Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Prepare for Penn State
11/10/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Penn State owns an 8-0 mark in the all-time series and is 4-0 at home.
TRENDS IN THE SERIES
A lot of points have been scored in the Indiana-Penn State series. In eight games, 518 points have been scored (64.75 points per game).
Penn State has averaged 40.5 points per game in the series and has never scored less than 27 points and only twice scored less than 30.
Indiana has averaged 24.25 points per game in the series and has scored over 20 points in all but one game.
LOVECCHIO LEADS HOOSIERS
Indiana snapped a six-game losing streak last week with a come-from-behind 17-14 win over Illinois. Junior quarterback Matt LoVecchio scored the game-winning touchdown with 24 seconds left in the game as the Hoosiers scored 10 unanswered fourth quarter points. He ran in from eight yards out with the Hoosiers out of timeouts.
LoVecchio connected on 17-of-24 passes for 161 yards without an interception. The 17 completions tied a career high. He also gained 59 yards on 12 rushes.
FIRST SCORE ON THE OPENING DRIVE
Indiana opened the Illinois game by scoring on its first drive for the first time this season. The Hoosiers went 76 yards on 12 plays in 5:19. Here is a statistical breakdown of that scoring drive for the Hoosiers.
Rushing
BenJarvus Green-Ellis 9-56 (TD)
Matt LoVecchio 2-19
Passing
Matt LoVecchio 1-1-20
Receiving
Tyke Spencer 1-20
STOPPING ILLINI ON OPENING DRIVE
Indiana stopped Illinois on its opening drive last weekend as the Illini missed a 39-yard field goal. It marked the first time in five games that the Hoosiers had stopped the opposition on its first drive (last time vs. Michigan). On the season, Indiana has held its opponent scoreless on its first drive six times.
CHANGE OF FORTUNE IN FIRST QUARTER
The Hoosiers' opening-drive touchdown marked the first time Indiana had scored in the first quarter in seven games. The Hoosiers had been outscored 65-0 in the first quarter before BenJarvus Green-Ellis gave IU a 6-0 lead against the Illini.
Indiana held Illinois scoreless in that opening quarter. It marked first time under Head Coach Gerry DiNardo and the first time in IU's last 23 games that the Hoosiers held their opponent scoreless in the first quarter.
BRINGING BACK THE RUSHING ATTACK
Indiana gained 195 yards on 51 carries against Illinois. The prior two games (Ohio State, Minnesota) saw the Hoosiers rush for a total of 99 yards on 72 carries.
DEFENSIVE STAND AGAINST ILLINI
Illinois took a 14-7 lead with 2:32 left in the third quarter. Indiana's defense responded, as the Illini's next four drives were three-and-out with three punts and an interception.
Illinois' Drives After Taking 14-0 Lead
4 plays 4 yards 2:46
3 plays 3 yards 1:48
3 plays 5 yards 1:09
3 plays 18 yards 0:24
13 plays 30 yards 6:07
REBUILDING A PROGRAM
Nine games into the season, it is clear which players have been slotted to redshirt in their first collegiate season at IU. Removing those 30 players from the roster, along with the seven players that are out for the season leaves Indiana with 71 players on the active roster. Below is a breakdown of those players.
Year Scholar Walk Total
Seniors 5 2 7
Juniors 18 4 22
Sophomores 13 4 17
R. Freshmen 8 6 14
Freshmen 9 2 11
Totals 53 18 71
IU has a total of 69 scholarship players on its entire roster (including players expected to redshirt and injured players). Next year will be the first time under Gerry DiNardo that the Hoosiers have the maximum number of scholarship players (85).
NOT AN EASY ROAD
Head Coach Gerry DiNardo is trying to rebuild Indiana Football after the program suffered seven straight non-winning seasons. Here is a look at the number of consecutive non-winning seasons IU had prior to each coach coming to Bloomington.
Head Coach Prior Non-Winning Seasons
DiNardo 7
Cameron 2
Mallory 3
Wyche 2
Corso 4
Pont 5
EIGHT FROSH START AGAINST ILLINOIS
Indiana started eight freshmen against Illinois, three on defense and three on offense. Will Meyers, Jake Powers, Cedric Henry and Kenny Kendal all started on defense and BenJarvus Green-Ellis, Chris Rudanovic, Justin Frye and Chris Mangiero started on offense.
BIG TEN'S YOUNGEST TEAM
A look at the starting 22 players of each of the Big Ten teams shows that IU has the youngest starting unit. Twelve starters have less than two years experience. IU has six freshmen starting, which is also the most in the Big Ten.
Team Sr Jr So Fr
Michigan 12 9 1 0
Ohio State 12 4 6 0
Iowa 12 4 5 1
Purdue 10 5 5 2
Illinois 9 8 3 2
Penn State 9 5 5 3
Minnesota 9 4 8 1
Michigan St. 8 7 7 0
Northwestern 6 10 6 0
Wisconsin 5 14 3 0
Indiana 3 7 6 6
66 HAVE PLAYED: 40 SOPH OR FROSH
A total of 66 players have played this season for the Hoosiers. Here is a breakdown by class of those players that have played this season:
Seniors 7
Juniors 19
Sophomores 18
Redshirt Freshmen 10
True Freshmen 12
YOUNGEST LINE IN THE BIG TEN
Indiana's O-line is the youngest in the Big Ten. A Big Ten-high four of the five Hoosier linemen have less than two years experience. IU is the only team in the conference that starts two freshmen on the line.
School Frosh Soph Total
Indiana 2 2 4
Minnesota 0 3 3
Penn State 1 2 3
Michigan State 0 2 2
Northwestern 1 1 2
Ohio State 0 2 2
Purdue 1 1 2
Illinois 1 0 1
Iowa 1 0 1
Wisconsin 0 1 1
Michigan 0 0 0
NEW FACES GETTING TIME
New faces factor heavily into Indiana's plans this season, evidenced by the fact that a total of 12 true freshmen have already seen game action. When the 10 redshirt freshmen who have played this year are included, a total of 22 Hoosiers have seen their first career action this season.
True Freshmen
Player GP
Lance Bennett 10
BenJarvus Green-Ellis 10
Ben Ishola 10
Cedric Henry 10
Jake Powers 9
Casey Nowinski 9
Will Meyers 9
Chris Rudanovic 9
Chris Mangiero 8
Ryan Skelton 7
Cleo Harbison 7
Joel Stubblefield 4
Totals 102
Redshirt Freshmen
Player GP
Scott Anderson 10
Tyson Beattie 10
Justin Frye 10
Troy Grosfield 10
Kenny Kendal 10
Graeme McFarland 9
Matt O'Neal 9
Andy Halterman 4
Alex Stscherban 5
Jahkeen Gilmore 1
Totals 78
Freshmen have played a combined 178 games this season and are on pace to play in a combined total of 214 games. Last year, freshmen played a total of 178 games for the Hoosiers.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN BY CLASS
Receiving Yards
Seniors 394 (22%)
Juniors 912 (52%)
Sophomores 292 (17%)
Freshmen 159 (9%)
Rushing Yards*
Seniors 398 (27%)
Juniors 23 (1%)
Sophomores 480 (33%)
Freshmen 572 (39%)
Scoring Points
Seniors 24 (16%)
Juniors 56 (37%)
Sophomores 30 (20%)
Freshmen 42 (27%)
Tackles
Seniors 110 (15%)
Juniors 209 (30%)
Sophomores 174 (25%)
Freshmen 214 (30%)
* Does not include sack yardage
PER CARRY AVERAGE AT 4.06
Indiana running backs/receivers are averaging 4.06 yards per carry (1467/361) this season. The goal for the Hoosiers is to gain at least four yards per carry.
Opponent YPC
Illinois 4.44
Minnesota 3.32
Ohio State 2.15
Northwestern 5.90
Michigan State 4.11
Michigan 3.15
Kentucky 5.29
Indiana State 4.46
Washington 2.09
UConn 3.87
RUNNING PAST 2002 NUMBERS
Indiana has gained 1,414 yards on the ground this season, already 16 yards more than all of last season. The Hoosiers are on pace to gain 1,696 rushing yards this season and are averaging 141.4 yards per game in 2003. Last season IU gained 1,398 yards for an average of 116.5 yards per game.
100-YARD RUSHING GAMES
The Hoosiers have had a back rush for 100+ yards four times this season, including two different backs against Northwestern. Freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis had 136 yards on 25 carries while senior Brian Lewis tallied 128 yards on 21 carries. Green-Ellis picked up his first 100-yard game with 107 yards on 20 carries against Indiana State. Against Kentucky, Lewis returned from an injury that kept him out against Indiana State to rush for 116 yards on 17 carries.
YOUNG BACKS MAKE HISTORY
With BenJarvus Green-Ellis' 107 rushing yards against Indiana State this season and Chris Taylor's 102 rushing yards against Northwestern last season, the Hoosiers made school history. Never before had IU seen back-to-back seasons with a true freshman rushing for 100+ yards in a game.
ALL-TIME 100-YARD TRUE FROSH
BenJarvus Green-Ellis became the sixth true freshman in IU history to rush for 100 yards in a game. He joins a list that includes the following:
Chris Taylor (2002)
De'Wayne Hogan (1997)
Anthony Thompson (1986)
Mike Harkrader (1976)
Courtney Snyder (1973)
TOP RUSHING MARK VS WILDCATS
Indiana gained 327 yards on the ground against Northwestern, the most under Head Coach Gerry DiNardo. That total was the highest by an Indiana team since November 10, 2001, when the Hoosiers had 489 yards at Michigan State. The performance against Northwestern was just the fourth 300+ rushing game by an Indiana team in the last 40 games.
FRESHMEN NUMBERS NOT SEEN SINCE '94
True freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis leads the Hoosiers with seven touchdowns this season. It is the most touchdowns by a true freshman since Alex Smith had 10 touchdowns in 1994. The last time a true freshman led the Hoosiers in touchdowns was in 1997, when De'Wayne Hogan had four. Green-Ellis also leads the team in rushing with 580 yards, the most by a true freshman since 1994 when Alex Smith went for 1,475 yards. The last time a true freshman led the team in rushing came in 1997 when Hogan gained 506 yards.
BIG PLAYS IN 2003
Indiana has had 26 plays of 20+ yards this season. Last year, the Hoosiers had 51 plays for 20+ yards.
Illinois-2 plays
23-Chris Taylor
20-LoVecchio-Spencer
Minnesota-3 plays
27-McFarland-Roby
21-Green-Ellis
21-McFarland-Roby
Ohio State-0 plays
Northwestern-4 plays
55-LoVecchio-Roby
42-Brian Lewis
23-LoVecchio-Thompson
27-Green-Ellis (TD)
Michigan State-2 plays
30-LoVecchio-Johnson
20-LoVecchio-Green-Ellis
Michigan-0 plays
Kentucky-8 plays
63-LoVecchio-Green-Ellis (TD)
38-Brian Lewis
27-LoVecchio-Halterman
26-Brian Lewis
24-LoVecchio-Roby
22-LoVecchio-Haney
21-LoVecchio-Rudanovic
21-LoVecchio-Johnson
Indiana State-2 plays
22-BenJarvus Green-Ellis
22-LoVecchio-Roby
Washington-2 plays
33-LoVecchio-Taylor
25-Matt LoVecchio
Connecticut-3 plays
41-LoVecchio-Haney
39-Chris Taylor
30-LoVecchio-Johnson (TD)
LONGER DRIVES IN 2003
With less big plays this season, the Hoosier offense has seen more prolonged drives. This year has seen 23 drives of 10+ plays. Last year, Indiana had a total of 20 10+ play drives.
vs. Illinois
Plays Yards Time Result
12 66 2:28 TD
10 54 4:08 Punt
12 76 5:19 TD
vs. Minnesota
Plays Yards Time Result
11 45 3:49 Downs
16 69 6:29 TD
vs. Ohio State
Plays Yards Time Result
-- -- -- --
vs. Northwestern
Plays Yards Time Result
11 78 4:57 TD
vs. Michigan State
Plays Yards Time Result
15 73 5:49 Downs
11 39 4:01 Downs
14 73 5:46 FG
12 24 5:13 Downs
vs. Michigan
Plays Yards Time Result
19 72 8:40 FG
vs. Kentucky
Plays Yards Time Result
12 76 4:35 FG
14 29 5:36 Downs
vs. Indiana State
Plays Yards Time Result
14 70 5:33 TD
11 71 3:54 TD
10 44 4:35 FG
vs. Washington
Plays Yards Time Result
13 76 4:50 TD
11 59 5:38 FG
11 56 3:53 FG
vs. Connecticut
Plays Yards Time Result
10 79 3:45 Downs
7 76 2:55 TD
SLOW STARTING HOOSIERS
Indiana has been outscored 85-26 (-59) in the first quarter and 90-26 (-64) in the third quarter this season. In comparison, the Hoosiers have been outscored 82-51 (-31) in the second quarter and outscored the opponent 51-49 (+2) in the fourth quarter.
Quarter IU Opp
1st 26 85
2nd 51 82
3rd 26 90
4th 51 49
CRITICAL PLAY SITUATIONS-RED ZONE THE KEY
Here is a look at key critical-situation statistics for the Hoosiers this season. Red zone play has been telling. Against Illinois Indiana was 2-of-2 with two touchdowns and against Indiana State, the Hoosiers were 5-of-5 with four touchdowns. That is 7-of-7 with six touchdowns in their two wins. In their eight losses, the Hoosiers are a respectable 19-of-24 in the red zone, but have scored just 12 TDs and have settled for seven field goals. The opposition in those eight games was 33-of-40 in the red zone with 19 TDs
3rd down conv IU Opp
Illinois 4-14 4-12
Minnesota 5-17 6-10
Ohio State 6-15 5-11
Northwestern 4-13 9-17
Michigan St. 9-18 7-12
Michigan 6-18 5-12
Kentucky 4-16 4-13
ISU 8-12 4-12
Washington 7-17 10-16
UConn 3-17 6-14
Red Zone IU Opp
Indiana 2-2 (12 pts) 1-2 (7 pts)
Minnesota 1-2 (7 pts) 7-8 (49 pts)
Ohio State 1-1 (6 pts) 4-6 (29 pts)
Northwestern 4-5 (24 pts) 5-5 (31 pts)
Michigan St. 1-2 (3 pts) 3-4 (21 pts)
Michigan 2-2 (10 pts) 3-4 (17 pts)
Kentucky 2-3 (10 pts) 3-3 (21 pts)
ISU 5-5 (31 pts) 0-2 (0 pts)
Washington 2-2 (10 pts) 4-5 (24 pts)
UConn 1-2 (3 pts) 4-4 (24 pts)
NEEDING MORE IN THE RED ZONE
In the Red Zone
Team RZ Scores TD FG Pct.TD
Indiana 26 21 14 7 54%
Opponent 42 34 30 4 71%
INSIDE THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS
Indiana
3rd and 1-4 yards 33-53 .622
3rd and 5-9 yards 21-62 .338
3rd and 10+ yards 5-46 .108
Opponents
3rd and 1-4 yards 27-48 .562
3rd and 5-9 yards 23-56 .411
3rd and 10+ yards 11-25 .440
PLAYING A ROLE IN TURNOVERS
IU has forced 17 turnovers this season (7 interceptions, 10 fumbles).
Player FF FR INT Total
Will Meyers 4 1 0 5
Cedric Henry 2 1 1 4
Leonard Bryant 2 1 1 4
Herana-Daze Jones 3 0 1 4
Kyle Killion 0 3 0 3
Duane Stone 0 1 1 2
Joe Gonzalez 0 2 0 2
Josh Moore 0 0 1 1
Jake Powers 0 1 0 1
Victor Adeyanju 1 0 0 1
TURNOVER MARGIN
Indiana's turnover margin this season is at +3. Last year, Indiana had a -12 turnover margin. The biggest difference has come in the interception category, as the Hoosiers threw 21 interceptions last year. This year, just seven Hoosier passes have been picked. The Hoosiers have been even or posted a positive turnover margin in six games. Last year, Indiana had a positive turnover margin just once in 12 games and three other times the margin was even.
IU (Int-Fum) Forced +/-
Illinois 0-0 1-1 +2
Minnesota 0-1 0-0 -1
OSU 1-0 1-2 +2
N'western 2-0 0-0 -2
Mich St. 0-1 0-0 -1
Mich 2-0 2-2 +2
UK 1-0 0-1 0
ISU 0-1 1-2 +2
Wash 1-1 1-2 +1
UConn 0-3 1-0 -2
2003 Totals 7-7 7-10 +3
2002 Totals 21-8 8-9 -12
RUSH DEFENSE SHOWING IMPROVEMENT
Last season, Indiana allowed over 200 yards rushing in a game nine different times (average of 235 per game). It happened for the first time against Ohio State (216 yards) and for just the second time this year against Minnesota (435). Indiana is holding its opponents to 196.0 yards per game on the ground this season.
2003 Opponent Yds Allowed
Illinois 195
Minnesota 435
Ohio State 216
Northwestern 192
Michigan State 104
Michigan 168
Kentucky 167
Indiana State 105
Washington 195
UConn 200
NUMBERS BEING POSTED ON D BY FROSH AND SOPHOMORES
In six games this season, Indiana's leading tackler was either a freshman or a sophomore. The team's leading tackler, Kyle Killion, is just a sophomore with 17 career games played while true freshman Will Meyers ranks third on the team in stops.
True freshman Jake Powers led the Hoosiers with 13 tackles (11 solo) against Ohio State. Fellow true freshman Will Meyers added seven solo stops, while true freshman Cedric Henry had seven tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. Against Minnesota, four of the team's top six tacklers were freshmen while last weekend two of the top three were freshmen.
Numbers by Freshmen in Last Three Games
Year Tackles FF FR Int
Freshmen 91 2 1 1
Others 102 1 2 1
CLEMONS POSTING CAREER-BEST SACK NUMBERS
Junior Jodie Clemons leads the team with five sacks. He needs just three more to crack the IU top five single season sack list. He entered the season with just three career sacks. Last year's team leader Kris Dielman had a total of five sacks for the season.
LOVECCHIO ONE OF JUST FOUR
Having taken Notre Dame to the 2001 Fiesta Bowl, Matt LoVecchio is one of only four active quarterbacks to have started in a BCS bowl game.
• Brock Berlin-Miami
(2000 Orange Bowl at Florida)
• Craig Krenzel-Ohio State
(2003 Fiesta Bowl)
• Matt LoVecchio-Indiana
(2001 Fiesta Bowl at ND)
• Fabian Walker-Florida State
(2003 Sugar Bowl)
NEW NUMBERS FOR LOVECCHIO
Quarterback Matt LoVecchio has already eclipsed his single-season career high in passing yards. He has already set his single-game career high in passing four times this season, including against Kentucky. LoVecchio threw for 266 yards against the Wildcats and has had three 200-yard games and one 199-yard performance this season. While at Notre Dame, LoVecchio's career-best passing mark was 183.
LoVecchio's Top Passing Games
Yards Opponent LoVecchio's Team
266 Kentucky Indiana
204 Northwestern Indiana
211 UConn Indiana
199 Washington Indiana
183 Navy Notre Dame
LOOKING FOR 100-YARD RECEIVER
Indiana has yet to have a player gain 100+ receiving yards this season. Last year it happened six times.
PASSING NUMBERS
Last season Indiana set a school record with 3,020 passing yards. The Hoosiers averaged 235 passing yards per game in 2002. The Hoosiers have gained 1,757 yards through the air this year, an average of 175.7 yards per game. It should be noted, however, IU has cut down their interceptions from 21 to seven.
ROBY AMONG TOP TEN
Courtney Roby cracked Indiana's all-time top ten receiving yardage list against Northwestern. He has 1,689 career yards and ranks 5th on the list.
JOHNSON CLOSING IN ON TOP TEN
Glenn Johnson needs just 152 more receiving yards to crack Indiana's all-time top ten receiving yardage list. He has 1,423 career yards.
PLAY CALL BREAKDOWN
Here is a game-by-game comparative look at running plays vs. passing plays in 2003. Sacks are considered passing plays in this comparison though they appear as rushes statistically.
Opponent Rush Pass
Illinois 49 26
Minnesota 38 32
Ohio State 26 32
Northwestern 57 21
Michigan 41 36
Michigan State 39 37
Kentucky 39 37
Indiana State 48 21
Washington 38 32
Connecticut 37 34
2003 Average 41.2 30.8
2002 Average 33.7 39.5
BEATTIE PUNTING WELL
Redshirt freshman Tyson Beattie has handled the punting duties well in his first season after coming to Bloomington from Australia. He is averaging 40.0 yards per punt this season and nine of his kicks have been at or inside the 10 yard line. The 40.0 average would be the top mark by a Hoosier punter since 1999 if Beattie can keep up his current pace.
Beattie Breakdown
Illinois 38.8 yards per punt
Minnesota 39.8 yards per punt (including an 80-yarder)
Ohio State 44.4 yards per punt (8 punts)
Northwestern 46.6 yards per punt (inside the 10 once)
Michigan 40.5 yards per punt (8 punts-56-yarder)
Michigan State 38.6 yards per punt (inside the 10 once)
Kentucky 37.6 yards per punt (inside the 5 three times)
Indiana State 37.7 yards per punt (all three punts inside the 10)
Washington 35.4 yards per punt
Connecticut 38.9 yards per punt (50-yarder on his first punt)
KICKING OFF THE GROSFIELD WAY
Kicker Troy Grosfield has quietly done very well in his first season at the collegiate level. The kicker-turned-receiver-back-to-kicker has kicked off 37 times, recording ten touchbacks and limiting the opponents to an average starting field position of the 22.6 yard line.
ROBERTSON HAS 12 IN A ROW INSIDE 45 YARDS
Inside of 45 yards Bryan Robertson has hit his last 12 field goal attempts.
Robertson's 2003
Vs. Illinois 40 yards Good
At Minnesota 47 yards Missed
Vs. Northwestern 54 yards Missed
Vs. Northwestern 22 yards Good
Vs. Northwestern 51 Yards Missed
At Michigan State 21 yards Good
Vs. Michigan 26 yards Good
Vs. Kentucky 50 yards Missed
Vs. Kentucky 21 yards Good
Vs. Indiana State 21 yards Good
At Washington 39 yards Good
At Washington 49 yards Missed
At Washington 34 yards Good
At Connecticut 28 yards Good
Robertson's 2003
At Purdue 50 yards Good
Vs. Penn State 45 yards Missed
At Northwestern 43 yards Good
Vs. Iowa 23 yards Good
Vs. Iowa 45 yards Good
Vs. Wisconsin 32 yards Good
At Ohio State 49 yards Good
Vs. Central Michigan 45 yards Good
At Kentucky 46 yards Good
At Kentucky 35 yards Missed
At Kentucky 34 yards Missed
Vs. William & Mary 33 yards Missed
Vs. William & Mary 31 yards Good
A LOOK AT THE TEAM'S LEADERS
Here is a look at the Hoosiers' key statistical leaders for each game this season. Freshmen and sophomores are highlighted.
Opponent Rusher Receiver Tackler
Illinois Green-Ellis (98) Roby (81) Killion (10)
Minnesota Green-Ellis (71) Roby (76) Jones (13)
Ohio St. Lewis (20) Roby (47) Powers (13)
N'Western Green-Ellis (136) Roby (82) Killion (10)
Michigan St. Green-Ellis (90) Johnson (70) Moore (13)
Michigan Lewis (70) Pannozzo (41) Gonzalez (9)
Kentucky Lewis (116) Halterman (71) Meyers (8)
Jones (8)
Killion (8)
Indiana St. Green-Ellis (107) Roby (35) Meyers (8)
Killion (8)
Washington Lewis (31) Roby (77) Jones (13)
Meyers (13)
UConn Taylor (73) Haney (99) Moore (13)
GAMES MISSED TO INJURY
The Hoosiers have now missed 30 games to injury this season. Will Lumpkin injured his knee against Washington and is lost for the season while Brandon Hatcher injured his ankle against Kentucky and is also out for the season. Joel Stubblefield injured his knee prior to Michigan and is out for the season. These injury numbers do not include Yamar Washington (knee), Paul Hearn (ankle), Adam Braucher (knee) and Derek Frye (back) who were all lost for the year prior to the start of the 2003 season.
Will Lumpkin 7 games (out for year)
Brandon Hatcher 5 games (out for year)
Joel Stubblefield 5 games (out for year)
Joe Gonzalez 3 games
Brian Lewis 4 games
Tyke Spencer 2 games
Josh Moore 2 games
Courtney Roby 1 game
Travis Haney 1 game
Rhett Kleinschmidt 1 game
Matt LoVecchio 1 game
