Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Tangle with Gophers in Minneapolis
11/1/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 1, 2006
Minnesota Weekly Release
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In search of its fourth win in five games, the Indiana football team (5-4, 3-2) travels to Minneapolis for its second-to-last road game of the season against Minnesota (3-6, 0-5) at the Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome on Saturday, Nov. 4. The game can be seen on ESPN360 with an 11 a.m. CST/noon EST kickoff.
The Hoosiers have won 10 of the last 15 meetings in the series, however, the Golden Gophers hold a 35-25-3 edge in the all-time series between the two programs.
Last Time Out
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis threw for five touchdowns and ran for a sixth as Indiana upended Michigan State, 46-21, on Saturday, Oct. 28, at Memorial Stadium. In front of a raucous Homecoming crowd, sophomore wide receiver James Hardy became the first Hoosier in school history to grab four touchdown passes to help IU recapture the Old Brass Spittoon for the first time since 2001.
The Hoosier offense scored its most points ever against Michigan State and the most in any contest since a 56-21 victory over Northwestern on Nov. 3, 2001. Lewis became just the fourth IU player to account for six touchdowns in a single game, joining Levron Williams (Oct. 6, 2001), Antwaan Randle El (Sept. 12, 1998) and Bob Hoernschemeyer (1943). His five touchdown passes tied Jay Rodgers and Tim Clifford for the second-most in a single game in school history.
Scouting Minnesota
The Golden Gophers come into week 10 winless in the Big Ten at 0-5 and at 3-6 overall. Top-ranked Ohio State blanked Minnesota, 44-0, in Columbus, Ohio, on Oct. 28.
Senior quarterback Bryan Cupito is averaging 181.8 yards per game. He has thrown 11 touchdowns, compiled 1,668 yards and completed 58.6 percent of his passes. One of Cupito's top targets, senior tight end Matt Spaeth owns a pair of touchdowns and is 10th in the league with 54.9 yards per contest. On the ground, junior Amir Pinnix is fifth in the league with 88.1 yards per game. He has crossed the goal line six times and averages 5.0 yards per carry.
Defensively, junior linebacker Mike Sherels is tied for sixth in the Big Ten with 73 tackles (8.1 per game) and has recorded 43 solo stops. Junior cornerback Jamal Harris leads the team with three interceptions, which is tied for sixth in the league.
In Good Company
Kellen Lewis was named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Monday, Oct. 30, marking the second time this season that the redshirt freshman has been recognized by the conference. Lewis, who went 15-of-26 for a career-high 261 yards and career-best five TDs through the air and ran for 75 yards and a score against Michigan State, was also named Player of the Week on Oct. 16 after throwing for three scores and running for another touchdown against Iowa. He became the first Hoosier since Levron Williams in 2001 to be honored by the conference twice in one season. Lewis has also set the record for most touchdown throws by a freshman in IU history with his 10 TD tosses this year.
Home Sweet Homecoming
The Hoosiers tallied their second consecutive Homecoming win with Saturday's victory over Michigan State. The win improved Indiana's all-time Homecoming record to 41-47-6 and brought the Old Brass Spittoon back to Bloomington for the first time since 2001. The 46 points IU scored were the most it has ever tallied against the Spartans and the most for the Hoosiers since they hung 56 on Northwestern on Nov. 3, 2001 in a 56-21 victory. The previous high in the Terry Hoeppner era was the 39 points IU scored against Western Michigan in this year's season-opener.
In The Record Books
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis and sophomore wide receiver James Hardy teamed up to smash the record books in Saturday's 46-21 win over Michigan State. Hardy became the first wide receiver in Indiana history to pick up four TD receptions in a single game and is only the 11th receiver in Big Ten history to have four or more TD catches in a game.
Lewis was just as impressive in the contest, accounting for all six of the Indiana touchdowns in the game. He became just the fourth Hoosier in history to account for six scores in a single game, joining Bob Hoernschemeyer (Nebraska, 1943), Antwaan Randle El (Western Michigan, 9/12/98) and Levron Williams (Wisconsin, 10/6/01). His five passing touchdowns were the second-most in school history, tying Jay Rodgers (Ball State, 9/13/97) and Tim Clifford (Colorado, 9/27/80). Hoernschemeyer threw for six scores against Nebraska in 1943.
Hardy Heating Up
After a slow start, receiver James Hardy has caught fire over the last three games, totaling seven touchdowns for the Hoosiers. Hardy has moved into a tie for third place on the school's all-time list in receiving scores, joining Thomas Lewis (1991-93) with 18 TD grabs. He is just two scores behind Ernie Jones (1984-87) for second on the all-time list, while Jade Butcher had 30 scores from 1967-69.
Hardy also became only the second Hoosier in history to have more than one game with three receiving touchdowns in his career, joining Butcher in that elite club. Hardy had three touchdowns against Iowa on Oct. 14, and in his last four games the Fort Wayne, Ind., native has notched 25 catches for 299 yards.
Quick Strike
The Hoosiers scored a pair of touchdowns in the final minute of the first half to increase their lead from 10 points to 23 points heading into the locker room. It marked the second time this season that IU scored twice in under a minute, as Indiana netted a field goal and a Troy Grosfield fumble return over a span of 13 seconds. James Hardy scored on touchdown passes with 44 and seven seconds remaining in the half, marking the first time that the Hoosiers have scored two touchdowns in a minute since they posted two touchdowns in 16 seconds against Toledo on Sept. 7, 1996.
Primarily Secondary
Senior safety Will Meyers has been a leader of the defense this season, and Saturday's win over Michigan State was no exception. Meyers led the team with nine tackles and made his third interception of the season in the third quarter of the game. Likewise, junior cornerback Tracy Porter had a spectacular outing against the Spartans, making eight tackles in the contest. Porter also contributed on special teams, forcing a fumble that resulted in Indiana's first safety since last season's game against MSU on Oct. 29, 2005. The Hoosier defense turned in a spectacular performance in the contest, as it did not allow Michigan State a single first down between the Spartans' first drive and the end of the third quarter.
Tackling Away
Junior Adam McClurg posted a critical forced fumble and fumble recovery near the tail end of the first half, helping Indiana extend its lead to 23 points going into the locker room. On second-and-10 inside the 20-yard line, the linebacker stripped the ball away from MSU running back Jehuu Caulcrick to give IU the ball at the Spartan 17 with 20 seconds to go. It was the Hoosiers' eighth takeaway by fumble this season and marked Indiana's 10th straight game with a takeaway dating back to last season.
Century Status
Marcus Thigpen became the second running back for the Hoosiers to go past 100 yards on the ground this season with 104 yards on 20 carries against Michigan State. Josiah Sears ran for 102 yards against Wisconsin on Sept. 30 on nine carries and posted a touchdown. Thigpen's 104 yards were the most since Chris Taylor picked up 132 yards on the ground against Illinois on Oct. 8, 2005. Thigpen also tallied his second receiving TD of the season and his seventh overall. Thigpen has three kick returns and two rushes for scores as well.
