Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Set for Showdown at Michigan State
10/28/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 28, 2005
Michigan State Release in PDF Format
Download Free Acrobat Reader
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers (4-3, 1-3) are back on the road this week at Michigan State (4-3, 1-3). Kickoff time is set for 11:10 a.m. EST/CDT at Spartan Stadium (75,005) in East Lansing, Mich.
The Michigan State Series
Michigan State owns a 37-14-2 advantage over Indiana in the all-time series. MSU also holds a 37-11-1 lead in the battle for the Old Brass Spittoon, the trophy awarded to the winner of each contest (since 1950).
The Spartans won last season's meeting, 30-20 (Sept. 25) in Bloomington. IU has split its last two trips to Spartan Stadium, knocking off No. 22 Michigan State, 37-28 (Nov. 10, 2001), before falling to the No. 25 Spartans (Oct. 4, 2003).
Scouting The Spartans
Michigan State continues its homestand after a 49-14 loss to Northwestern on Oct. 22. Junior quarterback Drew Stanton is one of the Big Ten's most prolific passers, completing 68.4 percent pf his passes for 2,040 yards and 16 touchdowns.
Stanton has a talented wide receiving corp as well, as four Spartans each have at least 20 receptions on the season. Senior Kyle Brown is MSU's top pass catcher with 29 receptions for 443 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, senior safety Eric Smith paces the Spartans with 65 tackles.
Fans Fill `The Rock'
Indiana head coach Terry Hoeppner has recruited and reached out to the fans since his arrival in Bloomington, and they have responded in large numbers. Case in point, IU's crowd of 52,866 against Ohio State was the sixth-largest total in Memorial Stadium history. The total also is the highest at Memorial Stadium since 53,202 fans witnessed a 37-21 loss to No. 12 Purdue on November 17, 1979.
Porter's Hat Trick
Sophomore cornerback Tracy Porter's first quarter interception versus Ohio State was his third pick of the year and the sixth of his career. He now has three interceptions in the last four contests and is tied atop the Big Ten with his three INTs. Porter returned the pick 63 yards to the Ohio State 29-yard line, marking the longest interception return for the Hoosiers since Porter's 96-yard interception return for a touchdown against Central Michigan on Sept. 4, 2004.
Pannozzo Returns To Paydirt
Not only did middle linebacker John Pannozzo score his first career defensive touchdown against Ohio State, but it marked his first score since a five-yard reception as a fullback at Utah back in 2002 (Sept. 7). The senior went onto score three touchdowns that season, the only touchdowns of his career before his defensive score.
The Brooklyn, N.Y., native made the initial stop on Ohio State's Ted Ginn, stripped Ginn of the ball and proceeded to run 57 yards to paydirt. It was IU's first defensive score of the 2005 season, and the Hoosiers' first since Will Lumpkin recovered a fumble and returned it 74 yards for a touchdown against Purdue on Nov. 20, 2004.
With the takeaway against the Buckeyes, Pannozzo leads the club with three forced fumbles and is tied for 11th nationally with .43 forced fumbles per game. Pannozzo also is tied for the team lead with 49 tackles, tops with 38 solo stops and second with 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks.
Meyers Making His Mark
Junior safety Will Meyers has been one of the hotter players on the defensive side of the ball as of late. The Chesterfield, Mo., native collected his first sack of the 2005 season and the third of his career in the second quarter against Ohio State.
Over the last three contests, Meyers has 32 tackles, an interception and a fumble recovery. During the stretch, he has moved into third on the team with 48 tackles (36 solo), trailing linebackers John Pannozzo and Kyle Killion, who each claim 49 stops.
Jacks Of All Trades
A pair of wide receivers saw some unique action for the first time in their careers against the Buckeyes. Senior Jahkeen Gilmore received an opportunity to return his first kickoff, and he made the most of it. Early in the third quarter, Gilmore took an Ohio State kick and returned it 68 yards to the Ohio State 32-yard line.
Redshirt freshman Marcus Thigpen fired the first passing attempt and completion of his collegiate career. After taking the ball on a reverse, Thigpen found James Hardy for a 20-yard completion down to the Ohio State 12-yard line.
