Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Continue Homestand With Kentucky
9/12/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 12, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana Hoosiers continue their homestand against Kentucky on Saturday night. IU faces the Wildcats at 5:45 p.m. on ESPN Classic with Gary Bender, Bill Curry and Dave Ryan calling the action. The game can also be heard on the IU Radio Network with Don Fischer (p-b-p), Joe Smith (pre game, post game, halftime) and Pete Compise (analysis) on the call.
Hardy Go-To Guy
Redshirt freshman James Hardy continues to emerge as the Hoosiers' go-to wide receiver. He caught a career-high eight passes for 122 yards and one touchdown in Indiana's dramatic 35-31 victory over Nicholls State Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Hardy caught six passes for 74 yards in the fourth quarter to help erase a 31-28 deficit. Four of those receptions for 61 yards came on IU's game-winning drive. Hardy, who also plays forward on the IU basketball team, opened the drive with an impressive 39-yard catch, staying in bounds to put IU at midfield. He closed the drive with a seven-yard touchdown reception on third down with 47 seconds remaining.
Hardy paired with junior Jahkeen Gilmore to give the Hoosiers their first dual 100-yard receivers in the same game since Sept. 17, 1997 (vs. Ball State - O.J. Conner - 140 and Dorian Wilkerson - 130).
Throw in Hardy's 107 yards receiving in his debut at Central Michigan, and he is the first Indiana receiver since Courtney Roby in 2002 (Oct. 19 vs. Iowa and Oct. 26 at Illinois) to post back-to-back 100-yard receiving games.
He is the first IU receiver in school history to debut with consecutive 100-yard receiving games, and this is the best pass catching debut by a Hoosier since Duane Gunn reached the century mark in receiving yardage twice in his first five games in 1981.
Looking For a Hat Trick
This marks the first time since 1993 that Kentucky has visited a 2-0 Indiana team. That year, IU posted a 24-8 victory over the Wildcats en route to the Independence Bowl.
Should the Hoosiers prevail on Saturday, it would mark the first time since 1994 that they opened a year with three straight victories.
Powering The Offense
Blake Powers has thrown for at least 275 yards in each of his first two games. The last IU quarterback to throw for at least 275 yards in back-to-back games was Gibran Hamdan (310 vs. Wisconsin and 335 vs. Iowa on Oct. 12 and 19, 2002.).
Powers has completed 50.7 percent of his passes for 583 yards and seven touchdowns (three at Central Michigan and four against Nicholls State) in his first two games. This marks the first time since Oct. 12, 2002 (Gibran Hamdan - four against Wisconsin) that an IU quarterback has thrown for four touchdowns in a game, and it is the first time since Oct. 23 and Oct. 30, 1999 (vs. Iowa and Michigan - Antwaan Randle El threw for four touchdowns in back-to-back games) that a Hoosier quarterback threw for at least three touchdowns in back-to-back games.
An Efficient Offense
Coach Terry Hoeppner's spread offense is proving to be a quick strike attack. Indiana has had seven scoring drives this season, and only one has been longer than four minutes. Chris Taylor's three-yard touchdown run in the second quarter against Nicholls State capped a 10-play, 65 yard drive that took 4:09. Five of Indiana's seven scoring drives are 2:15 or less.
