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| 2006 Football Season Capsule The main threads for each of the 2006 season games. Looking ahead to the upcoming season, these threads will serve as a future timecapsule. |
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10-17-2006, 08:32 PM
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The Legend of Troy Smith          
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10-17-2006, 11:28 PM
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Game Preview is posted:
2006 Indiana Hoosiers Game Preview 2006 Indiana Hoosiers - Additional Information
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10-17-2006, 11:55 PM
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Man I loved that story! GO BUCKS!
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10-18-2006, 05:06 AM
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DDN
Hoeppner's Hoosiers earn some credibility OSU football coach Tressel, preparing to face Indiana, says IU is playing with the attitude of its coach. By Doug Harris Staff Writer Wednesday, October 18, 2006 Second-year Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner has been telling his players ad nauseam that patience and perseverance eventually pay off, and now they know he hasn't just been spouting platitudes. The Hoosiers rallied from a 14-point deficit last week to upset No. 13 Iowa, 31-28 ? their first win over a top-15 foe since knocking off ninth-ranked Ohio State in 1987. "Everything going on is really positive, but you need that reinforcement with some success on the field," Hoeppner said Tuesday. "And to do it against a program that everybody respects and knows is one of the top programs year in and year out in the Big Ten really gives us some credibility." Indiana (4-3), which visits No. 1 OSU at noon Saturday, has won back-to-back Big Ten games for the first time in five years, having beaten Illinois on the road Oct. 7 after trailing by 18 points. And OSU coach Jim Tressel believes he knows where the Hoosiers are getting their fighting spirit. Hoeppner has undergone brain surgery for a malignant tumor twice in the past 10 months and has experienced untold grief in his personal life, losing both his father and college coach in a five-month span last year and then getting rocked by the death this summer of former colleague Randy Walker. "As you watch them on film, I think they're a lot like their coach," Tressel said. "They're tough. They're courageous. They go as hard as they can possibly go. They don't care what anyone thinks about their chances. They just play and play and play. ... You have to admire the job Coach Hoeppner is doing over there." Got ESPNU? Saturday's Ohio State-Indiana game will be televised on ESPNU, which is not available locally on cable TV. Do you own a sports bar or restaurant equipped with satellite TV and ESPNU? We'd like to hear from you and publish a list of area businesses that will be showing the game. Drop us a line at sports@daytondailynews.com or call (937) 225-2163. Next game Who: Indiana at Ohio State When: Noon Saturday TV: ESPNU Radio: WING-AM (1410)
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10-18-2006, 05:09 AM
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DDN
OSU realizes potential for brawls exists By Tom Archdeacon Wednesday, October 18, 2006 COLUMBUS ? The football game between the University of Miami and Florida International that turned into a brawling thug-fest Saturday night at the Orange Bowl has become the hottest topic in sports. Two videos that captured the sucker punches, kicks and swinging helmets had over 1.7 million viewers on YouTube.com by Tuesday evening. Talk shows, bloggers, newsprint pontificators, everybody has a take ? including the Ohio State Buckeyes. Asked Tuesday if he'd ever been in a game where he felt something brewing ? somebody about to throw down ? senior defensive end Jay Richardson didn't hesitate: "I'm in that position every Saturday. "There's always talk on the field. Little personal battles. I haven't had too many guys try crazy things. Just getting stepped on in the pile, my face mask tugged at, my ankle twisted ... There have been times where there were a couple of punches, little shoves. "Ted (Ginn Jr.) told me after a punt return there was a big pile up and somebody was trying to get him in the ribs. Times like that you want to jump in and protect another guy, but you've got to know it could escalate. That's being mature. (You) try to be a senior and pull guys away from each other." Saturday night, few people seemed to think that way. The game that was to be a neighborhood embrace between two schools just 9 miles apart turned into an ugly border war. In all, 31 players have been suspended. Two FIU players have been kicked off their team. One Hurricane has been indefinitely moth-balled. There are other punishments ? anger-management classes, community service, maybe more dismissals ? and at season's end look for Miami head coach Larry Coker and FIU's Don Strock both to lose their jobs. OSU freshman receiver Brian Hartline couldn't fathom his team involved in such a spectacle because of its coach: "The imagination that would ever happen at OSU with Coach (Jim) Tressel on the sideline is just mind boggling. There's no way." He's probably right, but he's also new and wasn't here for two recent incidents with Wisconsin. Tressel seemed to refer to one when he recalled being "kind of run over after one of our games" when there "apparently were some middle-of-the-field antics by a very few." That was two years ago, Richardson said, when Badger players stomped on the Block O after their win and some Bucks retaliated. The year prior, OSU linebacker Robert Reynolds was caught choking Wisconsin quarterback Jim Sorgi, an act that drew national vilification. "I remember us having a really long meeting after that," said Richardson, who said Tressel laid down the law about appropriate behavior. Since then the Bucks have been pretty well behaved. "I don't know if there's a different mentality down (in Miami), but it's pretty troubling," Hartline said. "I assume a lot of those guys knew each other and that had something to do with it." The guys did know each other, and that's why the game had been made the centerpiece of the "Salute to Florida High School Football Day." Every high school in Florida had been invited to bring its players to the game ? for free ? and 700 area children were in attendance as part of the Join-a-Team, Not-a-Gang community program. Asked what could be drawn from such a promotional backfire, Tressel shrugged: "The only thing to take away from that would be a reminder that when you make poor decisions to that magnitude, there's going to be something you're disappointed on for quite some time." Foot-brawl update Fallout from Saturday?s melee between Miami (Fla.) and FIU: Suspensions: FIU kicked two players off the team while 16 have indefinite suspensions. Miami safety Anthony Reddick, who swung his helmet, had his one-game suspension increased to an indefinite one while 12 other Hurricanes will sit out Saturday?s game at Duke. No scholarships lost: Miami president Donna Shalala defended the limited sanctions but set a ?zero-tolerance? policy. Another brawl: After Holy Cross beat Dartmouth in OT, Holy Cross players celebrated on the field?s Dartmouth ?D.? NCAA reaction: The NCAA said it may help schools and conferences develop a policy to curb on-field violence.
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10-18-2006, 05:11 AM
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ABJ
Notebook Tressel said he didn't think starting tailback Antonio Pittman of Buchtel High School would have any lingering effects from the sprained left ankle he suffered Saturday at Michigan State.... Tressel said he won't know anything on defensive tackle David Patterson (arthroscopic knee surgery eight days ago) until Thursday.... The game against Indiana will be shown live on ESPNU, which few cable operators carry. OSU has arranged delayed broadcasts on Ohio News Network at 11 p.m. Saturday and 8 p.m. Sunday.
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10-18-2006, 05:13 AM
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CPD
Hoosiers can't waste time celebrating BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) ? The Indiana Hoosiers had one night to celebrate their upset of Iowa. By Sunday, it was back to work, and by Tuesday, it was time to go full bore at their next big challenge: Playing No. 1 Ohio State. "It's rewarding any time you work hard for something and you see it pay off," safety Will Meyers said. "But you're in Sunday morning watching film of the No. 1 team in the nation, so you don't have much time to enjoy it."The Hoosiers (4-3, 2-1) may have preferred taking another week to savor the school's biggest upset since 1987, but the schedule-makers weren't so kind. Instead, they're sending Indiana to Columbus, Ohio, this week for its biggest test of the season. Most figure it will take a mistake-free game just to keep it close, much less win. Ohio State has a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Troy Smith, a defense that annually ranks among the nation's best, and a return game that includes the always dangerous Ted Ginn Jr. Indiana must also overcome another hurdle. In 13 previous meetings against top-ranked teams, Indiana has never won. The last time they faced a No. 1 team, Ohio State beat them 38-7 in Bloomington in 1998. The Hoosiers heard a similar storyline last week and still managed to produce their biggest upset since 1987. Even Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner tempered his businesslike approach temporarily Tuesday to reflect on the significance of beating Iowa 31-28. "I think it's inspiring to get some confirmation of what you're doing is working," Hoeppner said during his weekly news conference. "It's tangible. You can see it, you can feel it with the team." But Iowa is not Ohio State, and the Hoosiers need every advantage they can get to extend their two-game winning streak. They've already shown they can defy the odds. In the last two weeks, Indiana has ended a a Big Ten road losing streak that dated to 2001, and won back-to-back conference games for the first time in five years. Now they face a Buckeyes team they haven't beaten since 1988 and for the second straight week enter the game as a major underdog. Players and coaches don't seem to care what outsiders think.Saturday's upset gave the Hoosiers a boost of confidence and energized the team to the point they're not dreading this week's matchup but instead looking forward to it. "The way I look at it, it's fun," said Meyers, a senior. "I don't think I've ever played the No. 1 team in the nation. I think all eyes will be on us to see how we respond after Saturday." Hoeppner also had some good news Tuesday. He said running back Marcus Thigpen, the nation's top kick returner, should play against the Buckeyes. Thigpen sat on a training table for most of the second half last weekend with what appeared to be a right leg injury. Indiana does not divulge detailed injury information, citing a federal privacy law. Hoeppner also hopes to have freshman receiver Ray Fisher back this week. Fisher missed the Iowa game with a wrist injury he sustained on the winning drive at Illinois. If both can play, the Hoosiers will have more speed and depth ? two things they can desperately use against the talented Buckeyes. "The Tuesday report is that they should be full speed by Wednesday," Hoeppner said. "But I defer to the trainers for those things." Another change this week: Bowl talk has crept back into the Hoosiers vocabulary. They need two more wins to become bowl eligible for the first time in 13 years. The Hoosiers' final four games are against reeling Michigan State, Minnesota, No. 2 Michigan and rival Purdue. So while the upset of Iowa provided some enjoyable moments last weekend, what the Hoosiers intend to do now is figure out a way to end the nation's longest winning streak at 14 ? and put themselves in bowl contention. "We came in Sunday and looked at the tape and had a chance to pat ourselves on the back," receiver James Hardy said. "By Monday morning, we had to start getting ready for the Buckeyes. That's just what you have to do."
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10-18-2006, 05:16 AM
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Canton
Tressel impressed by what he sees of Indiana on tape Wednesday, October 18, 2006 By Todd Porter REPOSITORY SPORTS WRITER Indiana at Ohio State Noon Saturday Ohio Stadium TV ESPNU COLUMBUS You could call the feeling in the Ohio State locker room invincible, but that wouldn't be accurate. Head Coach Jim Tressel spent a fair portion of Tuesday afternoon talking about Indiana -actually, he was talking up Indiana. With a straight face, Tressel described how good the Hoosiers are and how they are an improving team. One almost expected Gene Hackman to walk out with a whistle around his neck. What about the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes and their quarterback who shakes off sacks like they're a half-dead tick trying to bite into a dog? What about a 14-game winning streak, the nation's longest? Quarterback Troy Smith's touchdown pass to Brian Robiskie against Michigan State last week still had his teammates talking. Smith avoided a sack, reset his feet and threw a BB to Robiskie in the back of the end zone. It was another play for the Heisman highlight film. "When you play with someone like Troy, you get the feeling that you can't lose," wide receiver Brian Hartline said. "He has such a great touch on the ball. He has never not shown up for a big game. Some things you just can't teach. You have to have it inside of you. With him, we know we can win." Ohio State's winning streak shouldn't be in jeopardy against Indiana. The last time the Hoosiers won a game in Columbus was in 1987. Ohio State's incoming freshmen class wasn't even born yet. But Tressel made the Hoosiers sound like a fine wine that's been sitting on a shelf for nearly 20 years. "They go as hard as they can possibly go," Tressel said. "They don't care what anyone thinks about their chances. They just play and play and play. It's fun to watch them on film, because they do it with great effort." So does a washing machine. But the Hoosiers did beat Iowa last week. "I think they're a team on the rise, and they believe that. They're playing like they'd like to be," Tressel said. "They've got a lot of kids from this geographical area and would like nothing more than to come over here and represent themselves with a lot of toughness and class." If Indiana is a team on the rise, what's Ohio State? Tressel said its a team still with plenty to improve upon. Tressel's tough Indiana talk has filtered to his players. Defensive end Jay Richardson said Indiana has Ohio State's attention. "Beating Iowa just shows how good they are," he said. "With the kind of year we are having, it is easy to get pumped for every game. We know what's at stake if we lose. Their win against Iowa gives us more respect for them. It makes us want to play them even harder." The Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0) control their own destiny in both the Big Ten and the BCS National Championship game. Of course, most people don't expect that dust to settle until Ohio State plays Michigan on Nov. 18. Meanwhile, the Big Ten and NCAA will insist on playing these games. "We talk constantly about doing what's at hand at this moment," Tressel said. "The suggestion we give (players) is one we give them from the beginning of the season, which is focus on what's going on right this second. "I guess the other suggestion is to go study more game film rather than taking time to read what's being written." Tressel's mighty Hoosiers come to Columbus riding momentum. The Hoosiers (4-3, 2-1) lost to Division I-AA Southern Illinois, but beat Illinois and Iowa after being down by multiple scores in both games. They came back against Ball State after trailing, 23-7. That wasn't against a Buckeye defense that continues to turn heads, including Tressel's. The Buckeyes offense turned the ball over deep in its own territory to start against Michigan States. The Spartans continued to be the Spartans, though, and failed to capitalize. "We have a lot of confidence in our defense," Tressel said. "I hate putting them in that predicament. We haven't done that often, and we better not do it much more." The Buckeyes defense is third in the nation in points allowed, at 9 a game. But it is Smith who is gaining more and more attention around the country. It seems to be his Heisman Trophy to lose at this point. Against Michigan State, Smith avoided being taken down before firing the strike to Robiskie. The two hooked also up against Penn State on a play in which Smith avoided a sack, rolled right and heaved a bomb to the redshirt freshman in the end zone. "You couldn't invent those situations in practice," Tressel said. "Someone would get hurt trying to practice things like that." BUCKEYES Hartline, a GlenOak High School graduate, was selected as Ohio State's special teams player of the week and Perry graduate Kirk Barton was the Jim Parker offensive lineman of the week. Smith was the offensive player of the game. Quinn Pitcock was the top defensive player. ... ONN will replay Saturday's game at 11 p.m. and again Sunday at 8 p.m. The game is being broadcast live by ESPNU, which serves few subscribers in Ohio. ... When asked what Ohio State needs to improve on, Tressel said, "I think you can always get better at tackling. Until you get zero missed tackles, we're not going to be happy."
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10-18-2006, 05:26 AM
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10-18-2006, 05:29 AM
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10-18-2006, 05:33 AM
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Indiana's Hoeppner solid as a rock October 18, 2006 BY NEIL HAYES Staff Reporter Few teams have needed a win as much as Indiana did heading into its game against Illinois on Oct. 7. The Hoosiers had blown a 14-point lead in a home loss to Division I-AA Southern Illinois, becoming the first Big Ten team to lose to a Gateway Conference opponent. They lost their coach, Terry Hoeppner, for two games when he underwent his second brain surgery in nine months. Their star wide receiver, James Hardy, missed two games for personal reasons. They averaged fewer than 30,000 fans for their first three home games. They lost 52-17 to Wisconsin. How inconsequential was Indiana football? The student section chanted ''Er-ic Gor-don'' when the heralded basketball recruit made his campus visit, not knowing that Gordon, who later would snub Illinois and commit to the Hoosiers, hadn't bothered to attend the game. Indiana carried the Big Ten's longest bowl drought into Champaign, where it hadn't won since 1979, and promptly fell behind 25-7. That's when the Hoosiers started blitzing Illini freshman quarterback Juice Williams. Redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis settled in and rallied his team to a 34-32 victory that set the stage for one of the biggest upsets in school history. There were 22 seconds left in Indiana's 31-28 victory over No. 15 Iowa on Saturday when the stadium crew set off fireworks and players ran onto the field and leaped into the crowd. Later, someone handed Hoeppner his cell phone. It was Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, whom he coached at Miami of Ohio, calling to congratulate him. ''We finally beat Iowa,'' the Super-Bowl winning quarterback told his former mentor. It was the biggest upset for the Hoosiers since a 31-10 victory over then-No. 9 Ohio State in 1987 and the first time Indiana has won back-to-back Big Ten games since 2001. ''Everything going on right now is positive, but you need to reinforce that with some success on the field,'' Hoeppner said. ''And to do it against a team everybody expects and knows as one of the top programs in the Big Ten really gives us some credibility.'' Hoeppner's program is building momentum on and off the field. The restaurant where he hosts his weekly radio show was so crowded after his team knocked off the Hawkeyes that you would have thought Bob Knight was making a public appearance. Hoeppner has been campaigning on radio and TV throughout the state with hopes of attracting 50,000 fans to Memorial Stadium for the Michigan State game on Oct. 28. Despite playing 38 freshmen, redshirt freshmen and sophomores this season, which bodes well for the future, Indiana has a realistic shot at winning two more games and becoming the first Hoosiers team since 1993 to earn a bowl bid. ''Terry's a big part of it,'' Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said of Hoeppner, who was expected to miss two to four weeks after his second brain surgery but missed only 11 days. ''That's an amazing story in itself. He has displayed great courage, and his team has followed that lead.'' Hoeppner is a hopeless optimist, and it seems to be rubbing off on those around him. When a local restaurateur joked that deteriorating Memorial Stadium looks like a ''rock,'' as in Alcatraz, Hoeppner ran with it. He had a three-ton chunk of limestone placed behind the north end zone and encourages his players to ''defend the rock.'' ''It has been the best thing that has ever happened to me,'' he said of his health problems. ''I don't know if it was the best for our program, but personally I've learned a lot and am a better person and a better husband and father and hopefully a better coach because of this experience.'' He was also instrumental in the board of trustees earmarking $25 million for much-needed upgrades to Memorial Stadium that Hoeppner hopes will attract recruits. The improvements will include a new weight room, football offices and meeting rooms. ''Our football program is a shooting rocket,'' Hoeppner said after beating Iowa. That might sound like hyperbole coming from a football coach at a basketball school. Then again, everybody said Florida was a football school until the Gators won the NCAA men's basketball tournament last year. Nobody thought Northwestern and Wisconsin could win until they started proving everybody wrong. Perhaps a similar turnaround is possible in Bloomington, and perhaps Hoeppner is the man to engineer it. He sounds determined to turn two much-needed wins into something that is longer-lasting. ''Only time will tell how significant it is,'' he said. ''We have to continue to play well. But for sure it was big in the moment -- and hopefully in the long run.''
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10-18-2006, 05:36 AM
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Link
LIFE IS GOOD Having dealt with its fair share of adversity earlier this season, Indiana is now enjoying the chance to experience success, winning back-to-back Big Ten games for the first time since 2001. Following a huge comeback victory against Illinois, Indiana upset No. 15 Iowa to record its biggest win in nearly two decades. "It's been a very satisfying couple of weeks," coach Terry Hoeppner said. "The win had such a dramatic effect because it's been a while since our last big victory. In the big picture for the program, everything right now is positive."After already dealing with the unexpected emergency of Hoeppner's brain surgery, losing to a Division I-AA team at home, and losing its best player to a suspension earlier this season, Indiana looked like a team in a state of disarray. Trailing Illinois 25-7 in just the first half two weeks ago, it looked like more of the same for the Hoosiers. However, Indiana rallied to win that game, setting up the Iowa upset one week later. "They've played with great confidence recently," Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz said. "They played a heck of a football game against us."
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10-18-2006, 05:44 AM
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Hardy reunites with confidence, swagger By Steve Warden The Journal Gazette  BLOOMINGTON ? James Hardy has been in strange places, and it just wasn?t along the line of scrimmage. Never one to suffer from self-esteem issues, particularly on the heels of a sensational freshman year in which he led Indiana?s football team in every receiving category, Hardy was beginning to question himself, something he has never done, whether on a football field or basketball court. After all, Hardy, the 6-foot-7 wide receiver from Elmhurst, had been pretty much silenced in Indiana?s season thus far. He had missed two games because of personal reasons, and in the four he played, he had just caught a handful of passes and only one touchdown; hardly reminiscent of the rocketlike start of last year when he had eight touchdowns in his first six games. ?You go through little moments when your confidence gets low if you?re not performing like you usually do,? Hardy said Tuesday. ?But you just have to keep yourself motivated, keep your inner circle around you good and clean, and make sure they keep you motivated.? Motivated by his effervescent coach Terry Hoeppner and aided by his change of scenery in the offense ? going from strictly a wideout to lining up closer to the tackles ? Hardy was back to his old ways Saturday, catching 104 yards? worth of passes and three touchdowns to lead IU to a 31-28 victory over then-15th-ranked Iowa in what would be the upset of the day in college football. Indiana?s biggest offensive weapon ? literally and figuratively ? was back. ?I don?t know if I needed that game personally; it?s just that I was waiting on that outburst,? said Hardy, whose 291 yards leads the IU receivers, and his 19 catches are second only to freshman Nick Polk, who has played in two more games. ?I was anticipating it. I knew Saturday could be a great day for us, and we just ended up having one.? Indiana (4-3, 2-1 in the Big Ten) needs an even greater game Saturday when it plays at No. 1 Ohio State (7-0, 3-0). Hardy, back with a little gleam and a little swagger, admits that Ohio State is a challenge, but not impossible. ?I?m looking forward to it,? he said. ?I circled it on my calendar. It?s a great opportunity to put our team on the map. I circle every game, though. It really doesn?t matter. But (knowing Ohio State is) the No. 1 team, that gets me juiced up even more. I never played there. I?m looking forward to it, and I love away games.? Hardy hasn?t rediscovered confidence in just himself, however. He?s found it in freshman Kellen Lewis, the on-again, off-again quarterback who has established himself as the starter for the rest of the season. Hardy had built a strong rapport with last year?s quarterback, Blake Powers, who tossed a school-record 22 touchdown passes last season. They worked together in the offseason and built a friendship. But when Powers went down the first game of the season with an ankle injury and tried unsuccessfully to return to the starting spot later in the year, Hardy?s numbers dropped. ?He?s a different type of quarterback than Blake,? Hardy said of Lewis, whose 19-of-25 passing for 255 yardsagainst Iowa earned him Big Ten Player of the Week honors. ?(Powers) sits back and reads and tries to pick (the opposition) apart a little bit better. I knew Blake was coming to me, because Blake just believed I was going to get the ball. I just had to make Kellen feel the same way.? After the first game in which he caught four passes for 86 yards, Hardy?s production was limited. Against Ball State, where Lewis made his first appearance, Hardy had three catches for just 26 yards. The personal issues kept him out of losses to Southern Illinois and UConn, but when Hardy came back against Wisconsin, he had just one catch for 8 yards. Because Lewis was a scrambler, a freelance runner who would often tuck the ball and run, Hardy?s pass routes, most of them against double coverage, had to be cut short, and he would turn into a 6-foot-7 downfield blocker. ?It was a little frustrating, but for the most part I knew it was part of the process, and that was the only thing that kept me motivated,? Hardy said. ?I knew one day or one practice or one game, everything was going to come together and then we were going to take off from there.? Realizing that the team?s most potent weapon was being misused, Hoeppner moved Hardy from strictly being a wideout to closer to the middle of the field. ?I feel that I?m getting back to the rhythm, but mostly it comes from the chemistry with me and Kellen,? Hardy said. ?Moving me inside and out is helping a lot, too. I?m running more. I don?t get to sit out in practice for reps hardly at all.?
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10-18-2006, 05:54 AM
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10-18-2006, 06:02 AM
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MSNBC
Indiana-Ohio St Preview By DAN BURCH Associated Press Sports Updated: 2:47 p.m. ET Oct 17, 2006 The polls and the BCS standings say Ohio State is the No. 1 team in the country. With a light schedule over the next month that begins with a visit from Indiana on Saturday, the Buckeyes are not expected to have many problems holding those positions.Ohio State should be heavily favored in its next four games, beginning with this contest against the Hoosiers, who haven't defeated the Buckeyes since 1988. After that, Ohio State plays Minnesota, Illinois and Northwestern, teams with a combined record of 6-15. If the Buckeyes (7-0, 3-0 Big Ten) emerge unbeaten from what appears to be a relatively easy stretch, they'll set up a game of enormous proportions on Nov. 18 with No. 2 Michigan, also 7-0 and with an equally simple path. But that's four weeks away and Ohio State has to be careful not to misstep, even though the motivation may not be as high for a team that hasn't been challenged much this season and had a strong grip on the top spot in the first BCS standings released Sunday. "We appreciate the recognition of our difficult schedule, but are fully aware that the final poll is the only one that counts,'' Ohio State coach Jim Tressel said. It's hard for the Buckeyes not to look ahead. They've outscored their seven opponents 235-63. The defense - featuring nine new starters - hasn't allowed more than 17 points in any game and has held teams to an average of 9.0 points per contest, third in the country. "I face them all the time in practice,'' quarterback Troy Smith said of the Buckeyes defense. "They make me better every day.'' With Smith - a leading Heisman contender - spearheading an offense that is averaging 392 yards per game and has scored at least 24 points in 14 straight, it's going to be hard for teams to outscore the Buckeyes, particularly with the defense playing better than many anticipated. "We still need to improve in the rushing area but we aren't giving up touchdowns,'' senior cornerback Antonio Smith said. "We have been very consistent in stopping the other team from scoring touchdowns. We still want to improve on stopping the run and preventing big plays, but if we can continue to keep people off the scoreboard we are doing our job.'' While Ohio State has won 13 straight over Indiana (4-3, 2-1), the Buckeyes should be more cautious than usual with the Hoosiers, who are coming off the program's biggest win since its last victory in Ohio Stadium in 1987. Indiana upset then-No. 15 Iowa 31-28 last Saturday, its first win over a Top 15 opponent since beating then-No. 9 Ohio State 31-10 in Columbus 19 years ago. The Hoosiers beat Ohio State 41-7 the next season, but those are the school's only two victories over the Buckeyes in the last 48 meetings. Despite Ohio State's gaudy record against them, the Hoosiers seem to be brimming with confidence after the upset of Iowa. "It's big, it's huge,'' senior safety Will Meyers said. "I think you saw we're just as talented as anyone out there.'' However confident Indiana may be, the Buckeyes are much tougher than Iowa. Ohio State beat the Hawkeyes 38-17 in Iowa City on Sept. 30 and hasn't lost at home to an unranked team since Wisconsin beat the Buckeyes 20-17 on Oct. 13, 2001. Indiana hasn't won a conference road game since beating then-No. 22 Michigan State 37-28 on Nov. 10, 2001. The Buckeyes beat the Spartans 38-7 last Saturday, extending the nation's longest winning streak to 14 games. Ted Ginn Jr. had a 60-yard punt return for a touchdown, giving him six TDs on punt returns for his career and breaking the Big Ten record he had shared with Iowa's Tim Dwight. Anthony Gonzalez caught seven passes for 118 yards and a touchdown as Ohio State cruised to its 10th straight conference victory. After rallying from a 25-7 deficit to beat Illinois 34-32 two weeks ago, Indiana came back from 14 points down to beat the Hawkeyes. Kellen Lewis threw for a career-high 255 yards and three touchdowns and added a 1-yard touchdown run. Receiver James Hardy had eight receptions for 104 yards and caught all of Lewis' TD passes, including the game-winner with 9:51 remaining. "To know that you can beat a giant like that in the Big Ten gives you confidence when you go up against an Ohio State or a Michigan or a Michigan State,'' Lewis said. Indiana needs two victories to become bowl-eligible, but its five remaining opponents have a combined record of 24-11. Ohio State leads the all-time series 64-12-5.
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