Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Back On The Road
10/21/2002 12:00:00 AM | Football
October 21, 2002
Here Comes A Big One
Indiana (3-4 overall; 1-2 Big Ten) faces maybe its most important game of the year when it battles Illinois (2-5 overall; 1-2 Big Ten).
Why It's A Big One
Saturday's game could prove to be either the one that propels Indiana into a legitimate shot at a bowl game or the one that puts IU one game closer to elimination from bowl contention.
Should the Hoosiers win, they would improve to 4-4 on the year with four games remaining. Of those remaining four contests, three would be against teams with sub-.500 records.
Should IU lose, it would fall to 3-5 and would have to win at least three of its last four games (one of which is against Penn State in Bloomington and the other two are both on the road) to become bowl-eligible.
Series History
The Indiana-Illinois series is one that dates back to 1899. The Fighting Illini own a 39-17-3 advantage in the series, including a 26-8-1 advantage in games played in Champaign.
Illinois has won the last eight meetings between the two teams in Champaign, including a 42-25 win in 2000. Indiana has not won in Champaign since 1979.
When the two teams faced each other last year, Illinois won, 35-14. The Fighting Illini had 276 yards on the ground in the contest and rattled off 21 fourth-quarter points to run away from the Hoosiers down the stretch.
Roby Explodes
If there was any question about whether or not sophomore wide receiver Courtney Roby is legitimate, he provided the answer last week against Iowa.
The Indianapolis native (North Central HS) caught 11 passes for 198 yards against an impressive Hawkeye defense.
Roby's performance was one of the best in the history of the program at Indiana. His 11 catches ranked as the fifth-highest single-game total in school history, while his 198 yards marked the fourth-best total ever for a Hoosier.
Courtney Roby Game-by-Game
Rec. Yds. TD
William & Mary 1 27 0
Utah 5 73 0
Kentucky 5 101 0
Central Michigan 4 153 1
Ohio State 4 82 1
Wisconsin 6 94 1
Iowa 11 198 0
Total 36 728 3
Season Average 5.1 104.0 0.43
Roby's Season Among Best Ever
Courtney Roby's season is shaping up to be one of the best ever for an Indiana receiver.
Roby already has 728 receiving yards this year, just 86 yards shy of moving into Indiana's single-season top five. The sophomore has a very real shot at eclipsing Ernie Jones' 15-year-old school record of 1,256 receiving yards.
Roby is on pace to finish the season with 1,248 receiving yards.
Only two Hoosiers ever (Jones and Thomas Lewis) have posted 1,000-yard receiving seasons.
Off The Charts
Only a sophomore, one can't help but think about the numbers Roby could put up before he leaves Indiana.
Roby has accounted for 899 receiving yards during his 18-game career. Charting Roby on his current pace, he would be projected to finish his career at Indiana with 3,744 receiving yards. That mark would be unheard of for a Hoosier receiver.
To put it in perspective, the school record holder for career receiving yards is Ernie Jones, who accounted for 2,361 yards during his career.
It's Been A While
Senior quarterback Gibran Hamdan passed for 335 yards against Iowa last week, on the heels of a 310-yard passing performance against Wisconsin the week prior.
In doing so, Hamdan became the first Hoosier signal-caller to record consecutive 300-yard passing games since 1984, when Steve Bradley accomplished the feat against Kentucky and Northwestern.
Hamdan has recorded the 20th and 21st 300-yard passing games in school history and is only the 12th Hoosier quarterback ever to have passed the 300-yard mark in a game.
Hamdan From Nowhere
Entering the season, there weren't too many people who would have predicted the kind of year quarterback Gibran Hamdan would have had.
After all, Hamdan's career numbers entering the season were less than eye-popping...3-for-6 passing for 57 yards and one touchdown.
Hamdan now leads the Big Ten with 265.5 passing yards per game.
If anything, Hamdan was known more for his success on the baseball diamond. As a first baseman for the Hoosier baseball team last year, Hamdan batted .335 with six home runs and 38 runs batted in.
Hamdan Already Climbing Charts
Gibran Hamdan's six 200-yard passing games already ranks him ninth on the Indiana career list.
Career 200-yard passing games
Steve Bradley 16
Trent Green 14
Antwaan Randle El 13
Dave Schnell 10
Babe Laufenberg 8
Gibran Hamdan 6
Jay Rogers 5
Tim Clifford 5
Dave Klemme 5
Indiana's Passing Game Might Be Best Ever
Indiana has accounted for 1,919 passing yards through its first seven games. Last season, the Hoosiers passed for 1,824 yards in 11 games. IU is on pace to throw for 3,290 yards this season. If the Hoosiers eclipse the 3,000-yard passing mark, it would mark the first 3,000-yard passing season ever at IU. The current record is 2,755, set in 1991 with Trent Green at quarterback.
Can't Wait Till Halftime
Whatever head coach Gerry DiNardo says to the Hoosiers in the locker room at halftime must be working, because Indiana has made a name for itself as a strong second half team.
The Hoosiers have been outscored in the first half of their games, 128-55. However, Indiana has rallied in the second half of every game this year and has outscored the opposition, 96-83.
The Hoosiers have yet to take a lead into halftime this year, and have rallied from second-half deficits of 13 points (vs. Central Michigan) and 19 points (vs. Wisconsin) to win games.
Hamdan Really Can't Wait Till Halftime
If Indiana is a team that does its damage in the second half, then Gibran Hamdan is the team's poster boy.
In his last two games, Hamdan has seen his production increase dramatically in the second half.
Gibran Hamdan vs. Wisconsin
First Half: 7-for-13, 81 yards, 1 TD
Second Half: 17-for-23, 229 yards, 3 TD
Gibran Hamdan vs. Iowa
First Half: 7-for-18, 102 yards, 0 TD
Second Half: 14-for-30, 233 yards, 0 TD
Converting In The Clutch
A big reason for Indiana's second-half success is the fact that the Hoosiers have converted on 51.4 percent of its third downs in the fourth quarter this season while limiting the opposition to just a 25.0 percent figure in the final quarter.
Rating The Schedule
The combined record of the Hoosiers' opponents at game time is 21-2. IU's strength of schedule ranks 17th in the nation in the latest Sagarin ratings.
Indiana's Opponents at Game Time
Oppt. Record
William & Mary 0-0
Utah 1-0
Kentucky 2-0
Central Michigan 3-0
No. 6/6 Ohio State 4-0
No. 23/22 Wisconsin 5-1
No. 15/16 Iowa 6-1
Night and Day
Maybe the single biggest factor in Indiana's loss to Iowa last week was the fact that the Hoosiers were unable to cash in on their chances in the red zone.
Indiana in the red zone vs. Iowa
2nd quarter: Interception
2nd quarter: Interception
3rd quarter: Field Goal
4th quarter: Turnover on downs
4th quarter: Turnover on downs
4th quarter: Interception
Red Zone the Key?
In the Hoosiers' three wins this year, they have scored on 11 of their 12 trips inside the red zone (nine touchdowns and two field goals.)
In the four games Indiana has lost, the Hoosiers have scored on only four of the 14 possessions in which they got inside the red zone (28.6 percent).
A Challenge Issued
Head coach Gerry DiNardo has challenged his team to become one that can win games on the road. Based on what the Hoosiers have shown this year, that is a pretty big challenge.
Indiana has been outscored, 112-47 in its three road games this year (at Utah, at Kentucky, at Ohio State.) The Hoosiers have allowed the opposition to average 258.0 rushing yards on 5.9 yards per carry in those three games.
Duo The Big Ten's Best
Combining to account for 9.7 catches and 186.6 receiving yards per game, wide receivers Glenn Johnson and Courtney Roby are the most potent one-two receiving combination in the Big Ten.
Pass Defense Shining
The Hoosiers rank second in the Big Ten in pass defense at 181.7 yards per game. A big reason for that is the speed of Indiana's linebackers and the ability they have to cover people downfield when necessary.
Herana-Daze Jones leads the conference with over 11 tackles per game, while corners Antonio Watson and Damien Jones have both stepped up after the loss of starting safety Joe Gonzalez to a hernia.
Caught Streaking
Enoch DeMar has proven to be not only one of the best offensive linemen in the Big Ten, but also one of the most durable. Entering Saturday's game against Illinois, DeMar has started 40 consecutive games dating back to his freshman year. The Indianapolis, Ind., native (Arsenal Tech HS) has started every game of his four-year career and ranks in the top ten nationally in consecutive starts for offensive linemen.
King of the Road
When Gerry DiNardo took over as head coach at Indiana, he committed himself to reaching out to the high schools in the Hoosier State. He has visited 153 high schools and logged over 5,000 miles around the state since taking the job.
Calling the Shots
Lack of experience will not be a problem among the Indiana coaching staff this year. Head Coach Gerry DiNardo, offensive coordinator Al Borges and defensive coordinator Tim Kish combine to have 69 years of experience of coaching at the college level, which ranks them among the top 20 nationally in terms of experience among a group of three coaches on the same staff.
