Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Travels to No. 1/1 Ohio State
10/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 20, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Coming off its first victory over a top-15 opponent in nearly 20 years, the Indiana football team (4-3, 2-1) hits the road for the second time this Big Ten season when it visits No. 1/1 Ohio State (7-0, 3-0) at Ohio Stadium (102,329) on Saturday, Oct. 21. The game will be televised on ESPNU with a noon EDT kickoff.
The Hoosiers are surging after a rousing 31-28 victory over No. 15/13 Iowa on Oct. 14. Sophomore wide receiver James Hardy caught three touchdown passes and Kellen Lewis threw for a career-high 255 yards and three scores.
Hardy caught eight passes for 104 yards, while Lewis went 19-for-25 on the day and added 13 yards rushing and a score on the ground. The Hoosiers also got a significant contribution from Demetrius McCray, who came off the bench to record 13 runs for 84 yards, including a career-high 27-yard scamper in the fourth quarter.
Scouting Ohio State
Top-ranked Ohio State enters Saturday riding the nation's longest winning streak at 14 games, including a perfect 7-0 overall mark and 3-0 Big Ten record in 2006. The Buckeyes pounded Michigan State, 38-7, in East Lansing, Mich., on Oct. 14.
OSU is averaging 33.6 points per contest (second Big Ten, 15th nationally) and holding its opponents to just 9.0 points per game (first Big Ten, third nationally). Senior quarterback Troy Smith commands the offense, averaging 213.6 yards per game and compiling 17 touchdowns on the season. Junior Ted Ginn Jr. (73.9 yards per game) has corralled six touchdowns, while junior Anthony Gonzalez (74.6) has added five scores. On the ground, junior Antonio Pittman is nearly averaging 100 yards per contest (96.1) and has rushed for eight TDs.
Sophomore linebacker James Laurinaitis has dominated on the defensive side of the ball. Laurinaitis leads the team with 59 tackles and four interceptions to go along with three sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles. Senior defensive tackle Quinn Pitcock has recorded seven sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss, while sophomore defensive end Vernon Gholston has contributed 4.5 sacks with nine stops for loss.
Lewis Nabs Big Ten Honor
For the second time in as many weeks, a Hoosier has brought home Big Ten accolades. Quarterback Kellen Lewis secured co-Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week laurels following his performance against Iowa, becoming the first Hoosier since Gibran Hamdan on Oct. 14, 2002, to earn the honor. The redshirt freshman threw for a career-high 255 yards and a career-best three touchdowns while completing 76 percent of his passes (19-of-25). He also added a 2-yard touchdown run. In addition, Lewis was selected as one of four finalists for the All-America Player of the Week.
Sophomore Marcus Thigpen gained Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors on Oct. 9, giving the Hoosiers back-to-back winners for the first time since 2001. During that season, Antwaan Randle El (Nov. 5) and Levron Williams (Nov. 12) claimed the accolades in consecutive weeks.
Three-Peat
Turning in his biggest performance of the season, sophomore wide receiver James Hardy broke out against Iowa. Hardy garnered eight catches for 108 yards and three scores, making him the first Hoosier with three TD catches since Duane Gunn performed the feat against Minnesota on Oct. 8, 1983.
His final touchdown grab from 20 yards out accounted for the game-winning points and was a "Pontiac Game-Changing Performance" nomination. Redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis connected with Hardy on the 20-yarder, a 16-yard and a 23-yard TD pass.
The Fort Wayne, Ind., native posted his sixth-career 100-yard game, tying him for the fourth-best total in IU history. In addition, Hardy has 14 career TD receptions, good for fifth on the all-time list with Rob Turner, Gunn and Bill Malinchak.
It's Been A While
With its 31-28 victory over No. 15/13 Iowa, the Hoosiers recorded their first win over a top-15 squad since Oct. 10, 1987, when IU toppled then-No. 9 Ohio State, 31-10. It was Indiana's first win against a ranked opponent since Oct. 30, 2004, when the Hoosiers bested then-No. 24 Minnesota, 30-21. The victory also gave IU back-to-back Big Ten victories for the first time since the 2001 season.
At Illinois the previous weekend, Indiana gained its first Big Ten road win since a 37-28 triumph over Michigan State on Nov. 10, 2001, snapping a steak of 17 straight defeats. The victory also gave second-year Hoosier head coach Terry Hoeppner his first taste of winning on the road in the conference and the team's first Big Ten win of the 2006 season.
