Even the most loyal of the Hoosiers' faithful had to wonder about what this soft-spoken Indianan was telling them.
"Can we win here? There's no doubt about it," Terry Hoeppner said last December after being named Indiana's football coach. "We're going to build a championship team here. That is no joke. (Indiana) is going back to the Rose Bowl."
Whoa there, coach.
Indiana? It is the same Indiana that has not had a winning season in 10 years, the same Indiana whose apathetic fan base had continued to dwindle - bottoming out in 2004 with a record-low average attendance of 28,377 witnessing the Hoosiers' three-win season - and the same Indiana that will always play in the shadows of the school's storied basketball program. A national title in Bloomington?
Though Hoeppner's statement may inspire laughter, he looks to finally have Indiana heading in the right direction. Off to their best start since 1994 at 4-2, the Hoosiers are just two wins away from bowl eligibility and in search of that one signature victory to validate the program's rebirth. That could come Saturday when No. 14 Ohio State (4-2, 2-1 Big Ten) pays a visit to Bloomington for a noon kickoff.
If the Buckeyes think they can just roll over Indiana, as they have done in their previous twelve meetings, coach Jim Tressel thinks otherwise.
"Our guys are going to tell you that this is a better Indiana team than the one they last met," Tressel said. "And if they don't see that, then, you know, they may be in for a rude awakening."
Senior center Nick Mangold said the Buckeyes are well aware of the Hoosiers' improvements.
"We can't be overlooking anybody right now," Mangold said. "Indiana has a renewed sense of energy, so we are really going to come after them this year."
Led by the emergence of sophomore quarterback Blake Powers and redshirt freshman wide-out, J.J. Hardy, Indiana's offense is putting up more than 400 yards per game. Hoeppner has brought the spread offense with him from Miami University, where he compiled a 48-25 record and a national top ten finish in 2003, which has opened things up for Powers. And Powers has not disappointed in his first season under center, already breaking Antwaan Randle-El's single-season passing touchdown mark of 17 in 1999. His 20 touchdowns through the air puts him second nationally.
Powers' favorite target is Hardy, who has been on the receiving end of eight of those touchdowns. The two-sport standout, who logged three starts for the Hoosiers' basketball team last winter, is looking more and more like the favorite to capture Big Ten Freshman of the Year honors as he continues to lead the conference with 744 yards.
Lacking a consistent running game, the offense's one-dimensionality has been the one thing preventing it from taking off. In Indiana's 38-21 loss last weekend at Iowa, the Hoosiers tossed it an astounding 57 times. Twenty of their 24 touchdowns have come through the air.
Still, the fans have responded to Hoeppner and his new brand of offense. Season ticket sales have gone up 40 percent and student ticket sales are up 120 percent. With Indiana's 52,354-seat Memorial Stadium already sold out for Saturday, Hoeppner is hoping to make a statement.
"We have been pointing to this game for our program," Hoeppner said. "I think the (OSU fans making the trip) will be shocked at the enthusiasm and the vociferousness of the Hoosiers. They'll think, 'Where did these guys come from? They must have stayed up all night waiting for this game.'"
Quick slants
It was announced Thursday that senior linebacker A.J. Hawk is one of 10 semifinalists for the Butkus Award, given annually to the nation's top linebacker. ... Sophomore guard Steve Rehring, hospitalized early this season with pneumonia, will redshirt this season, Tressel said Tuesday. The same tag could soon be placed on sophomore linebacker Marcus Freeman as well. Freeman injured his knee in the season opener with Miami and hasn't played since.
Spring Break
