Indiana University Athletics
IU Heads To New York With Winning On The Mind
12/19/2015 5:00:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A season's worth of growth will be put to the test when Indiana takes the field at Yankee Stadium against Duke on December 26th. At 6-6, the Pinstripe Bowl will determine whether or not the Hoosiers end the year with a winning record.
IU is well aware of the implications the game has. Indiana heads to New York next Monday with winning squarely on the mind. The Hoosiers have refocused their efforts on beating the Blue Devils after taking a few days to celebrate qualifying for the program's 10th bowl game.
"The greatest bowl experience is victory," head coach Kevin Wilson said. "It's not the ring. The watch is going to break. I've still got my Blue Bonnet Bowl sweater from 1980, first one. I've got them all. Got every T-shirt, every hat. They sit there and collect dust.
"It's nice to get the reward, but ultimately as a program and competitor, it's about the game. You just want to get prepared to give yourself a chance to go win."
A bowl victory would be the Hoosiers' first since 1991, the year IU defeated Baylor 24-0 in the Copper Bowl. Beating Duke would also give Indiana its seventh win of the season. It would be the Hoosiers' first winning record since the 2007 season.
There's meaning behind a seventh win for Indiana. The players want to cement their names in the record books.
"I think the biggest thing we're trying to focus on right now, let's not just be happy and complacent that we're getting there," senior tight end Anthony Corsaro said. "You go to a bowl to win the game. So that's what we're trying to focus on, really is that it's better to be a bowl champion than a bowl participant."
It may be especially true for Corsaro's senior class, a group that spent hours talking about how they'd be the ones to lead the Hoosiers back to a bowl game the summer before their freshmen seasons at Ashton Residence Center.
More than the exposure, the glam of New York City and everything else that goes into playing in a bowl game on national television, Indiana's seniors want to end their careers with a win. They talk about being the class that turned IU's program in the right direction and set the table for long-term success and how important it is to leave the team better off.
The Pinstripe Bowl is their final opportunity to do just that. It's only one game, but the difference between winning and losing could go a long way in helping the 2015 Indiana team define itself.
"We're all in for this game," senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "Obviously we're going to enjoy ourselves in New York a little bit but never lose sight of the fact that we're coming to not just play in a bowl game, but to win a bowl game. We want to leave this school as bowl champions, so we're really looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge. We're definitely getting ready for the game more than the experience."
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Indiana (6-6) will face Duke (7-5) in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 26. The game will be held at Yankee Stadium with a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC. Student tickets for the Pinstripe Bowl are just $10 and can be purchased by clicking here. Tickets for the general public can be purchased by clicking here.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - A season's worth of growth will be put to the test when Indiana takes the field at Yankee Stadium against Duke on December 26th. At 6-6, the Pinstripe Bowl will determine whether or not the Hoosiers end the year with a winning record.
IU is well aware of the implications the game has. Indiana heads to New York next Monday with winning squarely on the mind. The Hoosiers have refocused their efforts on beating the Blue Devils after taking a few days to celebrate qualifying for the program's 10th bowl game.
"The greatest bowl experience is victory," head coach Kevin Wilson said. "It's not the ring. The watch is going to break. I've still got my Blue Bonnet Bowl sweater from 1980, first one. I've got them all. Got every T-shirt, every hat. They sit there and collect dust.
"It's nice to get the reward, but ultimately as a program and competitor, it's about the game. You just want to get prepared to give yourself a chance to go win."
A bowl victory would be the Hoosiers' first since 1991, the year IU defeated Baylor 24-0 in the Copper Bowl. Beating Duke would also give Indiana its seventh win of the season. It would be the Hoosiers' first winning record since the 2007 season.
There's meaning behind a seventh win for Indiana. The players want to cement their names in the record books.
"I think the biggest thing we're trying to focus on right now, let's not just be happy and complacent that we're getting there," senior tight end Anthony Corsaro said. "You go to a bowl to win the game. So that's what we're trying to focus on, really is that it's better to be a bowl champion than a bowl participant."
It may be especially true for Corsaro's senior class, a group that spent hours talking about how they'd be the ones to lead the Hoosiers back to a bowl game the summer before their freshmen seasons at Ashton Residence Center.
More than the exposure, the glam of New York City and everything else that goes into playing in a bowl game on national television, Indiana's seniors want to end their careers with a win. They talk about being the class that turned IU's program in the right direction and set the table for long-term success and how important it is to leave the team better off.
The Pinstripe Bowl is their final opportunity to do just that. It's only one game, but the difference between winning and losing could go a long way in helping the 2015 Indiana team define itself.
"We're all in for this game," senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "Obviously we're going to enjoy ourselves in New York a little bit but never lose sight of the fact that we're coming to not just play in a bowl game, but to win a bowl game. We want to leave this school as bowl champions, so we're really looking forward to the opportunity and the challenge. We're definitely getting ready for the game more than the experience."
#####
Indiana (6-6) will face Duke (7-5) in the 2015 New Era Pinstripe Bowl on Saturday, Dec. 26. The game will be held at Yankee Stadium with a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC. Student tickets for the Pinstripe Bowl are just $10 and can be purchased by clicking here. Tickets for the general public can be purchased by clicking here.
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