Hoosiers Take Renewed Bowl Hopes To Northwestern

INDIANAPOLIS—Indiana coach Bill Lynch would like to ignore the chatter in Bloomington this week.

Good luck.

After Indiana beat Illinois on Saturday, the bowl talk picked up again. Fans are suggesting the Hoosiers can secure a postseason invitation with a win at Northwestern this weekend, and while they could, it’s a dangerous distraction Lynch hopes to avoid.

“It is not something we openly talk about, but there is no question we are thinking about it,“ he said Tuesday during his weekly news conference. “We have smart guys on our football team, and they have goals and aspirations. We do not dwell on that, though, because we talk about controlling the controllables.“

Clearly, this weekend’s game could go a long way in determining both teams’ fate.

Both are 4-3 overall, 1-2 in the Big Ten and tied for seventh. The winner will move within one win of becoming bowl-eligible.

Lynch, however, worries that the stakes - and the talk - could create a trap for Indiana.

The last time there was this much excitement in Bloomington, Lynch noticed the intensity at practice began to wane. The team lost to Ohio State. Then, before heading to Virginia the next week, nearly half of Indiana’s defensive starters missed practice with the flu. The result was a second blowout that sent players and coaches scrambling for answers.

Lynch brought back the intensity last week by making players hit more. The Hoosiers responded with a dominant 27-14 victory that gave everyone a boost.

So this week’s plan is to focus on getting the job done - not getting caught up in the sudden hoopla.

“You better not get comfortable with any win, just like you better not get too down about a loss,“ Lynch said. “You have to line up and get ready for next week.“

This weekend, the Hoosiers need to play with the efficiency, urgency and effort they showed against Illinois.

Quarterback Ben Chappell threw for a career-high 333 yards and three touchdowns. He was named the Big Ten’s co-offensive player of the week Sunday. Indiana also ran for 149 yards and won the turnover battle 3-1.

Still, Big Ten road games have been a major thorn for the Hoosiers. They’ve lost seven straight since Sept. 29, 2007, and five straight in Evanston, Ill., dating to a 24-0 shutout in 1993. But Indiana did upset the Wildcats 21-19 in Bloomington last season.

Another victory over Northwestern would make Indiana’s second-half push for a bowl game more manageable.

After the Wildcats, Indiana goes to No. 7 Iowa before hosting Wisconsin. Then comes a trip to No. 13 Penn State, a school the Hoosiers have never beaten. Indiana closes the season at home against rival Purdue on Nov. 21.

Two wins and they could be bowl bound for the second time in three years.

Lynch believes his team can make it, even if he’d rather not talk about it.

“I think we are capable, just as Illinois is capable, of beating anyone,“ Lynch said. “Each week you have to be ready to go. There is a maturity that goes with having a little success in that you have to put the success aside and get ready for practice and the next team. That is what really good football teams and programs do.“

And that’s the challenge Lynch and his Hoosiers now face as the bowl-talk continues to heat up around campus and in the Bloomington community.

“I think that’s human nature. We all want to look ahead and play out the variables, but it always comes back to get you in sports,“ Lynch said. “Our kids are aware of the ramifications, but if we keep talking about going to a bowl game and not worrying about today, we are never going to get there.“