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(11/14/03 4:28pm)
IU coach Mike Davis stressed all week in practice offensive execution. Thursday night Davis got the execution he was looking for and saw his team rack up nearly 100 points in a 98-70 win over the Southeastern All-Stars.\n"That was a fun night for us," Davis said. "I thought the last week we really didn't play well, and it really affected practice. (Wednesday) we came in and worked on our offense. Tonight was a lot better than last week."\nAfter last Friday's 70-68 overtime win over Athletes in Action, Davis said the team was very far behind in its offensive sets. Sophomore guard Marshall Strickland said Davis made offense the emphasis of practice everyday this week.\n"It's one thing he really challenged us to go out here tonight and do," Strickland said. "We didn't run that many plays tonight, but the plays we did run, we really tried to focus on and run well."\nThe Hoosiers went into halftime with a 50-33 lead and were never threatened in the second half. IU shot 49.3 percent for the game, 53.6 percent in the first half to help the team build the halftime lead.\nIU was led by sophomore guard Bracey Wright who had 26 points, 21 in the first half. Despite not being at 100 percent after back surgery, Wright has stepped up as the Hoosiers' offensive leader.\n"There were certain times in the game that we forgot places to go, but for the most part, we're coming along now in the offense," Wright said. "We're working out way up to where we were offensively last year."\nIU jumped up to an early 12-3 lead. \nWright made four of five three-pointers as IU shot 53.6 percent behind the arch in the first half. IU outscored the All-Stars by nine in the final five minutes of the first half.\nDefensively, IU was just as tough. The Hoosiers held the All-Stars to 30.8 percent shooting for the game. IU also recorded nine blocks and five steals.\n"This was a difficult team to play against because they're a one-on-one team," Davis said. "Our defense had to be really sharp. We tried to contain them and keep them to one side."\nIU also took numerous charges on the night. Freshman forward Pat Ewing Jr. said the team played with more energy Thursday.\n"The charge is something we work on every day in practice," Ewing Jr. said. "It's hustle points, you know. It's a turnover for the other team. A charge is almost the easiest way to stop a team."\nThree other players scored in double figures for IU. Senior guard A.J. Moye had 10. Ewing contributed 14, and freshman forward Jessan Gray-Ashley came off the bench to score 12.\n"The last couple weeks of practice, he has gotten better every day," Davis said of Gray-Ashley. "He has a chance to be a good player."\nWhile Davis said the team still has a lot to work on, he liked the way his team looked tonight, especially in its attitude.\n"Last week we had a look on our face I haven't seen all preseason," Davis said. "Tonight we had guys smiling and having fun. It was fun tonight. I'm not saying we should go out and have a fun time and not concentrate, but we need to relax and play free. Just play."\nWith only a week remaining until their season opener, Ewing Jr. said the team is getting excited.\n"I can't wait. First real game, there's nothing like it," Ewing Jr. said. "First night for the fans felt great. First exhibition game felt great. I know it's going to feel great, but I hope I can give the fans a nice little showing in a real game."\n-- Contact sports editor Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.
(11/13/03 6:06am)
Mike Davis said Wednesday was like Christmas in November for the Hoosier program. The IU men's basketball coach announced his recruiting class for next season, landing four of his five early verbal commitments.\n"We got four nice signees," Davis said. "It was a nice day today for the Hoosiers. We got four big-time players ... We have a young group of kids right now and put the recruits together with the kids we got now, if they work hard we can win some games."\nIU received national letters of intent from Josh Smith of Powder Springs, Ga., D.J. White from Tuscaloosa, Ala., Robert Vaden and A.J. Ratliff, both from Indianapolis.\nClark Francis, publisher of hoopscooponline.com, said IU has the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation, without a doubt.\n"It's a great class," Francis said. "If Josh Smith shows up, (IU) can make the same type of impact that Syracuse made on college basketball a year ago. If not, D.J. White is terrific. He will be there for a year or two or three. He solves any problems IU will have inside this year."\nSmith is at the top of the class and is ranked in Francis' top five players in the nation. Smith's summer AAU coach Karl McCray said Smith is great player.\n"I think (IU) got a diamond," McCray said. "I think it's a good match."\nThere has been speculation that Smith may not attend IU and will make the jump directly to the NBA. Davis said he's not worried.\n"He's a Hoosier. Once a Hoosier, always a Hoosier," Davis said. "I know people are going to try to get him to come out. But we're not worried about it. He said he wanted to play with these guys. It's a great class together. He's wants to win a national championship, so that's our focus right now."\nFrancis said the key to the class is Davis' recruiting ability.\n"The story is, is that he can get the best players in the country," Francis said. "He is recruiting early. They recruit everyone for a year. They get an A+ on being ahead of the curve."\nWhite is a 6'9" forward whom Davis said will be the guy who can score some inside points for the team. Davis said Smith is probably the most athletic player in the country. Davis was also excited about guards Vaden and Ratliff, especially since they are from Indiana.\n"Both kids are really good," Davis said. "Robert (Vaden) really understands the game. Ratliff has a great coach and has a really, really good background in basketball."\nDavis said right now he is focused on the current team at IU. But he is also excited about the direction the program is heading.\n"You're looking at four guys who can play basketball, can really play basketball," Davis said. "Defensively all four can play well. All fours guys are athletic. They want to be here. They want to be a part of the program. That's big for us."\n-- Contact sports editor Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.
(10/27/03 5:50am)
CHICAGO -- The men's basketball season hasn't even started and Bracey Wright already has expectations to fill. The sophomore guard was selected to the Big Ten preseason All-Conference Team by the coaches and the media.\n"Whatever hype there was about me last year, now everybody is going to be coming after me," Wright said. "I'm somebody who's going to have an X on my back so I'm going to have to work twice as hard as everybody else to stay on top."\nOn the list with Wright was Illinois sophomore Dee Brown, Wisconsin junior Devin Harris, Michigan sophomore Daniel Horton and Michigan State junior Chris Hill. Michigan State sophomore Paul Davis tied and was a member of the coaches' team.\nThe coaches selected Harris as the preseason Player of the Year. The guard finished last season with 12.7 points and 3.06 assists per game.\n"I was surprised that they recognized me that way, but then again it's only preseason," Harris said. "I'm just worried about how the team plays in the conference. It's great to get the accolades, but that's what I'm preparing for now."\nBrown was selected by the media for Player of the Year. Brown said he didn't expect the award and wouldn't have picked himself or Harris.\n"I'd pick Paul Davis, who I think is the best player potential wise in our conference," Brown said. "Sometimes you have to live up to that expectation, but I think if my team's successful, I'll be successful."\nMichigan State was chosen by the coaches and the media as preseason favorite to win the Big Ten. The Spartans return three starters from a team that went 10-6 in the Big Ten and finished in a tie for third place.\n"We're honored to be in that position, but at the same time we've been there before," Hill said. "We understand that if the coaches and the media pick us preseason to win the Big Ten title, it has nothing to do with how you do on the court. For us, there's not as much (pressure) just because we've been in that situation before. I think it's more like Wisconsin who have won back-to-back championships. I think they have a little bit more pressure than we do because it's their title to defend."\nIllinois was picked to finish second, and Wisconsin was third. The Illini finished second last season while the Badgers won the crown outright with a 12-4 record.\n"In the past two years, I've seen the teams they've picked to win the conference championship, and I've seen the teams that were left out," Wisconsin coach Bo Ryan said. "So I never get too excited one way or too dejected in the other way because it still has to be played on the courts."\nSeveral of the coaches commented that the Big Ten is going to be very tough this year, even more so than in the past. In addition to the top three, teams such as IU, Purdue and Ohio State could all make a run for the championship.\n"We may be a unanimous pick because of where we went last year and where our program is," Michigan State coach Tom Izzo said. "How anybody can say we are better than Illinois or Wisconsin right now on paper alone is ridiculous. I say that not to defer it. I'm happy. That's better for us, But I do think top to bottom, there are some incredible teams right now."\n-- Contact Sports editor Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.
(09/17/03 6:22am)
The IU men's basketball team has solidified next year's recruiting class as one of the top in the country with the addition of Indianapolis North Central's A.J. Ratliff. The 6-foot-1 point guard verbally committed to Coach Mike Davis and the Hoosiers Sunday.\n"I went with what I decided to do," Ratliff said. "I talked to Coach Davis about my position with the team. I hope to be the leader of the group as the point guard. I've watched their games on TV and seen the crazy fans and hung out with some of the players."\nIU already had four other commitments before Ratliff. Clark Francis, editor and publisher of Hoop Scoop, said Ratliff will be a fine fit at IU.\n"He's very athletic," Francis said. "He can play three different positions. I don't think he's a great player, but he's a nice piece of the puzzle."\nThe official signing date for the basketball team is Nov. 13. IU already had verbal commitments from four other players: Robert Vaden of Indianapolis, James Hardy of Fort Wayne, Ind., D.J. White from Tuscaloosa, Ala., and Josh Smith from Powder Springs, Ga. \nFrancis has Ratliff ranked No. 103 in the country. Hardy is in the 70s, and Vaden is in the 30s. Both White and Smith are ranked in the top five nationally.\n"(Ratliff) puts IU over the top in having the No. 1 class in the country right now," Francis said. "He's a homegrown kid. When a kid stays home, it's always good. More importantly it shows that IU got three of top five players in state."\nJosh Gilbert is Ratliff's uncle and his legal guardian. Gilbert has ties to Davis, which helped when Ratliff had to make his decision. Gilbert's wife, Stephanie, said there is a trust and comfort level with Davis.\n"My husband has known Mike Davis for years," Stephanie Gilbert said. "Davis has a family environment there. It's amazing the relationship he has with the kids. A.J. needs someone there he can trust when we aren't there."\nRatliff's mother, Tracy Ratliff, lives in New Iberia, La. She said she was not involved in Ratliff's decision to come to IU because she wanted to leave it up to him. She said she told him the family would support him no matter where he chose.\n"I think he picked a good school from what I've read about the school and from my brother's judgment," Tracy Ratliff said. "A.J. likes the environment and the program. He's going to do well."\nA.J. Ratliff said he is looking forward to getting stronger for Big Ten play. As for now, he said he can't wait to play with such a talented group of players.\n"I look forward to learning the system," Ratliff said. "It's very exciting to be playing with great players. It feels good going in."\n-- Contact Sports editor Tyler V. Hoeppner at thoeppne@indiana.edu.
(11/25/02 4:49am)
The Hoosiers didn't have enough time on Saturday to overcome their 17-3 halftime deficit and lost to Purdue 34-10. The Boilermakers won back the Old Oaken Bucket by keeping a tired Hoosier defense on the field most of the second half.\nIU (3-9, 1-7) struggled running the ball early and led to three punts on their opening three drives. Meanwhile, Purdue (6-6, 4-4) got on the board on their first drive with a 60-yard pass from freshman Brandon Kirsch to junior John Standeford.\nGoing into the game, senior quarterbacks Tommy Jones and Gibran Hamdan said they would split time in this game.\nHamdan replaced Jones at the start of the second quarter and led IU on a nine play, 40 yard drive that ended in a 50-yard field goal by sophomore Bryan Robertson. Hamdan said he didn't mind sharing time with Jones.\n"Surprisingly, I thought it went very well," Hamdan said. "Tommy and I both got a chance to play. I thought it was the right thing to do. It was very comfortable."\nSophomore Courtney Roby had two catches for 46 yards in the first half. That put him over 1,000 yards for the season, making him only the third player in school history to accomplish that feat.\nPurdue would respond to the field goal with a 5:30 minute drive. Freshman Brandon Jones ran it in from 41 yards out to give the Boilers a 14-3 lead. They would add a field goal as time expired to extend that lead to 17-3. IU would never get any closer.\nPurdue's offense controlled the ball and the clock in the second half. They wore down the defense and never gave the Hoosier offense an attempt at making the comeback. \nDiNardo said the defense was on the field too much for the team. He said the offense's inability to move the ball and the defense stopping Purdue from converting third downs led to a tired defense.\nIU continued to struggle running the ball in the second half. The team only managed 29 yards on the ground. \nFreshman Yamar Washington said it had more to do with IU's offense than Purdue's defense.\n"We knew what they were doing, but we had some mental breakdowns on our part. And that's what led to a lack of running game," Washington said. "We were moving the ball fine, and we'd find a mistake. And it would mess up the whole drive."\nPurdue coach Joe Tiller said stopping the run was the game plan against IU. He said the defense did a good job of limiting the IU offense.\n"We knew going in that they would throw the ball against us, so we came in with the attitude of bend but don't break," Tiller said in a statement. "If we could eliminate their run, we could make them a one dimensional offense, and that would give us a good chance to win."\nPurdue had two long drives in the third quarter, the second resulting in a fourth and goal touchdown from the one-yard line by freshman Jerod Void. Defensive Coordinator Tim Kish said the coaches threw everything at Purdue to try and stop them.\nPurdue went on another long drive early in the fourth that resulted in a field goal to push the lead to 27-3. Senior A.C. Carter returned the Purdue kick-off 85 yards.\nThe Hoosiers took advantage of the short field to score their first and only touchdown of the day. Hamdan threw a six-yard pass to senior Stephen Anthony for the score. Hamdan said it was a special moment since the pass was to his roommate of five years.\nHamdan said it was frustrating to stand on the sidelines and not have the chance to get in to lead a comeback. He credited Purdue's efficiency on offense as the key.\n"This game was very tough in terms of the way we controlled the ball," Hamdan said. "We never really moved up field like we wanted to. The second half was the key to this game, and they did a good job of pinning us down and stopping ball movement."\nThe game had its moments of ugliness and bitterness that a game between rivals normally has. Freshman linebacker John Kerr picked up a Purdue receiver and slammed him to the ground following a catch. Later, the game would have to be delayed a few minutes after fans threw objects into the field. DiNardo said he was concerned for some of the IU staff because they had no protection.\nDiNardo said the team can take away something from this season despite the losing record. \n"Everybody comes to work every day knowing what is expected of them," DiNardo said. "The standards have been set, and I think everyone knows we won't change that standard. We just have a lot of work to do."\nHamdan said he is proud of the way the team kept their heads up all season.\n"The true measure of character is when you can stay strong through adversity and adverse times," Hamdan said. "We have a lot of guys on this team that can say that was the case with them. \n"It's easy to be up when everyone is cheering for you, and everybody loves you. But when you're not playing so well, and you don't have a good season, your true character shows. I think guys hung in there and stayed strong through it"
(11/22/02 5:09am)
The hatred between the Hoosiers and Purdue runs deep. One hundred six years deep. One of the nation's most storied rivalries will take place again this weekend as IU travels to West Lafayette this Saturday.\nThe Hoosiers and Boilermakers have done battle on the gridiron since 1891 with Purdue winning that contest 60-0. The Boilers have continued that dominance throughout most of the century and hold a 63-35-6 overall record.\nThe tradition between IU and Purdue would not be complete without one of the most famous trophies in college football, the Old Oaken Bucket. The two teams have battled for the bucket since 1925 when the two ended in a 0-0 tie. The winning team adds another bronze letter with the score of the game after the victory.\nThe bucket is now in the possession of the Hoosiers after IU upset Purdue in Memorial Stadium last year 13-7. Coach Gerry DiNardo said he did not really have a rivalry game similar to this at Louisiana State, but he said he understands the magnitude of this game.\n"It's a very intense rivalry, and I think we all understand that," DiNardo said. "The tempo changes a little bit in weeks like this. We'll treat it the same way as everyone else before us has treated it."\nSenior defensive lineman Kris Dielman said this game is important for the seniors. They have only held the bucket once during the past three years. He said it would be great to go out with a win\n"It's sad for the seniors because we never had a chance to go to a bowl game," Dielman said. "In the future that's going to change, but for this year, this is our bowl game. So that bucket means everything to us. There's no better feeling I've ever had in football, from high school and when I was younger, than running off the field with the bucket in our hands."\nThis past week, the seniors have taken turns talking about their experiences in the game with the coaches and younger players. Freshman linebacker John Kerr said it has helped him get an idea of the rivalry.\n"All I hear about is how much everybody hates Purdue and how much Purdue hates us," Kerr said. "You can definitely tell there is bad blood between these two teams. They're just trying to explain it to the freshman, trying to get us on that same plain with them with our level of hatred for that team."\nSenior defensive back Antonio Watson said the team was shown films of fights that occurred in previous games. Watson said the team will have to be prepared for that type of game but also be ready to play smart.\n"I really didn't know about it until I stepped out onto the field and saw how the guys come at you trash talking, cursing, cheap shots," Watson said. "It's going to be a battle, more like a war. You just have to be ready for a war."\nSince the Hoosiers cannot qualify for a bowl game, the team will be playing for pride. But the Boilermakers have a post-season berth on the line. A win, they are in. A loss and their season is over.\n"Personally, I think it's getting the Bucket back (that is more important)," Purdue senior linebacker Joe Odom said in a statement. "It's a tough choice, but the bucket is what everyone looks at for the next year between Purdue and Indiana. It's the personal rival situation, and I don't think it matters how either team is doing. If you win this game, it caps off your season."\nPurdue coach Joe Tiller said the game is important because it affects their post-season play, but it won't detract from the rivalry. Odom said it doesn't matter how good each team has played so far this season.\n"It doesn't matter how much talent each team has," Odom said. "It doesn't matter how good each team is. One team could be No. 1 in the nation and the other could be last in the nation. Both teams are going to show up to play, and both will get the opponent's "A" game. That's what makes this such a great rivalry."\nDielman said the Hoosiers would like nothing more than to end the Boilers' season. IU last won in West Lafayette in 1996. Kerr said the team just needs to snap out of its current losing streak.\n"I just want to win," Kerr said. "I hate losing. I take every game the same. I hate everybody just as much as I hate another team"
(11/19/02 4:38am)
His football coach calls him the quiet type. So do some of his teammates. He even considers himself a goofy guy. But when sophomore linebacker Herana-Daze Jones steps on the field, he is all business.\nJones is second on the team with 66 solo tackles and 32 assists for a total of 98 despite missing last Saturday's game against Penn State with a shoulder injury. He is averaged 9.8 tackles per game which is good enough for fourth in the Big Ten conference for all games played.\nDefensive coordinator Tim Kish said he expected a lot of productivity. Kish told Jones at the beginning of the year he would have to be heavily involved in the defense.\n"He really, year in and year out, should be the most productive player on the team," Kish said. "He's come in and made some big plays for us this year. I keep challenging him to be more consistent. He needs to become a better tackler. But he's starting to develop his leadership skills, and that's important for a guy in his position."\nJones said he is working on becoming a vocal leader. But he said he leads better in other ways.\n"Sometimes [Kish] wants me to be more of a vocal leader," Jones said. "Mainly, he wants me to come out and play and lead by example. He wants me to be the catalyst, the one that sparks everything."\nJones said he has to come out every day in practice with a lot of emotion. He said his teammates look to him to play hard all the time.\nJones surprised some of his teammates before the Iowa game on October 19. He got up before the team and spoke about pride and taking a stand.\nHis inspiration comes from his mother; a women who Jones said spoiled him as a kid and made sacrifices for him and his four siblings. Olivia Jones has attended every home game this year and has even made it out to a few road games.\n"If she couldn't give me the material things, she gave me a lot of love," Jones said. "I had everything I needed. We are a close-knit family."\nBut Jones said that what he gets most from his mother is work ethic. He knows that sacrifices that she had to make for her family.\n"I know my mother worked hard for what we had," Jones said. "It was the main thing that changed my attitude. I saw how hard my mother worked to provide for us."\nDuring the spring, Jones made the switch from defensive back to linebacker. Kish said the coaches had to make quick decisions on positions. He credits Jones' knack for the football as his best attribute as a linebacker.\nKish said that Jones still has some growing to do, but he is becoming a better student of the game. Freshman linebacker John Kerr said Jones has really helped him out this year, and it's good to have somebody like him out there.\n"Herana-Daze is a very smart player," Kerr said. "If I have any questions during practice, he picks things up pretty quick. He knows the defense very well. If I don't what to do, I can always holler over there, and he knows what to tell me"
(11/18/02 4:31am)
Penn State senior running back Larry Johnson needed 158 yards Saturday to break the school's single season rushing record. Johnson cruised to 194 yards in the first half alone on his way to setting several records on the day in a 58-25 win over the Hoosiers.\nThe IU defense had no answer for Johnson. He finished the day with 28 carries for 327 yards and four touchdowns. IU only had 275 yards of total offense. The defense has now given up 200 points in their last four games. \nCoach Gerry DiNardo said Johnson is one of the better backs he has ever seen. DiNardo said the defense has been getting manhandled up front.\nPenn State sophomore Zack Mills said the Nittany Lions knew they were going to have to run the ball to be successful. He said it's not all that hard to hand off to Johnson.\n"It's not tough to give him the ball like that," Mills said. "He's having a great home stretch. He deserves all the credit he is getting. He seems to get better as the game goes on."\nBesides setting the single season rushing record, Johnson's 327 yards total were the fifth highest in the 107 years of the Big Ten. Johnson set the Penn State single game record, and he set the record for most yards at Memorial Stadium. Last year Johnson only had 337 yards total for the year.\n"I see him everyday," Penn State coach Joe Paterno said. "He hasn't stopped surprising me. He's strong. He's gotten to be a good blocker. He obviously is a tough kid. Larry Johnson is just a big, strong kid who loves to run with the football. He loves to play. He's got great speed."\nSenior defensive lineman Kris Dielman compared Johnson to freshman Maurice Clarett from Ohio State and junior Fred Russell from Iowa. Dielman said he is a powerful runner who has good vision.\nHoosier freshman defensive back Damien Jones said Johnson is better than Clarett or Russell because Johnson can gain so many more yards once he gets past the line of scrimmage.\n"When I tried to go catch him, I'm a pretty fast dude, and he's a big guy," Jones said. "So when I went and tried to catch him, and he shot off, I was like 'man.'"\nJohnson had six runs of 20 yards or more, three of those going for 40 or more. IU freshman linebacker John Kerr said the team had trouble making tackles.\n"He's a very good back, but when we didn't break down our assignments we weren't containing him," Kerr said. "He's wasn't really breaking out. He had about four or five runs where he just broke for like 50, 60 yards. So if we could have limited those, he really wouldn't have done that much."\nPSU senior defensive tackle Jimmy Kennedy said it was great to see a teammate have such a good game. He said it's great to see him out there running all over people.\nDespite all the praise from teammates, opponents and coaches, Johnson shrugged it off. Johnson gives the credit to his team.\n"I have been blessed to have such a great offensive line," Johnson said. "As long as they keep playing so well, I will do well."\nJohnson also shied away from Heisman Trophy candidate talk. His name has slowly been creeping in the national spotlight. He said he doesn't think he deserves to be up there because he doesn't play for a No. 1 team.\nBut even Paterno, who said he doesn't push for players to win awards, said Johnson deserves some recognition. He said the players need to earn the awards and promote themselves as opposed to schools sending out promotional materials for a player. \nJohnson has averaged 223.4 yards per game in the last five games, giving him a good late season rush for the Heisman. Paterno said Johnson is making a good case for himself.\n"I can't tell you who the best football player in America is," Paterno said. "They've got to consider a runner, and they've got to consider Larry Johnson. The numbers are there. He's coming on strong. He's doing everything you would want a good football player to do. Whether he's going to get it or someone else is going to get it, I don't know. But I think certainly everybody better take a good look at him"
(11/15/02 5:32am)
It's one last time in front of the home fans. It's one last time for coach Gerry DiNardo to show the Hoosier faithful what the future of IU football holds. It's one last time for the 14 seniors on IU's roster to run onto the field at Memorial Stadium.\nIU (3-7, 1-5 Big Ten) plays its final home game 3:30 p.m. Saturday when No. 16 Penn State comes to Bloomington. \nIt may be their last home game, but some of the seniors haven't let that reality set in. They're too busy getting prepared to go against one of the best all-around teams in the Big Ten.\n"It's my last home football, but it's just really another game," senior A.C. Carter said. "It's Penn State. That's basically all I've been concentrating on, beating Penn State. I'm sure after the fact I'll realize it, but right now it's beat Penn State."\nBut beating Penn State (7-3, 3-3) will be no easy task. PSU has the Big Ten's leading rusher in senior Larry Johnson. Johnson is third in the nation is rushing and is the top runner in all-purpose yards.\nIU's run defense is second to last in the Big Ten, giving up 217.2 yards per game. Senior Kris Dielman said Johnson is helped out by a very good offensive line. Senior Antonio Watson said IU will have to make some adjustments to slow down the Penn State run game.\n"We're probably going to have to stack about eight or nine guys in the box," Watson said. "We'll force them to beat us with the pass. I think having eight or nine in the box will stop (quarterback Zack Mills) and their run game."\nMills runs a Penn State offense ranked 35th in the nation. He is a threat on the ground as much through the air, throwing for 14 touchdowns and rushing for two on the season. Senior Bryant Johnson and junior Tony Johnson make up a good receiving corp, each coming into this weekends game with three touchdowns.\n"They're pretty damn good," Dielman said. "Johnson is an impressive running back. Receivers are pretty good also. We have to do what we've been taught, take control of your gap and make tackles."\nDefensively, Penn State is equally as tough. The defense is led by senior defensive end Michael Haynes who leads the Big Ten in sacks, tackles for loss, and forced fumbles. He is one of four finalists for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End Award. \nThis week senior quarterback Tommy Jones will replace senior Gibran Hamdan as the IU starter. He will have his hands full against a defense that has only given up 20 touchdowns all season. This will be Jones' first start since the Sept. 7 loss to Utah.\nThe last time the Hoosiers finished with home record above .500 was 2000. DiNardo could become the first coach since Phil Dickens in 1958 to win more than half of his home games in his first year.\nThe game figures to have plenty of emotion as it is Senior Day. Carter said some of his teammates have been together so long that they don't want to see the game just happen. Watson said the team needs to come out with emotion and let it all hang out. But the emotion could affect the team in numerous ways.\n"It could help us or hurt us if we are too emotional," Watson said. "If you're too charged up, you're not focusing on your technique. But having a lot of emotion is good. It's better to have too much then no emotion. We just need this big win."\nDielman said he thinks the emotion will come more afterwards. He said guys will be focused on going out, getting the job done, and being leaders. And there is nothing more he would like to see than a win against Penn State in his final home game.\n"It would be awesome," Dielman said. "As a freshman I came in with a win. My first home game was a win so to go out on a high note and a win against Penn State would just be awesome. I know we can do it. We have the tools to do it"
(11/12/02 9:41pm)
The Hoosiers lost the Brass Spittoon and any possibility of a post-season bowl game after Michigan State walked all over them Saturday 56-21. The Spartans put up 35 points in the second quarter to put the game out of reach early.\nThe loss drops the Hoosiers to 3-7 overall, and 1-5 in the Big Ten. With only two games remaining, the Hoosiers will not be able to reach the minimum six wins in order to qualify for a bowl game.\nMSU (4-6, 2-4) racked up 232 yards in the second quarter and scored on all five of their possessions to break open a game that was tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.\nIU was equally as bad on offense, going three-and-out on three straight possessions. They also had two turnovers in the quarter, one on downs and the other an interception by senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan. The offense gained a total of 19 yards.\n"When we put our defense in half of the field, our opponents are scoring about 78 percent," coach Gerry DiNardo said. "The national average is about 60 percent when you put the opponent between the 40s. I thought that was the start of the downhill slide."\nJunior wide receiver Glenn Johnson said the second quarter was frustrating. He said the team had plays set up for their defense but couldn't execute.\n"Coming into the game we wanted to be able to move the ball on these guys both passing and running," Johnson said. "We started going three and out and that confuses the defense, frustrates the defense. We put them on the short end of the field, and that lead to numerous amount of scores."\nThe Spartans got on the board first when quarterback Damon Dowdell, a sophomore, scrambled for an eight-yard score. IU responded on their next drive by going 85 yards in 14 plays, capped off with a seven-yard run by freshman Chris Taylor.\nAll five of the Spartans' second quarter drives lasted less than three minutes, with two lasting one minute. Dowdell threw two touchdown passes. Freshman running back Jaren Hayes ran for two, and back freshman David Richard scored the other touchdown, giving the Spartans a 42-7 halftime lead.\nThe Hoosiers never recovered from the second quarter. IU did not threaten to close the gap in the second half.\nIU had the opening possession of the second half, but Hamdan was picked off on a ball tipped at the line of scrimmage. MSU was unable to score when senior Antonio Watson blocked a field goal attempt.\nIU failed to move the ball, and Michigan State added two more touchdowns. Dowdell threw touchdown passes to junior Charles Rogers and sophomore Jason Randall to give MSU a 56-7 lead.\n"We didn't make plays," freshman defensive back Buster Larkins said. "They can't coach us to make plays. They can only coach us to put us into position, and they did a great job. We have got to make plays."\nSenior quarterback Tommy Jones replaced Hamdan in the third quarter and led IU on an 80-yard touchdown drive on his first series. Jones hocked up with Johnson for a 30-yard touchdown pass. IU added one more late touchdown on a run by freshman Yamar Washington.\nDiNardo said he was disappointed for the seniors who would never have a chance to play in a bowl game. He said that tough guys would respond and come back hard next week.\nAn emotional senior Kris Dielman said he wished they could have done it for the seniors like him. \n"It's disappointing," Dielman said. "It sucks. It really sucks. I don't know how else to put it."\nDespite the loss, Dielman said the team still has a lot to play for and will come out to play for the remaining games.\n"Respect. We still have two more games left," Dielman said. "We may not be going to a bowl, but beating Penn State and Purdue will be big for the future of this program"
(11/06/02 3:50am)
Two scholarship players released\nAt Tuesday's press conference, coach Gerry DiNardo said that he had released two players, but he declined to give specific names. The two players are believed to be senior linebacker Ron Bethel and sophomore fullback Jason Sullivan. Both players' names have been removed from the team's online roster. Bethel started against Ohio State and Wisconsin.\nDiNardo said one was released for missing a morning workout. The other had missed too many classes. DiNardo said he told the team that this was going to be a difficult week to be part of the program\n"You start sliding and the last thing we're going to do is slide our standard," DiNardo said. "We're going to come in here every morning and swing away. If it means more guys leave, more guys leave. If it means we have more contact than I would like to have, so that it's harder to lose and harder to accept, that's what we're going to do. We have two opponents this week -- Michigan State and ourselves."\nInjury Report\nFreshman defensive back Damien Jones sat out Saturday's loss to Northwestern with a high ankle sprain. He did not practice Tuesday. \nThere is a 50 percent chance he will practice Wednesday and play this weekend, DiNardo said. Jones started every game until Northwestern.\nSenior running back Brian Lewis missed Saturday's game with a thumb injury. He is expected to miss the rest of the season. Freshman Chris Taylor filled in for Lewis and had 102 yards and a touchdown.\nMichigan State Coaching Changes\nOn Monday, Michigan State made a coaching change when they released Bobby Williams as their head coach. Williams' record at MSU was 16-17. Williams and the MSU program have had several problems in the last couple of months.\nOffensive coordinator Morris Watts will serve as interim head coach. Watts has been an assistant for 42 years, including at IU for nine years. \nWatts said the decision was a difficult one to make because of his loyalties to Williams, athletic director Ron Mason and Michigan State.\n"That's why this is such a difficult night," Watts said in a Monday press conference. "I was torn with my loyalty to Bobby and my loyalty to Michigan State when Ron asked if I would take over the interim head coaching job. I look forward to doing as good of a job as I can and getting the young men to play hard for the next three ballgames."\nSpartans Lose Another Top Player\nSenior running back and team captain Dawan Moss was dismissed from the team stemming from his arrest following Saturday's loss to Michigan.\nMSU was already without the services of junior quarterback Jeff Smoker who was suspended for violating team rules. Smoker recently checked himself into a substance abuse program.\nMoss was arrested for dragging a police officer with his car following a traffic stop.\nJunior defensive end Greg Taplin was suspended against Michigan for violating team rules but should be eligible to play against IU. Moss was the team's leading rusher. Smoker was the team's leading passer.\nBattle for the Spittoon\nThe Old Brass Spittoon, the trophy between IU and MSU, will be up for grabs again this weekend. IU won last year's contest in East Lansing 37-28. The Hoosiers and Spartans have battled for the trophy since 1950. MSU holds a 34-13-2 series advantage over IU.
(11/04/02 4:59am)
EVANSTON, Ill.-- Early on during Saturday's football game, the Hoosiers' game plan on offense was quite clear. IU took to the ground early and often but still came up short at Northwestern 41-37.\nIU running backs carried the ball 14 straight times to start the game before senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan even attempted a pass. Coach Gerry DiNardo said running the ball was the plan going into the game.\n"We thought that was the way to win the game, beat the clock, keep the defense off the field," DiNardo said. "I think it proved it was a good plan."\nLed by the legs of a pair of freshmen, the Hoosiers racked up 232 yards on the ground. It was the second highest output of the season from the IU backfield. IU had 243 yards against Central Michigan on Sept. 21.\nFreshman Yamar Washington was the leading rusher for the Hoosiers. He ran eight times for 66 yards and a touchdown on the opening possession of the game. He finished the game with 31 carries for 131 yards and three touchdowns. Even so, Washington said he felt he didn't do enough to help his team win.\n"We started off good, and the line came off the ball," Washington said. "We should have had some more yards and had more touchdowns, but it didn't work out. I feel like it wasn't enough because we are in the losing locker room. So I wasn't impressed or anything."\nWhen junior running back Brian Lewis went down this week in practice with an injury, freshman Chris Taylor stepped up. Taylor hadn't played since Sept. 14 against Kentucky. Taylor had planned to redshirt this season but took the opportunity to play when DiNardo gave him the chance. Taylor had 21 carries for 102 yards.\n"It feels good to get back out there and everything, but we came up short," Taylor said. "I had to do what was best for the team. I thought I was going to redshirt, but coach gave me the call and said I had to go. It was an opportunity I had to do."\nOn the day, the IU coaching staff called 56 run plays and 21 pass plays. Senior offensive lineman Enoch DeMar said the team was very determined to run the ball.\n"We were very focused on running the ball," DeMar said. "They have a lot of young guys up front. That's an advantage for us because we're older, and we know what we are doing out there. If we create the holes, the running backs are going to run through them."\nHamdan said he didn't think the team needed to throw the ball more. He finished the day 13 of 21 for 150 yards. Hamdan said the offense was very effective in running the ball, and the game plan was a good one.\nDespite the few number balls thrown at them, DiNardo said he knew the receivers would have to make some plays.\n"We weren't going to throw as much today, but they had to stay engaged," DiNardo said. "I told them at halftime don't get down because sooner or later you're going to have to make a play."\nThe Hoosiers did have one last chance to take the lead when they got the ball back with 2:07 left in the game. On fourth and four from the IU 36, sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby was asked to make a play. Hamdan fired a pass that would have been a first down, but Roby failed to secure possession of the ball.\n"The ball was in our hands, and we had an opportunity to seal the game," Hamdan said. "It's tough in those games because often times it's the guy with the ball last who wins. We could have secured the victory, and we didn't"
(11/01/02 5:45am)
The Hoosiers hope to snap their two game losing streak and break out of their recent offensive funk when they take on Northwestern at 12:10 p.m. in Evanston, Ill. Both teams are coming off big losses last week.\nIU (3-5, 1-3) lost an ugly game to Illinois last Saturday on the road. The Hoosiers are winless on the road this season. The IU offense was unable to produce any touchdowns until the final four minutes of the game.\nNorthwestern was equally as bad as they lost 42-13 at home against Purdue. The Wildcats (2-7, 0-5) are last in the Big Ten in points allowed with 40.3. Northwestern has lost 10 straight conference games going back to last season.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo said the two teams are very comparable when you look top to bottom at all the statistical categories. \n"My take is that we are evenly matched with Northwestern," DiNardo said. "I think we would be splitting hairs if we just picked one phase where we are ahead of them. If you look A-to-Z though, you'll find two similar teams."\nIU was unable to score any points against Illinois until late in the game. Sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby said the team has put that game behind them.\n"We knew we had to come back out and just work," Roby said. "There are times when you're going to have bad days, but we can't have too many of those. It's a new week."\nOn defense, the Wildcats are last in the Big Ten in rush defense, giving up 341.9 yards per game. But the Hoosiers have struggled to maintain a consistent run game. They are last in run offense with 116.9 yards per game. \nSenior offensive lineman Enoch DeMar said the team would like to establish the run, but you never know what can happen.\n"One Saturday they could not be very good against the run, another Saturday they can," DeMar said. "You just have to go out there with the intent of playing as hard as you can and paying attention to detail, and doing the things it takes to be successful at running the ball. You can't show up and just expect that you will run the ball well."\nRoby said the Northwestern secondary plays a lot of man-to-man coverage against the receivers. He said the team will have to execute and continue to do what they have done in the past.\nOffensively, Northwestern will run a spread-like offense that DiNardo likens to Central Michigan. IU struggled in the first half against CMU on Sept. 21. But senior Kris Dielman said the experience of playing against that style of offense should help.\n"Now that we've seen it once, and we've played Northwestern before, we know how to approach it this time," Dielman said. "We'll do our no-huddle defense, and what we've done in the past. I don't think it will be a big factor at all. I think we can handle it, and it won't be nearly as stressful as it was against Central Michigan."\nThe weather in Evanston is supposed to be in the low 40s as the high on Saturday. Roby said the team will take some steps to help them out.\n"We have some gloves, so are hands are going to be cool," Roby said. "The cold weather is not going be an excuse. Coach wants this to be our best game. He said it's going to be cold, but that's still not an excuse to go out there and give in to it."\nGoing into the final four games of the season, the Hoosiers need three wins to become eligible for a bowl game. A win against Northwestern would be a big step, but the team knows not to look too far ahead down the road.\n"All of the rest of our games are going to be important," Roby said. "But still we got to take it a step at a time. Once we look ahead, we trip. All of the rest of our games are important to our post-season. We just got to go at it"
(10/21/02 5:04am)
If you were to look at the offensive numbers from Saturday's game, IU would appear to be the team that came out on top. But the inability to capitalize in the red zone hurt the Hoosiers as they fell 24-8 to No. 15 Iowa (7-1, 4-0 Big Ten).\nThe Hoosiers (3-4, 1-2) had 481 yards of total offense to the Hawkeyes' 358 yards. Iowa had 156 yards in the first quarter alone and was able to take advantage of IU's lack of offense early on to jump out to a quick 17-0 lead after the first quarter.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo said the team played very sloppy, especially in the beginning. He said he was happy with the way the defense responded but was disappointed with the offensive production.\n"I thought our offense was awful," DiNardo said. "I don't care what the stats say ... You can't throw picks. You can't drop balls. We got what we deserved."\nGoing into Saturday's game, IU had been five for six in the red zone in the Big Ten. Saturday, they were an abysmal one for six with just one field goal by sophomore Bryan Robertson.\nSenior quarterback Gibran Hamdan put together his second straight 300-yard game after going 21-48 for 335 yards. But he put much of the blame on himself after throwing three interceptions inside the 20-yard line -- mistakes that killed IU drives.\n"Up until the red zone I thought we did a lot of things very effectively," Hamdan said. "The frustrating part for me was hurting the team. We put some great drives together today. I made some unfortunate mistakes that hurt us in the red zone."\nComing off impressive performances last week, the receiving corps struggled as well, dropping several passes throughout the game. Sophomore Courtney Roby led the team with 11 catches and 198 yards but was disappointed with his play and the way the team practiced. \n"We didn't have a good week of practice, and it showed," Roby said. "It was like a nightmare that we couldn't wake up from, at least from my standpoint."\nJunior receiver Glenn Johnson said it was a lack of concentration and execution. He said it doesn't add up when you look at their total yards and the number of points the team scored.\nDiNardo said dropped passes disappointed him the most. He said it doesn't matter how many passes are caught, but good receivers don't drop passes.\nHamdan was not as critical of the receivers as DiNardo. He said mistakes happen in the game.\n"I'm sure it's frustrating for them to see me throw interceptions," Hamdan said. "Football is like that. Sometimes you're not always going to make the play. I just try and move on to the next play. There have been many times when they've made great catches for me, even in today's game when I didn't put the ball right on the money."\nOne of the few bright spots for the Hoosier offense was the play of junior running back Brian Lewis. Lewis ran for a season high 121 yards. \nIowa had the Big Ten's best rushing defense and second best in the nation, giving up only 56.1 yards per game. The most yards Iowa had given up to a single back was 68 yards to Penn State's Larry Johnson.\n"I know when I get in the game I have to go out there and do what I am capable of doing, and that's running the ball, blocking," Lewis said. "Whatever coach asks me to do, I just have to go out there and get the job done."\nDespite the poor performances, DiNardo said it's time to start getting ready for next week.\n"We probably could have played better," DiNardo said. "We'll move on. We'll press on. We need to get ready for Illinois. It's like I tell them, after the wins and after the losses, we need to move on"
(10/18/02 5:32am)
This Saturday, the Hoosiers take on another ranked opponent when IU welcomes No. 15 Iowa into Memorial Stadium. The Hawkeyes (6-1, 3-0 Big Ten) are tops in the Big Ten and are heavily regarded as the best team in the conference. Kick-off is slated for 11:10 a.m.\nIowa coach Kirk Ferentz said he is not taking any game lightly. Though Iowa plays Michigan in two weeks, Ferentz said his team is not looking past IU. He said the Hoosiers (3-3, 1-1) are playing well right now.\n"I think we all saw that they beat a fine Wisconsin team last week, and that was impressive," Ferentz said in a statement. "The most impressive thing about it is they were down 29-10, and anytime you can come back from 19 points down against a veteran ball club that knows how to win, that is certainly impressive."\nThe Hoosiers said they have a chance to knock off another ranked team at home. Sophomore linebacker Herana-Daze Jones said the Wisconsin game was just one win, and the team cannot be satisfied. Junior wide receiver Glenn Johnson said it's important not to become too overconfident.\n"Here's another ranked team, but it's just another game," Johnson said. "We have to take it day-by-day."\nThe Hoosiers are riding a six-game win streak at home, the longest in the conference right now. This weekend also marks Homecoming for IU. The Hoosiers won their last Homecoming game in 2000. They are 3-3 in their last six Homecoming games, including one win and one loss to Iowa.\nHead coach Gerry DiNardo said this week is business as usual for his team. He said the practice schedule was the same as if they had lost the game against Wisconsin.\nSenior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said it will take the same amount of preparation for this week's game in order to be successful Saturday.\n"It is going to take us executing on Saturday to come out victorious," Hamdan said. "I don't think anything changes. The thought process is that we have to go into the game prepared and focused and do our best to come out with a victory."\nIowa comes into the game with the Big Ten's best rushing defense but worst passing defense. That may be a good sign for senior Hamdan and his tandem of receivers, Johnson and sophomore Courtney Roby. Hamdan threw for 310 yards and four touchdowns last week while Johnson and Roby both had 94 yards and a touchdown.\n"Hopefully it means a good day for us," Johnson said. "Gibran will have to perform, and Courtney and I will have to step up. It's our job to make plays. Both of us are going to have to have a big game."\nIowa's offense is led by running back Fred Russell who is averaging 132.8 yards per game. DiNardo said Iowa has one of the best offensive lines in the country. He said quarterback Brad Banks is also dangerous because he can run and throw the ball.\nJones said last week's game really made an impact on the Hoosier defense. He said the final defensive stand gave some reward to their hard work. Jones said the key this week will be to shut down and contain the run. \n"We always had confidence," Jones said. "It just shows us what we are capable of doing. We are playing with emotion now."\nHamdan said despite Iowa's ranking, the team is confident that it can play up to the level necessary to win. Hamdan said he is not scared to play anyone. If the team executes, he said, it will be a great game.\n"The focus of this football team is getting prepared for games and going out and playing as well as we can," Hamdan said. "There is nothing about this team that says that we have to show how good we are, or we have to show people that don't believe in us, because we believe in ourselves. All that matters is that we execute and that we prepare ourselves throughout the week to get what needs to get done for us, and that is to win football games"
(10/15/02 6:12am)
The process that led to the selection of IU President Myles Brand as president-elect of the NCAA was long and highly secretive.\nThe committee developed criteria they wanted in their next president, promoted the position and sought nominations, said Bob Lawless, president of Tulsa University, chair of the executive committee of the NCAA and a member of the selection committee.\nThe job description was passed on the the search firm of Baker, Parker, and Associates, which consulted over 1,000 people about possible nominations for the position.\nLawless said the name of the person who nominated Brand would not be released. He said the candidates were assured of confidentiality.\nBaker and Parker narrowed the list of candidates and contacted the nominated individuals by phone, seeking their acceptance of the nominations.\nFrom there, those who accepted were interviewed and assessed, without looking at any specific profession or background.\n"We looked broadly," said Jerry Baker, who helped conduct the search. "The search was not limited or focused on any type of person. Corporate executives, government executives and foundational executives were interviewed. It was not limited to academia."\nAlthough Baker and Parker led the selection process to find the candidates, the firm had no further input into who would become the next president. Their job was to find the most qualified candidates and hand them to the NCAA Selection Committee, which made the selection. \nCandidates were cut from 118 to 12, then to the final three, which were made available to the selection Committee at 7 a.m. Thursday.\nLawless said the selection committee asked a series of questions of each candidate, including the most difficult situation they have handled.\n"We were looking for demonstrated leadership qualities among anything else," Lawless said. "(Brand) was very active in the AAU (Association of American Universities) and other organizations. He has demonstrated those roles nationally."\nKent State president and executive committee member Carol Cartwright said the committee was looking for strong displays of leadership in a potential candidate.\n"The committee was looking for the very best person," Cartwright said. "The fact that it was a former president was a plus."\nThe committee voted on the final three and decided unanimously to go with Brand. The decision was announced at 5:30 p.m.\n"This search was as high profile as we've done," Parker said. "The NCAA was ecstatic and pleased with our selections, even though this was one of the toughest decisions ever made."\nBy request of the NCAA, the other two finalists were not made public. But, Baker and Parker said they feel Brand was a clear choice to make it to the last three.\n"Just his sheer intellectual capacity made him a perfect fit for this position," Baker said. "He is a philosopher with an interesting background. He is experienced and seasoned. He has a great ability to make solid decisions."\nA main reason for Brand's selection into the final three was his experience in a rich mix of administrative organizations. The ability he showed when he rescued IU from their budget deficit in 1994 was another feature that impressed both Baker and Parker. \nLawless said the NCAA has been restructuring in the past five years. He said the NCAA is becoming more of an educational organization. Former Rutgers president and executive committee member Francis Lawrence said the importance is being placed more on academics now then before.\n"Athletics plays an important role," Lawrence said. "We need to give the students a fair shot at graduating. It's indispensible for people to get a degree. But it's a big task."\nLawrence said that it was not just one event that made Brand the clear choice. Lawrence said he looked at patterns when he thought of the candidates.\n"The things he has done have been in the best interest of the students," Lawrence said. "He is thoughtful and smart and does his homework. Myles Brand is just superb. I like what he thinks. He will do great things"
(10/14/02 4:36pm)
John Elway led one. Joe Montana had one too. Now senior Gibran Hamdan has a drive that produced late-game heroics and capped off a remarkable come-from-behind victory, his coming over No. 23 Wisconsin.\nHamdan led the Hoosiers on a ten play, 76-yard drive that finished with a 20-yard pass to junior Glenn Johnson. Hamdan and Johnson hooked up again on a two-point conversion that gave the Hoosiers a 32-29 lead and erased a 19 point deficit with just 2:16 remaining in the game.\n"It was awesome," Hamdan said. "At first, I thought I threw the ball too high, but then I remembered that I told Glenn that in that pattern the ball may come in high to protect him from a big hit. He went up and made a great catch. He made great plays for us all day, as did all the receivers."\nIU got the ball back on their own 24 with 5:35 left. Hamdan was sacked on the first play, and things did not appear to be going well for the Hoosiers. But IU got the first down after an 11-yard pass to sophomore Aaron Halterman.\nHamdan was sacked again for a loss of seven and followed that up with an incomplete pass. That put the Hoosiers in a third down and 17 situation. Hamdan then connected with sophomore Courtney Roby who leapt and extended himself to get the first down.\n"The only thing that was on my mind was winning," Roby said. "I am just out there to win, and I'll give up my body for the team. I saw the marker and knew we needed the first down so I took off. I hope it gave us some momentum. We did go down and score after that."\nIt was the passing attack that helped IU finish the comeback. Johnson had five catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Roby had six catches for 94 yards and touchdown. Hamdan was 24 for 36 for 310 yards and four touchdowns.\nWisconsin (5-2, 0-2 Big Ten) got the ball back with good field position. Wisconsin quarterback Brooks Bollinger rushed for 13 yards on the first play. After that, the Wisconsin drive stalled.\nBollinger threw four straight incompletions that ended the chance of a Wisconsin win. IU got one more first down and was able to run out the clock.\n"When (the ball) hit the ground, it was a big step for our defense," senior Kris Dielman said. "Last year you don't know what would have happened in that situation. But this year you know damn well we're going to come in here, and we're going to play hard."\nSophomore linebacker Herana-Daze Jones called the defensive stand a relief. He said it felt as if a weight had been lifted off of the team.\nWisconsin got on the board first with a field goal after IU turned it over on their first play of the game. IU scored later in the first quarter on a 32-yard field goal by sophomore Bryan Robertson. Wisconsin would add another field goal in the quarter.\nIU scored its first touchdown on a three-yard pass to senior Brian Lewis. Wisconsin would add another field goal and a touchdown to take a 16-10 lead into halftime.\nWisconsin scored a touchdown on their opening possession of the second half. Hamdan threw an interception on IU's next drive, and Wisconsin took advantage with another touchdown to extend their lead to 29-10.\nThe Hoosier defense picked it up after that drive and did not allow another Badger point. Freshman John Kerr and Jones led the team with 13 tackles a piece.\n"We knew we had to step it up, and we showed a lot of intensity," Jones said. "I think our intensity showed in the type of pressure we got on the quarterback."\nIU scored on their final three possessions to complete the comeback. The win pushes the Hoosiers record to 3-3 and 1-1 in the Big Ten. This is the first time since 1999 that the Hoosiers have been at least .500 after six games. Johnson said he felt the team always had a chance to win. Jones said this win is something to build on.\n"This feels like it's a beginning of something good," Jones said. "This feels great that we can suck it up after being down 19. We didn't get down on ourselves. We knew if we could stop them that the offense would do the rest."\nCoach Gerry DiNardo said he was pleased with the effort of the team despite numerous penalties that could have hurt the Hoosiers.\n"Obviously, this was really a good win," DiNardo said. "I thought it was really special the way that we won the game, that we would dig ourselves down in that hole against a really good Wisconsin team and come back the way we did. We're pleased to win. When you work as hard as we do, I think the young people deserve a reward, and they got it today"
(10/14/02 5:52am)
The five and a half month search for the new president of the NCAA may have been one of the best kept secrets in recent memory.\nWhen IU President Myles Brand was named president of the NCAA Oct. 10, the news shocked many around the Bloomington campus.\nIU Chancellor Sharon Brehm said she was so stunned at the news of Brand's resigning that she didn't know what to think. Brehm said she believes \nthat shock is the general consensus around the campus.\n"I was surprised. Everybody was really surprised," Brehm said. "It took a while for it to sink in. We didn't know it was coming."\nBrand said the search was done in a very professional manner. He said in a statement that he expected the IU community to be very surprised.\nThe Atlanta-based search firm of Baker, Parker, and Associates assisted in the search of the candidates and presented their information to the search committee. Jerry Baker said his firm was very concerned about the secrecy of the search and was pleased that they were able to pull it off.\n"It was a high-profile case, and the NCAA requested that we keep it a secret," Baker said. "We got calls from USA Today, ESPN and Sports Illustrated. I directed them all to Bob Lawless (chair of the search committee). I give credit to the search committee for keeping it a secret."\nBrehm said she believes the NCAA required the secrecy to allow for the free discussion of all potential candidates.\nDave Frohnmayer, an NCAA Executive Committee member, said keeping it secret was best for the protection of the candidates.\n"The caliber of people were the kind who could be hurt if news of their candidacy became public," Frohnmayer said. "The candidates may not have been given a fair opportunity for the job. Secrecy was crucial to the development of the position."\nEven members of the NCAA Executive Committee were kept in the dark until early Thursday morning.\n"We've been as confidential as we can," Lawless said in a statement Thursday. "We did tell the Executive Committee at seven (Thursday) morning who the finalists were. Nobody left the room. So we were quite secure that there wasn't going to be any leaks. I think we did a good job."\nIU spokesman Bill Stephan said he too was surprised at the tightly guarded secret and will be very sad to see Brand leave. Brehm said everyone is wishing him well.\n"President Brand has given his all to this University," Brehm said. "He has been a very hard worker. Whatever job he has, he will be very dedicated to it."\nStaff writer Josh Weinfuss contributed to this story.
(10/10/02 6:09am)
Competition is what drives athletes. Such is the case for junior Glenn Johnson and sophomore Courtney Roby. The two admit to competing during practice. The competitions may be the reason that the two wide receivers are quickly becoming one of the best receiving duos in the Big Ten.\n"Based on how each of us performs, we try to feed off of each other's performance," Johnson said. "If he is performing at a high level, then I upgrade my performance and vice versa. It's always positive, never negative."\nRoby is averaging 87.2 yards a game while Johnson has 81.2 yards. The two combined are creating a combo that is hard to ignore. It's this fact that doesn't allow opposing defenses to focus on just one receiver.\n"I think Glenn and I have a pretty strong one-two punch," Roby said. "If someone is keying in on me, then Glenn will step up. If someone is keying on Glenn, then I will have to step up. I like the combination."\nEarly in the season it was Johnson who was making the big plays. He had 10 catches for 184 yards and a touchdown against Utah. But against Kentucky, Johnson had only one catch.\nIn the first two games, Roby only had six catches for 100 yards. Roby had his break-out game against Kentucky. He had five catches for 101. Ever since then, Roby has led the team in receptions and yards. In the come-from-behind victory over Central Michigan, Roby had four catches for 153 yards. Johnson said it has more to do with play call than the other team's defensive plans.\n"We have plays that are for each one of us," Johnson said. "They are set plays for the defense that they are in. He caught the ball and made big plays out of it."\nWide receivers coach Brian McNeely said the offense creates many opportunities for people to get open, which has helped Roby put up the numbers he is putting up.\n"He is doing a good job," McNeely said. "He has been diligent on running his routes. He brings a lot of big plays to us. But there are some consistency issues that we have to work out."\nThose consistency issues plagued the team during the last game against Ohio State where there were several crucial dropped passes. Johnson said the week off helped the team get prepared for the second half of the season.\nRoby said he is excited about the future because the IU receiving corp is young. Johnson, junior, is the oldest of the group, while Roby is a sophomore. Add in freshman Tyke Spencer who has made big catches as of late and their future looks promising. \n"It's awesome with us being so young because we all have two or three more years," Roby said. "We have to keep improving. This is just the first step."\nRoby said the daily competitions amongst the receivers will help him improve. \n"When (Johnson) does something, then I want to try to better that," Roby said. "We want to outdo each other. That's how we'll improve"
(09/27/02 5:44am)
This Saturday, the Hoosiers travel to Columbus, Ohio to take on the Buckeyes in the Horseshoe, one of the largest stadiums in college football. No. 6 Ohio State brings a perfect 5-0 record into the 11:10 a.m. kick-off.\nIt will be the Big Ten opener for both teams. Both squads are fresh off of come from behind wins last weekend. IU (2-2) defeated Central Michigan despite being down 13 points in the third quarter. Ohio State needed a late touchdown to squeak past Cincinnati.\nCoach Gerry DiNardo said he expects this game to be a traditional Big Ten game with both teams relying on the run. Ohio State may be lucky enough to have the services of freshman running back Maurice Clarett, who had surgery on his knee a week and a half ago and is probable to start.\nClarett is second in the nation in rushing with 157 yards a game and leads the conference in scoring. IU's defense ranks second to last in the Big Ten, giving up 190.2 yards a game. Defensive coordinator Tim Kish said he hopes his team is up to the challenge.\n"Every week we're trying to get better against the run," Kish said. "We have a real big test for us. (Clarret) is one of the better, if not the best, backs in the Big Ten."\nThe Hoosiers will counter with their own freshman running back Yamar Washington. Despite averaging 146 yards in his last two starts, Washington said he doesn't see the game as a match-up between the two backs. He said he's more concerned about his own team.\n"I don't think of it as a battle," Washington said. "Clarett has his own thing, and we have our own thing going on over here. We just need to improve of what we did last week, like red zone efficiency and holding onto the ball."\nDiNardo said the key for both teams will be running the ball and stopping the run. \nSophomore linebacker Herana-Daze Jones said the defense has to be focused.\n"We've been having a problem with executing, that's all," Jones said. "Ohio State likes to get up early and hold onto a lead. I think it's going to be a key for us to come out early in the game. We can build up on that and get our confidence up on that."\nJones said he expects Ohio State to constantly run the ball and the defense will have to do a good job of tackling. He added that pursuit of the ball and limiting their big runs will be a big factor.\nOhio State has a physical defense which DiNardo compared to Utah. The Utes were able to hold IU to their lowest point total of the season (13 ) on Sept. 7. \nSenior quarterback Gibran Hamdan said he knows they are a talented squad and will have to be prepared to defeat the Buckeyes.\n"There is a reason why they are ranked where they are in the country," Hamdan said. "The way I look at it is they are a football team, and obviously just like any other football team they are going to have strengths and weaknesses, and it is our job to game plan against those things."\nDespite Ohio State's high ranking, OSU coach Jim Tressel said he knows not to take any more games lightly. Ohio State struggled in an emotion-filled game at Cincinnati. Tressel said he expects IU to be very tough in their approach to the game.\n"Indiana is doing a good job of doing what they're told and they're very aggressive," Tressel said in a statement. "They're a high blitz group, and what has happened in some of their games is that they've done a good job and then all of the sudden they've had one missed tackle on a blitz and the ball goes out long. It will be an interesting challenge for us on Saturday."\nThe Horseshoe in Columbus seats over 100,000 fans, and the game is already sold-out. The Hoosiers can expect nothing less than an intense and hostile crowd on Saturday. Hamdan said the offense will have to be very sharp. \nSophomore wide reciever Courtney Roby said he is looking forward to the challenge.\n"This will be my first time in Columbus," Roby said. "I heard it is very loud, the atmosphere I heard was crazy. So I am looking forward to it and just competing"