Indiana Hoosier football Shock/Joy/Possible Disappointment thread

Very nice. The Terry Hoeppner chant at the end hit me a bit. Don't you wish he could see this footage?

 

Ecstatic as a Hoosier fan. I know not to get used to this, but at least they put their best foot forward and are in position to get some kind of bowl.

I have long said that if any coach could ever win eight games at IU ever again, they should build that man a statue. And they did a great job salvaging a win they almost pissed away, and a season they almost did the same to.

That said . . . . . .

The Hoeppner love (student section chanting his name?) seems a bit over the top. Ultimately, it''s wonderful that they dedicated this season to him, and it's great that Jane Hoeppner has been so connected to it. But really, he's a dude who was at IU for two seasons, coached the team for only one full season (missed part of 2006), and then passed away. His biggest impact until this team rode the emotional wave this year was putting a chunk of limestone in one of the end zones, and being a really optimistic dude who wanted to be at Indiana University and make it a winner. (which was a nice change from a DiNardo) We unfortunately never really found out what he would truly do at IU given some time. But then, I'm not a current student there, so I always thought the whole "Rock" thing was an artificial attempt to create a "tradition" before earning it on the field.

I know; I'm cynical and probably a jerk. But IU fans are acting like he was the second coming, when he barely had a chance to make a true impact on the program. I suppose IU football fans have to be easily impressed, since it's not like we'll ever see a truly great coach come through Bloomington. He was a solid coach, and this year will be part of his legacy at Indiana. But the staff he assembled that still leads the team, and the team itself, they were the ones who finished getting the job done. I hope they get their due as well.

Still, I remember all too well that Cam Cameron's third year was really optimistic as well, with an athletic QB and a d-lineman who collected more than his share of sacks. But this time around, the damn defense could actually stop somebody at some point.

Damn, this is great. It's just too bad we'll never know if Hoeppner would have been able to build on this, since Bill Lynch strikes fear in no one on the opposing sideline.

 

Piotr, have you actually spent that much time around Bloomington and the IU program the last 3 seasons? The connection that Hoeppner made with the IU students and community was very unusual even before word got out about his illness. I don't know that I'd been around any coach who exuded such unbridled and almost-naive enthusiasm, and indeed it was infectious.

And, btw, I think to say he didn't coach 2 full seasons is a bit on the unfair side. Yes, he missed couple early games his second season because he was battling a brain tumor, but he undisputably was still viewed as the team's coach and leader during that gap. He was the IU coach for 2 and a half-years before his death, and had a greatly disproportionate impact during that time. I think the reaction of the fans was genuine and justified.

 

Fair enough. I've spent some time in Bloomington recently, but not living there, and not as a current student. I understand that Hoeppner forged a relationships with the community; Mallory and Cameron also made a major effort to connect with students and fans, which is necessary at IU because fans aren't just going to come out to games as they would with a consistent winner.

As I said, his enthusiasm and effort were not in doubt, and Hoeppner was appreciated by fans (especially following the DiNardo era) as a guy who genuinely wanted to build a winner at IU. Yet from afar, it seems a bit over the top. Had I been a student there during his tenure, I also would have been eager to embrace a coach who actively sought a bond with the fanbase and make IU football relevant again, since I believed in Cameron in my youthful naivete.

Either way, a great year in the context of IU football. Just amazing.

 

RACK the hoosiers for salvaging what seemed to be a horrible season and earning the yearned for bowl berth in hep's memory. rack the hell out of that.

UNRACK PURDUE for being the shittiest, softest, most underachieving football team in the big 11. only the boilers would take a 5-0 start and turn it into 7-5 consistently. if iu wasn't so fucking horrible, purdue would have had this wrapped up early. of course, tiller has a bunch of women suiting up on defense, so the fate was inevitable.

you know your place in the big 11 hierarchy when you're making michigan state look competitive in contrast. jesus.

 

If Ryan Seacrest were here, he'd be telling the Hoosiers that they are safe.

Indiana will get one of the Big Ten's contract bowl slots. As someone pointed out, the bowls do not have to abide by the standings in most conferences -- the Pac-10 is one exception that I know of -- and one of those bowls is going to want the Hoosiers and their great story.

CBSSportsline.com projects IU to the Insight (Big Ten No. 6). And Hoosiers, that's the two-bit bowl you want. The Fiesta Bowl folks run the Insight and do a terrific job.

 

Indiana would have one more win than Penn State if Kellen Lewis could've hung on to the effing football in the 2nd half a few weeks ago.

 

Numerous rumors (not just CBS) have IU going to the Insight, Purdue to Las Vegas, Michigan State to Murder City Bowl.

 

Seeing Dixon go down for Oregon, Michigan's seniors not able to win the Big 10 or beat OSU and Cal go down against Washington, at least the Hoosiers making a bowl put a smile on my face. Way to go Hoosiers.

 

Damn. I've got a game to cover on Dec. 31 and it's not the Insight Bowl.

The Hoosiers ARE playing 13!

Long live Coach Hep's legacy.

 

Who'd they get?

 

OK State. Could be more than a few points scored in the desert.