IU Football: Will the Hoosiers win another Big Ten game?

[Brett Goldenhorn]

This past week, the Hoosiers were defeated by the Golden Gophers of Minnesota. I am not going to sit here and profess how badly the Hoosiers played because, although they didn't shine, they played an okay game.

Quarterback Kellen Lewis completed 15 of 22 passes for 167 yards and racked up yards rushing and punting. Ben Chappell only passed the ball three times but made them count, throwing one of them for a 77 yard TD pass to Marcus Thigpen. Jammie Kirlew made his presence felt recording 10 tackles, 7 solo, and 2.5 sacks on the day. Although there is much room for improvement, the Hoosiers showed signs of hope this weekend.

What is the problem?

It doesn't get any easier from here. The Big Ten is not the power conference it has been in the past, but it is certainly strong enough to force the Hoosiers through the rest of the season without a win in the conference. Let's take a look at the rest of the Hoosiers schedule this season...

10-11: Iowa (3-3 overall)- Our most winnable game in the conference. They look at us as their break between strings of difficult games. We could catch them overlooking us in anticipation for their upcoming games against Wisconsin and Illinois.

10/18: @ Illinois (3-2 overall)- Juice Juice Juice. Emotions will run high but I don't see us coming out of Champagne with a win. Their two losses come at the hands of Missouri and Penn State. They have a strong win at Michigan in decisive fashion.

10/25: Northwestern (5-0 overall)- I mark this as a loss now solely on record alone, but they have their first true test this upcoming week against Michigan State. We will see their true colors then.
**EDIT: They may have lost to MSU, but they beat the Boilermakers pretty badly, so Ill hand them this one.

11/1: Central Michigan (3-2 overall) - not in our conference- Chalk up a win for the Hoosiers. But then again, we said that about Minnesota.

11/8: Wisconsin (3-2 overall) - Again, another team who will show their true colors next week against Penn State. Although they have struggled, I am fairly confident that this talented team has what it takes to beat the Hoosiers.
**EDIT: Hey, maybe we can win this one. Wisconsin has really slipped. Still, however, we will need vast improvement to beat them.

11/15: @ Penn State (6-0 overall) - Need I say more? They are a serious National Championship contender. However, I will be bringing you all coverage after the game from State College, PA myself.

11/22: @ Purdue (2-3 overall)- This one is winnable. However, I question whether the Hoosiers will be in a position where they will have a chance to make a bowl game with a win. Purdue is more likely to be in that position at that point in the season. If the motivation is there, the Hoosiers will come to play.
**EDIT: But it won't be... We suck, to put it nicely.

The Hoosiers were predicted by Sports Illustrated to finish last in the Big Ten with a record of 1-11. They were already proven wrong in terms of their record. But, to date, the Hoosiers are last in the Division.

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What do you think - will the Hoosiers win another Big Ten game?

[IUHoosier4Life]

I think the three you mentioned would be likely wins, but I figured with our new setup we would have won on Saturday in Minnesota.. I think the only way it can be done is by letting Big Ben QB and keep Lewis' hands off the ball unless he is catching it... Using Lewis as a decoy and sending the ball to Thigpen could work.

[IUHoosier4Life]

Originally Posted by IUHoosier4Life

I think the three you mentioned would be likely wins, but I figured with our new setup we would have won on Saturday in Minnesota.. I think the only way it can be done is by letting Big Ben QB and keep Lewis' hands off the ball unless he is catching it... Using Lewis as a decoy and sending the ball to Thigpen could work.

I'm going to pretend I never said they would win another game... At this point, I think my son's pee-wee team would whip them...

[IUHoosier4Life]

Just in case you missed it under the "tailgating" post.... This article by Dave Leno is good despite how you feel.....

Take a number, and get to the back of the line. You’re all guilty.

No, I’m not solely referring to the student body. Alumni and locals – you, too, are just as blamable. So, keep walking.

While you take that journey to the rear, pat yourself on the back for a job NOT well done. Don’t you dare turn around, because the tomatoes will be flying faster than you can blink.

The IU football team’s poor play isn’t the sole reason why Bloomington doesn’t live for football.

Don’t attribute the Hoosiers’ recent slide simply to the forced turnovers, the incomplete passes and missed tackles. Don’t even pinpoint IU’s lack of bowl games.
It’s you!

It’s because of you football has vanished. It’s because of you recruits won’t call IU home. It’s because of you the program is tarnished.

You are the culprits. You are the delinquents.

Wins and losses shouldn’t dictate whether you enter the gates or not. The level of play shouldn’t be the deciding factor. On game day, the only thing on your mind should be defending the Rock.

Where is your sense of pride, people? IU needs a stadium filled with more than varsity club donors and three tiny sections of students, most of which, I assure you, aren’t sober enough to read the scoreboard.

There’s no need for me to compare IU to other schools. You are fully aware of the noteworthy fan bases out there.

The whacked out and crazy student sections visitors are afraid of, the cheers and fight songs that shake the opposition, the hostile territory that comes with home-field advantage: This is not you, Hoosiers.

One would think after a bowl-game appearance, figures would drastically improve the next season. Let’s put it this way: There are still plenty of open seats.

The average attendance for the past four home games is roughly 33,342, which is still well short of Memorial Stadium’s capacity of 49,225. But the crowd sure as hell doesn’t look like 30-some-thousand.

It’s really funny how things work here.

The basketball team is unlikely to be a threat in the Big Ten this season, but I’ll go out on a limb and say Assembly Hall will be fully encompassed with seas of cream and crimson throughout the winter.

Why can’t football have the same backing? Why can’t every gridiron grudge have a rivalry feel like the 2007 Old Oaken Bucket contest?

As loyal fans not only to the football team but to the University, it’s your responsibility to bring pigskin back to Bloomington.

Put the 1994-2006 postseason drought in the past – that’s only an afterthought now. Instead, start something new.

So what if the football team loses every game from here on out?

Let them hear about it. Actually show up and jeer. Tell them how you really feel.
Fans, you need to start from the ground up.

Spread the word that IU isn’t just a basketball school. Get football to be just as prevalent.

Let Lynch and company take care of the X’s and O’s. You concentrate on breaking the sound barrier.

Unlock the corpse and pack the Rock.

Like former coach Terry Hoeppner, invent new traditions and witness the program come back to life.

Remember – it’s you, the 12th man, who can resurrect home-field advantage.
Or you can just wait in line.