Indiana University Athletics
Great Games in IU-Minnesota Series History - 2004
10/31/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Oct. 31, 2006
Should Indiana defeat Minnesota on Nov. 4, it would mark the Hoosiers' sixth victory of the season and qualify the team for bowl eligibility. In honor of this week's game, IUHOOSIERS.COM takes a look back at some memorable Hoosier-Gopher matchups. Today's installment features former safety Will Lumpkin and current running backs coach Gerald Brown's reflections on IU's 30-21 victory over the Gophers on Homecoming Weekend, Oct. 30, 2004 at Memorial Stadium.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - On Oct. 30, 2004, Minnesota came into Memorial Stadium with a 6-2 overall record and ranked 24th in the country. The Gophers led the Big Ten in scoring offense (34.9), rushing offense (278.4 yards per game) and total offense (477.1 yards per game). Running backs Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III paced the Minnesota ground game before moving onto NFL careers with the New England Patriots and Dallas Cowboys, respectively.
Minnesota may have boasted a prolific offense, but the Hoosier defensive coaching staff enjoyed a productive preparation week.
"We had them schemed up pretty well," former safety Will Lumpkin said. "We had a good idea of what they were running, and once our confidence matched the game plan, we did a pretty good job of containing them."
After Minnesota jumped out to a 14-0, first quarter lead on Maroney's four-yard touchdown run and a one-yard touchdown pass from Bryan Cupito to Matt Spaeth, Lumpkin provided the momentum-changing play. The senior safety stepped in front of a Cupito pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown with 14:47 left in the second quarter. Quarterback Matt LoVecchio added a pair of touchdown tosses to Courtney Roby and Chris Rudanovic, as the Hoosiers rolled to a 30-21 victory. The win marked Indiana's seventh straight triumph over Minnesota in Bloomington.
After serving as a team captain in 2005, Lumpkin graduated from Indiana last December and now works as a cost analyst for Proctor & Gamble in Cincinnati. He vividly remembers the first touchdown of his college career.
"Minnesota was driving down the field. It was third and long," Lumpkin said. "One of the receivers ran an out route, and I stepped in front of him. It was one of the better days of my career, because it got us back into the Homecoming game."
This fall marks the first time in more than 10 years that Lumpkin is not in the midst of football season. The transition is proving to be quite a challenge.
"It's emotional to let go of something that you spent so much time training and practicing for," Lumpkin said. "I can't even go to my high school (Trotwood-Madison, near Dayton, Ohio) games yet."
He did, however, join several of his former classmates and teammates in Bloomington last weekend for Indiana's 46-21 victory over Michigan State.
"To watch Indiana play so well was just great," Lumpkin said. "I love seeing Coach (Terry) Hoeppner and his staff build and continue traditions and bring a winning mentality to the program."
Now in his fifth season at Indiana, Gerald Brown has been instrumental in the program's development. Although IU rushed for a season-high 238 yards against Minnesota that day, it was hardly a one-dimensional attack.
"We beat two ranked teams that year (Minnesota and at No. 24 Oregon on Sept. 11) because we executed in all three phases of the game," Brown said. "Against Oregon, we forced some turnovers, Lance (Bennett) returned a kickoff for a (98-yard) touchdown and the offense was efficient. Against Minnesota, we had a balanced offense, Will's interception, we held them more than 100 yards below their rushing per game average and we also stopped them on a fake punt."
The Hoosiers also won the time of possession, running the ball 11 straight times in the final 5:45 to clinch the upset of the Gophers.
In many ways, Indiana's performance against the Gophers in 2004 personifies the progress of the 2006 Hoosiers, executing in all three phases of the game.
"No question about it, this is a young team, but guys like (running back/kick returner) Marcus Thigpen are coming into their own," Brown said. "The offensive line has really made some strides, and the defense has made some big plays. Like Coach Hep says, regardless of the situation, we need to stick together and do what we do."
