Bill Lynch and the Indiana Hoosiers are Runnin' down their own dreams

First appeared on October 6th, 2010
in The Lebanon Reporter

It’s been twenty years since Tom Petty released “Full Moon Fever”. I only remember it because it was the first cassette tape I ever bought. For those of you too young to know, a cassette was like an IPOD before there were IPOD’s. Well, I guess that’s only true if IPOD’s held less than 12 songs and were eaten by the cassette player of my car every other day. So I guess in reality a cassette is like an IPOD only far less cooler (although you can’t fix an IPOD with scotch tape and a ball point pen).


This random foray into the evolution of popular music is part of a circuitous route to the fact that hearing “Runnin’ Down a Dream” come over the car radio the other day spun me into a stream of consciousness. It was a magical experience dominated by visions of a Chevy Cavalier complete with black interior and no A/C, kitschy album artwork, one incredible road trip song and Indiana University’s football team; all at 70 MPH.

“It was a beautiful day, the sun beat down”

What a place and time to have one of the great performances in school history. Broadcast on ESPN, potential recruits saw one of Indiana Football’s largest crowds ever crammed into Memorial Stadium. And what followed can only be described as tremendous.

“I felt so good, like anything was possible”

There was an unfamiliar air of confidence in Bloomington Saturday. An energy generated by an undefeated start and magical memories from the Big House a year before. What followed was simply an incredible performance (offensive performance mind you). Unfazed by Heisman hype, the Hoosiers matched Michigan (AP #18) punch for punch as both offenses were unstoppable (over 1100 total yards).

The resolve Indiana showed much of last year was still there. A potent offense mixed with grit and toughness. Coming back time and again until, after the commentators had repeatedly said “you like Indiana’s chances if Robinson has to beat you with his arm”, Robinson went out and beat IU with his arm.

“Runnin’ down a dream, that never would come to me”

For three years now head coach Bill Lynch and his Indiana Hoosiers have been running down their own dream. Lynch has gone from a bowl berth piloting a team covered with Terry Hoeppner’s fingerprints to creating one marked by his own. Everyone in IU’s locker room is fighting for respect, fighting for recruits and fighting to the end in games the program used to find embarrassing.

“workin’ on a mystery, goin’ wherever it leads”

My crystal ball tells me the Hoosiers will make a bowl appearance this year, of course in 1989 the same crystal ball told me to buy as many cassettes as possible because the technology could NEVER get better.

The Hoosiers have another difficult test in Ohio State this week before Arkansas State comes up for Homecoming. This should be a welcome confidence boost before the final six games. A stretch including ranked opponents in Iowa and Wisconsin and a home game against Penn State that Athletic Director Fred Glass might regret moving to Maryland.

Counting Arkansas State, the Hoosiers will likely need to find 3 more wins if they want to go bowling. Beating Northwestern and Illinois would set up another must win with Purdue like the one that saw Austin Starr nail the kick heard round the state.

So come December just what tune will Bill Lynch be singing? Hoosier fans hope it includes Petty’s last line:

“There’s somethin’ good waitin’ down this road, and I’m pickin’ up whatever is mine”.