Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Host Huskies in Final Non-Conference Battle
9/18/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 18, 2006
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BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - In its final tune up before the Big Ten season, the Indiana football team plays host to Connecticut in the second of three straight contests at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers (2-1) and Huskies (1-1) meet at 3:30 p.m. EDT on Saturday, Sept. 16. ESPN Plus Local will televise the game.
IU and UConn will face off for just the second time. The Huskies own a 1-0 advantage in the all-time series, dropping the Hoosiers in Storrs on Aug. 30, 2003. Against BIG EAST foes, Indiana owns a 15-10-1 record, good for a .596 winning percentage.
Scouting Connecticut
Connecticut sits at 1-1 on the season after dropping a 24-13 contest to Wake Forest on Sept. 16. The Huskies opened the season with a 52-7 drubbing of Rhode Island on Aug. 31.
Against the Demon Deacons, senior tailback Terry Caulley became the all-time leading rusher in school history with 2,689 yards. He leads a rushing attack that has totaled 560 yards through its first two ballgames. Caulley owns 176 yards and 6.5 yards per carry, while freshman Donald Brown has added 141 yards and an 8.4 average. Sophomore quarterback D.J. Hernandez has averaged 173.0 yards per contest and tossed three TDs, two of those coming to senior wide receiver Brandon Young, who leads the Huskies with 63.5 yards per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, UConn is surrendering just 102.5 yards through the air and 251.0 total yards. The unit has recorded a staggering 25 tackles for loss and eight sacks. Junior defensive back Donta Moore holds a team-high 21 tackles (11 solo), 7.5 stops for loss and one sack. Disruptive sophomore defensive end Cody Brown has a pair of sacks and tackles for loss.
Connecticut Connection
Charlie Emerson is the lone Hoosier with ties to The Nutmeg State. The junior right tackle hails from Wesport, Conn. Emerson attended Staples High School and helped the team capture a state title his senior season.
Young Guns
Three sophomores and two redshirt freshmen have worked their way into the starting lineup and helped the Hoosier defense force five turnovers and record 23 tackles for loss, which ranks tied for 20th nationally through three games.
The redshirt freshmen - safety Austin Thomas and buck Josh Bailey - lead the team in tackles. Thomas owns team highs with 26 tackles and 19 solos following a career-high 11 tackles (10 solos) against Southern Illinois. He is tied for seventh in the league in tackles and tied for 23rd nationally with 6.33 solos per game. Meanwhile, Bailey is second on the club with 21 stops and 16 solos while sitting atop the club with three tackles for loss. Bailey is tied for 15th in the Big Ten with his 21 tackles.
Right behind the redshirts is linebacker Geno Johnson. After securing nine tackles vs. SIU, Johnson shot into third on the Hoosiers with 19 tackles and 15 solos. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Greg Brown corralled a career-high six stops and one tackle for loss against Southern Illinois, while cornerback Chris Phillips has accounted for one of the team's three interceptions, which he returned 66 yards for a score.
Fastest Man In Bloomington
Sophomore Marcus Thigpen has been Mr. Versatility this season. The team's fastest man - 4.29 speed in the 40-yard dash - switched from wide receiver to tailback in the spring and collected his first two career rushing touchdowns against Southern Illinois. With his first score, he became the first Hoosier since Duane Gunn (1981) to score on a rush, a reception and a kickoff return in the same season.
The Detroit native leads the nation with a 44.0 kickoff return average and is tied for fifth in the Big Ten in scoring. Thigpen has averaged over 100 all-purpose yards per contest (301 total, 176 kickoff, 75 receiver, 50 rush) and has found the end zone four times.
Thigpen has showed off his burners early this campaign. He corralled a 30-yard touchdown pass in the opener against Western Michigan and accounted for the Hoosiers' first points at Ball State, returning a kickoff 100 yards for a score. It marked the third 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in IU history. Thigpen joins Derin Graham (vs. Wisconsin - Oct. 3, 1998) and Freal McIntosh (vs. Washington & Lee - 1915) as the only Hoosiers to return a kick 100 yards.
Lewis Gets His Shot
In just his second collegiate appearance, redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis made his first career start against Southern Illinois. He tossed for 238 yards and one score.
Lewis entered his first collegiate game in the first quarter at Ball State and turned in one of the top debuts by a rookie gunslinger in IU history. In bringing the Hoosiers back from a 17-0 second quarter and a 23-7 halftime deficit, Lewis finished the game with 12 carries for 88 yards and one touchdown and completed 15-of-28 passes for 228 yards and one touchdown. The 316 yards of total offense marked the best offensive debut by a Hoosier signal-caller since Antwaan Randle El accounted for 467 yards (385 passing and 82 rushing) and six touchdowns (3 rushing and 3 passing) in a 45-30 victory over Western Michigan on Sept. 12, 1998.
First Timers
Five Hoosiers enjoyed career firsts against Southern Illinois. Sophomore Marcus Thigpen collected his first two rushing touchdowns, while redshirt freshman Nick Polk reeled in his first touchdown catch from redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis, who made his first start.
Defensively, redshirt freshman Austin Thomas recorded his first forced fumble and freshman Will Patterson recovered for his first fumble recovery.
Big Play Ray
Freshman wide receiver Ray Fisher enjoyed his most productive day of the season against Southern Illinois. The Cleveland product snagged four balls for 52 yards, including a spectacular play where he appeared stopped behind the line, reversed direction and ran from sideline to sideline for a 19-yard, fourth-quarter gain which set up a game-tying touchdown. Fisher is tied for second on the team with eight receptions and is third on the club with 106 yards in three contests.
Shutting The Door
Before Southern Illinois collected a touchdown with 27 seconds remaining in the opening stanza, the Hoosiers had gone 60:08 without allowing any points to their opponents. In addition, SIU's 23 passing yards in the opening half was the lowest total in a half since Nicholls State went without a passing yard in the first half of the Hoosiers' win on Sept. 10, 2005.
The Indiana defense opened the season holding its first two opponents under 75 yards on the ground. After limiting Western Michigan to 72 yards on 32 carries in the season opener, the stifling unit held Ball State to 41 yards on 22 rushes. The last time Indiana held back-to-back opponents under 100 yards came in the 2001 season finale against Kentucky (16 rushing yards on Dec. 1) and the 2002 season opener against William & Mary (-32 rushing yards on Aug. 31).
