Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Closes Out Road Slate at Northwestern
11/6/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 6, 2007
Northwestern Weekly Release (11-10-07) 
BLOOMINTON, Ind. - After gaining bowl eligibility for the first time since 1994 with its victory over Ball State last weekend, the Indiana football team (6-4, 2-4 Big Ten) closes out its road slate at Northwestern (5-5, 2-4 Big Ten) on Saturday, Nov. 10. Kickoff is set for 11 a.m. CST/noon EST at Ryan Field (47,130) and the game will be televised on ESPN Classic.
Eric Collins will handle play-by-play duties with Bill Curry serving as the analyst. The game can also be heard on the statewide IU Radio Network with Don Fischer (play-by-play), Pete Compise (analyst) and Joe Smith (pre-game, halftime and post-game) on the call.
Hoosiers Bowl Eligible
With its 38-20 victory over Ball State, Indiana became bowl eligible for the first time since the 1994 season. The Hoosiers sit at 6-4 on the year, reaching six wins for the first time since the 1994 campaign. IU is looking for its first bowl appearance since the 1993 Independence Bowl.
Head coach Bill Lynch, who was the quarterbacks coach on the 1993 Independence Bowl team, is the only head coach in Indiana history to lead a Hoosier team to bowl eligibility in his first season. Lynch's six victories share the second most in IU history for a first-year head coach with Madison G. Gonterman (6-2 in 1896) and trail only James M. Sheldon, who went 8-1-1 in 1905.
Hardy Named Biletnikoff Semifinalist
Junior wide receiver James Hardy has been named one of 12 semifinalists for the Biletnikoff Award, presented annually to the nation's outstanding receiver.
Indiana's all-time receiving TDs leader has 881 yards (sixth IU single season), 57 receptions (fourth), 15.5 yards per reception and 13 touchdowns (tied for first) this season. Hardy is second nationally and leads all Big Ten wideouts with his 13 scores and is on the brink of becoming the Hoosiers' all-time leader in receptions and receiving yardage, sitting one reception and 28 yards behind Courtney Roby in both categories.
Four of the semifinalists reside in the Big Ten, as Purdue's Dorien Bryant, Michigan's Mario Manningham and Ohio State's Brian Robiskie join Hardy. The Biletnikoff Award is named for College and Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Fred Biletnikoff and is presented by the Tallahassee (Fla.) Quarterback Club Foundation, Inc. Three finalists will be selected in November and the winner will be announced on the ESPN College Awards Show on Dec. 6.
Hoosiers Last Time Out
The Hoosiers gained their sixth win and bowl eligibility for the first time since 1994 with a 38-20 victory over Ball State on Nov. 3. Kellen Lewis threw for a career-high 354 yards, while junior wide receiver James Hardy and sophomore wideout Ray Fisher each caught two TDs.
Indiana ran off 21 straight points in the second quarter to pull away from the Cardinals, with junior cornerback Christopher Phillips providing the key play of the day for the Hoosiers. After a 60-yard TD pass to Fisher tied the game at 10-10, Phillips ended the ensuing drive for BSU with a 58-yard interception return for a touchdown to give IU its first lead of the contest, one it would not relinquish.
Lewis and Hardy each etched their names into the Indiana record book, as Lewis' four TD passes gave him 23 on the season, breaking Blake Powers' school record of 22 set in 2005. Hardy's two TD receptions gave him 13 on the season, matching Ernie Jones' record set in 1987. Hardy finished with 116 yards receiving, while Fisher had 134, marking the first time two Hoosiers finished with 100-plus receiving yards since 2005.
Record-Breaking Day
Several Indiana players enjoyed record-setting days against Ball State. Sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis fired four touchdown passes to move into the top spot on the school's single-season passing TD list with 23 this year. The Jacksonville, Fla., native also set career highs with 354 passing yards and 406 total yards of offense. He became just the second player in school history to go over 3,000 yards of total offense in a season (3,006). Antwaan Randle El did so twice, posting 3,065 yards in 1999 and 3,053 in 2000.
Junior wide receiver James Hardy's four-yard touchdown in the third quarter gave him two in the game and 13 for the season, tying him with Ernie Jones (1987) on the single-season list. Hardy and Lewis became the school's most prolific TD pass duo with their 23rd score together, passing Jade Butcher and Harry Gonso (1967-69), who had 21 scores.
Austin Starr's 30-yard field goal in the first quarter tied him with Pete Stoyanovich for first on the single-season list with 17 field goals on the year. The junior place-kicker's eight points in the game moved him past Vaughn Dunbar (1990-91) into 10th place on the school's career points list with 153.
Finally, sophomore defensive end Greg Middleton recorded the Hoosiers' two sacks in the game to give the team a school-record 38 on the season. The 2007 unit broke the record of 36 previously held by the 1991 and 1993 Hoosiers.
Big Play Ray
Bouncing back from a foot injury that forced him to miss the Wisconsin game, sophomore wide receiver Ray Fisher returned against Ball State and provided the Hoosiers with a career performance. The Cleveland native netted six catches and career highs with 134 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Fisher scored on a career-long 60-yarder to even the score at 10-10 in the second quarter and collected Indiana's final points with a spectacular sprawling 25-yard TD in the fourth quarter. It marked his second career 100-yard effort, as he racked up 106 yards against Minnesota. All six of his catches resulted in first downs or touchdowns.
He ranks second on the team with 40 catches, 43.8 yards per game (394 yards in nine games) and four touchdowns. Last season, Fisher only pulled in 24 catches, 215 yards, 19.5 yards per game and no touchdowns.
Man In The Middle
Fifth-year senior Adam McClurg led the Hoosiers with a career-high 12 tackles against Ball State, doubling up the next closest tacklers. The middle linebacker recorded his third double-digit tackles game this season (all in the last four games) and just missed a fourth with nine tackles at Michigan State the previous week.
In the last five games, McClurg has 49 tackles and ranks second on the team behind Austin Thomas' 51 stops. He also is second on the team with 6.5 tackles for loss during the span. McClurg has moved into 10th in the Big Ten with 7.7 tackles per game and in league games only, he is tied for ninth at 8.2 stops per contest.
Right Place, Right Time
Stepping in for hobbled senior cornerback Leslie Majors, junior Christopher Phillips received his second start of the season against Ball State and made the most of his opportunity. Phillips collected his second career interception return for a TD in the second quarter, racing it back for 58 yards to put the Hoosier in front for good at 17-10.
Phillips had a 66-yard interception return in the 2006 opener against Western Michigan. He became the fourth player in school history with two career interception returns for scores. Tim Wilbur (1978-82) holds the IU record with four. Phillips' interception return was the first of the season for Indiana and the third defensive score of the season. Sophomore defensive end Greg Middleton had a 44-yard fumble return against Western Michigan on Sept. 8 and senior cornerback Tracy Porter took a fumble back 76 yards for a score at Michigan State on Oct. 13.
Daily Double
Returning from a foot injury at Wisconsin, sophomore wide receiver Ray Fisher set a career high with a team-leading 134 yards against Ball State. Junior wideout James Hardy added 116 yards for his 13th-career 100-yard game and placed two Hoosiers over 100 yards for the first time since Jahkeen Gilmore and Hardy each went into triple digits against Nicholls State on Sept. 10, 2005.
Shifting To The Left
Losing its top-two centers to injury at Wisconsin, the Hoosiers were forced to use a makeshift offensive line against Ball State. Starting right guard and fifth-year senior John Sandberg shifted to center and took his first snaps at the position in his career. Fifth-year senior Charlie Emerson, who is normally the team's right tackle and returned to the lineup after missing two straight weeks of action, received the first start of his career at right guard, while redshirt freshman Mike Stark recorded his third straight start and fourth of the season at right tackle.
On the other side of the ball, sophomore Kevin Burrus claimed the first start of his career and junior Christopher Phillips earned his second start this season. Burrus replaced the injured Joe Kremer at defensive tackle, while Phillips started for the hobble Leslie Majors at cornerback.
