How will the Irish respond?

Gameday #12 Notre Dame (3-1) vs. Purdue (4-0) 2:30 p.m NBC
By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- There were high hopes at the beginning of the season. Everybody was saying "Quinn for Heisman" and "Notre Dame is going to win it all". That was close to changing after their first game of the season tested the Irish dearly. Notre Dame escaped Georgia Tech with a 14-10 victory that was not by any means pretty. The Irish came out still having something to prove against Penn State a week later, and this time they didn't dissappoint. Notre Dame's offense was moving on all cylinders as the Irish manhandled the Nittany Lions 41-17. Everybody was back on the bandwagon and ready for a huge matchup with Michigan.
The Wolverines changed everything for the Irish. They gave em a huge slap in the face and handed them their lunch in a 47-21 final. The game was never close, and you had the feeling that Charlie Weis would never let that happen again. Then just last week Notre Dame had a mathup with Michigan State in East Lansing. The Spartans were one of the 2 teams to beat Notre Dame in the regular season last year in a 44-41 overtime game. After the game Charlie Weis apperantly said "I will never lose to Michigan State again." We all assumed that he wasn't going to lose this game, especially after that pounding defeat they had just taken from Michigan. Well, once again we were surprised. Michigan State jumped out early, and absolutely controlled Notre Dame in the first half of the game. The game went into the fourth quarter with the Irish trailing 37-21, and many people were upset and giving up on Notre Dame. Thanks to Brady Quinn and a fabulous defense, Notre Dame was able to rally to a 40-37 emotional win. They kept their BCS hopes alive, and beat a team that they would have hated to lose to a second time in 2 years. The person Irish fans really need to be thanking is Michigan State WR Matt Trannon who got Notre Dame all fired up after walking into the Notre Dame sideline. Without that incident I don't think that Notre Dame would have won the game.
Now the question is, How will they come out against Purdue? We expected them to manhandle Michigan State last week, and that just didn't happen. I would expect Notre Dame to jump out early in this game due to the pathetic Purdue defense, but who knows. This Irish team continues to surprise us to the point that we never know what to expect. They better be ready though, because Purdue is going to give Notre Dame everything that they have.

JJ's College Pickem Week 1

Chris Marcia Rich Terry Hutchens
TCU BYU TCU TCU
#2 Auburn South Carolina Auburn Auburn
South Florida Rutgers Rutgers Rutgers
Tennesee Tennesee Tennesee Tennesee
Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin Wisconsin
Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh Pittsburgh
LSU LSU LSU LSU
Missouri Missouri Missouri Missouri
Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame Notre Dame
Boise State Utah Boise State Utah
Florida Florida Florida Florida
Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Virginia Tech Virginia Tech
Oregon Arizona State Oregon Oregon
California California California California
USC USC USC USC
Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska Nebraska
Iowa Ohio State Iowa Ohio State
Michigan Michigan Michigan Michigan
Georgia Georgia Georgia Georgia
Penn State Penn State Penn State Penn State

Justin Vicki Don
TCU
Auburn
Rutgers
Tennesee
Wisconsin
Pittsburgh
LSU
Colorado
Notre Dame
Boise State
Florida
Georgia Tech
Oregon
California
USC
Nebraska
Iowa
Michigan
Georgia
Penn State

Did T.O. try to commit suicide?

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Guess who is back in the news? It's T.O again, but this time for a much more serious matter. Since we all know the story, lets get straight to it. I want to know your opinion on the situation. Do you think he tried to commit suicide, or do you believe what he said in his press conference? Let me know, then I'll tell you what I think.

Steelers in a heap of trouble

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- If you read my blog last week, you know that I said the next two games for the Steelers were critical to their season. Well guess what, the Steelers lost both of them and now slip 2 games behind both Baltimore and Cincinnatti. It is really a sad thing to see, especially considering that they had the game won against the Bengals on Sunday. Five turnovers handed the game to Cincinnatti, and left Bill Cowher scratching his head. I tried to say it last week, Charlie Batch should have played until the bye week. He has played only one week this season, and he has had the biggest passing game, and he has 2 passing TD's while Roethlisberger has none.
Right now I am extremely worried about the Steelers. Not only because it is not looking like a super bowl season, but because it is not looking like a playoff season either. The Steelers are now (1-2) and they cannot really afford another loss at this point. Indianapolis, Jacksonville, Cincinnatti, Baltimore, New England, Denver, and San Diego all look like playoff teams in the early going, but only 6 teams can make the playoffs. I honestly believe that the Steelers are going the have to win the AFC North or at least come in a close second to have a chance at the playoffs. If they finish 3rd like they are right now, they don't have a prayer. The games to circle on the calendar are the 2 games with Baltimore and the one game with the Bengals. If they were able to win all three of those games then I feel good about their chances of the playoffs. If not, then it could be an extremely long season for the folks in the Steel City. BUT I STILL BELIEVE!

A Sad day in football.............
1. Tampa Bay QB Chris Simms had surgery to remove a ruptured spleen that he suffered in the second quarter against the Panthers on Sunday. Simms will be out an indefinate amount of time, and may not play again this season. We all hope him the best of luck.

2. Colts WR Reggie Wayne received bad news after the game on Sunday. He was informed that his 32 year old brother was killed in a truck accident. He will be down with his family in Louisiana for an indefinate amount of time. We wish him and his family the best of luck.

3. Seahawks RB Sean Alexander will miss an indefinate amount of time due to a broken foot. His injury has been linked to the Madden curse. Alexander is the reigning MVP of the NFL.

ND knocks off Michigan State in thriller

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Oh boy, I can barely catch my breath. It was a game for the ages, and if you went to bed at halftime like most of the country, then you are going to be sadly dissapointed. Notre Dame trailed 31-14 at the half before rallying to take the game.
The game started ugly for the Irish, and looked extremely similar to last week's game with Michigan. Every time Notre Dame touched the ball it was 3 and out, and Michigan State was pounding ND's defense. Michigan State scored with ease on their first possession, going 73 yards in just 3 plays to grab a 7-0 lead. After Tom Zbikowski fumbled a Spartan punt, Michigan State punched it in again. This time it was the wide receiver, Matt Trannon, who threw a touchdown pass. Trannon connected with running back Javon Ringer on a 26 yard touchdown to put the Spartans up 14-0 with 6:49 to go in the first quarter. The quarter ended with Michigan State adding a field goal to take a 17-0 lead. The Irish recorded only 20 yards in the first quarter, Quinn was just 2-8 for 6 yards.
The Irish offense finally woke up at the start of the second quarter when they went 60 yards on 5 plays to cut the lead to 17-7. The scoring play was a 32 yard pass from Brady Quinn to Rhema McKnight to get the ND QB back on track. Then after a short scuffle on the Notre Dame sideline, the Irish defense stepped it up and forced MSU into a 3 and out. Everything looked good, and it looked like the tide was turning, but not so fast my friend. Brady Quinn threw a pass right into the hands of Ervin Baldwin, and he took it back 19 yards to put the Spartans back up by 17. Quinn came right back on the next drive though, and led his team to a 7 play, 72 yard drive including a 17 yard pass to Jeff Samardzija for a touchdown. Just when everything was looking good again, Michigan State added another touchdown before the break, and went into the locker room up 17.
"I think at halftime our guys started to realize that the season was falling away from us," said ND coach Charlie Weis.
If you remember from last year, Notre Dame gave up a ton of points to the Spartans in the first half but then shut them down in the second half. That is exactly what happened here. Notre Dame was the first to strike in the second half on a 62 yard TD pass from Brady Quinn to TE John Carlson. The Spartans would answer again though, but miss the extra point the keep it as a two score game. It started pouring down rain in East Lansing, and nobody else was able to score in the third quarter.
Michigan State held the ball for the first 5:30 minutes of the fourth quarter, and it looked as if the Irish were done. When Notre Dame finally got the ball back they made it count on a 43 yard 4th down pass from Brady Quinn the Jeff Samardzija. After Notre Dame failed to convert the 2 point try, the score was 37-27. Chinedum Ndukwe had to make a big play in this game, and boy did he. Ndukwe pulled the ball out of QB Drew Stanton's arm, and Notre Dame recovered it. That led to a 14 yard pass from Brady Quinn to Rhema McKnight, and after the missed extra point, the Irish trailed 37-33.
Notre Dame had all 3 timouts left on the next Michigan State series, but Charlie Weis chose not to use any on the first set of down. The Irish forced the Spartans into a 3rd down situation in which MSU opted to pass for it. Notre Dame blitzed from the middle, and forced Stanton to throw a bad pass. Terrail Lambert made a great interception and returned it 27 yards for a Notre Dame touchdown. For the first time in the game Notre Dame had a lead, and all they needed was a stop for the win. Michigan State was driving on their next drive, making it all the way to the Irish 40 yard line. Stanton thought he had found his man down the sideline, and then he thought it was incomplete. He was wrong about both. Terrail Lambert had made another huge interception, and Notre Dame had the thrilling win. The faces on the Michigan State crowd described it all "stunned".
"I think right before halftime when we had our 2 minute drive that I found my game", said QB Brady Quinn. "I was able to keep my rhythm in the 'no huddle' offense and the defense did their job."

J's Grades
Passing Offense.......................... B+
Brady Quinn threw 5 touchdown passes, and for over 300
yards. The reason why it is not an "A" is because of the
interception returned for a touchdown. Those kinds of
things just can't happen if they want to keep winning.
Rusing Offense............................D
This is the aspect of the game that really worries me
about Notre Dame. They have to be able to rush the ball
for more than 47 yards, especially against a weak defense
like that of Michigan State. It's back to the drawing board
for the big "O" line.
Overall Ofense..............................B
The offense kept them in it when they fell way behind, and
overall it was a pretty good performance. The offense
scored 33 points which is pretty impressive.
Pass Defense.................................B
The pass defense wasn't really the problem for Notre Dame
because of the fact that Michigan State hardly passed the
ball. The "D" got burnt on a couple of plays early, but after
that they were superb.
Rush Defense.................................D-
Even though it was a little bit better in the second half, MSU
ran the ball right down the Irish throat the entire game.
When a team rushes for over 200 yards against you, there is
something wrong with the boys up front.
Overall Defense..............................B-
The reason why the grade is so high is because the Notre Dame
defense won the game for them. They came up with 2 huge
interceptions and a fumble recovery that helped the Irish to
get the win. They played with a lot of passion.

Key Performers:
ND MSU
Brady Quinn 20/36 319 yards 5 TD 1 INT Drew Stanton 10/22 114 yards 2 TD 2 INT
Jeff Samardzija 7 rec 113 yards 2 TD 19 rush 53 yards
John Carlson 4 rec 121 yards TD Jehuu Caulcrick 8 rushes 111 yards TD
Rhema McKnight 4 rec 70 yards 2 TD Javon Ringer 14 rushes 76 yards
Terrial Lambert 2 INT, TD

Looking Ahead......
Notre Dame will be playing rival (4-0) Purdue next weekend.

The rest of the top 25..........
#1 Ohio State 28 #24 Penn State 6 #14 Iowa 24 Illinois 7
#2 Auburn 38 Buffalo 7 #15 Tennesee 33 Marshall 7
#3 USC 20 Arizona 3 #17 Oklahoma 59 MTSU 0
#4 WVU 27 East Carolina 10 #18 Florida St. 55 Rice 7
#5 Florida 26 Kentucky 7 #19 Clemson 52 UNC 7
#6 Michigan 27 Wisconsin 13 #20 BC 15 NC State 17
#7 Texas 37 Iowa State 14 #21 California 49 #22 ASU 21
#8 Louisville 24 Kansas St. 6 #23 Nebraska 56 Troy 0
#9 Georgia 14 Colorado 13 #25 Boise State 41 Hawaii 34
#10 LSU 49 Tulane 7
#11 VT 29 Cincinnatti 13

How will the Irish respond?

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Last week it was the Wolverines from Ann Arbor, this week it is the Spartans from East Lansing. Even though the two teams are from the same state, the mindset coming into each game is completely different. Going into the game last week the Irish were the #2 ranked team in the country and were just trying to stay in the hunt for the title. This week the Irish are #12 and they are trying desperately to earn back some respect.
After losing 47-21 to Michigan last week, Notre Dame marches into East Lansing looking for respect. Charlie Weis has every motivation there to help him prepare for this game, so there should be no excuses. First, Notre Dame was beaten by this same Spartan team a year ago in South Bend. To make matters worse Michigan State planted a flag in the middle of Notre Dame Stadium, which had the University and the fans irate. And after a humiliating loss last week, everything is in place. You better believe that Notre Dame is going to be ready for the game tomorrow, and they are certainly going to bring their "A" game. I'm sure that Charlie has been preparing as hard as he ever has this week, and we should see an outstanding performance.
Personally, I do not expect this game to be close. Michigan State has an excellent offense, but Notre Dame will be much too hyped up for this game to allow the Spartans to stay in it. Expect the Irish offense to be sharp and run the ball often. They will not be embarrased again, so watch out Spartans because Here Come The Irish!
Final Score Prediction: ND 41 MSU 17

Steelers lose in defensive struggle

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Like I said on a post yesterday, the next 2 games for the Steelers are absoultely critical to their season. Well guess what, the Steelers lost on Monday night, and already have a game to make up on both Baltimore and Cincinnatti. The loss makes next week's matchup with Cincinnatti as much of a "must win" game as you can have this early in the season. Another loss would mean a 2 game deficit in their own division, not to mention how tough the wild card race is going to be.
Since nobody responded to my question from yesterday, I will go ahead and give you my take on the Ben Roethlisberger issue. The question buzzing around the nation today is "Should Bill Cowher have played Big Ben last night?"
Personally I had mixed emotions about whether or not Roethlisberger should have played. My gut feeling told me that he shouldn't have, but then again you don't want him coming back against division rival Cincinnatti in week 3. The last 3 months have been a terrible time for Big Ben in which he almost lost his life in a motorcycle accident, had an emergency appidixextomy, and last night we heard he had a fever of 104. The 104 temperature thing is bogus in my mind because I don't know how somebody can stand up straight with a fever that high, more or less play in a football game. But whatever. My opinion on the whole situation was to sit him out this week and next going into a bye week after the Bengal game. That would give him 3 extra weeks to rest so that he doesn't risk anything. Knowing the personality of Ben Roethlisberger, I don't think there was anything that Bill Cowher could have done to keep him off that field in Jacksonville. Big Ben just loves to play the game, and that is something you have to admire. All we can hope is that he got the rust out this week so that he can come back and perform well in a huge game against the Bengals next week. The Steelers have to find a way to put some points up on the board.

Next 2 games critical to Steelers season

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- The Steelers will be in Jacksonville tonight to take on the (1-0) Jaguars. Ben Roethlisberger is still listed as questionable, which brings me ot my first question. Are the Steelers better off with a hurt Big Ben or a healthy Charlie Batch?
The next to games for the Steelers could determine the outcome of their season. In my opinion, if they lose both games then their season will not result in a trip to the playoffs. After the Jaguars tonight, the Steelers will play division rival Cincinnatti next week. The Bengals are already 2-0, and show no sign of slowing up. The Baltimore Ravens, also in the Steelers division, are 2-0 as well. That means that the Steelers cannot afford to fall behind early because of how tough the division is this year. IF they lost to both Jacksonville and Cincy, then they would already be 2 games back of the Bengals, and possibly 2 games back of the Ravens as well. The AFC is so tough this year that 2 games could be tough to come back from. Indianapolis, Jacksonville, New England, Cincinnatti, and Baltimore all look like playoff teams at this point, so there is just no margin for error. The wild card teams might have to win 11 or 12 games to make it in this year based on performances up to this point. I am not trying to be a downer and say the Steelers are done because they are 1-0. They just need to make sure that they take the next 2 weeks seriously enough to get wins.

Is ND out of national title chase?

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- After a humiliating defeat Saturday in South Bend, the question in the air regarding Notre Dame is whether or not the loss ruined their chances at a run to the national championship. The Irish dropped from #2 in the country to #12 after a 47-21 loss to Michigan, and most of the nation believes they were overrated to start the season. The featured discussion on ESPN's Pardon the Interupption today asked if Charlie Weis is any better than Ty Willingham. If you remember, Ty Willingham went 10-3 in his first season with the Irish, and went 10-12 from there on out before being fired.
The question posed by PTI is absolutely ridiculus. There is no way that Charlie Weis has sunk that low, and we have to remember that this is only one game. Does the loss worry me? Absolutely, but I do not think that is the end of their season. Right now with a #12 ranking and matchups still with Michigan State (3-0), Purdue (3-0), UCLA (2-0), and of course the big game against USC (2-0) there is still time to make up for the loss. Like I said before, Michigan is among to elite teams in all of college football, and I think they will prove that later this year. If Notre Dame wins the rest of its games I still do think they have a shot to go to the national title game. They're going to need some help, but what team doesn't? Nine of the 11 teams ranked ahead of Notre Dame either play each other or they play the Irish, so some of those teams are going to drop back automatically. Nobody should panic in South Bend, Charlie Weis will be ready. If you remember back to last year, Charlie had the perfect game plan for USC, a game he planned hard for. You better believe that after a punch in the mouth like they received on Saturday that he will be more than ready for Michigan State this week. Only time will tell, but the Irish are still a contender.

Weaknesses exposed

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- The echos are quiet this morning after the pathetic peformance from the Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon. After the first two games of the season it looked like Notre Dame's defense had changed their ways and were ready for a national championship. Saturday changed all of that. Notre Dame was eaten alive for 47 points, the most they have given up in over 11 years. Why did Notre Dame get beat so bad?
Neither the defense or the offense really had a chance to prove themselves early in the game Saturday. On the opening drive of the game, Brady Quinn fired a pass to his tight end Carlson, and the ball richoted off of his helmet and into the hands of Prescott Burgess. The Wolverine linebacker took it back for an easy touchdown, and just like that the Irish were down 7-0. Notre Dame was forced to punt on the next drive, and on the initial drive of the game for Michigan it looked like the defense was ready. The Irish came with the blitz on a 3rd down play, and forced a poor pass from quarterback Chad Henne. The ball was interecepted by Chinedum Ndukwe who took it back to the Michigan 4 yard line. Notre Dame would score to even the game on a 4 yard TD pass by Quinn.
The Notre Dame secondary was burnt on the next drive by Michigan. It was a 70 yard pass from Henne to sophmore WR sensation Mario Manningham. The extra point would be blocked, and the Wolverines led 13-7. On the insueing kickoff the ball was fumbled by Irish WR David Grimes, and Michigan was back in business. The Wolverines had just 27 yards to go, and went the distance for another touchdown in just 4 plays. Michigan had a 20-7 lead after the first quarter.
After the Irish were forced into a 3 and out, Michigan took advantage on a perfect strike from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham. This time the pass covered 20 yards, and put the boys from Ann Arbor up 27-7. Notre Dame would pick up their initial first down of the game on the next drive, but it wasn't enough to lead to points as they were forced to punt again. I bet you can guess what happened on the next drive. Henne and Manningham hooked up again for a 22 yard touchdown pass. The pass capped off a 10 play 59 yard drive with just 2:30 to go in the first half. Notre Dame showed a sign of life by marching 72 yards on 8 plays to add a touchdown before the half. The Irish trailed by 20 at the break.
It was a lackluster 3rd quarter in which Michigan added 2 field goals, and Notre Dame failed to pick up a first down. The Irish scored quickly in the fourth quarter to make the score 40-21 with just over 12 minutes left in the game. The Notre Dame defense forced a Michigan punt, and the Irish were in business with still 9:30 on the clock. The Notre Dame hope of a comeback was runined when Brady Quinn was intercepted for the 3rd time in the game. Michigan would add another touchdown on a fumble return for a touchdown by defensive lineman Lamar Woodley. The final score was Wolverines 47 and the Fighting Irish 21.
I don't think that Notre Dame is a bad team, and I still give them a shot at a national championship, but they have some things to be addressed. The main concern this weak should be the secondary. Time after time Mario Manningham burned the Notre Dame corners, and there was no safety help whatsoever. There is no way in the world that the Irish should have been beat on the same route 3 times by the same guy. The offense and the defense are not as bad as they looked. Notre Dame had 2 turnovers early in the game that forced them to change their gameplan completely. I do not think that Charlie Weis came into the game planning to throw 48 times. The turnovers cannot occur in the future, and ND should be just fine. Teams better be aware because Michigan has one of the best teams in the nation. You better believe they will be ready for the end of the season matchup with Ohio State.

Key Players:
Michigan Notre Dame
Chad Henne 13/22 220 yards 3 TD 1 INT Brady Quinn 24/48 234 yards 3 TD 3 INT
Mike Hart 31 rushes 124 yards 1 TD Darius Walker 10 rushes 25 yards, 7 rec 35 yards
Mario Manningham 4 rec 137 yards 3 TD Rhema McKnight 5 rec 76 yards 1 TD

Key Stats:
Total Yards- Mich. 340 Notre Dame 245
Turnovers- Mich. 1 Notre Dame 5
T.O.P- Mich. 33:56 Notre Dame 26:04
Rushing Yards Mich. 120 Notre Dame

TOP 25 SCOREBOARD
#1 Ohio State 37 Cincinnatti 7
#3 Auburn 7 #6 LSU 3
#4 USC 28 #19 Nebraska 10
#5 West Virginia 45 Maryland 24
#7 Florida 21 #13 Tennesee 20
#8 Texas 52 Rice 7
#9 Florida State 20 Clemson 27
#10 Georgia 34 UAB 0
#12 Louisville 31 #17 Miami 7
#14 Virginia Tech 36 Duke 0
#15 Oklahoma 33 #18 Oregon 34
#16 Iowa 27 Iowa State 17
#20 TCU 12 #24 Texas Tech 3
#21 California 42 Portland State 16
#22 Arizona State 21 Colorado 3
#23 Boston College 30 BYU 23 2OT
#25 Penn State 37 Youngstown State 3

Weaknesses exposed

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- The echos are quiet this morning after the pathetic peformance from the Fighting Irish on Saturday afternoon. After the first two games of the season it looked like Notre Dame's defense had changed their ways and were ready for a national championship. Saturday changed all of that. Notre Dame was eaten alive for 47 points, the most they have given up in over 11 years. Why did Notre Dame get beat so bad?
Neither the defense or the offense really had a chance to prove themselves early in the game Saturday. On the opening drive of the game, Brady Quinn fired a pass to his tight end Carlson, and the ball richoted off of his helmet and into the hands of Prescott Burgess. The Wolverine linebacker took it back for an easy touchdown, and just like that the Irish were down 7-0. Notre Dame was forced to punt on the next drive, and on the initial drive of the game for Michigan it looked like the defense was ready. The Irish came with the blitz on a 3rd down play, and forced a poor pass from quarterback Chad Henne. The ball was interecepted by Chinedum Ndukwe who took it back to the Michigan 4 yard line. Notre Dame would score to even the game on a 4 yard TD pass by Quinn.
The Notre Dame secondary was burnt on the next drive by Michigan. It was a 70 yard pass from Henne to sophmore WR sensation Mario Manningham. The extra point would be blocked, and the Wolverines led 13-7. On the insueing kickoff the ball was fumbled by Irish WR David Grimes, and Michigan was back in business. The Wolverines had just 27 yards to go, and went the distance for another touchdown in just 4 plays. Michigan had a 20-7 lead after the first quarter.
After the Irish were forced into a 3 and out, Michigan took advantage on a perfect strike from Chad Henne to Mario Manningham. This time the pass covered 20 yards, and put the boys from Ann Arbor up 27-7. Notre Dame would pick up their initial first down of the game on the next drive, but it wasn't enough to lead to points as they were forced to punt again. I bet you can guess what happened on the next drive. Henne and Manningham hooked up again for a 22 yard touchdown pass. The pass capped off a 10 play 59 yard drive with just 2:30 to go in the first half. Notre Dame showed a sign of life by marching 72 yards on 8 plays to add a touchdown before the half. The Irish trailed by 20 at the break.
It was a lackluster 3rd quarter in which Michigan added 2 field goals, and Notre Dame failed to pick up a first down. The Irish scored quickly in the fourth quarter to make the score 40-21 with just over 12 minutes left in the game. The Notre Dame defense forced a Michigan punt, and the Irish were in business with still 9:30 on the clock. The Notre Dame hope of a comeback was runined when Brady Quinn was intercepted for the 3rd time in the game. Michigan would add another touchdown on a fumble return for a touchdown by defensive lineman Lamar Woodley. The final score was Wolverines 47 and the Fighting Irish 21.
I don't think that Notre Dame is a bad team, and I still give them a shot at a national championship, but they have some things to be addressed. The main concern this weak should be the secondary. Time after time Mario Manningham burned the Notre Dame corners, and there was no safety help whatsoever. There is no way in the world that the Irish should have been beat on the same route 3 times by the same guy. The offense and the defense are not as bad as they looked. Notre Dame had 2 turnovers early in the game that forced them to change their gameplan completely. I do not think that Charlie Weis came into the game planning to throw 48 times. The turnovers cannot occur in the future, and ND should be just fine. Teams better be aware because Michigan has one of the best teams in the nation. You better believe they will be ready for the end of the season matchup with Ohio State.

Key Players:
Michigan Notre Dame
Chad Henne 13/22 220 yards 3 TD 1 INT Brady Quinn 24/48 234 yards 3 TD 3 INT
Mike Hart 31 rushes 124 yards 1 TD Darius Walker 10 rushes 25 yards, 7 rec 35 yards
Mario Manningham 4 rec 137 yards 3 TD Rhema McKnight 5 rec 76 yards 1 TD

Key Stats:
Total Yards- Mich. 340 Notre Dame 245
Turnovers- Mich. 1 Notre Dame 5
T.O.P- Mich. 33:56 Notre Dame 26:04
Rushing Yards Mich. 120 Notre Dame

TOP 25 SCOREBOARD
#1 Ohio State 37 Cincinnatti 7
#3 Auburn 7 #6 LSU 3
#4 USC 28 #19 Nebraska 10
#5 West Virginia 45 Maryland 24
#7 Florida 21 #13 Tennesee 20
#8 Texas 52 Rice 7
#9 Florida State 20 Clemson 27
#10 Georgia 34 UAB 0
#12 Louisville 31 #17 Miami 7
#14 Virginia Tech 36 Duke 0
#15 Oklahoma 33 #18 Oregon 34
#16 Iowa 27 Iowa State 17
#20 TCU 12 #24 Texas Tech 3
#21 California 42 Portland State 16
#22 Arizona State 21 Colorado 3
#23 Boston College 30 BYU 23 2OT
#25 Penn State 37 Youngstown State 3

HSE takes out Lafeyette Jeff

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
FISHERS Ind.- It was the high school game of the week, and even though the score didn't show it, the game went right down to the wire. Both teams came into the game at 4-0 and ranked in the top 5 in the state. Southeastern looked like they were going to have a cake walk after scoring twice in the first quarter to take a 14-0 lead. The Bronchos were quick to answer with a touchdown drive of their own with 10:32 to go in the second quarter, and then were able to score again after a Royal fumble. With 9:18 to go in the first half HSE and Lafeyette Jeff were tied at 14.
HSE drove down the field at the end of the first half after a Nate Powers interception, and added a field goal to give them a 17-14 halftime lead. Lafeyette Jeff came out quickly in the second half, scoring on one of the oddest formations ever seen. They had the quarterback and the center in the middle of the field, but the rest of the linemen were on the left side of the field. The Bronchos had a running back line up behind the line on the left so that HSE would be forced to keep defense over there. The Broncho quarterback ran the ball to the right play after play on that drive to lead his team into a 20-17 lead. Jefferson missed the extra point and kept it at a 3 point game.
On the insuing drive Hamilton Southeastern added a huge score. Marcus Spann carried it 11 yards for one of his 3 touchdowns on the night. Spann rushed 25 times for 198 yards in the game. The score put the Royals on top 24-20 with just a few minutes to go in the third quarter. Spann would add another touchdown run to make the score 31-20, and the Bronchos completely on their heels. HSE came up with a stop on the next Jefferson possesion, and sustained a very long drive. The drive was helped along by a pass inference call on a third down. Nate Powers capped off the drive with a touchdown run with just 2:40 to go in the game. The defense made a stop, and just like that the Royals were the only undefeated team left in the HCC conference.

Breaking down Separation Saturday

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- #2 Notre Dame vs. #11 Michigan
It doesn't get any better. The Irish and the Wolverines have had classic matchups in the last couple of years, and expect to see another one this year. In the past, the underdog in this series has been successful. I just think Notre Dame will have too much for the Wolverines to handle and they will get the win and head into the weak part of their schedule 3-0.
Final Score: ND 31 Michigan 17

#3 Auburn vs. #6 LSU
Looking at this matchup on paper it is almost too close to call. Both teams bring a Heisman candidate into the mix, and both teams are hoping to contend not only for an SEC title, but for a national title as well. I have to choose Auburn in this game, but not because I think they have a better team than LSU. I think the teams are pretty even, but this game is being played at Auburn and you know their fans will be ready. It should be a great game, but I see Kenny Irons' Tigers over Jemarcus Russel's Tigers.
Final Score: Auburn 28 LSU 21

#7 Florida vs. #12 Tennesee
Another classic SEC rivalry hopes to help shape up Separation Saturday. Florida quarterback Chris Leak will look to improve his Heisman numbers as he takes his team into Nashville to play in one of the most intense atmosperes in all of college football. Tennesee had an awful year last year, but I think the Vols are back. They are always tough at home, and although I see this as another close one, I have to take the home Vols.
Final Score: Tennesee 24 Florida 20

#12 Louisville vs. #17 Miami (FL)
Louisville was in the spotlight. They were playing an opening weekend football game on national TV, and everybody was watching. Cardinal running back Michael Bush ran all over Kentucky in the first half, and had many think they were looking at the next Heisman. It all changed in a blink of an eye because on a single play, Bush was gone for the season. A hard hit and a broken leg and all of a sudden his college career and Heisman hopes were finished. At that moment everybody in the country expected Lousiville to go straight downhill. I do not expect them to do that at all. It is like a Louisville player said yesterday.
"Our other two running backs are faster and more explosive then Michael was, and they can carry us."
I'm taking Louisville to win this game because of the simple fact that I think they will want to prove to the world they don't need Bush. Miami (FL) is a pathetic team anyway, but Louisville should be able to wrap this one up. Watch out for the Cardinals.
Final Score: Lousiville 34 Miami 17

#15 Oklahoma vs. #18 Oregon
In a rematch of last year's Holiday Bowl, Oregon will come into the game hoping to get rid of a sour taste in their mouth. Last year the Ducks were ranked #6 at the end of the season and were upset because they were not selected to a BCS bowl. Oklahoma came into the game as a large underdog, and handed Oregon's butts to them.
Oregon will make this a game, but Sooner running back Adrian Peterson will be too much and Oklahoma will beat Oregon for the second time in two seasons.
Final Score: Oklahoma 41 Oregon 28

#4 USC vs. #19 Nebraska
You better be tuned into the Florida vs. Tennesee game on Saturday night because if you are watching this game you are wasting your time. Nebraska will be no match for USC and their powerful offense, and this game will not be close.
Final Score: USC 45 Nebraska 17

Pittsburgh vs. Michigan State
Even though neither of these teams are ranked, this should be a great game to get you through to the afternoon. Both teams come in at 2-0 and are coming off disappointing seasons a year ago. I personally think Michigan State will be too much for Pitt, but I will pick to Panthers for my grandma.
Final Score: Pitt 38 Michigan State 34

#16 Iowa vs. Iowa State
The Hawkeyes looked awful last week against Syracuse, and I think their weaknesses will be exposed again this week. Iowa State has had Iowa's number in the past few years, and I don't see anyway for the Hawkeyes to get over that this week.
Final Score: Iowa State 28 Iowa 14

What will you watch at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday?

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Ah, football season. The best time of the entire year is upon us. Last week all we heard about was the 1 vs 2 matchup of Ohio State and Texas, which we all now know was blown way out of proportion. In my opinion, the only reason why Texas was moved up to #2 was to hype up a game that was not interesting. It was actually a below average game, and to me it was kind of boring. A 24-7 final score is not what you would consider to be a "good game" and it was not. Well, ESPN has to hype something else up for this week, and boy are they doing that. ESPN has called this Saturday "Separation Saturday" and are even saying that it could be one of the best weekends of college football in many years.
To tell you the truth, I sort of agree with this being "Separation Saturday", and some of these games have the potential to be very good. If you are a team that is going to contend for the national title, or even a BCS bowl, you have to separate yourself from the rest of the teams ranked around yourself. This weekends games offer many ranked teams playing each other. Now this this is week 3 for college football, teams have to show if they are going to be "contenders" or pretenders".
The question for you is what will you watch at 3:30 on Saturday afternoon? #3 Auburn will be playing #6 LSU on CBS. On ABC will be a pair of games depending on where you are in the country. Some will see #12 Lousiville take on #17 Miami (Fl.), and others will see #15 Oklahoma vs. #18 Oregon. Then of course #2 Notre Dame and #11 Michigan will be playing on NBC in the "must see" game of the week. With that many big names playing each other, you almost need to have 3 TV's in one room to keep them all under control. Anyway you look at it, it is going to be a great weekend for college football. My picks for those games are below, so send me your picks. I will breakdown each game and give you my opinion on all of them tomorrow.

#16 Iowa vs. Iowa State
Michigan State vs. Pittsburgh
#2 Notre Dame vs. #11 Michigan
#6 LSU vs. #3 Auburn
#17 Miami (FL) vs. #12 Louisville
#15 Oklahoma vs. #18 Oregon
#24 Texas Tech vs. #20 TCU
Clemson vs. #9 Florida State
#19 Nebraska vs #4 USC
#7 Florida vs. #13 Tennesee

Thoughts and Prayers sent out to Hoeppners

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- I don't know if you have heard, but Indiana Unversity football coach had brain surgery earlier this morning. He had surgery last December for a tumor, and a tumor was found again in his brain again on Monday. I just want everybody to keep him in their thoughts and prayers. He and his family are great people, and deserve to get through this.

Visiting Bloomington

Written By Justin Albers who was inspired by
Edward Gangloff, Marcia Albers, Terry Hutchens
Pacing back and forth and alternating between looking out the window and typing on the computer. I could hear the clock ticking in my ear, and I could feel the anxiety building up as I waited for Indianapolis Star writer Terry Hutchens to pick me up. I couldn’t wait to get on the road and on my way to Bloomington for the Hoosiers opening game of the football season. For Terry, this was just an ordinary day, but for me it was an experience I hoped would become routine for me as well someday. When Mr. Hutchens arrived at my house, I could feel the excitement ready to come out. This would be my second trip to Bloomington for an IU football game, but my first in the press box. I walked out to greet Terry, but then I ran right back in the house when he told me I could not wear anything IU. The reason for that was people in the press box are not allowed to do any cheering for either team. Once I was back out of the house, I gathered up all of my notes for the game and hopped in the car. Mr. Hutchens gave me some interesting information about things that had happened that morning. I sat beside him listening intently, and learning some things that I found very intriguing. I took a glance at Terry’s XM Radio and became humored by the fact that Purdue only had a slight halftime lead against Division IAA Indiana State. As we continued our journey toward Bloomington, Terry handed me a phonebook and asked me to look up the cell phone number of Van Coleman. Coleman is a writer for a magazine that ranks high school recruits. Mr. Hutchens told Van about the call he had received earlier that morning from an assistant coach in Richmond, California. The coach had told Terry that one of his players, Elijah Houlman (a 6-10, 225 pound senior) had decided to commit to Indiana. Van told Terry that he had Houlman ranked at #108 in the ‘o7 class, but he could easily be a top 100 player.
"The difference between #84 and #150 [in the ‘07 class] is minute."
After talking to Van, Hutchens made note of the quote given to him, which he would later put in his article. As we neared Bloomington, it was easy to tell that it was going to be the spot of a game later that day. People were listening to music, munching on some snack food, and just getting pumped up for the big game. Everybody was anticipating "the walk" from the Hoosier football team in which they are dropped off in a parking lot on one end of the campus, and walk through a tunnel of fans on their way to the field. It was 3:45 at this time, meaning kickoff was just over 2 hours away.
Next on our agenda was to get a look at Eric Gordon and Derrek Rose with the Hoosier basketball team in Assembly Hall. Gordon and Rose are two recruits IU hopes they can somehow get their hands on as they are #2 and 3 in the ‘07 class respectively. Before we entered Assembly Hall’s West Pavilion, we were greeted by an Indiana assistant coach who told us they were closing the workout. That was definately not what the Hoosier fans wanted to hear. Some people had driven to Bloomington just to see this workout, and people became angry. Terry was not in a good position himself because he had reported it "open" earlier in the day. "Dude, you said it was open" and "Why the heck are they closing the gym?" were just a couple of comments that he heard from the IU Nation. Mr. Hutchens tried to tell as many people as he could what was going on, and he didn’t let the negative comments affect him.
After walking back out of Assembly Hall, Terry and I began a long walk around Memorial Stadium where the press box was located. On our way, we walked through a big tailgate area where I got to meet some of the IU staff. Mr. Hutchens pointed one way and showed me Coach Hoeppner’s family. Then once we continued walking, my heart almost skipped a beat because of who we saw next. We saw IU’s new basketball coach, Kelvin Sampson, and his family. Terry introduced me and told Sampson that I was his point guard on his CYO team. Sampson responded with "That’s good, you gotta take care of your point guard."
Kelvin, his daughter, and his wife were all very nice people, and I dearly enjoyed talking to them. When Terry congratulated Coach Sampson on grabbing Eli Houlman, Sampson said "We feel he is a top 100 guy right now, and after a year of working with him he might be a top 50." Mr. Hutchens and I stayed there talking to the Sampson family for about 40 minutes, and then we headed toward the press box at about 5. Coach Sampson left me with these words of advice "If the mailman stopped at every barking dog, then he would never get the mail delivered." Once I thought about that comment for a while, and figured out what it meant, I realized that those were indeed great words of advice, and I thank Coach Sampson for them.
Our next stop was the press box elevator that would take us up to level 5. I showed the man at the elevator my pass and stepped into the elevator. Within another second, Terry’s hand was receiving more action, as once again he was shaking hands. This time it was with a WISH TV 8 cameraman, and with him was a new news reporter. It was the first time in the day that somebody didn’t know who Terry was, and like me, he was meeting her for the first time. Mr. Hutchens had told me that this was the slowest elevator in the world, and he wasn’t kidding. When we finally reached our level, we stepped out of the elevator, and into a world of intense preparation. All the people around were busy typing and getting ready for the game, which was now only 40 minutes away. Terry led me down a steep flight of 9 steps, and over to my seat. We were surrounded by TV’s that were showing the game highlights from earlier that day. As Terry plugged in his computer, I caught a glance of some of the scores. I didn’t really care about any of the games that had already been completed, I was more interested in the game to come that night. My team has always been Notre Dame, and they had a big matchup with Georgia Tech on ABC coming up at 8:00. The guy sitting on my left had a small TV, which would come in handy when all the other TV’s were turned off later. I got out my legal pad and got it ready for stats, then I wrote an article about the IU basketball situation. Terry then informed me of a couple of things. He first told me that he would not be sitting next to me during the game because he had to help with stats for the IU radio broadcast. The second thing he informed me of was that I better get some food soon because it was going fast. I decided that he was probably right, so I gathered myself and headed up to the food table. On one table there were two bowls containing a mixture of nuts and goldfish, a bowl of Tostitos, and a bowl with salsa. On another table there were some deli sandwiches ranging from ham to turkey. On a third table there were some peanut butter cookies, but by the time I got there, those were gone. I grabbed a turkey sandwich and some goldfish, then headed over to the drink cooler. I pulled out a Diet Coke and then returned to my seat. I ate a couple of bites, said goodbye to Terry, then got ready for the game.
From the opening kickoff, till the last play of the game, I had an awesome time. Keeping stats kept me into a game that went by so fast I could barely keep up. With the new clock rules, the game was over in 3 hours and 2 minutes, 45 minutes shorter than most games last year. When halftime came around, Terry came back to type up a lead he thought he might have on the game. He was there for about 10 minutes, then it was back to the radio booth. I grabbed another drink, and sat back down to make a phone call. I called my aunt with whom I had stayed during the summer. I told her where I was and what I was doing, and she couldn’t believe it. I couldn’t talk for long though because the game was back underway. I continued my stats during the second half, and watched IU run its way into a 39-20 win. After the game was over, I tried to start totaling up all my stats, but there was not time for that. Terry told me that it was time to go to the post game press conferences. This statement got me all excited inside because I never knew that I would get to do this. We decided that the elevator was too slow, so we took the stairs down to the field level. We were out of breath when we finally made it, but we had time to recover as we took our seats. About 30 media people were seated around a table, a table that Terry Hoeppner sat at when he walked in. All the media people put their voice recorders on the table, so I followed suit. As the press conference moved along, I became a little nervous because Terry was asking nearly every question, and I was sitting right next to him. That is the kind of reporter I want to be someday. The kind that is not afraid to ask the questions they need answered in order to write their articles. Hoeppner talked for about 6 or 7 minutes, then it was time for us to interview the players. I walked with Mr. Hutchens to each of the various players, and held my voice recorder out whenever the players were talking. It was interesting to hear what the players had to say, and when we were finished with all of the players, we headed back up to level 5. My coach chose to take the elevator, while I opted for the stairs. We reached the top at about the same time, the only difference was that I was dead tired. I sat back down at my seat and began t owrite my article. Terry was sitting right next to me, and he was in quite a hurry. It was already about 9:40, and Mr. Hutchens only had 45 minutes to get his first article into the paper. It took me about 40 minutes to finish my article, but Terry was still working when I was done. He had another article due at about 11:00, and the notebook for that article due at 11:30. While Mr. Hutchens worked diligently, I tuned into the intense Notre Dame game. Notre Dame had a 14-10 lead with just a few minutes remaining in the game. They picked up a couple of first downs on the final drive to secure the victory.
After Terry finished his articles, we said goodbye to the few remaining people and took the elevator out of the stadium. On our walk back to the car, Mr. Hutchens and I talked about sports. It was such an enjoyable experience for me to talk about sports with him because he has a passion for the same thing I do. When we reached the car, we turned on the XM Radio once again, and tuned into ESPN Radio. We were able to catch up on all the scores of the day, and also chat a little more. We stopped at a Steak n Shake that was buzzing, especially since it was 12:00 a.m. After warming my bones with a little vegetable soup, I got really tired. I never quite fell asleep, but I dozed off a couple of times during the last hour of our trip. When we reached my house at 1:30 a.m., I thanked Mr. Hutchens for a wonderful time and headed inside. Nobody was awake in my house so I went straight to bed.
Saturday September 2nd, 2006 is a day that I will never forget. Mr. Hutchens was kind enough to show me the ropes of a profession I would really like to pursue in my life. I can honestly say that it was one, if not the best day of my entire life. Visiting Bloomington was a blast, and I thank Terry and the Indianapolis Star for the opportunity.
Quotes from Terry:
1. "The first rule of journalism is that you have to be non-partial. In the press box we are not allowed to do any cheering.
2. "You must always strengthen relationships [with staff] whenever you can because being a beat writer, you rely on their information."

Is ND hurt by drop in rankings?

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- On Tuesday it the AP top 25 polls were announced and Notre Dame was no longer #2. Notre Dame has now dropped to #4 in the country despite an opening day win. Texas and USC were the 2 teams that passed the Irish, and the question is how bad does it hurt?
Personally, this drop in the polls hurts me. There is no way in the world that Texas and USC should have passed Notre Dame. When you look down the schedule from the first week of the season you see names like Northern Illinois and North Texas and Arkansas, and teams that will never find their way into a bowl game this season. Then you look at Notre Dame's schedule and you see a Georiga Tech, Penn State, Michigan, what more could you ask for? Notre Dame is one of the only teams in the country that actually start their season in week one and not week 5 when the conference play starts. Let's look at Texas first. They played North Texas on Saturday, and granite they won 56-7, but North Texas? Notre Dame could put their worst 11 players on the field and they would beat North Texas by double figures. You have just got to be joking me. Then you look at USC and they played Arkansas. The Razorbacks have a little more to offer than North Texas, but to move up 3 spots in the rankings is unbelievable. It is obvious what the Associated Press wants, and that is a rematch of last years national championship game. How come Ohio State didn't get moved down? They played a Northern Illinois team and won by 23 points. I don't understand how Notre Dame gets penalized for playing good competition and beating them, but whatever. Just wait until the people are not deciding the ranks and the BCS computer is on the job. We are not going to have people playing favorites this year, I am just not going to tolerate that.

Gordon, Rose, or both?

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- Derrek Rose and Eric Gordon were both in Bloomington on Saturday for unofficial vistis. Gordon has already committed to Illinois, and Derrek Rose was expected to go to Memphis. My question is, what are the chances that IU gets either or both of those players.
Let's talk about Eric Gordon first. Gordon is a high school student at North Central High School in Indianapolis, so going to Indiana would not be a crazy thing to do. Illinois head coach Bruce Weber told the Gordon family that if he committed there then all kinds of great players would see that and committ as well. After Gordon committed, his dad began to wonder about the promise Weber had made. About a month ago Gordon's dad started to see that the players he had in mind were not going to come to Illinois with the '07 class, and now he wonders how good they will be. Because of this issue, it now seems that Gordon has opened up his options again, andi s now considering recomitting to Indiana.
Derrek Rose is a great player, the #1 ranked point guard in the '07 class. Indiana was not expecting to even have a shot at Rose, but then he came out with his final five and Indiana was right there. Memphis was his #1, and everybody expected him to go there. Derrek Rose has an older brother who acts as his spokesman. Memphis head coach John Calipari said that if Rose committed there then he would get Rose's brother a job as TV coordinator. Everything looked and sounded great until just a week ago. The job that was promised to Rose's brother was filled, and the Rose family became upset. All of a sudden, Memphis was off the top five. Now it is a final four situation for Derrek Rose.
Some of the local radio stations lately have been saying that they think there is a better chance of IU getting both or neither then getting both guys. After talking to an expert, I think there is some truth to that. Gordon and Rose have made it clear that they would like to play together, but they have seen that might not be possible. Rose was not willing to go to Illinois, and Gordon was not willing to go to Memphis. IU might just be that spot in the middle that they can both agree on. Rose has expressed interest in using all 5 of his official visits, so we are just going to have to wait and see. Right now the chances look decent, but that could change for the better or worse in a hurry.

Your take.

1. Will Notre Dame knock off Penn State?
2. Will Texas knock of Ohio State?
3. Will West Virginia go 12-0?
4. Are the Marlins a playoff ready team?

ND receives major scare in opener

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
INDIANAPOLIS- It was not the way Charlie Weis scripted it, but it was a win. I saw some things from Saturday night that I am excited about seeing from the Irish. We have to remember that Georgia Tech is a good ball club, and they actually received some votes to be ranked in the top 25. Notre Dame's defense shut down a high powered offense, which shows you that they have really improved in that aspect of the game. The offense wasn't great. but it is only the first game and they will only improve. Quinn threw for 268 yards and Walker ran for 99, so the offense wasn't completely shut down. A scare may have been what they really needed to get them ready for the tough opponents to come. All I know is that Notre Dame recorded a win, and even though it wasn't pretty, they showed their fans some exciting things on both sides of the ball.

Big Plays grab Hoosiers win in opener

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
BLOOMINGTON- Indiana's pass first offense worked, at least for one night. QB Blake Powers went 16/28 for 192 yards a TD and an INT before leaving the game with an undisclosed leg injury. Coach Hoeppner said he should be good to go by Tuesday. Indiana rushed for only 87 yards in the game, but put 39 points up on the scoreboard. The game was not perfect, but it was a win.
"A win is a win is a win," said Hoosier coach Tery Hoeppner. "We really needed this one, but we still have so much to work on."
IU got out early when they went 73 yards on 7 plays on their opening drive to grab a 7-0 lead. The big play on that drive was a 34 yard pass from Blake Powers to James Hardy down the right sideline.
"I just did my part," Hardy said. "He threw it up there and I just did my part to catch it."
Western Michigan scored for the first time with 7:46 to go in the first quarter when Brandon West was good on a 27 yard field goal. IU's Chris Phillips made the Hoosiers next score a great one when he interecpted a Ryan Cubit pass and took it 66 yards right down the WMU sideline for a touchdown.
"It's the most exciting play in football," Terry Hoeppner said. "It makes it that much worse for the other team when you take it all the way down their sideline."
IU would add another touchdown less than 4 minutes later when Josiah Sears capped off a short, 2 play drive with a 2 yard TD run. The extra point would be blocked, then WMU added a field goal and the Hoosiers went into the locker room with a 20-6 halftime lead.
IU would not let the momentum swing to start the second half. After the first drive of the second half for WMU, Tracy Porter returned a punt 86 yards for TD, and took the wind out of the Bronco sails. The extra point was blocked again, and the Hoosiers led 26-6.
IU would score on 2 of their next 3 possessions, adding a field goal on the 1st and a TD on the next. With 14:54 remaining in the game, IU had a 36-13 lead, and WMU wishing they were somewhere else. IU would go 15 plays on their next possession, taking 6:32 off the clock, and adding a field goal. WMU would add a touchdown in the closing seconds of the game, but nevertheless Indiana was victorious 39-20. IU has a 1-0 start, and they are now ready to start preparing for Ball State next week.
"For teams, the improvement between week 1 and 2 is huge," Hoeppner said. "It needs to be huge for us."

'07 Class Starting to Shape Up

By Justin Albers
basketballss132002@yahoo.com
BLOOMINGTON- On the day after IU got the news that Justin Teage had decided to go to Wake Forest, good new came. At about 11:30 Saturday morning IU received the news that Eli Holman , a 6'10 senior from Richmond, California, had decided to comitt to Indiana. Holman has a 7'7 wingspan, a size 19 shoe, and said to have hands 3 times the size of the average grown man.
Holman was not alone in the news headlines for the Hoosiers on Saturday as Eric Gordon and Derrek Rose were both in Bloomington for unofficial visits. Rose is the #3 ranked player in the '07 class, including being the #1 point guard. Eric Gordon is even better, ranked at #2 in the '07 class. They participated in an open gym session with the current Indiana players that was said to be open to the public. Hoosier fans were very dissapointed, and Assembly Hall turned into a mob scene. Nevertheless, it was a big day for Indiana, their options are wide open.