Lynch Hoping To Put Loss, Outburst Behind Him

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana coach Bill Lynch reverted to his more traditional form Tuesday.

He smiled, joked and seemed to enjoy being back in more friendly territory than Michigan Stadium.

It was a stark contrast from the man the nation saw tossing his headset, storming down the field and flinging a piece of chewing gum toward the stands after an official's call set him off late in Saturday's 36-33 loss at Michigan.

Yes, Lynch still disagrees with the original decision and the subsequent choice to not overturn it on replay, but he also understands that the Hoosiers must put that game - and that indelible rant - out of their collective minds this week.

"It's Buckeyes Saturday night, that's what we're focused on," Lynch said, dipping his head during the coach's weekly news conference. "That's part of the game, we've all been through it, and I think as players and coaches you've got to move on."

Clearly, Lynch has plenty of reasons to look toward this weekend with No. 9 Ohio State coming to town.

The Buckeyes (3-1, 1-0 Big Ten) have pitched back-to-back shutouts since their 18-15 loss to Southern Cal. Lynch wants to see how the Hoosiers (3-1, 0-1) respond to their first loss of the season, and Indiana faces an opponent that holds a 14-game winning streak in this series, dating to 1988.

Heck, a victory would even make everyone forget about what happened at Michigan - and any lingering ramifications, such as potential disciplinary action. Big Ten spokesman Scott Chipman said Tuesday the conference did not intend to do anything to Lynch.

As for whether the gum hit a fan?

"I haven't been called by any lawyer or anything like that at this point," Lynch joked. "I have no idea. Oh boy."

It does, however, give Lynch an opportunity to reinforce a lesson he's been preaching since long before this season began.

He has routinely instructed players about the necessity of channeling their energy into what lies ahead rather than what happened previously. Coaches have turned that into a familiar refrain, but Lynch now has an opportunity to show players how he intends to do that himself.

"I hope so," he said, when asked about leading by example. "That's the approach these guys have taken to it. If you can't get excited about playing Ohio State, you're in the wrong game."

Players have gotten the message.

Quarterback Ben Chappell threw the late interception that Lynch contended was dual-possession between the receiver and defender and should have given the ball to the Hoosiers. When the call was not overturned, Michigan has the ball, the lead and a chance to run out the clock for the victory.

Chappell said his teammates were upset not with the call but rather their inability to score in the red zone, which kept Indiana from building a big lead against Michigan.

Defensive end Greg Middleton took a different twist, saying the defense should have made more plays in the fourth quarter.

Either way, players believe if they had played better, they would have won at Michigan.

"I think one of the most positive things to come out of the weekend was that we knew we could have done more to win the game," Chappell said. "We had a couple of penalties that hurt us. We had that first-and-goal from the 4 and we've got to score a touchdown. That's something that hurt. If I could have hit Tandon (Doss) in the corner of the end zone, that would have helped, too."

Where do the Hoosiers go from here?

Lynch expects to see continued improvement.

The ground game has become much more effective the past two weeks behind redshirt freshman Darius Willis, who is emerging as the leader of Indiana's running back quartet. Doss is third in the Big Ten with 6.5 receptions per game and Indiana's offensive line shares the conference lead for fewest sacks allowed (two).

The penalties that caused so many problems the first two weeks have been reduced, and the defense ranks second in the conference against the run with 94.2 yards per game.

But that wasn't enough at Michigan.

"Mentally, we've got to bounce back," Middleton said. "The philosophy of our team is resiliency."

And that includes Lynch.

"I think the biggest thing is you've got to control the controllables and take that same kind of energy and passion to practice and that's when you get better," Lynch said.