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(11/05/02 5:11am)
Saturday, my brother and I were probably the only two people in the state of Michigan who didn't care about the Michigan-Michigan State game. Well, actually, it was about as good and competitive a game as the IU-Northwestern game, which the Hoosiers lost. That's right. The Hoosiers lost to the Wildcats. IU has single-handedly managed to go backwards football-wise. I wasn't there, but from what I hear, I didn't miss much.\nIt's unexplainable how the Hoosiers, who looked so strong, and sounded so confident starting the season, could actually lose talent and the ability to work as a team with three games left in the season.\nBut it could be worse. It could be much worse. \nLet's look at the current state of the Michigan State football team. One football player is in drug-rehabilitation for his alleged cocaine habit. Oh yeah, it's Jeff Smoker, who was only the starting quarterback until his habit got in the way of his playing ability. Then the coaches decided to step in. Good timing. It's nice to see the coaches care more about their players than their on-the-field product.\nThen the star tailback, and the team captain, Dawan Moss was arrested Saturday night following the Michigan game after being pulled over for drunk driving. But he didn't stop there. He thought it would be a brilliant idea to speed off, and in the process, drag a police officer with him.\nBut it keeps getting better.\nEight members of the Spartan team are rumored to be involved in a huge gambling ring. And the coach, Bobby Williams, is seeing the light at the end of the tunnel of his career at Michigan State.\nI have no feelings toward the Michigan State team, but good riddance to Williams and his cronies. Anyone who has so little control over his football team deserves to leave. He's making a mockery of the Spartan program.\nThat is, if you can call what they have a program.\nBut anyway. Despite the ridiculous showing on the field, it's nice to know that the only thing the Hoosiers have to be concerned about is the win-loss record.\nAnd the lack of rush defense.\nAnd the steady decline of the kicking game.\nAnd the disappearance of the offense.\nAnd the overall bad coaching from the field.\nBut other than that…
(10/31/02 6:12am)
True story.\nEight years ago, I thought college football was quite possibly the worst sport ever invented. And this is with soccer in the running.\nMind you, my only real exposure was to the early 1990s Northwestern Wildcats. My brother went to school there from 1993-1997, and let me tell you, the first two years were atrocious.\nNot that I could really get into detail about how bad it was, but I read a book through the games that my family attended. You would have too, had you been forced to sit through the Northwestern-Air Force game in 1994. Competitive game it was not.\nBut it was also Northwestern that changed my mind about college football. In 1996, the year after the Wildcats completed their fateful Cinderella season, they were making a valiant effort to repeat. One Saturday afternoon, I started watching a game by default; I had nothing better to do.\nAnd in some odd twist of fate, I found myself in a rant of screams and foot-thumping.\nNorthwestern was losing to Wisconsin late in the fourth quarter at Madison. All the Badgers needed to do was protect the ball. Instead, Wisconsin running back Ron Dayne fumbled the ball, and Northwestern scored the winning touchdown on the next play.\nAt this point, I was seizuring from excitement, and my poor dad, who was trying to nap, woke up all confused.\n"You hate football," he said. "Why are you yelling?"\nI had no idea, but from that moment on, I was hooked.\nBut being a Northwestern fan is like being a Chicago Cubs fan. You never really get full satisfaction from rooting for the team. As a colleague of mine put it, your life is full of "almost there's," and "doh's!"\nSo at the beginning of this Big Ten season, my brother Derek and I were comparing notes about Northwestern and IU.\nAs he put it, the game was shaping up to be the battle of the worst two teams in the Big Ten.\nBut hey, there is a bright side to that. Replace "battle" with "bowl," and the Hoosiers can boast that they made it to a bowl game this season.\nI can see it now. "2002 Big Ten Worst Team Bowl Champions."\nI vowed I would make no more predictions about the Hoosiers after I said they could upset Iowa and Illinois would be a cake walk.\n0-2, and I'm done.\nWell, after reading ESPN.com, and noticing that Northwestern was listed as No. 5 in the Top 10 bottom teams in the college football, I'm thinking of reconsidering.\nEspecially since the Wildcats grace from above seems to have disappeared in a plethora of losses that last year, they would have miraculously pulled out.\nUnfortunately for IU, which has the talent to be five million times better than Northwestern, the two teams are comparable on paper. That may mean nothing, but Illinois was better on paper, and we all know what happened there.\nEven worse, Northwestern averages more rushing yards than they do passing yards. Yikes for the Hoosiers, who forgot to integrate a single rush defense play into the playbook this season.\nBut luckily for IU, its passing game is way stronger than Northwestern's, and an even bigger positive is that head coach Gerry DiNardo didn't screw things up by replacing starting quarterback Gibran Hamdan with back-up Tommy Jones. \nUnfortunately, I won't be at this "bowl" game on Saturday. My brother and I both are going to be in a wedding this Saturday.\nBut I can just see us once again comparing notes. Me, about IU not understanding the importance of scoring in the red zone. Derek, about how the Wildcats get over 400 yards, and still don't win ... wait a second, that's the Hoosiers forte. Oh man, here comes trouble.
(10/29/02 5:25am)
I should have known Saturday was going to be bad. By 8:30 a.m., it was apparent that it wasn't going to be a good day.\nMy alarm went off at 6:45 a.m., which on a Saturday is just cruel and unusual punishment. But the real problem came when the clock had a snooze button, and the meeting time for the trip was 8 a.m. Something had to give, and when the phone was blowing up at 8:05 a.m., 8:08 a.m., and 8:12 a.m., I think you know which one won.\nSo the trip to exciting Urbana-Champaign got off to a late start, adding to the chipperness of five extremely tired sportswriters.\nIt was about to get worse. Thinking it would be a good idea to take a different route to I-74 to avoid the hellish construction on State Route 37, we headed up 67 instead. It would have been a good idea if we had any sense of direction. But no, we start going east when we wanted to go west, making it the first of three times our navigational skills were in the toilet.\nNow the caravan, really just two cars, of IDS writers were stuck in traffic for no apparent reason, and by the time we got moving again, the two cars were separated. I, driving one car, thought it would be a good idea to get on the cell phone while looking for the next exit. \nTranslation: Missed exit, complete loss of other car and serious consideration of turning back and crawling back into bed. Had I been able to look into the future, I would have.\nFinally, the trip appeared to calm down. Except when I tried to catch up with the other IU car. While attempting to pass a car going slower than Anna Nicole Smith having a conversation, I almost clipped a car that was in my blind spot. He didn't seem too angry; he just flailed his arms and used a choice finger a couple times. \nMy bad.\nFrom 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., the five of us managed to avoid ticking people off and getting lost. Then the game started.\nBut by the end of the second quarter Saturday, the IU-Illinois football game was unwatchable. The Hoosiers were getting their derrieres handed to them, and a second-half comeback was obviously not going to happen.\nIrritated by the trying trip to Champaign, then with the deplorable play by the Hoosiers, I took out my laptop, and wrote my column. I'd never been so happy with a laptop before in my life. The screen blocked out a majority of the third quarter, which wasn't worth watching anyway.\nSo I wrote my column. And it was scathing. It was insulting. It condemned the team's play that day.\nAnd I was ready to send it in. That is, until the post-game interviews. Sympathy set in for the team, and not being one to kick someone when they are down, I refrained from running the original column.\nFor a team that showed little emotion during the game Saturday, there was enough in the locker room afterwards to share with the entire IU community. A disheartened quiet filled the room as the team prepared to board the buses for the three hour trip back to Bloomington with nothing to think about except how the game went terribly wrong.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo looked like he was in a daze Saturday following the game. He had no answers for the IU team that was picked by even the Champaign local paper to beat Illinois. He was reaching when he blamed the cold weather as a reason for the Hoosiers defeat.\nSomebody better tell him that the weather is not about to get better. Neither is the Hoosiers bowl hopes if they play the next four games like they did against the Fighting Illini.\nIt's unexplainable how the Hoosiers looked so lost, so unemotional and so unprepared. This was their game to win, and next up is Northwestern. The Wildcats are also a team IU should beat.\nLord help us all next Saturday.
(10/24/02 6:09am)
I hope the IU football team has healed.\nPoor guys, they had to walk around campus with huge gaping holes in their feet as a result of shooting themselves multiple times in the foot in the loss to Iowa.\nTo recap the debacle that was a football game, IU should have and could have beaten Iowa on Saturday, and have nobody but themselves to blame.\nThe defense gave the Hoosiers a chance Saturday. After a characteristic slow start, the defense got their act together and gave the offense numerous chances to win the game.\nThe offense took those chances, and literally, threw them away.\nOn the Big Ten Web site this week, sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby was cited as one of the top performers in the Big Ten for Saturday. Roby had 198 yards in 11 receptions. Nice numbers, but what happens between the 10-yard lines is irrelevant.\nSenior quarterback Gibran Hamdan was also listed on the page. He is the first quarterback IU has had throw more than 300 yards in back-to-back games since 1984. But it's baffling to think that Hamdan threw for 335 yards, and still IU had to settle for two field goals and a safety.\nAs Hamdan, Roby and the rest of the IU offense found out Saturday, it doesn't matter if you get almost 500 yards in a game if there are no points added to the scoreboard. In fact, they are meaningless if they are unproductive, and on Saturday, that's exactly what they were.\nIU head coach Gerry DiNardo said after the game Saturday that the Hoosiers probably could have played better. Uhhh, hello? What's with the "could have?" Just say your team blew the game and a chance to upset a ranked team for the second week in a row.\nHis other analysis? He also attributed the loss to growing pains. Seven games into the season, and the only thing he can come up with is growing pains? Maybe if it were the first game of the season. Or the first road game. Or even the first Big Ten game. But the excuses are stale, and they don't exist anymore.\nIU can be, and has shown signs that it is, a good football team. But its worst opponent is not on the opposite side of the field, it's themselves.\nLuckily for the Hoosiers, the rest of the Big Ten schedule is full of opportunities, and call me crazy, but IU has a strong chance of being in bowl contention come December.\nStop laughing and keep reading. \nLet's take a look at the teams that the Hoosiers still face.\n• Illinois: The Fighting Illini have self-imploded this year. Like IU knows all too well, the only statistic that matters is the win-loss percentage, and Illinois, while impressive on paper, is struggling big time. This is just what the Hoosiers need to face after Iowa. It'll be a good confidence booster to pick up a win on the road.\n• Northwestern: The Wildcats, or mildcats, have run out of wishes. Last year, Northwestern got mercy from above, but cruelty sets in when luck is no longer on their side. Just look at the Ohio State and Minnesota losses. Last year, the Wildcats could have pulled out a miraculous win. If IU does not wallop Northwestern, DiNardo should go back to Vanderbilt. Maybe they could beat the biggest "gimme" in the Big Ten.\n• Michigan State: The Spartans started the season ranked and had expectations of great things. But then Michigan State started to realize that people were actually respecting them, and they can't have any of that. So they've been on a downward spiral, and by the time they face IU, the descent into OverRated-Ville will be near complete.\n• Penn State: IU loses. Hands down. But hey, finishing the season 4-1 is still good! \n• Purdue: Poor Purdue. A mere three wins and plenty of heartbreaking losses. The Boilermakers better be prepared for another heartache following the IU game. Bottom line, this is just not Purdue's year.\nSo IU's bowl aspirations are not unachievable. Let's just stop the self-mutilation tendencies, okay guys?
(10/21/02 5:07am)
For the second week in a row, the IU men's basketball team opened its practice to the public. Not long after the end of the IU football team's loss to Iowa did the fans make the short trek from Memorial Stadium to Assembly Hall to enjoy a sports fan's dream day: A football game followed by an open scrimmage by the NCAA runners-up.\n"It's pretty cool," senior guard Tom Coverdale said after the scrimmage. "It's exciting to get out and play in front of the fans again. It's only been a week, and it feels like three weeks."\nUnder the direction of legit officials, the team, evenly split, played a 30-minute scrimmage. In front of six-to-seven thousand riled up fans, it was the Crimson squad that narrowly pulled out a 64-62 win.\nThe starters for the Crimson team were Coverdale, freshman forward Sean Kline, freshman guard Bracey Wright, junior center George Leach and senior guard Kyle Hornsby.\nStarting for the Cream team was junior guard A.J. Moye, senior forward Jeff Newton, sophomore guard Donald Perry, sophomore forward Mike Roberts and freshman guard Marshall Strickland.\nNot that the teams were set in stone. At various points throughout the scrimmage, players would switch jerseys and jump in for the other team.\nThe Crimson team leaped out to an early lead on the Cream players, going on a 14-1 run in the first three minutes of the scrimmage. But led by scrappy play from Moye and Newton, the Cream team was slowly able to lessen the gap in the score.\n"I thought (the scrimmage) was good," coach Mike Davis said. "Moye played well; Leach, Newton, Perry, all those guys had a good game. It gives the players an opportunity to play for a day and have fun. They worked hard. They worked real hard."\nThe big player of the game was Leach, who showed off what his hard work over the summer accomplished. Leach made his presence felt under the basket on both sides of the court.\n"I am more aggressive," Leach said. "I worked hard over the summer by lifting weights and shooting." \nBut what excited Leach more was his ability to stay out of foul trouble, he said. \n"I had four fouls today," Leach said. "My freshman year I had about twelve. Last year, I had eight or nine, and this year I had four. That's good for me. Four is the target for a game."\nWhile intended to be a serious practice, the team showed off some of their basketball prowess.\nLeach had more than one dunk on the basket, including a one-handed dunk after getting the ball from an out-of-bounds, possession-saving toss from Strickland.\nNewton also drew cheers from the crowd when he dunked over big-man Leach as the Cream team was making its comeback. On the following play, Coverdale tossed an alley-oop to Wright who put up the dunk.\n"It was nice," Kline said. "It was just like Midnight Madness. It was nice to get out there, and you get the adrenaline flowing. It's nice to be in front of a big crowd again"
(10/17/02 5:31am)
Iowa is 6-1, losing only to Iowa State. IU is 3-3. The Hoosiers this season have been outscored by 25 points in the first quarter, while Iowa outscores its opponents by 81 more points in the first quarter.\nThere are a few circumstances that would be nice when IU takes on the Hawkeyes this Saturday:\n• That Iowa doesn't score 81 points in the first minute of the game. \n• That the Hoosier offense has 405 yards again...in the first half. \n• That the IU students would realize they go to a Big Ten school, and actually show up for the game. There's a student section, a free tailgate and plenty of good seating to go around. Plus, it's Homecoming. If you don't show up for the Homecoming game of your own school, transfer. Now. We don't want you here. \nBut there are also some things that we don't want to happen. So take a trip around the stadium with me, while we examine what needs to be exempt from Saturday's showdown.\nTHINGS WE DON'T WANT TO SEE HAPPENING AT THE STADIUM:\n• IU coach Gerry DiNardo reading "Football for Dummies." And looking confused.\n• The cheerleading squad, giggling like school girls every time the announcer says "tight end."\n• Wide receivers Glenn Johnson and Courtney Roby both wearing signs that read, "Randy Moss is my hero."\n• Myles Brand sticking his face in every ESPN-Plus camera, all the while advocating the necessity for less attention to college sports and its personalities.\n• The assistant coaches playing Pictionary with the drawing board on the field.\n• Taking a cue from Terrell Owens, the Hoosiers start signing everything in sight then throwing it into the crowd. Helmets, cleats, benches, kicker Bryan Robertson. The mascot would definitely get tossed into section three, but in case you didn't know, we still don't have one. \n• The Hoosiers, wanting to be as beloved as the Chicago Bears are at this school, provide the halftime entertainment show by doing the "Super Bowl Shuffle." And singing it a capella.\n• The band, still bitter about having to wear those silly hats, go wild and crazy by playing Footloose repeatedly.\n• Any of the male cheerleaders wanting to see what it would be like to cheer with his eyes closed. With his partner twisting in mid-air.\n• A first-time football spectator covering the field with quarters after hearing the IU coaches screaming, "Get the quarterback," because she (or he!) wanted them to stop yelling about a measly 25 cents.\n• Pete Rose, deciding that his luck might be better with football, exchanging stuffed white envelopes with the Hoosier managers.\n• The IU athletics director wearing a suit to the football games. It's your day off, and why did you change the colors if you weren't going to wear them?\n• Quarterback Gibran Hamdan, deciding to throw off the Hawkeyes a bit, starts throwing the football like a frisbee, and not understanding why he's 0-for-49, with 33 interceptions.\n• The timekeeper be a former Michigan State graduate, especially if IU is up late in the fourth quarter, and Iowa is going for it. \n• The punter and kicker (recovered from his trip into the crowd) chaining themselves to a goal post in protest, because they still don't think Adam Sandler's song about the "Lonesome Kicker" was very funny.\n• Pee-wee league players, there to play on the field at halftime, get recruited to play because IU's depth chart is so thin. Next on the list, the Red Steppers. Hey, they could kick!\n• The athletic department giving the parking lot attendants the 40,000 left over tickets, and telling them to walk in and out of the stadium so it could be considered a sellout.\n• The Hoosiers complaining about grass stains on their nice white uniforms. Right after crying about the helmets messing up their hair.\n• Iowa not showing up, because the Hoosiers are ready to prove last week was not a fluke. One ranked team down, next please.
(10/15/02 4:41am)
We're taking a break from the usual weekly awards. Instead, we're going to take a cue from ESPN, and countdown the top 10 plays of Saturday's most improbable win against Wisconsin.\n10. Sports Illustrated, look no further for next week's Sign of the Apocalypse, it has to be the IU kicking team. Seriously. Because sophomore Bryan Robertson made every single PAT, and then he went crazy and made a...sit down...field goal. It's true! And mad props to junior Ryan Hamre, who punted four times for 189 yards. Very good, gentlemen.\n9. Freshman cornerback Damien Jones was all over his man like tattoos on Dennis Rodman. This was especially apparent early in the second quarter when Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger attempted a long pass up the field. But Jones was right with the intended receiver, and just as the ball came down, Jones snatched it out of the air. He ended the game with the team second-best eight tackles, and one broken up pass.\n8. This is not the last time that sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby will be mentioned in this article, but this one involves him cutting back, then up the field to score IU's first touchdown in the comeback. With just over a minute left in the third quarter, Roby caught a pass from senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan, and then tore up 31 yards for the touchdown. But the best was still yet to come.\n7. The Badgers needed to score and IU needed to maintain the lead late in the fourth quarter. With every IU fan holding their breath, Wisconsin went for it on fourth-and-seven on their 39-yard line. Prior to this play, the Badgers had three incomplete passes, and senior safety A.C. Carter made sure they had a fourth. When Bollinger went to the air, Carter swatted it away, and secured a win for IU.\n6. Technically, this next one really isn't a single play, but it counts as a nice recovery. Near the end of the first quarter, Wisconsin was marching down the field when sophomore linebacker Herana-Daze Jones was called for a personal foul, giving the Badgers nice field position. Jones backed up the miscue by making two tackles on the next consecutive plays. The overall series ended with just a field goal for Wisconsin. Somebody got lucky.\n5. The Hoosiers have been way too conservative this year, and, finally, they decided to take a gamble. Not that they had a choice this time though. But with just over two minutes left in the third quarter, IU found itself fourth-and-seven on Wisconsin's 45-yard line. Having to go for it, Hamdan found, who else, Roby, who picked up eight yards, and a first down. Look how taking risks turned out.\n4. The IU team has the best celebration dance since Rod Tidwell in "Jerry Maguire." For the last minutes of the game, the team showed off their moves. And what a sight it was.\n3. Gibran Hamdan was 24-for-36 passing. He totaled 310 yards. Hamdan led the Hoosiers to four touchdowns. Enough said. Oh wait, and he was named Big Ten co-Offensive Player of the Week. Because he's Gibran. And he's Hamdan. He's Gibran Hamdan.\nTIE - 1. It's a tough call between Roby and junior wide receiver Glenn Johnson for who deserves the MVP award for the game. But Johnson made a strong case for his side all through the game, most notably in the fourth quarter. In the series before he scored the game-winning touchdown, Johnson made two plays of 25 yards and 24 yards to bring the Hoosiers down the field. Not too shabby.\nTIE - 1. The game was in its final minutes, and IU trailed by five points. The Hoosier offense was moving down the field, but kept getting held up by the offensive line playing the invisible game. IU was third-and-17 on their 33-yard line, when Hamdan found Roby, who went to the air. Roby flew, and we're talking flew, through the air to pick up the first down. He got it, saved the drive and the game, and one minute later, IU was in the lead. What a series. What a game.
(10/14/02 6:08am)
IU President Myles Brand acknowledged last week he plans to continue to pursue his idea of "purifying" college athletics once he takes the helm of the NCAA.\nBut he said he doesn't want to deny sports fans or athletes the chance to enjoy the games. He would just like to see a bigger emphasis on providing good academics.\n"I've had a lot of experience running large complex organizations," Brand said Friday. "I believe I can carry that experience over to the NCAA. While I have not been active in the NCAA itself, I certainly have been active in presidential associations, and I've certainly been involved in sports on my campus and in the conference."\nSome say Brand's outsider status was one of the reasons he was hired. Brand fired Coach Bob Knight and fought for tighter regulation of college sports.\nSoon after firing Knight, Brand called for reforms in college athletics, pitching his "academics first" initiative in a speech to the National Press Club.\nBrand's opinions on athletics gave some people the wrong idea, IU board of trustees president Frederick Eichhorn said.\n"He has been misinterpreted on the subject of athletics," Eichhorn said. "He is not anti-athletics, but he thinks that athletics needs to come more under the overall umbrella of the university and be part of the university community rather than an island unto itself."\nAnd that's a concept the NCAA embraces. In April, the NCAA board of directors adopted reforms aimed at curtailing the trend of student-athletes forgoing college or leaving school early for the pros.\nDave Frohnmayer, an NCAA Executive Committee member and president of the University of Oregon, said it's appropriate for an NCAA president to be an advocate of the academic world. \n"He has the knowledge of athletics and an impressive academic background," Frohnmayer said. "He's been a good administrator in a complex organization, and is recognized as a national leader."\nBrand said he believes academics can coexist with athletics.\n"The collegiate game must be distinguished from the pro game, which is good in its own right, but different," Brand said. "It's important to make sure to maintain the integrity of intercollegiate athletics, and most especially integrate intercollegiate athletes with the academic missions of colleges and universities."\nThe Associated Press contributed to this story.
(10/11/02 3:26pm)
The man who fired Bob Knight and advocated academics over athletics is set to run the nation's college sports machine.\nYesterday in a surprising announcement, the NCAA unanimously named Myles Brand its president-elect. His five-year contract begins on the first day of the new year. Brand's new position will force him to resign IU's top job.\nBrand's acceptance of this position leaves a void in IU's highest leadership position. Just hours after his resignation, the board of trustees announced that they will hold a press conference at 1:30 p.m. today to discuss IU's administrative future.\nBrand said the process happened quickly. The new NCAA president barely had time to personally inform the IU board of trustees before announcing his resignation.\n"Well, at first it was a very difficult decision, and when I finish in December, it will be with great regret," Brand said late Thursday night from Indianapolis. "I enjoyed working with the faculty, the administrative staff and the students at IU. This is an opportunity to have an impact on a national level. It's an opportunity I could not pass by."\nOne of three finalists interviewed early Thursday afternoon, Brand was unanimously voted to the position by early evening.\nHe becomes the fourth president in the history of the association, and follows Cedric Dempsey into office. Dempsey announced his retirement from the position, where he spent eight years. The NCAA Executive Committee started its seven-month search for a new president soon after Dempsey's announcement that he would leave.\nThe committee accepted 118 nominations for possible candidates, before narrowing the field to 11 finalists in September.\nThe group cut the finalists to three and the subsequent announcement of an appointee took only a short time.\n"My understanding is that has developed fairly recently," IU spokesman Bill Stephan said. "He was contacted by the NCAA officials whether he might be interested. This was an extraordinary opportunity on a national scale. He will take on the responsibility that will go along with the job."\nThis announcement came as a surprise to many at IU as well. Because of the nomination and voting process that the NCAA follows, the screening process is kept under wraps.\nIn this case, the time period between an offer and an acceptance was short.\n"From the beginning it was an important consideration to not at all speak about the candidates," IU Athletics Director Michael McNeely said. "I'm not surprised, because it is a very prestigious role. It provides great opportunity and great challenges."\nBrand, 60, has been IU's president since 1994, but arguably will be best remembered for imposing a "zero tolerance" policy on former men's basketball coach Bob Knight. Brand later fired Knight for breaking the agreement.\nDuring his tenure as president, IU private donations led all public universities, and Time magazine named IU "College of the Year" among research universities in September 2001. Brand also helped unify the IU Medical Center Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children with Methodist Hospital to form Clarian Health.\nIU also enjoyed record enrollment numbers under Brand.\n"I personally can attest through the things that the rest of student body doesn't see," said IUSA President Bill Gray. "This man has done everything in his power to better IU and help its students in any way"
(10/11/02 7:01am)
Freshman guard Bracey Wright said he couldn't see the crowd at Midnight Madness last year, but he could feel it and he could hear it.\nAs Wright made his way from the offices of Assembly Hall to the basketball court, all he could hear was the loudness of the crowd.\n"We came in from upstairs, and we didn't know how big it is yet," Wright said. "It was me, Marshall (Strickland) and Sean May, and once we walked in all, all we saw is this sea of red. Then we look up and people have our signs made, and there are people screaming at us."\nWelcome to IU and the madness of the basketball season.\nEarly Saturday morning, at 12:01 a.m. to be exact, the IU men's and women's basketball teams kicks off the first practice of the season.\nBut this practice is not the everyday practices the team will be experiencing the rest of the season. After tonight's practice, senior forward Jeff Newton said, the practices will be like "conditioning with a ball."\n"The first month is real intense," Newton said. "It's still trying to get us in good shape, and everything is still going to be real hard. Coach (Mike) Davis wants us to enjoy Midnight Madness, but come Saturday, that's when the fun and games are over."\nThe team has spent the last six weeks going through grueling individual workouts, including running the football stadium track and stairs and continuous weight-training. \nMidnight Madness signifies the end to these conditioning sessions, which the Hoosiers are not disappointed to usher out.\n"Conditioning this year was equivalent to a boot camp," junior center George Leach said. "Our strength coach, Geoff Eliason, he has to be a drill sergeant. He works us hard."\nSo for one night, the Hoosiers get to throw out the basics for 45 minutes or so, and just relax and have fun. Because this is the one chance they will get in a while, and each of them are taking advantage of it in different ways.\nLeach and Newton plan to be spectators during the competitions Saturday night, letting the younger guys show off for the first time for the IU students and fans.\n"This year, I'm just going to be watching," Leach said. "I don't feel like doing anything, so I'm just going to be watching and enjoying the show. We have a practice at 9 a.m. the next morning, so I'm going to be looking forward to not doing anything this time."\nWhile the new players are expected to participate the event, junior guard A.J. Moye is looking to show them all up by notching the third and final victory he needs in the Midnight Madness competitions.\n"A.J is getting in the three-point contest this year," Newton said. "He's saying if he wins he'll be the first to win all three events. I'm just going to sit back and watch. I don't want to show up the young guys"
(10/10/02 6:10am)
It was two hours before last year's IU-Wisconsin football game, and my co-beat writer and I were sitting in Madison traffic, waiting to get to Camp Randall Stadium.\nAs we sat at a red light, a van pulled up to the right side of the University rental car and a man rolled down his window.\n"Welcome to town, losers!"\nAfter he yelled his welcome at us, he drove off laughing and waving.\nWe laughed at his greeting, almost conceding to the fact that yes, the IU football team was going to lose to Wisconsin.\nFour hours later, both of us were scouring the emptying parking lots looking for that van. Because instead of the anticipated loss came a huge surprise. The Hoosiers, who were winless going into the game, beat the Badgers. But Wisconsin didn't just get beat, they got dominated by an IU team that appeared to be having an out-of-body experience.\nThe Hoosiers offense scored four times on consecutive plays that took less than two minutes total. The IU defense was impenetrable and unrelenting. The crazy Badger crowd that makes Madison one of the best places in the Big Ten to watch a football game was stunned. As was the rest of the country.\nNot long after IU pulled to a shocking 32-0 first quarter lead, the press box blew up with ringing cell phones. It was unimaginable that IU could actually be beating Wisconsin, and not just beating them, tearing them apart.\nMy brother called me a couple of times throughout the game to get updates, but the first time he called he asked me if he should call ESPN to tell them that the BottomLine was running the wrong score. That it should be IU 0, Wisconsin 32. \nBut this was no joke, and it certainly wasn't a mistake.\nIt was, more than anything, fun to watch. Even from up in the press box, the IU players emitted a sense of thrill and excitement that was contagious. Here they were doing exactly what they told everyone they could do. That if all areas of the team were clicking together, then they were unstoppable, and that day, they were.\nIt wasn't exactly the turning point of last season, because the Hoosiers followed up that performance with a dismal loss to Illinois the next week. That 35-14 loss was the last home game the Hoosiers dropped at home.\nBut for three hours, IU was inspired and exciting to watch. The Hoosiers went on to win four of their last six games, barely missing out on a chance to make it to a bowl game. And as good as the next four wins were, nothing could top that Wisconsin game. \nUnfortunately, last year, only those IU fans who traveled to the game were able to witness that apocalyptic win because the game was not televised.\nThis year, however, the Hoosiers are at home, on television and on the brink of busting wide open. But before IU gets a chance to double the pleasure of beating No. 22 Wisconsin twice in a row, there are a few obstacles standing in the Hoosiers' way.\nFirst of all this weekend could turn into a game of the Hoosiers playing Wile E. Coyote trying to chase down that darn Roadrunner, otherwise known as sophomore Anthony Davis. Davis is on pace to be the latest in a 10-year streak of Wisconsin running backs who have gained more than 1,000 yards in a season.\nSecondly, the Badger defense leads the Big Ten in causing turnovers. Their constant pressure is going to force the IU offense to be perfect. But if history does repeat, this could be ultimately be a reality.\nOne good sign for the Hoosiers is that Wisconsin averages a higher possession time than its opponents. IU didn't need time last year to run up the score, so if the Hoosiers manage to click this year, time is of no concern.\nBut what the Hoosiers need most of all is that guy in his van, giving out greetings before the game, so that after, while the Hoosiers gloat, he can eat his words.
(10/08/02 5:15am)
The IU football team is like a fine wine. \nWe've discussed the rush defense, or the lack of one. We talked about the fluctuating offense, the puzzling play-calling and the disaster known as the kicking team.\nBut we haven't talked about how IU is like wine. And I'm not talking $1.99 Boone's Farm.\nI'm talking about the old fine wines that need to be given time, patience and a chance to mature. The team needs all of these things, and that's why IU is like a large young bottle of Bordeaux. \nConsider the following fact: IU played 47 athletes in the loss against Ohio State, and of those, 29 of them were freshman or sophomores. And of those 18 that were left over, a couple of the positions are filled with players adjusting to a new position or adjusting to a starting position after four years. And let's not forget that all of the players are getting used to a brand new coaching staff.\nIt may seem kind of late in the season to be playing the youth card, but it's yet to be acknowledged, and is probably the most important reason that IU is 2-3.\nWith the amount of youth, injury and lack of depth that is plaguing the Hoosiers, regardless of the record or the teams IU has played, recognition for the adversity they are facing this year is necessary.\nIt's agreed that the kicking game has been a never-ending headache for the Hoosiers, and that never before has an extra-point attempt been so feared. But during summer camps, last year's kicker and the team veteran kicker, Adam Braucher, was injured. Kicking this year is sophomore Bryan Robertson, who last year was sidelined with a back injury and spent a majority of last season on the bench.\nYes, the Hoosiers quarterback is a fifth-year senior, and at this point in a fifth-year's career, well, experience would be a plus. But, Gibran Hamdan's playing time was minimal last year, and his offense has totally changed. As far as receivers, Glenn Johnson has already passed the number of catches he made total last year with the number of catches he's had in five games this season. This junior is joined by sophomore Courtney Roby, and together they average 8.2 catches per game for over 180 yards. \nAnd let's really look at the defense. Senior Kris Dielman spent all of last season at tight end, and now after the switch to defense, he is in the top five leading tacklers for IU. Of those above him, Damien Jones and John Kerr are freshman, Herana-Daze Jones is a sophomore and A.C. Carter joins Dielman as a senior. Herana-Daze Jones is tied for second place for most tackles in the Big Ten, after leading the category for the past weeks.\nBut in addition to the youth and the chess-like switching of player's positions, injuries have plagued the team, both to those who have redshirted for the season, and those who are playing through the pain. And there are a lot of those.\nNot to mention the unfilled scholarships that sit nearly abandoned, just waiting to be used. But while the scholarships collect dust, the team faces the possibility of having a scarce amount of backups. And with injuries becoming a daily occurrence and coach Gerry DiNardo excusing players like it's his job...okay, so it is. Either way, the Hoosiers have continued on, and with each game, shown signs of aging.\nLet's hope that the cork of this team can be taken off soon for all IU fans to enjoy.
(10/03/02 5:15am)
The IU football team gets a long-anticipated bye weekend this week. Last year, this break was a gift to the Hoosiers, who traveled to Madison, Wis. last year, and shocked, well, the world, by running all over the Badgers the following weekend.\nNext week, IU faces Wisconsin once again. ESPN-plus has decided to broadcast it, Badger fans are preparing to travel for it and the IU team is hoping history is on the Hoosiers side, wishing for a repeat performance.\nBut as for this weekend, IU has had two days off from practice and will be off Saturday as well. So let's join them in taking a break, and finding some humor in something other than IU's rush defense.\nMany famous people have made observations about sports, and it's surprising how many of these quotes pertain to IU's football squad. Take a look:
(10/01/02 6:12pm)
Let's be completely straightforward. \nIU losing to Ohio State Saturday was not a surprise. \nIf anyone truly believed the Hoosiers could travel to Columbus and beat the Buckeyes, that person deserves the 'Optimist of the Decade' award. But the Hoosiers deserve all the credit for a tough first half. Had it not been for the 17 points given up in the third, that Optimist award just might have been given out.\nBiggest standout on defense:\nYes, there actually is a standout player, and that is freshman Damien Jones. While lately much of the hype on defense has been dedicated to linebacker Herana-Daze Jones, who is the Big Ten's leading tackler, Damien has been quietly establishing himself at the cornerback position. Saturday, against Ohio State, Damien had four total tackles. While that number is neither impressive nor the most in the game, Damien was instrumental in saving an early score by the Buckeyes on their first possession by breaking up a long pass. Look out for this young upstart.\nMost unsurprising event:\nOn Ohio State's first possession, it looked as if the Hoosiers could have a fighting chance in the game. Then freshman running back Maurice Clarett entered the game, and it was all over for the Hoosiers. On his first appearance in the game, Clarett helped the Buckeyes move the ball 50 yards in 12 plays, and capped it off with a touchdown. Even with an unstable knee, Clarett exploited the IU rush defense. Just think what's going to happen when the Hoosiers face a completely healthy running back later on. Actually don't, it will be better that way.\nBiggest identity crisis:\nOhio State fans and cheerleaders. Here's the situation. You are not Ohio University. You are The Ohio State University, which begs the question of why all but one of your cheers is missing the word, "State." Now unless you are only up to the P's in the alphabet, I'm sure there is someone at your school creative enough to come up with a cheer that incorporates it. Just don't do what the IU athletic department did, and spend money on a marketing company to come up with a revamping plan. You'll end up with nothing but debt, and nothing to show for it. Well, expect incorrect cheers.\nBest multi-tasking:\nLet me get personal for a moment, and introduce you to my sports editor/best friend/bodyguard/roommate/voice to tell people off when I can't, or won't: Miss Katie Schoenbaechler. Following last Thursday's column about Ohio State, Katie was intercepting my e-mail, answering my phone and keeping watch outside my door, waiting to pounce on any Ohio State person wanting to mess with me. Well, not really to that extent. But as a sports editor, she's been great, and as a friend, well, everyone wishes they had one like her.\nMost "Did they mean to do that?" moment:\nApparently, the Buckeyes got their signals crossed, literally. The OSU quarterback was walking off the field for the play just as the center snapped the ball late in the third quarter, and…well…never mind. This one is just too easy.\nBest imitation of a Butterfinger candy bar:\nGlenn Johnson in the third quarter. Ohio State had just scored early in the third quarter, and IU was on it's way to marching down the field to close the gap to 10. But disaster struck when Johnson, usually a dependable receiver, dropped a beautiful pass thrown by quarterback Gibran Hamdan. This led to a domino effect of letdowns as, on the same possession, Ryan Hamre's punt was blocked, and two minutes later, the Bucks scored again.\nBest response:\nOhio State fans, students and alumni. Following last Thursday's column about OSU, I received numerous e-mails from Buckeye supporters. While it was impossible for me to respond to each one of them, I wanted to say thank you for taking the time to read and respond to my articles. I hope that these people who wrote continue to read my columns and support me in the future. Thanks!
(09/26/02 6:19am)
Mary had a little lamb was not my first nursery rhyme. \nIn fact, while my little playmates were singing about lambs and falling bridges, I was singing, Oh, how I hate Ohio State.\nNow, my parents didn't encourage, or condone, hatred of any kind. But my mom was, and is, a rabid Michigan fan, and for anyone that doesn't know, to a true Wolverine, the Buckeyes are the anti-Christ.\nLast February, I visited Buckeye Stadium, the Horseshoe, for the first time on my way to cover the IU-OSU men's basketball game. With my mom on the phone, I kicked the stadium. It was a proud moment.\nThis Saturday, I hope the IU football team kicks something else. I hope they embarrass Ohio State so much that when the despicable Ohioans file out of the stadium, they are silent.\nI can think of nothing sweeter.\nColumbus is filled with obnoxious Buckeye fans, big-headed football players and a history of overrated coaches. Remember John Cooper? He may have a winning record, but his teams were masters at the art of choking.\nYes, Ohio State is ranked in the top 10 of the country. Their players are bigger, stronger, faster than IU. They have a defense that, well, they have a defense. That's enough. Their quarterback is a playmaker, and is aided by a young running back who is a Jerome Bettis-wannabe. In other words, he's a bus.\nTheir parking lots are jammed with tailgaters who subsequently find their way into the stadium. The games are often standing room-only…on the roof. Their colors are unchanged, the uniforms the same. The grass is greener, the air is sweeter and the sky is bluer. Oh yeah, and they have a mascot. \nBasically, in terms of football only, Ohio State is superior. In fact, it's ridiculous to think that IU is even comparable to the Buckeyes. Except for one thing.\nOhio State is beatable.\nIt's undeniable, and pretty much preposterous, not to think the same of IU. Obviously, with the whole country betting on the Hoosiers getting massacred on Saturday. And they very well could get taken to the house, humiliated, beat down…you get the picture.\nBUT! IU is overdue for a major upset, and this Saturday is the perfect opportunity.\nOhio State is cocky and over-confident. They are looking past this Saturday's game to a spot in the Bowl Championship Series games.\nThis game doesn't even register on their scale. For IU, it's the perfect time to make waves on the Buckeyes' radar.\nI know, I know, I know. It's a long shot that the Hoosiers can go into a hostile environment and pull out a fantasy-like upset.\nThe fact that IU's rush defense is close to being at the bottom of the Big Ten barrel isn't really encouraging. But, Ohio State's leading rusher, and the nation's second leading rusher, Maurice Clarett, has been plagued with a knee injury, making the task a little easier for IU. (FYI -- Hoosier defense, it's his right knee. I'm not suggesting you take it out or anything, just that you should be aware.)\nIn order to get a victory, here are a few of my tips for an IU success.\n• Defense: See an OSU player running. TACKLE HIM. And PUH-LEEZE, make sure it's before he reaches the endzone.\n• Offense: Switch it up a little bit. Running back Yamar Washington is great, but too many running plays, and even the less-than-intelligent Buckeyes could figure out what's coming. \n• Kickers: See the those two poles at the end of the field? Kick through them.\n• Coaches: Make sure your team is fresh, confident and not the least bit intimidated. Hey, anyone remember former Buckeye Andy Katzenmoyer? Heck of a tackler. Not so much the world's smartest man. Wonder how far the apple falls from the Buckeye football team. If nothing else, at least the Hoosiers don't need eight years of summer school to pass college. Coaches, just keep telling the team that. Maybe that'll pump them up.\nSaturday is full of possibilities. A major upset, an expected loss, an Ohio State grad that knows how to count to 20 with his shoes on.\nAnd for this one, I'm pulling for the Hoosiers to win. And afterwards, for the Horseshoe to crumble. What a quality day that would be.
(09/24/02 4:17am)
Hoosiers, nice win.\nBut it came after the realization that IU might lose to Central Michigan, that anybody with any kind of running back will get past IU's defense and that, yes, once again, IU's offense can't always be expected to carry the team. But anyway -- here are this week's touchdowns and fumbles.\nMost worthy of mad props:\nTie; running back Yamar Washington and wide receiver Courtney Roby. Runner up: quarterback Gibran Hamdan. Washington rushed 26 times for 129 yards, and in all those attempts, only lost one total yard. He also found the endzone with seemingly complete ease three times. Nice! And Roby not only caught the ball four times for 153 yards, he fought for his receptions, and on running plays, was blocking like crazy. Loved the block in the fourth quarter as Washington found the endzone for the last time. Hamdan recovered from a rough Kentucky game, stayed confident and led the team to victory. Good thing the offense looked like they were willing to do whatever it took to win on Saturday.\nWeakest link:\nThe IU rush defense. Um, hi, where are you? Good thing Central decided to go to the air every now and then, or else IU's offense would have never been able to come from 13 behind to give the team a win. The Chippewas have been using their passing game as a stepping stone toward victory in two of the four games they've played. IU and Akron have been the exceptions, and really, IU defense, do you feel it's fair to be compared to Akron? And if not, what are you going to do to change it? Let's hope this is answered before Saturday's game against Ohio State.\nBiggest where-have-you-been moment:\nIn the second quarter, defensive end Herman Fowler came up with a monster stop. For the first time in the whole game, the defense, helped by Fowler, prevented Central's running back from gaining yards, and EVEN (hold your breath) caused a loss of two yards. Too bad the rush defense followed this where-have-you-been moment with the numerous amount of where-did-you-go plays?\nBiggest what-were-you-thinking play:\nHello Robbie Mixon, running back and kick returner for the Chippewas, and welcome to the game of football. Here are a few tips: run forward, block when necessary and when receiving a kick, do not step out, and then back into, the endzone like you did in the third quarter against the Hoosiers Saturday. This gives the opposite team two points, and you don't want that to happen. Borders sells "Football for Dummies" for $13.99. I'm sure someone in your alumni association will buy you one.\nBest trick play:\nWide receiver Glenn Johnson being quarterback for a play. It's about time coach Gerry DiNardo and staff mixed it up a little bit. IU was down 14-10 in the second quarter, when the ball went from Hamdan to Johnson who threw the ball to freshman John Pannozo for a 26-yard pick up. The finale to this series was a touchdown for IU. The Hoosiers are going to have to go to unconventional lengths if they want to win this year, and finally, the coaches felt that option out a little. It'd be nice to see it again this season. Here's an idea for a trick play: the IU kicking team actually splitting the uprights. That'll shock just about everyone.
(09/19/02 4:59am)
Central Michigan, a threat? As a Michigan native, that statement really shouldn't ever be uttered. At least not seriously. And definitely not as a description for this Saturday's football game when IU faces the Chippewas.\nBut Central is undefeated! \nIU would be too if they played Sam Houston State, Wyoming and Akron. CMU is supposed to be a cakewalk for the Hoosiers, not a threat. IU coach Gerry DiNardo didn't bump NC State and put William & Mary and Central on the schedule for no reason.\nBut IU is weak, pretty much everywhere! \nAgain, it's Central Michigan! This is not a school known for its football prowess. And if IU fans are remotely worried about this week's game, they better not even think about the upcoming Big Ten season. The thought promises to cause bleeding ulcers, and that's just no fun.\nBut a prediction is no good without hard facts, so let's compare IU to Central Michigan.\nIn general: When I was a senior in high school, the only people who applied to Central were those who needed a guaranteed acceptance, or those failing home economics. One classmate was accepted into CMU with a 1.9 GPA. But! This particular classmate was a rockstar at partying, and in Michigan, Central is known as party central. (No pun intended!) Of course, they aren't the No. 1 party school in America.\nWinner: IU by a Dean's List student doing a keg stand.\nHistorically speaking: Hey, IU may not have a winning record against any Big Ten school, but the Hoosiers are 24-4-1 against Mid-American schools. And IU hasn't lost a game against that conference since Michigander Gerald Ford was president. Well, no Michigan resident has been commander-in-chief in 25 years, and it's severely doubtful that the Chippewa's will break IU's 12-game win-streak against the MAC conference.\nWinner: IU, even though Ford was much cooler than Indiana's Dan Quayle. We won't even compare brains.\nIU's Gibran Hamdan vs. CMU's Derrick Vickers: Last Saturday, Vickers had the difficult task of facing the well-known brutal defense of…Akron. Must have been tough, especially when Akron had no sacks on the quarterback, no tackler who had double-digit tackles and apparently no blitz. So while Vickers was enjoying the roominess of the pocket, Hamdan was getting beat down by the UK Wildcats.\nWinner: Vickers. Despite the joke teams Central calls opponents, his numbers are impressive: 796 total passing yards with a 66 percent completion average.\nIU's defense vs. CMU's defense: Maybe we shouldn't even go here. But we will. Because Central's defense has 200 total tackles on the season, while the Hoosiers recorded 227. Both teams have eight players with double-digit tackles, but IU's leader, Herana-Daze Jones, has 40 total tackles which is 15 more than Central's main tackler Dante McKnight.\nWinner: Draw. If the Hoosiers hope to win this game, the IU defense has to play a complete game, which is not two quarters.\nGerry DiNardo vs. Mike DeBord: Okay, I cannot tell a lie. I'm biased towards DeBord, current head coach for the Chippewas and former offensive coach for the Michigan Wolverines. Some of my favorite football memories include the stellar DeBord-led offense back in 1997 when Michigan won the National Championship. Had he not opted for the job at Central, he might have won this one outright.\nWinner: Draw. If DiNardo has his defense rolling and DeBord gets his offense firing, this is going to be an interesting battle.\nIU's mascot vs. CMU's mascot: Oh wait a second. IU doesn't have a mascot. It's not that hard to figure out that defining a "Hoosier" is near impossible. And yet, the brain surgeons that run the IU Athletic Department are four months past their deadline of introducing the IU mascot. Fabulous idea to hire that marketing company in Indianapolis. It's obvious it's been a huge success.\nWinner: CMU. IU lost this one when they got rid of those inflatable football players that ran around the stadium. \nOverall Winner: IU. Even though IU is run by knuckleheads, and DiNardo's restructuring plan looks to be in shape by 2080, the Hoosiers will win. And not just in the post-game chugging contest.
(09/17/02 5:13am)
The tinmen of the IU football team discovered Oz in Kentucky Saturday and found their hearts. Despite losing 27-17 to the Wildcats, the Hoosiers showed more fight and enthusiasm than they had in the previous two games combined. After getting behind 14-0 in the first quarter, and then having to wait while lightning delayed the game, it would have been easier, and not surprising, had the Hoosiers given up. Instead, IU came out fighting, and nearly upset Kentucky. So here are this week's awards following the disappointing loss.\nBest resemblance of Babe, Paul Bunyan's Blue Ox:\nKentucky's quarterback, Jared Lorenzen. In fact, being as Lorenzen was completely clad in blue, the amount that Lorenzen resembled the fictitious ox was uncanny. This moose in quarterback's clothing was listed on the Kentucky roster as 6-foot-4, 275 pounds. Ugh, try adding 25 pounds to that. To put it in perspective, IU's quarterback, Gibran Hamdan, is listed as 6-foot-6, 231 pounds. That's two inches taller and 44 pounds less. It's not surprising that Kentucky didn't call any quarterback draw or option plays.\nBest follow-up play\nJoe Gonzalez's interception. Following the Hamdan-to-Johnson 67-yard touchdown, Gonzalez picked Lorenzen's pass and ran 36 yards to the endzone. This play by the defense gave the Hoosiers their first and only lead of the game. It was a good moment for the IU defense who played heinously in the game against Utah. For a majority of the game against Kentucky, the IU defense was solid, and Gonzalez's interception-touchdown capped it off perfectly.\nBest example of who's-laughing-now\nGerald Carr, former IU quarterbacks coach, and current Kentucky assistant and running backs coach. Last year, when IU coach Gerry DiNardo was hired, DiNardo completely cleared out former IU coach Cam Cameron's coaching staff. This included Carr, who was current Pittsburgh Steeler Antwaan Randle El's coach. If you'll remember, Randle El was named first-team All-America and the Big Ten Most Valuable Player last year. And now at Kentucky, Carr coaches senior tailback Artose Pinner, among others. Against IU, Pinner, the main attraction of UK's offense, rushed 25 times for 141 yards. Pinner also received the ball 10 times for 92 yards. That's a total of 233 yards, out of Kentucky\'s 327 total. Man, it's a good thing DiNardo got rid of him.\nWorst image of a martyr\nGibran Hamdan. Following the game, Hamdan said that the loss was on his shoulders and that he lost the game for IU. It's unfortunate that in a team sport, one player feels responsible for a loss that in which all players should be held liable. True, it's hard to ignore Hamdan's interception late in the game that led to UK's touchdown, which was the ultimate backbreaking moment. But earlier, Hamdan, who even after getting pummeled on more than one occasion by the UK defense, dove head first each time he scrambled for yards. In his first game as a starter, Hamdan completed 13 of 38 passes for 234 yards. Compared to Kentucky's seasoned quarterback, who went 19 of 32 for 183 yards, Hamdan wasn't that shabby. Accepting responsibility is honorable, but unheralded. Hopefully his teammates have told him the same thing.\nMost questionable play-calling\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo. It's simply unexplainable how DiNardo decided when to go for it on fourth downs and when not to. Specifically in the third quarter, IU was 4-and-inches from a first down, on the UK 44-yard line and DiNardo decides to punt it instead of go for it, ending a momentum-building series. This is confusing for the fact that at this point in the game, the defense hadn't allowed UK to score since the first quarter, and that the offense did go for it on fourth down in the first quarter, and picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak. It made no sense for DiNardo to halt the offensive drive, and give UK the ball. Who knows what might have happened.
(09/12/02 5:40am)
Two days ago, I got an urgent message from my friend Stephanie, who wanted to know if I had gotten any death threats yet. And if not, she wanted to know if the reason I wasn't answering my phone was because I was, at the time, being held in a headlock.\nLater that night, I went to my other job at the SRSC, where I was asked if I had gotten any scathing e-mails, or anyone knocking on my front door yet. The guy told me that he would not have been able to write what I wrote. \nWhich led me to ask, what is it really that I did? Wrote the truth? Sorry to have to go back to the old cliche, but it's true that the truth hurts.\nAnd for the members of the IU football team, the truth doesn't just hurt, it burns, stabs and maims what they do on the football field. The score, the statistics and I don't lie. And the bottom line, is that I don't seek out every negative aspect of the football team, they have handed that to me on a decorated platter for the past two weeks. \nBut today, the difference with this column is that I am writing this on the one year anniversary of the gravest day in American history, and talking about the upcoming Kentucky game seems trivial compared to what is going on in the nation surrounds us. \nAnd I don't have the heart or the strength to write anything that could add to the hurt going on this week.\nYesterday, while searching through the IU athletic Web site, I came across reflections of the IU athletes on the Sept. 11 anniversary, and three of the football players had given their thoughts on the day.\nSenior safety Joe Gonzalez offered his thoughts, prayers and wishes for world peace in his moment of contemplating Sept. 11. Last year, a day after the attacks, Gonzalez said that if his country needed him to fight in the at-the-time imminent war, he said he would be there, and knew that many of the other guys on the team would do the same.\nNewly named starting quarterback Gibran Hamdan professed his love of America, for the freedoms Americans enjoy and his praise for the men and women engaged in battle so that the U.S. citizens can enjoy those freedoms.\nSenior offensive lineman Enoch DeMar urged everyone to "keep those who passed in your hearts and memories forever."\nYesterday, the team record didn't matter. It didn't matter that the IU team was going to have its hands full against their upcoming Kentucky opponent and the Wildcats beefy quarterback Jared Lorenzen. None of the serious doubts surrounding the football team are relevant in this community or this country right now.\nAnd the football team, realizing this, took the time to share their thoughts on a day when America was hurting. Perhaps, despite not living up to IU's expectations of them as a worthy football team, the football players have shown that they aren't completely wrapped up in themselves and the game they play. Perhaps IU students, fans and myself should respect them for the way they carried themselves off the field during this somber time.\nNow let me be completely straight forward. My current state of respect and optimism given to the team today doesn't mean that next Tuesday, if the team plays as atrociously as it has in the past two weekends, will I be any less truthful about the ugliness of the teams play.\nBut for today, I see nothing wrong with adding a little optimism to a hurting community and a hurting team.\nAnd that is the honest truth.
(09/10/02 5:08am)
They're baaaaack. It's unfortunate to say, but the IU football team that has so famously self-imploded in the past made its comeback debut on Saturday against Utah 40-13. That's not even close to being a competitive game. For the Hoosiers that showed so much potential in the win against William and Mary, they certainly showed that giving IU the benefit of the doubt only causes heartache. So without further adieu, here is this week's awards.\nBest disappearing act: \nThe IU offensive line. The O-line lost one of its key members to graduation last season, and yet the line is playing like it's made up of inexperienced freshmen. The Utah defense exploited the line to a point where poor Gibran Hamdan, who replaced Tommy Jones in the third quarter, could barely walk off the field. Hamdan was taking a beating by the Utes who had no trouble rushing him on each play. IU coach Gerry DiNardo spent tons of time toning the defense, that someone forgot to remind him that he needed to work on the offense. So the question remains, where did the strong offensive line from last year vanish to? And how can we get them back?\nMost cruel reminder: \nThe Utah station broadcasting the game felt the need to dump a truckload of salt into the IU fans gaping wounds in the third quarter. While IU was down 34-6, the station showed clips of Antwaan Randle El, completing passes, running for numerous amounts of yards and having an offensive line that actually kept the defense at bay. It was almost enough to bring the ten people watching the game to tears. It was a sad, sad moment.\nBest Keith Jackson impression: \nIU announcer Don Fischer turned into the "Whoa Nelly" king himself on Saturday. When IU quarterback Tommy Jones shocked IU fans with his 53-yard touchdown pass to Glenn Johnson, Fischer described the play as Jones showing a little "Razzle-Dazzle" on the pass. Too bad Fischer used the phrase so soon in the game. Maybe Jones would've had a little bit in him to inspire Fischer to imitate Jackson some more. Oh well, at least he got one chance to praise Jones. That's one more than against William and Mary.\nMost Awww-how-adorable-inducing Moment: \nThis is obviously not anything from the IU side since nothing they did Saturday came even close to resembling anything cute. But on the sidelines, just after the start of the third quarter, Utah's Marty Johnson, who rushed 29 times for 228 yards and two touchdowns, drank from a water bottle on which he had written 1508. That is the number of yards he wants to gain in order to break a rushing record. It would be nice to see anyone on IU with that kind of drive and goal. It's called finding inspiration. Note to the IU football team, TRY IT!\nBiggest waste of time: \nWatching the game at all. That's three and a half hours that anyone who bothered to watch will never get back. And it's money that the bars who ordered the game will never get back. And it's five hours of flight time that the team will never get back; it would have been much easier just to forfeit. And it's wasting the 50 lines of paper that this column is taking up just talking about the game.\nBest reason to love Kilroy's Sports Bar:\nIn between the so-called football "game," they were broadcasting the Serena-Venus U.S. Open final. So at least the people viewing the game got to see some kind of competition Saturday night.\nScariest realization, probably of all time:\nThat IU has no consistent quarterback, no running back because there is no offensive line to open holes and an up-and-down defense. Memo to anyone reading this -- PRAY!