So, Illinois and Indiana meet for the second time this season, this time at the good Assembly Hall. That's good news as Indiana has gone 12-0 at Branch McCracken Court. The last game in Champaign was absolutely brutal for both teams, 51-43, but Illinois came out on top. Hopefully the change in venue and a Sampson smackdown to this Hoosier team will have them fired up.
Once again we have the Eric Gordon storyline, but as the game is in Bloomington I can only imagine it having an effect if IU goes up...chants of "Eric Gordon" reigning down on Bruce Webber and the Illini just to ruin their spirits, we'll see.
Saturday, February 10, 2007
Friday, February 9, 2007
19 Players Sign With The Hoosiers
So just because Jerimy Finch decided to run off and play in Florida (He should've looked to Kellen Lewis for an example of what to do -- come to Indiana FROM Florida) doesn't mean IU football is doomed. There are 19 other players who decided that Coach Hep has this team going in the right direction, and Defend The Rock commends them on their decision to attend Indiana University and play Hoosier football.
Below I have included a little chart of all the signees, iuhoosiers has a full list with bios of all the new Hoosiers here. But I would like to point out a few potential impact players.
1. Chris Adkins, CB. Teammate of the departed Jerimy Finch at Warren Central. He's got the height and athleticism (according to reports) to come in and make an impact right away. Plus IU has a seriously vacancy at CB, so he'll have his chance to come in and make a difference immediately.
2. Jeff Boyd, DL. Another teammate of Finch at Warren Central. Rated the #6 prospect in Indiana, 40th nationally. I like his talk of winning, "...going to bring a winning attitude...That's all we're accustomed to," and he's got the pure talent to help IU return to winning ways.
3. Matt Ernest, WR. #9 prospect in the state of Indiana. He's a big receiver, 6'2/180, and hopefully can blossom into another solid target for Kellen Lewis to throw to.
4. Dennis Zeigler, OL. #10 in Indiana, a big boy at 6'7, 315. Formerly a basketball player, he could be a project but apparently made great strides in football as evidenced by his ranking and presence on the All-State team and All-Conference team. Let's hope he can help protect Kellen.
5. The Florida Duo (Zach Davis-Walker & Jarrell Drane). Teammates at Plantation High school in Plantation, Florida, both of these players have the potential to shore up positions that IU is lacking in. Can Davis-Walker become a possible solution at RB? Can Drane step up as a Safety and possibly lessen the blow of losing Finch? These are questions that hopefully will be answered in the affirmative.
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Below I have included a little chart of all the signees, iuhoosiers has a full list with bios of all the new Hoosiers here. But I would like to point out a few potential impact players.
1. Chris Adkins, CB. Teammate of the departed Jerimy Finch at Warren Central. He's got the height and athleticism (according to reports) to come in and make an impact right away. Plus IU has a seriously vacancy at CB, so he'll have his chance to come in and make a difference immediately.
2. Jeff Boyd, DL. Another teammate of Finch at Warren Central. Rated the #6 prospect in Indiana, 40th nationally. I like his talk of winning, "...going to bring a winning attitude...That's all we're accustomed to," and he's got the pure talent to help IU return to winning ways.
3. Matt Ernest, WR. #9 prospect in the state of Indiana. He's a big receiver, 6'2/180, and hopefully can blossom into another solid target for Kellen Lewis to throw to.
4. Dennis Zeigler, OL. #10 in Indiana, a big boy at 6'7, 315. Formerly a basketball player, he could be a project but apparently made great strides in football as evidenced by his ranking and presence on the All-State team and All-Conference team. Let's hope he can help protect Kellen.
5. The Florida Duo (Zach Davis-Walker & Jarrell Drane). Teammates at Plantation High school in Plantation, Florida, both of these players have the potential to shore up positions that IU is lacking in. Can Davis-Walker become a possible solution at RB? Can Drane step up as a Safety and possibly lessen the blow of losing Finch? These are questions that hopefully will be answered in the affirmative.
Finch Jumps Ship. Illinois and Eric Gordon to blame?
So naturally after we find out our Big-10 Conference foe Illinois has a top-ten recruiting class, should it come as any surprise that #1 recruit Jerimy Finch decided to ditch IU for Florida? What is the connection you ask? Eric Gordon. We snatched him away from Illinois and now we're the victim of some sort of awful curse where not only does Illini football dramatically improve, but IU's chance for a huge leap forward gets stopped in its tracks by its #1 recruit jumping ship.
[rathole on Illini football]And seriously, Illinois a top-ten recruiting class? I'm not going to be one of those bloggers who goes out there saying that something suspect is going on down in Champaign, but how did that happen? The man seems to be genuinely hated by fans, hell he was run out of Florida on the shoulders of fireronzook.com! But when it comes to recruiting it doesn't matter what the fans think of a coach, or what management things. It matters what players - and their parents - think of the coach, and Zook must be a fairly likable and convicing guy regardless of all the flak he gets in other quarters.[/rathole on Illini football]
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[rathole on Illini football]And seriously, Illinois a top-ten recruiting class? I'm not going to be one of those bloggers who goes out there saying that something suspect is going on down in Champaign, but how did that happen? The man seems to be genuinely hated by fans, hell he was run out of Florida on the shoulders of fireronzook.com! But when it comes to recruiting it doesn't matter what the fans think of a coach, or what management things. It matters what players - and their parents - think of the coach, and Zook must be a fairly likable and convicing guy regardless of all the flak he gets in other quarters.[/rathole on Illini football]
Sunday, February 4, 2007
Defend The Rock - The Superbowl Edition
Kickoff for Superbowl XLI is in under two hours - and you may be wondering "Why does Defend The Rock care? It's not like either team is called the Hoosiers."
Well let me tell you something I went to college in Bloomington, Indiana (where Rex Grossman is from), then moved to Chicago (where Rex Grossman plays QB for the Bears). But wait, Indiana is Colts country! Am I not torn, is my heart not split in two?
Worry not dear readers, because you know what? I'm a St. Louis Rams fan, so the only way this game will have any meaning is if Kurt Warner, wearing an old Rams jersey he stole after being given the boot from St. Louis, lands a hijacked helicopter in the middle of the field and starts yelling "THANK YOU JESUS!"
But in all honesty, it'll be fun to watch an IU alum (Adewale Ogunleye) play in the Superbowl, and I'll be cheering him on. If anything I'd like to see the Colts win just so all the talking heads won't have anything to say about Peyton and his "legacy." Just let him win a Superbowl so there can no longer be any debate regarding how he will be viewed by future generations. Really though, this city is going to explode regardless of the outcome, either with raucous joy (Bears win) or drunken rage (Bears lose), so at least the post-game will be fun to watch outside my window.
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Well let me tell you something I went to college in Bloomington, Indiana (where Rex Grossman is from), then moved to Chicago (where Rex Grossman plays QB for the Bears). But wait, Indiana is Colts country! Am I not torn, is my heart not split in two?
Worry not dear readers, because you know what? I'm a St. Louis Rams fan, so the only way this game will have any meaning is if Kurt Warner, wearing an old Rams jersey he stole after being given the boot from St. Louis, lands a hijacked helicopter in the middle of the field and starts yelling "THANK YOU JESUS!"
But in all honesty, it'll be fun to watch an IU alum (Adewale Ogunleye) play in the Superbowl, and I'll be cheering him on. If anything I'd like to see the Colts win just so all the talking heads won't have anything to say about Peyton and his "legacy." Just let him win a Superbowl so there can no longer be any debate regarding how he will be viewed by future generations. Really though, this city is going to explode regardless of the outcome, either with raucous joy (Bears win) or drunken rage (Bears lose), so at least the post-game will be fun to watch outside my window.
Iowa Topples Indiana
Well, so much for beating Iowa. Sure it's tough to win on the road in the Big Ten, but that was a BIG game. Securing a solid road win right on the heels of toppling the #2 team in the country would've looked real good (not to mention bringing us even with the big two at the top of the conference in terms of wins).
Wilmont was huge again with 24 points. A.J. continues to show off the player is can be, giving the Hoosiers 15 points, 5 rebounds and a couple steals. Throw in Earl and his 16 points and IU had a pretty good triumvirate of scorers at Iowa, so why the loss?
D.J. White. Whether it was just an off game for him or stifling Iowa defense, D.J. just didn't the job done, and as D.J. goes so does this Hoosier team. 2 FGs, 2 FTs, 3 Rebounds, and 4 Turnovers is not a line anyone expects from D.J., no matter the opponent.
In the end it would've been a real good win, but at the same time it was not a tragic loss at all. IU is still sitting pretty in the Big 10 and Tournament Contention.
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Wilmont was huge again with 24 points. A.J. continues to show off the player is can be, giving the Hoosiers 15 points, 5 rebounds and a couple steals. Throw in Earl and his 16 points and IU had a pretty good triumvirate of scorers at Iowa, so why the loss?
D.J. White. Whether it was just an off game for him or stifling Iowa defense, D.J. just didn't the job done, and as D.J. goes so does this Hoosier team. 2 FGs, 2 FTs, 3 Rebounds, and 4 Turnovers is not a line anyone expects from D.J., no matter the opponent.
In the end it would've been a real good win, but at the same time it was not a tragic loss at all. IU is still sitting pretty in the Big 10 and Tournament Contention.
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