Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Prepare for Illini
11/3/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
November 3, 2003
SERIES HISTORY
Illinois owns a 40-17-3 edge in the all-time series and has won the last three meetings. Indiana's last win was a 34-31 overtime triumph in Bloomington played in 1999. The Hoosiers are 10-12-1 at home against the Illini.
TRENDS IN THE SERIES
Illinois has won the last three meetings by an average of 23 points, scoring 45, 35 and 42 points. Despite a record of 1-4 in the last five meetings, Indiana has outgained the Illini three times. Last season saw the Hoosiers gain 320 yards through the air and just 81 yards on the ground, thanks in part to Illinois jumping out to a 35-0 halftime lead. The two teams combined for 860 yards of offense. The last five games between these two schools have seen Illinois average 375.6 yards per game and Indiana gain 436.4 yards per contest.
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
BIG TEN'S YOUNGEST TEAM
A close look at the starting 22 players of each of the 11 Big Ten teams shows that IU has the youngest starting unit in the conference. Twelve starters have less than two years experience. IU has five 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 7 5
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 offensive 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 which 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 9
BenJarvus Green-Ellis 9
Ben Ishola 9
Cedric Henry 9
Jake Powers 8
Casey Nowinski 8
Will Meyers 8
Chris Rudanovic 8
Ryan Skelton 7
Chris Mangiero 7
Cleo Harbison 6
Joel Stubblefield 4
Totals 92
Redshirt Freshmen
Player GP
Scott Anderson 9
Tyson Beattie 9
Justin Frye 9
Troy Grosfield 9
Kenny Kendal 9
Graeme McFarland 9
Matt O'Neal 9
Andy Halterman 4
Alex Stscherban 4
Jahkeen Gilmore 1
Totals 72
Freshmen have played a combined 164 games this season and are on pace to play in a combined total of 219 games. Last year, freshmen played a total of 178 games for the Hoosiers.
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN BY CLASS
Receiving Yards
Seniors 394 (25%)
Juniors 789 (49%)
Sophomores 253 (16%)
Freshmen 157 (10%)
Rushing Yards*
Seniors 398 (33%)
Juniors 23 (2%)
Sophomores 418 (34%)
Freshmen 488 (41%)
Scoring Points
Seniors 24 (17%)
Juniors 45 (32%)
Sophomores 30 (22%)
Freshmen 36 (26%)
Tackles
Seniors 97 (15%)
Juniors 201 (31%)
Sophomores 153 (24%)
Freshmen 193 (30%)
* Does not include sack yardage
SLOW STARTING HOOSIERS
Indiana has been outscored 85-19 (-66) in the first quarter and 83-26 (-57) in the third quarter this season. In comparison, the Hoosiers have been outscored 75-51
(-24) in the second quarter and 49-41 (-8) in the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers have not scored in the first quarter in the last six games, getting outscored, 65-0.
Quarter IU Opp
1st 19 85
2nd 51 75
3rd 26 83
4th 41 49
PER CARRY AVERAGE AT 4.02
Indiana running backs/receivers are averaging 4.02 yards per carry (1307/325) this season. The goal for the Hoosiers is to gain at least four yards per carry.
Opponent YPC
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
 True freshman Chris Mangiero starts on the Big Ten's youngest offensive line.  |
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Indiana has gained 1,219 yards on the ground this season, just 179 less than all of last season. The Hoosiers are on pace to gain 1,624 rushing yards this season and are averaging 135.4 yards per game in 2003. Last season IU gained 1,398 yards for an average of 116.5 yards per game.
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. It was the most yards by an IU team at Memorial Stadium since October 21, 2000, when the Hoosiers had 348 yards against Minnesota. The performance against Northwestern was just the fourth 300+ rushing game by an Indiana team in the last 40 games.
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 Indiana 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)
FRESHMAN LEADING IN TDs
True freshman BenJarvus Green-Ellis leads the Hoosiers with six 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.
NEEDING MORE BIG PLAYS
Indiana has had 24 plays of 20+ yards this season. Last year, the Hoosiers had 51 plays for 20+ yards. Two of IU's three longest plays of the season came against Northwestern with a 55-yard pass and 42-yard run.
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 20 drives of 10+ plays. Last year, Indiana had a total of 20 10+ play drives.
Last weekend against Minnesota the Hoosiers had their longest TD drive of the season after 16 plays and 6:29.
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
CRITICAL PLAY SITUATIONS
Here is a look at key critical-situation statistics for the Hoosiers this season. Red zone play has been telling. Against Indiana State, the Hoosiers were 5-of-5 with four touchdowns. 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
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
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
Indiana has been in the red zone 24 times and put points on the board 19 times, but only 12 scores have been touchdowns.
In the Red Zone
Team RZ Scores TD FG Pct.TD
Indiana 24 19 12 7 50%
Opponent 40 33 29 4 73%
INSIDE THIRD DOWN CONVERSIONS
Indiana
3rd and 1-4 yards 31-49 .633
3rd and 5-9 yards 19-56 .339
3rd and 10+ yards 5-42 .119
Opponents
3rd and 1-4 yards 24-41 .585
3rd and 5-9 yards 22-51 .431
3rd and 10+ yards 11-25 .440
TURNOVER MARGIN
Indiana's turnover margin this season is at +1. 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 five 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 +/-
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 6-9 +1
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 198.0 yards per game on the ground this season.
2003 Opponent Yds Allowed
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 FRESHMEN AND SOPHOMORES
In five games this season Indiana's leading tackler was either a freshman or a sophomore. The team's second leading tackler Kyle Killion is just a sophomore with 16 career games played while true freshman Will Meyers ranks fourth 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.
Defensive stats vs. Minnesota Defensive stats vs. Ohio State
Year Tackles FF FR Int Year Tackles FF FR Int
Freshmen 33 0 0 0 Freshmen 32 1 1 1
Others 40 0 0 0 Others 35 1 1 0
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.
HOW YOUNG CAN THEY GET
A total of six different freshmen have started on defense for the Hoosiers. The current depth chart has three freshmen starting.
MCFARLAND MAKES FIRST START
An injury to Matt LoVecchio gave Graeme McFarland his first start against Minnesota. Finding out he was going to start the morning of the game, McFarland went 12-30 for 152 yards.
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 1,596 yards through the air this year, an average of 177.3 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 1,608 career yards and ranks 7th 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
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 45.5 31.3
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 40.2 yards per punt this season and nine of his kicks have been at or inside the 10 yard line. The 40.2 average would be the top mark by a Hoosier punter since 1999 if Beattie can keep up his current pace.
Beattie Breakdown
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 33 times, recording nine touchbacks and limiting the opponents to an average starting field position of the 22.8 yard line. It has helped the Hoosiers improve from 10th to 3rd in kickoff coverage in the Big Ten in just one season.
ROBERTSON HAS 11 IN A ROW INSIDE 45 YARDS
Kicker Bryan Robertson began his career last season making just 1-of-4 field goals since then he has connected on 16-of-22 with his only misses being from 55, 51, 50, 49, 47 and 45 yards. He missed five extra points last season, but just one this year. Inside of 45 yards Robertson has hit his last 11 field goal attempts. From inside of 50 yards he has connected on 15 of his last 18.
Robertson's 2003
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
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)
PLAYERS GAINING FIRST DOWNS
Here is a look at the top team players or pass-catch combos that have gained a first down this season:
Player/Combo 1st Downs Total Rush/Catch Percentage
BenJarvus Green-Ellis 29 123 24
Chris Taylor 21 105 20
Brian Lewis 17 90 19
LoVecchio to Roby 16 27 59
LoVecchio to Johnson 13 28 46
LoVecchio to Halterman 9 16 56
Matt LoVecchio 6 33 18
LoVecchio to Green-Ellis 5 7 71
LoVecchio to Pannozzo 5 13 38
LoVecchio to Haney 4 6 67
GAMES MISSED TO INJURY
The Hoosiers have now missed 29 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
Tyke Spencer 2 games
Brian Lewis 3 games
Josh Moore 2 games
Courtney Roby 1 game
Travis Haney 1 game
Rhett Kleinschmidt 1 game
Matt LoVecchio 1 game
