tennessee and Mississippi State, so we can't go into this game thinking they are going to lay down for us." \nTraditionally, the IU-Kentucky game has been played for the Bourbon Barrel, but after a a few Kentucky students were killed in an alcohol-related car accident in 1999, the two schools decided to retire the trophy. \nBut even though the Barrel isn't officially part of the game, the Hoosiers still see a victory meaning that they've collected three trophies in one season.\n"This is a trophy game even though they don't do it anymore," Frazier said. "Also, I hate Kentucky, so I would love to get out of here with a win. But it's going to be a dirty game, just like Purdue, because they are another rivalry."\nThe Hoosiers lead the series, 16-14-1, but have yet to overcome the Wildcats in recent meetings. Last year, the Kentucky held IU to eight points in Lexington in the second half, while scoring 20 of their own.\nBut in addition to being the final game of the season, this will be the final time senior quarterback Antwaan Randle El, recently named First-Team All-American will take the field in a Hoosier uniform.\n"I'm really don't know how I feel right now," Randle El said. "I'm honestly trying not to think about it right now, but I don't know how I feel"
(11/29/01 6:10am)
All senior quarterback Antwaan Randle El went out for was a late-night snack. He ended up with three extra passengers. It was rainy and cold, and on the sidewalk three students were huddled together, trying to make it home in the dark. \nRandle El stopped and offered these three strangers a ride home.\nThis is IU's and college football's most exciting player, and Tuesday, he was rewarded as the nation's first-team All-American quarterback by the Football Writers Association of America.\nAll he got for the three pairs of muddy feet in his car were some "Thank you's."\n"I've never met anyone like him, but that's what makes him special," senior linebacker Justin Smith said. "Once you get to know him, you'll know you'll never meet anyone like him."\nSenior running back Levron Williams, who was recognized earlier this week as a third-team All-American selection by Football News, agrees Randle El is one of a kind.\n"He's a character," Williams said. "He's just a great guy to be around. He's funny. He makes you laugh. He's a comedian. He can also be serious, too. We were roommates, and he kept me in line really just to stay in school. He's grown mentally and physically. There's just something about him."\nRandle El has created headaches for his opponents on the field by his rushing and passing abilities, and the statistics behind him were enough to land him one of football's most prestigious awards.\nIn 43 career games, Randle El has passed for 7,275 yards and rushed for another 3,852. No other player in Division 1-A football has thrown for more than 6,000 yards and rushed for 3,000 yards.\n"I just feel like I've done enough in my career," Randle El said. "I'm just thankful. I thank God. I thank the writers. I thank everyone. Now I feel my work at IU hasn't gone unnoticed."\nMaybe Randle El felt his on the field performances have been overlooked, but his manner off the field has left a trail of admirers.\nJust ask the three people he gave a ride home. Or ask the little boy at Penn State, who got the thrill of his life when Randle El stopped during his pre-game routine to give him a ball and clown around with him.\nThe day after IU played the Nittany Lions, there was a message on the Nittany Lion fan Web site, praising Randle El. But it wasn't about his 379 total-yard performance, it was from the boy's father who said Randle El had two fans for life. \n"When I first came in here I didn't know how he was going to be," senior wide receiver Henry Frazier said. "He was leading in all these IU categories, so I thought he was going to be stuck up and everything. But he's humble. He's real humble, and not stuck up at all. He's just a great person. He's great to anybody."\nHis talents have not been missed by the teams he's played against either. Illinois coach Kirk Ferentz said he would like someone to show him a better quarterback than Randle El. Michigan State coach Bobby Williams said Randle El is the most exciting player he's seen. \nGifted. Talented. Exciting. But this multi-threat athlete has a lesser-known side. Six months ago, Randle El and his fiance became parents to a little girl, Ciara Lanise Randle El.\n"It's really opened my eyes," Randle El said. "I was there when she was born and it was the greatest thing. I see her as much as I can."\nRandle El plans to get married a year from now, when he's hopes to be fulfilling the first step of his well-planned out future.\nThe first step is getting drafted high, the team doesn't matter just as long as he can play quarterback, although the Chicago-area native would like a shot with the Bears.\n"I've been at quarterback forever, even when playing backyard football," Randle El said. "The first time I tried out, I was told I was going to be a great player, then I got all the way to the final cut, and it turned out I was too young. I was a seven year-old trying out with eight year-olds."\nWhen he did get to play, Randle El started frustrating players at a young age. While still in Pop Warner, he and his teammates were beating a team so bad they quit in the fourth quarter. In high school, he lost only seven games in his four-year career.\nAnd now in his collegiate career, his yardage numbers puts him in the top-15 of various lists -- including a sixth place rank on the all-time NCAA Division I-A total yardage list with 11,127 yards. He is 12th in the Big Ten career passing yardage list and 14th on the Big Ten\'s career rushing yardage list -- as a quarterback. \n"If you didn't have to have a winning record, he'd be the Heisman winner this year," Williams said. "There is no doubt in my mind, because he's done so much. In my mind he is the Heisman winner, because of all he has done for this program"
(11/26/01 5:10am)
The Old Oaken Bucket is back in town. With the 13-7 win against rival Purdue, IU returns the trophy to Memorial Stadium for the first time in five years.\nAnd the win was so good for the Hoosiers.\nFor senior defensive end Kemp Rasmussen, a first-time victory against the Boilermakers was sweeter than beating his younger brother, Kyle Rasmussen, at Michigan State earlier this season.\nFor senior quarterback Antwaan Randle El, getting the bucket back for the first time since he came to IU is what he's waited for and wanted since the departure of the bucket in 1997. \nFor coach Cam Cameron, the best part of Saturday was watching the time tick off the clock as the defense came up with stops that got bigger and more crucial with each passing second. The Hoosiers (4-6, 4-4) allowance of a mere seven points was the fewest Purdue (6-4, 4-4) had ever scored under head coach Joe Tiller.\n"It's fun to watch the guys get the bucket," Cameron said. "I know this senior class, and there wasn't anything that was going to keep them from going across the field and getting that bucket back. When you get in victory formation and you got it down to two or three seconds, there's nothing better than giving your players the opportunity to celebrate."\nBut the giddiness of the Hoosiers following the game was as unmistakable as the emotions that charged IU from its first possession of the game.\nIU's emotions have been running rapid since the week prior to the game. The Hoosiers practices included players dressed in full Boilermaker uniforms, everything from the pants to the helmets.\nDuring team meetings, aside from the normal preparation, the team read an article in which Purdue senior Matt Mitrione told a reporter that senior running back Levron Williams was a "pretty boy" who would be scared of Purdue. \nMitrione also expressed his doubt about how good IU's rush offense would be when up against the Purdue defense. The Purdue defense that ended up allowing IU to rush for 204 yards, including a 52-yard touchdown run by Williams.\n"(Mitrione) was talking about how our offense was soft and we couldn't run up the middle," Rasmussen said. "Well, I think (Saturday), we proved their offense was pretty soft. They had negative eight yards rushing, and they just gave up. They had fourth and an inch on the goal line and they can't bring it. If they're going to talk like that, they got to back it up."\nBut all the talking that took place off the field exploded when the two teams took it out on each other.\nIt took only 16 seconds for the two teams that have been anticipating each other all week to replace words with punches. Following a Randle El completion to freshman wide receiver Travis Haney, the two sides met near the Hoosier sidelines and a mess of fists flying, kicking and yelling ensued.\n"From the first play, you had to put your head on the swivel at all times," junior safety Joe Gonzalez said. "I know one time, I was just standing over the play and I got leveled by a Purdue offensive linemen. That's football. That's part of the fun of the game, but it was definitely a battlefield down there to say the least."\nBut between the trash talking and the five unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, Randle El and Williams each scored touchdowns which was enough for the win. Against Penn State, IU was shutout in the second half, but what the Hoosier offense lacked against the Boilermakers, the defense made up for with pivotal stops. \nThese included the fourth-and-goal stop by freshman linebacker Martin Lapostolle, and a fumble recovery and tackle for loss by freshman Herana-Daze Jones.\nAll these factors contributed to the return of the bucket.\n"13-7," Randle El said smiling. "That's all that matters. Yeah, they got us stopped sometimes, but we got the bucket here. What's his name? Mitrione, we got the bucket, buddy. You like that? You want to talk? OK. It took only 13 to win it.\n"As a fifth-year senior, of finally winning it, it means a lot. I can't express how much it means, especially with us not going to a bowl game. We will remember this game more than any other game"
(11/19/01 4:50am)
STATE COLLEGE, Penn. -- Penn State was up two touchdowns with just more than nine minutes left in the game, and the football team was at its three-yard line. Enough time remained on the clock to even the score, but it was crucial that the Hoosiers score on this drive.\nAll senior running back Levron Williams had to do was follow the play and walk into the end zone. He did what was expected, but as the Hoosiers were celebrating, an official threw a flag. Holding, IU, on senior fullback Jeremi Johnson. No touchdown, no final momentum drive. \nAnd the Hoosiers lost 28-14, with IU's post-season dreams dashed after a dreary, mistake-filled game that was topped off with the controversial holding call.\nHead coach Cam Cameron was not vocal about the call after the game, but what he lacked in verbalizing was made up for by senior quarterback Antwaan Randle El.\n"The one at the goal line was ridiculous," Randle El said, with a large icebag wrapped around his leg and his chin in his hand. "Levron walks into the end zone, and their big guy is there, and Jeremi is down there blocking. It wasn't even a holding call. The referee acted like he waited (for the score), like he threw the flag late or something. I'm not blaming the game on that, but that's a totally different momentum swing.\n"Other than that, the calls were pretty good, but that one call there -- that is ridiculous. That right there changes the ball game. It was a bad call."\nThe Hoosiers (3-6, 3-4 Big Ten) were unable to find the end zone after the call took them back to the 13-yard-line, and with an unstable kicking game, IU was forced to go for the first down on a fourth-and-nine. But this time, Randle El was unable to convert and IU turned the ball over to Penn State (4-5, 3-4).\nArguably the most surprising part of Saturday's game is the complete shutdown of the IU offense in the second half. The kicking game is expected to be below par after a season of misery, and the defense is marked with a streak of inconsistencies in the previous nine games, but it's the Hoosier offense that is relied upon to make plays.\n"How many times were we within 30 (yards) and didn't score or were across midfield?" Cameron asked. "Give them credit for getting us stopped or whatever got us stopped. We had the opportunity to score more than fourteen points."\nIU crossed midfield four times, and was inside the thirty-yard-line twice when unsuccessful conversions forced IU to punt the ball. Despite being able to score, IU was able to gain more total yards than the Nittany Lions. IU rushed for 298, and Randle El passed for 225 to total 523 yards to Penn State's 450.\nThe usually unstoppable pair of Randle El and Williams was overwhelmed by the Nittany Lion defense, but not before each scored a touchdown, and rushed for 141 yards and 129 yards, respectively.\nWilliams was the first to find the end zone after IU received the ball in first to start the game. In an uncharacteristic Hoosier call, IU choose to receive the ball in the first half, and less than three and a half minutes later, Williams found the end zone on a four-yard run.\n"We went right up and down the field, but on our offense, that's how it is supposed to be," Randle El said. "Somebody was making plays on their defense here and there, but we scored fourteen points. And then nothing in the second half."\nBut even without being able to find the end zone in the second half after an eight-yard touchdown run in the first half, Randle El still managed to bypass yet another record. After completing a 39-yard pass, Randle El became the first quarterback in NCAA Division 1-A history to pass for 7,000 career yards and rush for 3,500 career yards. \nTo put that number in perspective, no other Division 1-A quarterback has even passed for 6,000 yards or rushed for 3,000, much less the amount Randle El achieved. He also is now seventh on the Division 1-A total yardage list with 10,965. \nIn his press conference after the game, Penn State coach Joe Paterno praised Randle El for his athleticism.\n"He is some athlete," Paterno said. "I was looking for him after the game to tell him what a great athlete he is."\nBut the offense was not supported by a defense, who was called twice for pass interference calls and let Penn State convert eight third down conversions on twelve tries. In addition to that, IU managed only 54 tackles in between an overabundance of missed tackles, and sacked the quarterback only once, thanks to freshmen defensive end Jodie Clemons.\n"We just didn't make any plays," senior defensive end Kemp Rasmussen said. "It was something we had a lot of trouble with last year. We would get in situations where someone would have to step up and make a play, and nobody was there to make one."\nBut now that IU's bowl chances are gone, the Hoosiers are now playing for self-respect and team pride. \n"Guys like (junior tackle) A.C. Myler and Kemp and all those guys, they know our bowl chance is done," Randle El said. "We got to get everybody ready for the next few games"
(11/09/01 5:28am)
Half green, half red.\nThat's what the Rasmussen family will be adorned in Saturday when the Hoosiers travel to East Lansing to take on Michigan State. Red for IU senior linebacker Kemp Rasmussen, green for his brother, Spartan sophomore Kyle Rasmussen, the starting defensive tackle.\nAnd in the stands, the friends and family members of the two brothers will be wearing homemade jerseys with support split down the middle.\nBut according to the younger brother, that's not quite how the support will swing.\n"They're going to be cheering for me," Kyle said. "I'm the favorite in the family. That's just how it is."\nSo how does Kemp feel about that claim?\n"He said that?" Kemp asked. "Alright...that's...that's fine... he really said that?"\nJust friendly, off the field ribbing between two brothers who will meet on the field at Spartan Stadium for the first time since each of them started their college careers.\n"It's going to be a good game," Kemp said. "I've had this game circled on the calendar since last year. I'll be ready for this game."\nThe brothers are no strangers to competing against one another. Growing up, if it wasn't backyard football, it was basketball or Nintendo that fueled the brothers rivalry.\nKemp, being the older brother, usually got the better of Kyle. But Kyle said he gave him plenty of good competition.\n"We fought like brothers," Kyle said. "But we always got along. Growing up, we were competitive in a lot of things, but he's the older one, so he usually beat me. But I'd do okay."\nThe pair found themselves on the same side during high school, but on opposite sides of the ball. Kyle played offense for the Lapeer West High School in Michigan, while Kemp was racking up an honorable mention All-American Award and All-State recognition.\nDuring Kemp's junior year and Kyle's freshman year, their team went to and won the state championship, leading to an undefeated record. \nBut while Kemp was getting the attention, Kyle known as "Kemp's younger brother."\n"I think that's one of the reasons he didn't want to come to IU," Kemp said. "My family and I pushed him, but I don't think he wanted to be in my shadow. He needed to do his own thing, and it's working out for him."\nKyle was redshirted during the 1999 season, but started in four games during his freshman season. He also picked up a bowl ring after the Spartans defeated the Florida Gators in the 2000 Citrus Bowl.\nHis older brother may not have a bowl ring, but this season he is third on the defensive list with 30 tackles, 22 of which were solo.\n"(Kemp) as a matter of fact, wasn\'t recruited by Michigan State," coach Cam Cameron said. "(the late former IU assistant coach) Pete Schmidt thought he was a good football player and he was right. Kemp came in as a middle linebacker and we moved him to defensive end."\nSaturday, unless Cameron or Spartan coach Bobby Williams decide to let either take snaps with the offense, both will be watching the other on the field.\nBoth are coming off huge upsets. Kyle and the Spartans had the emotional upset over former Bowl Championship Series hopeful Michigan, while Kemp and the Hoosiers were pulling off a shocking upset against Northwestern.\nBut Saturday's game is the one both are anticipating the most.\n"It's going to be good," Kemp said. "It's for bragging rights for the rest of our life"
(11/06/01 6:41am)
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- \nAll I have to say is thank goodness for ESPN's BottomLine and the invention of cell phones.\nWithout them, I would have jumped the next plane to Indiana from Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport. \nWho really needs to see Michael Jordan in his home opener with the Washington Wizards when the Hoosier football team was repeating its Wisconsin performance?\nWith them, my poor mom has a bruise the size of Idaho on her arm, because I was missing Antwaan and his crew plow over the Wildcats, and she had the unfortunate experience of sitting next to my unoccupied hand.\nIn my other hand, I had my cell phone glued to my ear talking to a reporter in the press box, who was filling in for me. He was giving me play-by-play, which ended after I called for the fourth time when the score was 21-0 in the first quarter. I think the reporter turned his cell phone off.\nAny other given Saturday, I would have been sitting in the press box at Memorial Stadium, keeping track of all the action. But this weekend I was in D.C., courtesy of my sister, who is the assistant director of customer service for the Wizards, because she thought I would appreciate seeing Jordan instead.\nNow let's get one thing clear. I have seen Jordan play numerous times before, both when he was No. 23 and 45. Except it was usually in the Palace of Auburn Hills in Michigan, and I was wearing a Detroit Pistons jersey.\nAnd there was Jordan, obliterating a young girl's favorite team over and over again. Needless to say, Jordan is not my idol. In fact, I was more excited to watch the Washington Wizards' mascot, "G-Man," dunk with the courtesy of a trampoline.\nI was more excited to see the flash of the little black score list on the bottom of the television screen.\nEvery time I saw the N.C. State-Duke score come up, I knew what score was coming next. And each time it flashed, the other spectators in the bar would point and laugh, and believe it was a mistake. But, I knew differently.\nI was at the Wisconsin game. I saw what the IU offense could do if all parts of the team were working together. I knew that the score was not a mistake if the defense was making the same types of stops they did against Ohio State during that goal line stand.\nSo there my mom and I were, sitting at the bar, waiting for 6:30 p.m. to roll around and the basketball game to start. I had my phone in hand, cursing the reporter for turning off his phone, and cursing ABC and ESPN for thinking that Illinois-Purdue was a more important game than the one in Bloomington.\nI mean, who really cares if they are two ranked teams? IU-Northwestern is a classic rivalry and worthy of air time. Ughhhh ... well maybe not.\nAnyway, my phone finally rang as the halftime score flashed and IU was up 42-0. I forgave the reporter for cutting me off, when he gave me a play-by-play of the first half, what the band was playing and which uniforms looked best from the press box. \nOkay, so he wasn't that in-depth, but he did a pretty good job of describing the game.\nHe told me he would call me at the end of the game, which he did. But by that time, I was sitting in the MCI Center with Cal Ripken Jr. and Alex Rodriguez three rows in front of me, and Jordan on the court.\nI'm making a prediction about the Wizards now. Jordan may be able to draw the crowds, but it's his supporting cast of Richard Hamilton and Courtney Alexander that are the real threats on the team. They're the ones who are going to create the excitement.\nIt wasn't until the second half of the basketball game that the crowd really got excited and into it, thanks to the play of Hamilton and Alexander.\nSilly me, I thought they were watching the little black scoreboard flashing the final score. IU 56, NU 21.
(10/26/01 5:49am)
Picture this: A 4-foot-11, 90-pound seventh-grader who has never played football and the biggest guy in the middle school, a 16-year-old, bearded seventh-grader.\nIt's David and Goliath on the practice field to see who can reign as tackling champ. Except David goes down. Last seen, he was on the sidelines throwing up after getting the wind knocked out of him.\nFast forward to present and replace David with senior linebacker Justin Smith, a 6-foot, 218-pound Hoosier who has emerged as arguably one of the most pronounced players on the defense. \n"My dad thought I was going to quit," said Smith, whose favorite part of the game now is hitting people. "But I stuck to it and played that year. Then I finally went through puberty as a freshman, and I got a little bigger, a little stronger and a little faster."\nBy the time Smith reached high school, he had grown to a "whopping 145 pounds" and competed in four sports at Warren Central in Indianapolis.\nWhile he was dominating the mats in wrestling, Smith was also running track, playing baseball and positioned at cornerback in football.\n"I played corner all the way through high school," Smith said. "I got recruited as a free safety, but then when I came here they moved me back to corner, because I was the only guy who could cover the receivers. I've been all over the place and learned more about the game and the positions."\nAfter Smith's red-shirt season at safety, he was moved to outside linebacker. And that's where his defensive talent began to explode.\n Since playing at linebacker, Smith earned a spot on the 2001 pre-season Butkus Candidates award watch and was second-team Big Ten after the 2000 season. Smith's been the Big Ten Player-of-the-Week and for the last three seasons, he's made the Academic All-Big Ten list.\n"Justin is an all-around good player," junior cornerback A.C. Carter said. "He knows what he's doing, and he flies around and does what he is supposed to do. He brings enthusiasm to the team and that gets everyone else excited and ready to go."\nThis season, Smith leads the team in tackles with a combined total of 63 in six games. Fifty of those tackles were unassisted. \nBut don't think Smith's talents end on the football field. He earned his degree in accounting from the business school last spring after considering a pre-med major, among other things.\n"He's a smart guy," junior strong safety Joe Gonzalez said. "By just talking to him, you can understand that he takes a serious approach to education. He's a bright guy, and I wouldn't say nerdy, but he does put a focus on education."\nBut "serious" is not a word often used to describe Smith. \nLast summer, Gonzalez remembers walking around with a bunch of people everywhere, and one guy had a Halloween mask for no apparent reason.\nAs Gonzalez got closer to this old man's face, he looked into the eyes and a spark of familiarity hit him.\n"I looked in and saw his eyes, and I thought, 'Is that Justin?'" Gonzalez said, laughing. "Sure enough, he stands in front of me and sticks his tongue out the mouth of the mask. He was walking around with this mask on for no particular reason, and to this day, I don't know why he was doing it."\nNow that Smith finished his degree and his football career at IU is six weeks from being over, Smith has turned to other interests, including acting.\nDuring the summer, Smith had his first role in a play directed by a friend, and this past semester, Smith has been taking acting classes.\n"It's fun to do," Smith said. "I'm in a play now. I auditioned a couple weeks ago for this play, and I didn't know anything about the play. It's a Shakespearean play, 'The Merchant of Venice.' I'm the Prince of Morocco. It's a strong part to play."\nBut despite an accounting and acting background, playing in the NFL is what Smith wants.\n"That's my dream," Smith said. "That's what I've been wanting to do for a long time. I'm going to try to play at high level for the rest of the season, and God-willing everything will take care of itself"
(10/18/01 5:31am)
In the 1970s, the Minnesota Vikings defense returned a fumble 70 yards. Except it was in the wrong direction.\nIn 1986, Boston Red Sox first baseman Bill Buckner could have made a routine play during game six of the World Series. Instead, the ball went between his legs, and the New York Mets won the title.\nIn the mid-1990's, then-Texas left fielder Jose Conseco got a brilliant idea that he was going to pitch. He threw out his arm instead and was out for a season. \nIn 2001, the Hoosier offense scored the most points to date in the Big Ten with 63 points against Wisconsin and had 631 total yards. The offense followed that performance by scoring 14 points and gaining 359 total yards in last week's 35-14 loss against Illinois. \nBig, big slip-ups. \nBut the Hoosier offense is preparing to correct the mistakes it made against Illinois in time for Saturday's game at Iowa.\n"We know what (the offense) can do," junior tight end Kris Dielman said. "We did it last year and the year before that, and I don't know what's happening this year. Against Wisconsin, we went out there and let loose. It just depends. If we go out and get fired up, then nothing can stop us."\nAgainst Wisconsin, nothing stopped IU. But against Illinois and the other four teams that defeated the Hoosiers, the offense showed its uncharacteristic ability to be stopped. \nSo what's the difference between the two offenses?\nA combination of penalties, missed assignments and ineffective plays against the opposing defense have plagued a usually productive offense. Against Illinois, the Hoosiers had seven penalties which cost them 52 yards. The week before, IU was penalized twice for 13 yards.\n"We had a lot of great effort against Illinois, but it was just the mental mistakes that lost the game," junior fullback Jeremi Johnson said. "Take the penalties away and we would have won the game. But it was the offsides and the holding that killed us. We knew we didn't physically lose the game, and it hurt a lot, because we knew it was all mental."\nBefore the Illinois game, the offense knew what to expect. Several of the players said that prior to the game they knew Illinois liked to switch things up, and that the defense was going to be throwing several different plays their way. Watching the film didn't stop the mistakes, but going into Iowa, focus is crucial.\nIowa, a team IU beat 45-33 last year, has one of the strongest defenses in the Big Ten this year. The defense is first in the Big Ten for pass defense and second in rush defense.\nNot good news for the Hoosiers, who could only rush for 194 yards rushing against Illinois, the No. 5 rush defense in the Big Ten. \n"Against Wisconsin we were way more explosive," senior wide receiver Henry Frazier said. "We were more explosive passing and running, because the defense Wisconsin ran at us gave us more opportunity to do that stuff. But against the defense Illinois gave us, it wouldn't have been that smart to come out and run the same type of plays. \n"It was definitely frustrating, but every now and then you're going to get a team that won't allow you to run or pass. That's the name of game, and you try to come in prepared to the best of your ability Sometimes things don't go as you plan."\nBut if the Hoosier offense has their way, Camp Randall Stadium won't be the last place to see IU make their mark in the Big Ten. \n"We can play better than we did," Dielman said. "We just made a lot of mistakes. But we saw what we could do against Wisconsin. We just need to go out there and get everything done. We are a powerful offense when we are on the top of our game"
(10/15/01 5:20am)
Talk about a schizophrenic football team. \nThe Oct. 6 Hoosiers were the Dr. Jekyll of football, just going all out crazy. The Oct. 13 Hoosiers were the alter-ego Mr. Hyde: in other words, a washout.\nWhich one of these personalities do you think wins football games?\nYup, it wasn't the team that went crazy making plays against the bewildered Badgers. It was the doormats who couldn't get going on offense, reached a stalemate on defense, and couldn't execute on special teams. The Mr. Hyde Hoosiers lost to Illinois 35-14 after a dreary, mistake-filled game.\n"If we play good, mistake-free football we are a good football team, and if we don't, we aren't," coach Cam Cameron said. "When you play good, solid teams and make mistakes, you know you're going to have a tough time, and that's what happened."\nIt seemed like the Hoosiers were off to another "playing on the edge" start that was similar to the opening drive against against Wisconsin. Illinois quarterback Kurt Kittner lofted the ball, and IU sophomore cornerback Michael Hanley intercepted the pass and returned it 10 yards.\nThen came the offense's opening drive, a performance that was repeated throughout the game. A couple of plays took place, but nothing much came out of them, and IU was forced to punt after a huge stop by the defense.\n"That was very frustrating, because I know the defense prepared well this past week," senior running back Levron Williams said. "They worked hard out there today, and they were stopping them, but we couldn't capitalize. We kind of blew the game ourselves because we didn't capitalize on big plays."\nThe Hoosiers scored their first touchdown on a Williams run to come within a point of the Fighting Illini. But then another missed opportunity came when freshman kicker Bryan Robertson's point-after attempt was blocked. \nTo round out the first half debacle, the Hoosiers drove the ball from their own 2-yard line to the Illinois 10, and yet went into the locker room, trailing 7-6 after Robertson missed the field goal attempt. \nDefense was strong in the first half, and the offense was so-so, but the worst performances of the IU team would come when the Hoosiers took the field after the half. \n"We scored, we had momentum, and we've got to get to the point where we can kick an extra point," Cameron said. "Then right before the half, you have an opportunity to go up 9-7, and you let that slip away. Obviously those become momentum things. We all know athletics, especially football, is a game of momentum. When you have it, you need to keep it. And we just weren't able to do that."\nThe defense did its best to try to get the momentum going, but by the second half, the defense was battling the wind, rain and little help from the offense to get a chance to relax. It's the last couple of seasons reversed.\nThe biggest blow to the Hoosiers was in the beginning of the third quarter. Illinois tried to pick up a first and ten on its fourth down, but sophomore linebacker Robert Brown and senior linebacker Devin Schaffer prevented the Illini's running back from picking up the one yard.\nBut less than a minute after the IU defense ran from the field in celebration, they had to go back. Senior quarterback Antwaan Randle El sandwiched one complete pass in between two incompletions, and then punted.\n"You're running off the field, and you're excited and you're like, 'The offense is about to score,'" senior linebacker Justin Smith said. "Then we're sitting down and we hear punt alert. It's kind of demoralizing, but I was just thinking when we got on the field we had to do what we did before and get their offense to go three and out."\nNot quite three and out on the next play, but the defense did cause and recover a fumble, which Randle El promptly returned to the Fighting Illini on the next drive. He threw an interception that led to an Illinois touchdown.\nThe final blow to the Hoosier morale came after a penalty-filled drive that ended the disastrous third quarter and started the welcomed fourth. The drive consisted of three plays that went for a 12-yard loss and lasted for two minutes and 42 seconds. \n"In the Big Ten, you can't go against a team and make mistakes," junior tackle Enoch DeMar said. "I'm one of those guys who takes pride in the offense and when the defense does good, we want to capitalize. It makes me angry that we aren't capitalizing on what they are giving us. But the offense is going to put it together"
(10/05/01 6:43am)
It is not the season opener. It's not the home opener. It's not the Big Ten opener. No more new beginnings for the football team that is desperately searching for its first win.\nIU travels to Wisconsin for a 1 p.m. kickoff Saturday to play at arguably one of the hardest places on the road in the hopes of securing a victory. \n"Wisconsin is one of the tougher places to play," senior defensive tackle Kemp Rasmussen said. "Their fans are crazy. They are loud and pretty obnoxious."\nAdding vocal fans to a versatile offensive might equal trouble for IU (0-3).\n"...Wisconsin is a typical solid Wisconsin football team with an impact guy here or there," coach Cam Cameron said. "Obviously, Wendell Bryant, an All-American candidate. I know we're looking forward to playing on the road in the Big Ten, which is always difficult."\nBryant, a senior defensive tackle, was named the Big Ten Player of the Week after UW beat Penn State in the Badgers Big Ten opener. Against the Nittany Lions, Bryant had six tackles for a loss, five of which were quarterback sacks and one fumble recovery.\nCameron said the Hoosier offensive line had its best game of the season in the loss to Ohio State, and in order to keep Bryant away from senior quarterback Antwaan Randle El, they'll need to play an even better game. \nThe Badgers are 3-2, and both of their losses were to ranked teams. Wisconsin was beating Oregon until the Ducks went on a fourth-quarter scoring drive led by Heisman hopeful Joey Harrington. The second loss was to undefeated Fresno State.\nWisconsin leads the series 31-16-2, and had won in the past two years by a combined point total of 102-22. Two years ago the Hoosiers traveled to Camp Randall, and was routed by Wisconsin 59-0.\n"Last time we went up there, it was kind of embarrassing," Rasmussen said. "We're hoping to pay them back a little for that. They are a solid football team that plays smart and doesn't make a lot of mistakes. They have a quarterback who is athletic, and can make some plays."\nThe Wisconsin is lead by junior Brooks Bollinger, who lead the Badgers to an 8-0 record and the Rose Bowl in his freshman year at Wisconsin. Earlier this season he was sidelined by an injury, and sophomore Jim Sorgi took his place.\nWisconsin has a breakout running back in freshman Anthony Davis, who in five games has 703 yards, and the Hoosiers are expecting to see him Saturday. \n"Defensively, we have to stop the run," Rasmussen said. "They are going to try to run, because they one of the leading rushing teams in the Big Ten. We need to stop the run and take them out of what they want to do."\nWith three possible threats on offense, the Hoosier defense will have to be in top form. Against Ohio State, IU managed to stop the Buckeyes on more than one occasion, but were unable to stop OSU at the most important times.\nBut the most inconsistent limb on the Hoosier team is the kicking game, especially the punting. In three games IU had 13 punts that traveled for a combined 309 yards, 23.8 yards per punt. The Hoosiers' opponents average more than 10 yards longer than that. \nFreshman Bryan Robertson is listed as being the main kicker, despite missing a field goal against Ohio State, but with four options at the punting position, who will be taking the snaps is unknown. \n"When you have young kickers that are talented there is more you can do," Cameron said. "You go out and continue to get better each week. Braucher will kickoff and Robertson will do field goals. The punter? We'll know Saturday who will do the punting."\nBut what is known now is that this win is critical for the Hoosiers, who have yet to back up statements about an "improved team."\n"We just need to get one under our belt, and this is going to be the one," senior linebacker Justin Smith said. "But you have to get the first one, because once you get the first one then you start to get on a roll. It's critical to get this first win"
(10/04/01 5:30am)
Senior Devin Schaffer has eleven tackles in three football games. He's played in 36 games in his career at IU, and started in 25. He's arguably one of the two top starting linebackers on the Hoosier football team.\nAnd he snores. Loud.\n"He snores like a chainsaw," said senior Justin Smith, IU starting linebacker and Schaffer's roommate. "He's definitely the loudest snorer on the team. It's terrible. He'll snore so loud he'll wake himself up. He drools a lot too when he snores."\nBut don't think that Smith is innocent of bad habits.\n"He's messy," Schaffer said. "He always leaves his clothes lying around, and he'll leave his ice bags from the training room on the counter and it will melt everywhere. He's not very tidy."\nBut aside from the snoring and the messiness, put these roommates next to each other on the football field, and the combination is dangerous.\nSmith, a Butkus award candidate, leads the team with 31 tackles on the season, 18 in the Big Ten opening loss against Ohio State. Together the two are responsible for 42 tackles.\nWith the exception of the Buckeye game, when one takes the field, the other is usually right next to him. Schaffer did not start against Ohio State because of an ankle injury, and saw only minimal playing time throughout the game. \nIt was Smith who took over Schaffer's usual role of calling out the signals.\n"I felt (his absence) a little bit, because I'm used to him being next to me," Smith said. "It was a little different not seeing him there next to me every time, because we feed off of each other a lot. But its something we fight through, and he'll be back ready to go against Wisconsin."\nThe duo's friendship dates back to their high shcool football days when Smith and Schaffer played against each other at rival high schools in Indianapolis. Smith wrestled and ran track in addition to playing cornerback for Warren Central at the same time Schaffer was a running back and basketball player for Indianapolis Cathedral.\nWhen the two were seniors in high school, they both were selected to play in the Indiana All-Star football game. Both committed to IU, and already having known each other for two years, decided to live together in McNutt.\n"When we met my sophomore year of high school, we had no idea we would be playing together," Schaffer said. "But I respected him a lot, and when we came here, I got to know him really well. We've seen each other grow."\nStarting out as redshirts in 1997, Smith and Schaffer each found playing time in their first season as Hoosiers, with Smith earning a starting position and Schaffer playing in 11 games with three starts.\nBy 2000, the two established themselves as two of the more prominent defensive leaders. \n"Devin does a good job of leading the team," senior co-captain Kemp Rasmussen said. "I'm the defensive captain, but I'm not really a vocal guy, and he does a good job of stepping up and being the more vocal leader of the group of us."\nSmith is the more quiet of the two, but what he lacks in vocals he makes up for on the field. Against the Buckeyes, Smith was responsible for a goal line stand that held OSU to a field goal. The Buckeyes drove down to the one-yard line, but three times in a row, Smith came up with the stop.\n"It was off the hook," Schaffer, watching from the sidelines, said. "It was an opportunity for him to show what he was capable of, and it was the perfect time for him to shine."\nAs close teammates on the field, they are self-described brothers off the field. The two lived together three of their five years at IU, including this year. Smith has an outside interest in acting, which Schaffer describes him as a natural. And both have nothing but love for each other when describing athletic ability.\nSo where do the two go when this season and year is over?\n"We'll always stay in touch and we'll always hang out," Schaffer said. "I'll miss him."\nSmith agreed.\n"We both know what each other is thinking," Smith said. "We have the same tastes in everything. We like to have fun, and we never fight. We're family"
(10/01/01 4:43am)
Forty-four yards and it seemed the football team was back in the game. \nAfter a strong goal line stand by the defense, the offense used momentum to take the ball down the field. After a 44-yard touchdown pass from senior Antwaan Randle El to senior running back Levron Williams, IU was a score away from the lead.\nBut this came after a multitude of personal foul penalties, a blocked punt, a missed field goal and the defensive inability to make third-down stops. It came before IU let Ohio State convert a third-and-seventeen into a first down on a 21-yard pass that led to the final Buckeyes touchdown. It was enough for IU to help itself to a 27-14 defeat.\n"Defensively, you are going to give up things," coach Cam Cameron said. "There are too many good offenses these days. It comes to critical downs. If you can get them into a tough third-down situation, then you better get them stopped. You better be good on all three downs. It's a matter of not making plays."\nBlown chances, a.k.a The Tale of the 2001 Hoosier Football Team. \n"We talked to our football team and we knew going in that it was going to be a close game and a good football game," Cameron said. "We wanted to get the game into the fourth quarter. We go back and score and it's 20-14. We get the ball back and we're in the situation we wanted to be in and we just didn't make plays. We missed opportunities. You saw the same things I saw."\nCameron and spectators saw his team give up almost 400 yards to the Buckeyes (2-1), who, coming into the game averaged 345.5 yards in two games. \nThis was an OSU team that was successful once in 14 chances against UCLA in third down conversions. Against the Hoosiers (0-3), they converted seven times on 15 attempts.\n"On defense, there were a couple times in the first half and the second half when we would get stopped on first down and second down, and we'd get them into third and long, and if you don't get them stopped in those situations it's not going to be good for the defense at all," senior linebacker Justin Smith said. "That's the thing we are going to be focused on this week, getting them stopped when we have them stopped."\nTwice, the Hoosiers had the Buckeye offense in a third-and-long position. Each time, Ohio State was able to pass out of trouble. On the Buckeyes opening drive, IU gave them the first down for free with a facemask penalty. The Hoosiers had them to a third-and-ten before the penalty, but the drive resulted in an OSU field goal.\nThe Hoosiers kicking miseries that were supposed to be remedied looked all too familiar as freshman Bryan Robertson had the same problem as fellow field goal kickers before him. Just enough leg, not enough aim. He missed a 44-yard attempt that sailed wide left.\n"You've watched two weeks in a row, where we could have, should have, would have won the ball game," Cameron said. "Are we a team that has to play mistake-free football? Yes."\nNot to say the Buckeyes play was unblemished. Their kicker helped IU keep the score close by missing two of his field goals attempts. Ohio State had seven penalties and gave up 47 yards, but three times when they committed penalties on their own drive, they were still able to score.\nAs bleak as the state of the team looked on Saturday, the Hoosiers repeated what they have said after each loss: they may be down, but don't count them out.\n"It's tough, but none of us is going to quit," senior Craig Osika said. "I don't care who you are on this team, no one is going to quit. We can't accept that and we won't accept that"
(09/10/01 6:49am)
The men's basketball team continues to wear red- and white-striped warm-ups. But underneath the pants, longer shorts and the Nike swish are telltale signs that something has changed in Assembly Hall.\nWhen former men's basketball coach Bob Knight said his good-byes to the student body last September, he forecasted advertising in Assembly Hall as one of the many changes the basketball team would experience. Although that prediction did not come true, other changes mark IU and a post-Knight era.\nThe Nike invasion made big news when IU decided to dump the traditional Converse and go with the swoosh. Knight's resistance against the more modern basketball shorts went out when he left, and there is talk the jerseys will display last names when the 2001-2002 season starts. \nBut just because Knight's rules were cast aside, it does not mean coach Knight has been.\n"I know that he was the main reason for a lot of the guys to come play here, but that changed," senior Dane Fife said. "We had to move on, but Coach Knight is still in the back of our minds when we play, and he probably always will be."\nIt's been one year since Knight was fired. The future of IU basketball was uncertain and the University came close to losing its entire basketball team. The players threatened to transfer if the University did not listen to their requests of hiring then-assistant coach Mike Davis as the interim coach.\nThe University listened, and now one year later, Davis is head coach. The team is nearly intact, minus three players, and Knight is in Texas Tech, building a program of his own.\n"I think coach Davis has really grown into his position and has taken hold of his coaching job," sophomore Jared Jeffries said. "I think last year sometimes he would get nervous or upset about some things. Now that he's been around us and he knows we have total confidence in him and his ability to coach us that's filtered into him and, vice versa, back into us."\nWith the hiring of Davis as interim coach, the University managed to hold on to the basketball team, but convincing the IU student body and fans was a harder feat. Alumni threatened to stop donating money, and some did. Students also threatened to boycott games.\nBut as the 2000 season got under way, Davis and his team received the same welcome as any other year. Devotion to Indiana basketball did not disappear with Knight's departure.\n"We were lucky to keep most of the team together after Coach Knight left," Fife said. "Davis did a nice job of dealing with the negativity. The fans were sad for the first couple of games, but everyone settled down and we were able to get back and play IU basketball like we could." \nWhen Knight was still coach, his presence was enough to draw recruits to the program. Fife said his main reason, like that of his teammates, was to play for Knight. \n"Ultimately, it was up to the players to come and play as hard as we could," Fife said. "We knew what was expected coming into both situations and it came down to how much we wanted to play and we wanted to play in both situations."\nAnd Davis has become a draw himself. \nAccording to top 15 high school recruit and senior Bracey Wright of The Colony, Texas, his decision to verbally commit to IU would have been different had Knight still been the coach.\n"He was a real good coach, and he won a lot of games, but I never did like how he ran things up there," Wright said. "It just never seemed like he changed with time. He was always stuck back in his era, and it showed in the uniforms and the way they played."\nDavis, who coached under Knight for three years, has somewhat strayed from Knight's offensive and defensive philosophies. Davis and the basketball players are more accessible to the media and Davis doesn't bar members of the media who upset him.\nBut for Davis, the past 12 months still hasn't sunk in.\n"Well, it's totally different (coaching at IU)," Davis said. "I don't even realize I'm the head guy until I walk outside and come over here because around my house I'm the fourth."\nThe transition year hasn't healed all wounds from last fall, but for the team, the adjustment period is over.\n"It was very difficult for all of us (when he was fired), because we came here to play under Coach Knight," Fife said. "We came here to play under him and win under him, and it was difficult for us to handle, because we felt we had built a championship team, and we felt he could take us there. But coach Davis is my coach now"
(09/10/01 6:34am)
A year ago, former men's basketball coach Bob Knight likened Christopher Simpson, then-vice president for Public Affairs, to a "puppet" and a "spin doctor."\nNine months later, Simpson resigned from his position and left the University.\nHe has no regrets about the Knight firing or his resignation.\n"There's nothing to gain in reliving events that happened a year ago," Simpson said from Baltimore, Md., during a phone interview. "I left to pursue opportunities in the private sector. I started my own marketing and strategic firm."\nHe vehemently added that his leaving had nothing to do with the Bob Knight firing last September. \nBut rumors swirled at his departure in May, which came after former athletics director Clarence Doninger's retirement. In less than one year, Knight, Donniger and Simpson, three prominent IU figures and leading role players, left the University. \n"There is no correlation to the three of us leaving the University," Simpson said. "We all know why Bob Knight left. Clarence Donniger was over the age, and I left to pursue other opportunities."\nSimpson was the first person to find out that CNN/SI was investigating the infamous choking incident between Knight and former IU basketball member Neil Reed. When Simpson received the phone call, he said that he realized the situation was going to be "long and difficult."\nWhat he termed a "lose/lose" situation for the University was only heightened by the early September 2000 incident between former IU student Kent Harvey and Knight.\n"I received a phone call from Kent Harvey's (step) father Mark Shaw on Thursday informing me that something had occurred," Simpson said. "I don't think it is going to benefit anyone by reliving that conversation, but the first time I had heard about it was from him."\nSimpson said the first contact he had with the media was when Andy Katz of ESPN.com called him the Friday morning after the incident to get confirmation that Bob Knight was involved in an altercation.\n"I confirmed the rumor," Simpson said. "When we learned that (IU President Myles Brand) had launched an investigation, all I said was that our response was that the charges were serious, but it would not be fair to anyone to make any further comments."\nSimpson said he had a "strong personal relationship" with Knight. Knight took full aim at Simpson and Brand in the days and months following the firing. During those months, Simpson said he received sizeable amounts of e-mails and phone calls from Knight supporters, but said that came with the territory.\nAfter nine tumultuous months, Simpson stepped down. \nHe would not reveal the conversations he had with Brand leading up to his decision to leave, only stating that Brand said he would support Simpson in his decisions. Simpson denies he was asked to step down.\n"I don't know where those rumors (that I was asked to leave) came from," Simpson said. "Is there somebody that is hinting to that? I left on my own."\nSimpson now heads his own company, Simpson Communications, LLC, and maintains a home in Bloomington. But even though he left his job as spokesman for the University, he continues to speak highly of the University and of Brand.\nAs for the Knight firing, Simpson said it was the right thing to do at the time, and that he has no regrets of anything that happened last September.\n"It was a privilege to work at Indiana University for the past seven years, but it was time for me to go in a different direction professionally and personally," Simpson said. "My only regret is the football team lost to N.C. State. I was at the game and was dismayed at the football team"
(09/06/01 6:26am)
Senior linebacker Justin Smith applied a saying to his assessment of what the football team is feeling as it starts the season.\n"Pressure is what turns coals into diamonds."\nDespite statements from the team about being ready for the season opener at North Carolina State, the Hoosiers face underlying pressure. \nThe match-up is the featured ESPN Thursday night football game kicking off at 6:30 p.m. The defense has made position adjustments to create speed and strength, and its first test will be nationally televised. Senior Antwaan Randle El will be making his debut at wide receiver before millions of critics.\n"Our defensive guys are really hyped up and ready to go, because it's their chance to go out and make a statement," Randle El said.\nThe last time the two teams met, IU had the lead until the final five minutes of the game. Despite leading 38-26 down the stretch, the Hoosiers lost the game.\n"(This game is) real important," Randle El said. "A big part of us last year was losing that first game, and then coming out and losing another heartbreaker to Kentucky. Right now, we have to focus in on the first game and winning that game."\nIf the loss to the Wolfpack last year set in motion the last-minute losing trend of the Hoosiers, for N.C. State it was only the beginning. N.C. State finished last season 8-3, went to the MicronPC.com bowl game and defeated Minnesota, its second Big Ten opponent of the year.\nThe Wolfpack returns most of its top starters from last year, including quarterback Philip Rivers. Rivers, the ACC 2000 Freshman of the Year, orchestrated the comeback run against IU last season.\n"He played a lot better later in the season than earlier, so he's going to be even better (this time)," senior linebacker Kemp Rasmussen said. "That year of experience is going to make him a better quarterback. But that's something we've been working on; getting a better pass rush. He throws a lot of three-step drops and if we can get in his face, and distract him, it will make it tougher for him to pass the ball."\nBoth teams had strong offenses that averaged more than 30 points per game during the 2000 campaign, while feeling woes on the defensive side, where each gave up more than 25 points per contest.\n"They're plus or minus a guy," Cameron said. "But everyone lost some critical guys and you make those additions with kids you redshirted or junior college players. You know, we've done that. I know they've done that. We expect them to be the same kind of football team that they were a year ago, if not better."\nN.C. State made similar recruiting efforts during the off-season by bringing up junior college players to fill vacancies in the line-up. IU expects to see valuable time out its junior college players, including junior defensive backs Antonio Watson and Willie Northern, who will be in the rotating lineup.\nBut whatever similarities from last year that followed the teams into this year, the opening loss is not in the Hoosiers' minds.\n"I don't want revenge," starting fullback Jeremi Johnson, a junior, said. "I just want to go out and have a great game in every aspect of the game"
(04/23/01 6:10am)
Sophomore Drew Marsch had some pressure on his shoulders before the 51st men's Little 500 race. His team, Delta Sigma Pi, was the last team to qualify, and two riders, senior John Gurchiek and junior Chris Dobecki, had injuries. \nAlthough there was no fairy tale ending Saturday, Delta Sigma Pi finished 28th and managed to avoid serious accidents and penalties. For Marsch, a rookie, the experience was filled with hard work, but also a "once-in-a-lifetime experience."\n"I am so glad that I did it," Marsch said. "It's something to be proud of. It was definitely worth all the effort, and I am glad I was part of it."\nAt first, Marsch wasn't supposed to ride with Delta Sigma Pi, but then the team started losing it's members. Marsch was approached to join the team in the fall, and after a little deliberation, he decided to ride.\n"I knew he was athletic, so when they asked him, I wasn't surprised," said sophomore Mike Waldsmith, Marsch's roommate. "He likes to do new things."\nBut when training began in the fall, it was more than Marsch had expected. His training included Cycle Fit classes at the Student Recreational Sports Center, lifting weights and riding stationary bikes.\nMarsch plays a range of sports including basketball and soccer, but this was his first experience with riding.\n"I was in shape for a normal person, but it takes a lot more than that to ride," Marsch said. "There were riders that were in incredible shape, and the amount of work you put in is unbelievable. I didn't realize the amount of work you put into it."\nThe team experienced its ups and downs preceding the race. Gurchiek hurt his ankle, which meant the team had to use a different kind of exchange when he entered the race. Dobecki was riding with an injured rib. \nThe only experienced rider on the team was senior Alan Ireland, a member of the Riders Committee. For a while, the only definite riders were Ireland and Marsch, and the others were undecided.\n"Alan helped me a great deal," Marsch said. "The hardest thing was learning to pack ride. Getting used to pack riding takes a whole because you can get stuck and it's a lot of people riding really close together. Exchanges came pretty easy to me."\nThe team was settled by qualifications, but the question of whether they would qualify wasn't.\nDelta Sigma Pi fouled on its first two qualification attempts because of missed exchanges. It was forced into a third and final qualification try. \nMarsch and his teammates took it easier on the third attempt -- ensuring a problem-free run -- but came out with a slower time.\n"The drama of quals was that one more team had to ride," Marsch said. "It was the Region Crew, and one of their riders was in our business fraternity. If they had gotten a faster time than us, we would have been knocked out. It's finishing last, but we still beat some teams. We're just glad we're in the race, because we worked really hard for it."\nMarsch continued training after qualifications and describes his feelings toward the race in the weeks preceding the event as "relaxed" and "not too nervous."\nBut whatever nervous feelings he hadn't experienced hit him the night before the 2 p.m. race.\n"He had butterflies," Ireland said. "We had dinner and then we were watching (the movie) 'Breaking Away,' and all of a sudden, his eyes got really big, and he got really nervous."\nThe nerves Marsch carried into the race were not quelled early because of the series of accidents that plagued the early portion of the race. One minor wreck included Ireland, but Marsch managed to escape the frays.\nBecause of the injuries to his two teammates, it was Marsch and Ireland that rode the majority of the laps.\n"I just went out there and did not think about what I was doing or how many laps I was riding," Marsch said. "I just wanted to do as many laps as I could to finish the race."\nFor Marsch, who Ireland described as the "MVP" of the team, the months of practice and the race was an experience like no other. Although the day did not result in an upset for his team, Marsch said he was happy with the day anyway.\n"I'm not sure yet if I am going to ride or not (next year)," Marsch said. "I am definitely going to help out the team somehow, but I don't know if I am going to or not. (Saturday) went pretty good, so I am just happy with that right now"
(04/19/01 4:36am)
Sophomore Jenn Wangerin wouldn't have believed it if someone told her a year ago that she would be riding for the Roadrunners in the 2001 women's Little 500.\nA year ago, she had no idea what the Little 500 was.\n"Last year I read about the Cutters winning, and I think that was the first time I ever heard about the race," Wangerin said. "I'm from Dyer, Ind., and my coach is from Munster (Ind.), so the local paper had a story about that, too. But that was it."\nNow, not only is Wangerin riding in the Little 500, but she has developed into a standout rookie. Her teammates affectionately refer to her as the "Rockstar Rookie" because of her recent success.\nWangerin finished third in the Individual Time Trials March 28 with a time of 2:55.19. She was the only rookie to finish in the top five.\n"I don't think I realize how well I am doing," Wangerin said. "I was actually disappointed with my time, because I went faster in practice. But I am still pretty happy with how I finished."\nWangerin, a former track and field athlete in high school, joined the IU Cycling Club in the fall, where she met teammate Leslie Gilmore, a senior.\nGilmore approached Wangerin about the possibility of riding in the race. Wangerin was hesitant at first but decided to give it a try.\n"I was excited when Leslie told us she had found another teammate," senior Samantha Karn said. "Jenn showed a lot of great possibilities."\nWangerin joined the team in the fall, which brought the total number of Roadrunners to five. Karn, Gilmore and seniors Amy Bridges and Randi Ritter were all veterans.\nMinus Bridges, who spent the fall semester overseas, the rest of the team began training.\n"I didn't meet her until January," Bridges said of Wangerin. "But I am not surprised how successful she's been. She is very dedicated and has worked so hard."\nWangerin did not have a road bike, so she used her mountain bike as a substitute at the beginning of her training.\nWangerin said the team spent the fall getting comfortable with each other and riding.\nDuring spring break, Wangerin stayed with the team in Bloomington.\n"She worked hard over spring break," Karn said. "She got to learn more about our team as individuals. We stayed in a hotel. That way, we could be all together and could have our team bonding since we weren't going away."\nBut while the other team members were getting excited and nervous for the upcoming events, Wangerin had mixed feelings going into qualifications and time trials.\n"(Qualifications) was really exciting because right before we rode, some fan section started chanting 'pole position,'" Wangerin said. "But I wasn't as psyched at (time trials), because it has been hard for me since I haven't done this before. It's hard to feel something when you really don't know how you are supposed to feel or what you are supposed to do."\nBut Karn and Bridges said Wangerin has come a lot farther than she thinks.\nBridges said when Wangerin started, she had typical rookie problems. She wasn't accustomed to riding in the pack and various other Little 500 techniques.\n"Every rookie has problems with some things," Bridges said. "You just have to learn as you go. But she's good at sprinting, and she's worked hard at that. She's got strong legs that get her going quick."\nBut Wangerin might not even get the chance to show off her abilities in the race. \nBecause there are five riders, someone is going to be watching during the race. Their coaches won't decide who will ride in Friday's race until later this week.\n"We all work hard, and we all deserve to be on the team on race day," Bridges said. "But even though only four of us can ride, we are all going to be down on the track on race day supporting each other."\nEven if Wangerin doesn't get to ride this year, she said it won't stop her from participating next year. But losing all of her teammates is going to present a challenge for her.\n"Next year, I am going to be the only returning rider, so I am going to have to have a strong leadership role," Wangerin said. "I don't know who we are going to be getting, so I don't know what is going to happen. I just know that I am definitely going to be part of it again"
(04/18/01 7:07pm)
A mix of talent and youth makes up Row 4. Each team is almost even in the experience range, but it's going to be the depth each team shows that is going to win out.\nGamma Phi Beta (3:02.62)\nGamma Phi Beta has two levels to their team: the second-year riders and the rookies.\nJunior Deirdre Finzer and senior Erin Shaffer have a year under their belts, while sophomore Whitney Diggs and junior Liz Gilbert are new to the race. \n "We're about half and half," Finzer said. "Whitney trained last year but didn't ride, so she knows a lot about what's going on. Liz didn't train in the fall and around Christmas she decided she wanted to ride, and to see her progress is amazing. We aren't very deep but we are strong."\nLast year, Gamma Phi Beta finished third in the race, after earning sixth position in qualifications. \nDespite a drop in positioning, Finzer said the team is not disappointed because qualifications are not what counts.\n"Everyone would like to be in the front of the pack," Finzer said. "But if you're smart and know the race tactics, then you know how to maneuver around from where you start."\nAlpha Delta Pi (3:03.25)\nAlpha Delta Pi is in a position it has not been in for a long time. The No. 11 qualification time is the lowest the team has found themselves in recent memory.\n"(Our qualification time) is only upsetting because for the first time in four years we didn't finish in the top 10," senior Emily Derkasch said. "But in terms of where we are actually positioned, we aren't worried, because the teams around us are solid enough that we don't see it as much of a concern."\nBut compared with other teams around them, Alpha Delta Pi has some depth to its team. Derkasch, a third-year rider, is joined by senior Sara Herman and junior Alison Drake. \nThe only rookie on the team is sophomore Rachel Mindel.\n"We are very optimistic," Derkasch said. "A lot of the race is luck, and we have proven lucky before. We have a good outlook on things, and we are just hoping everything comes together."\nAlpha Gamma Delta (3:04.52)\nTraining season has been rough for Alpha Gamma Delta.\nDuring Christmas break, their most experienced rider dropped out of the race because of personal reasons.\nThen the coach they hired vanished, leaving the team to work out its own training schedule.\n"We were happy with (our qualification results)," senior Heather Poag said. "We had a lot of problems early in the semester after losing a veteran rider and then trying to find girls to ride."\nPoag is the only second-year rider for the team. The rest of the team -- freshman Cory Bitzer and sophomores Karen Trappe and Kate Whitman -- are rookies.\nBut with the results Alpha Gamma Delta has had so far, the youth of the team doesn't worry them too much.\n"Last year, we had two veterans and two rookies," Poag said. "But our rookies are looking good. One of our rookies, Cory, is doing really well. She finished third in Miss-In-Out, so that's really exciting"