Hello Indiana, this is Football

First appeared on October 7th, 2013
in The Lebanon Reporter

Historically speaking Indiana and football are two words that have shared an awkward moment when finding themselves in the same sentence, not unlike ‘extra large and diet coke’ or ‘functional and government’.

They were those two kids at the middle school dance lingering in opposite corners, one fighting to hide braces, the other using shadows to cure a bad case of acne, so many having tried before to bring them together only to fail in a miserable, flaming ball of disappointment and loss. Lots of losses.

But that has changed. Saturday was more than just a victory over Penn State for the Indiana Hoosiers. It was more than just their first win in 17 tries against the Nittany Lions. Saturday was different. Saturday was a glimmer of hope for Hoosier nation, a shot in the arm for Kevin Wilson’s program and potential vindication for IU athletic director Fred Glass.

Aside from taping a million dollars under one of Memorial Stadium’s 52,000 seats, Glass has done nearly everything in his power to get people to come to The Rock. This includes a multi-million dollar North End Zone renovation, erecting the largest flagpole in college athletics, adding a new scoreboard, developing a play area for the kids and now, apparently, fielding a defense capable of making the stops necessary to beat quality Big Ten opponents.

But just like that church that tries to get younger by offering a full coffee bar, free donuts, sermons best timed with a stopwatch, digital projectors and live music featuring electric guitars, drum machine and confusing front man who seems more interested in finding a captive audience than flirting with real faith, people initially attend out of curiosity. It’s real belief that brings them back every time.

Before Saturday real belief in Indiana Football simply didn’t exist. While Glass’ hiring of former Oklahoma Offensive Coordinator Kevin Wilson was seen as a coup at the time, two years of continued frustration saw Wilson entering the third year of his contract as an unproven commodity.

Labeled a mad scientist by some for his offensive innovation, the fact alone Wilson left a prominent position with one of the perennial powers in college football to take the Indiana job is reason enough to consider him mad. For, before Wilson’s arrival, Indiana had been a place where good coaches went to die.

But Saturday the world got a glimpse of what Wilson imagined his Hoosiers could be. Potent on offense, stout on defense. And while Penn State may be a current shell of its former self, they remain a quality Big Ten opponent and another win in Indiana’s quest to return to a bowl.

Coming into Saturday, Indiana’s 2-2 start had left many fans fuzzy and disillusioned, uncertain that recognizable progress was being made. To quote former Arizona Cardinals head coach Dennis Green, it seemed as though the Hoosiers “are who we thought they were!”, a high powered offense and lackluster defense; the Loyola Marymount of Football.

But Saturday was different. Saturday was the first win over Penn State in school history. After coming up short against Navy and Missouri, Indiana found what they needed most; a victory over somebody they weren’t supposed to beat.

Moving forward, Doug Mallory and the Hoosier Defense appear destined to determine Indiana’s bowling fate. Wilson’s offense can score points against anybody in the country but the hope of playing 13 lies with the defense. And, at least for one afternoon, the defense gave hope to Hoosier Nation that football was more than a giant flagpole, million dollar scoreboard and endless activities for the kids.


© 2013 Eric Walker Williams

What does Football on Hardwood, Al Gore, old Chevy Impala's and the Cold War have in common?

First appeared on December 1st, 2009
in The Lebanon Reporter

Well it’s that time of the year again; the proverbial “Most wonderful time of the year”. For Big Ten fans however, the ACC/Big Ten challenge has not been a wonderful time for anything. For far too long, or since its inception whichever you please, the Challenge has ended with the Big Ten finding itself in a familiar spot; safely strapped to the ACC’s whipping post.
There is a saying in Slavic cultures about whipping posts which goes “Nothin’ seems to change, bad times stay the same”, or maybe that was the Allman Brothers, either way for 11 years the numbers don’t lie. The ACC has been dominant winning all 10 challenges with an overall advantage of 62-35.
In years past one got the feeling the Big Ten had about as much chance of winning the Challenge as that of an Aztec prisoner escaping a ritual sacrifice. And for those of you who didn’t major in World History, that chance would be zero. The only thing more amazing than the ACC’s dominance in the Challenge is the fact that ESPN continues to pay for the rights to broadcast it.
The Big Ten’s inability to win the Challenge has been a harbinger of their performance on the national stage as well. For the last 20 years, rare has been the number one seed or Final Four. In fact since 1989 the Big Ten has notched only 2 National Champions while the ACC has seen 7 teams cut the nets down.
But this year is different. This year there is something in the air. Al Gore would tell you it is too much hair spray or the exhaust of a ’78 Chevrolet Impala, but I believe it to be the winds of change. This year the Big Ten seems to once again resemble the power basketball conference it once was.
To be clear, this is the year the Big Ten will finally win the challenge for the first time. Write it down, fold it up and send it in, there is no way the Big Ten loses for an eleventh time (at least not this year).
Currently the Big Ten boasts 5 ranked teams with 2 in the Top 10. Conversely the ACC has 3 ranked with only 1 being a Top 10 squad. While a few of the match ups may appear to be one-sided (see Maryland vs. Indiana), Sparty (the only Big Ten team with a winning record in the Challenge) facing UNC on the road and Illinois going to Clemson’s Littlejohn Coliseum are just two games that should prove extremely interesting.
Purdue’s “football on the hardwood” should be enough to manhandle Wake Forest while both Penn State and Northwestern have opportunities to open some eyes with tough road wins.
In a week where we should be discussing which undefeated college football team will wind up where, the BCS has once again reminded us that hers is a system born of that rare combination of indecision and incompetence. With this in mind, the Big Ten/ACC challenge moves to the forefront of our attention. So roll the balls out and let’s go.
For three days Purdue fans root for IU and Buckeyes cheer for the Maize and Gold. For three days the Big Ten is the United States and the ACC is the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War. It’s corn-fed beef and combines versus shellfish and sailboats, the black and blue bang’em up style of the Big Ten versus the wide open play of the ACC. On second thought, maybe this is the most wonderful time of the year.