Another weekend of sports is in the books. If you’re a football fan in Indiana however, it was a very difficult weekend.
The Colts are beaten up with injuries and didn’t play last week because of a bye week. Purdue got destroyed at Ohio State 49 to NOTHING. Notre Dame was upset in the Meadowlands 35 to 17 by Navy. And Indiana took a step backwards at Illinois.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts sit at 4-2 and are coming off a much needed bye week. The injuries continue to weaken the depth on their roster and providing plenty of opportunities for young guys.
Just last week in a “quiet” week, the Colts lost TE Dallas Clark for the season, Austin Collie had thumb surgery, and DT Antonio Johnson also had surgery. I’m not going to get into all the injuries again because the list is so abundant. However the Colts much overcome this adversity and as former Coach Tony Dungy always stressed, “no excuses, no explanations.”
As usual the praise and blame will fall on the shoulders of Peyton Manning. But it is going to be challenging for the 4-time MVP to pick apart the defense without his safety net (Dallas Clark), top two tailbacks (Addai and Brown), and key receivers (Collie and Gonzalez).
The Colts aren’t quite where they want to be and certainly are disappointed by their 4 and 2 start. Remember this is the Colts who haven’t lost more than four games in the last seven years. This territory is new to many of the players so it will be imperative that the veterans step up and lead by example.
And I must mentioned, second year punter Pat McAfee was arrested in Broad Ripple for public intoxication. He clearly had too much fun in B-Rip and ended up swimming in the dirty canal. He is suspended by the Colts for one game.
Up next, a Monday Night showdown at home against the Texans who beat the Colts in week one.
Indiana Pacers
The blue and gold open up the season Wednesday in San Antonio. The team must make one last roster move to get the team down to 15 players by 6 p.m. Monday. The Pacers are shopping around to make a two-for-one trade but nothing has come to fruition. Look for Solomon Jones, Dahntay Jones or rookie Magnum Rolle to be the odd man out. Both the Jones’s have guaranteed contracts and Rolle’s first NBA contract will become guaranteed if he is not cut before opening night.
Indiana football
A disaster in Champaign this weekend. Illinois easily defeated Indiana 43-13.
Ben Chappell threw three interceptions and the Hoosiers are still searching for their first Big Ten win.
One of Chappell’s interception was taken 68 yards for a pick six. Then at the end of the game, Dusty Kiel’s only throw was intercepted and returned 66 yards for the score.
And since when do the Hoosiers have trouble on special teams? Chris Hagerup had two straight punts blocked including one in the end zone for a safety.
On the bright side, Chappell connected with Ted Bolser for the teams only touchdown Saturday afternoon. Bolser’s touchdown was his fifth of the season, setting an IU record for single-season touchdowns by a tight end. He finished the game with four catches for 77 yards.
Mitch Ewald chipped in two field goals (19, 21) and he is 8-of-9 on the season and has connected on all 21 extra-point attempts. After missing his first field goal attempt of the year, he has hit eight straight, which is tied for the third-longest streak in school history.
Indiana fans of course are calling for the head of Bill Lynch after such a disappointing loss. While I can understand their reasoning, there is something important to stability. Five coaches in 20 years is not very good. It will be a tough decision for athletic director Fred Glass this winter.
The Hoosier host Northwestern next weekend to Bloomington for a very winnable contest. With four non-conference wins on the season, the Hoosiers are looking to win their first Big Ten game. They need two more wins to become bowl eligible.
Indiana basketball
Not much to report on the team other than they are practicing hard everyday. Crean stressed how determined and focused this team is. Often times, he tweets that a particular player is in Cook Hall throwing shots up at 11 PM by himself. That’s what I like to see at Indiana.
The biggest concern for the team right now is the upcoming weekend. No, not because of Halloween. Cody Zeller, the talented senior and 20th ranked prospect is visiting Bloomington for his third and final official visit.
Zeller is very talented and would add so much to this Hoosier team. Zeller’s biggest impact would be adding credibility back to Crean and IU. Should Cody commit, many expect the dominoes to fall and other top talent in the state to follow him to Btown.
Indiana Olympic sports
Meanwhile, Indiana’s Olympic sports had a VERY successful weekend. The volleyball team are now winners of five of their last six matches and have moved into a three-way tie for fourth place in the conference standings. All-American Ashley Benson (right) is fantastic and dominated the court with her kills…she has some good genes from her father, Indiana legend Kent Benson. They defeated No. 13 Michigan Friday and Michigan State Saturday.
The 16th-ranked men’s soccer team shutout Michigan State 3-0 Sunday. They improved to 8-4-2, 3-0-1 in Big Ten play. First year head coach Todd Yeagley’s team faces a tough schedule this week hosting Butler Butler Wednesday and Northwestern Sunday. A win over the Wildcats will give Indiana the Big Ten regular season title, its first since 2007. What an accomplishment that would be after the team has been down the last few years.
Finally, the women’s soccer team erased a two-goal deficit to earn a 3-2 decision at Iowa in OT. Mick Lyon’s team has had trouble this season especially as of late—losers of their last six games.
Etc.
-Congrats to North Central junior D’Vauntes Smith-Rivera (2012) who committed to Xavier over the weekend. I would love to see a fellow Panther suit up in the cream and crimson but I certainly wish him the best. Xavier has been his clear favorite for the last few years and he will thrive in the Atlantic 10 Conference.
-Lawrence North’s Michael Chandler (2011) also committed to Xavier. Assistant coach Travis Steele is helping Xavier land top central Indiana talent.
-Happy 70th birthday to former Indiana basketball coach Bob Knight. He turns 70 today.