IU 45, Iowa 33: Hoosiers beat up on Iowa

In many ways, Saturday night at Memorial Stadium unfolded like the first two games the Hoosiers lost to open the 2000 season. In the end, junior quarterback Antwaan Randle El did something he wasn\'t able to do in those first two losses.\nHe refused to let his team lose and willed IU to a 45-33 victory against Iowa in front of 31,225 fans. After a quick start, the miscues began to accumulate for the Hoosiers, much like they did when IU lost early leads to North Carolina State and Kentucky, starting the season with two consecutive losses.\nEven though they scored the first 21 points of the game, the Hoosiers saw the Hawkeyes rally to close within five points at 31-26 with 4:33 remaining in the game. When IU got the ball back, Randle El took matters into his own hands.\nOn the fifth play of the drive, Randle El sprinted to his left on the option. When the defender approached, Randle El faked the pitch to junior running back Levron Williams. The fake enabled Randle El to scamper down the sidelines for a 62-yard touchdown to make the score 38-26 in favor of the Hoosiers with 2:07 left.\nAs if one play to save the day wasn\'t enough, Randle El was called on again after Iowa closed the margin to 38-33 with 1:32 left in the game. Randle El responded by marching the Hoosiers down the field and capping the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run with just over a minute left to end the scoring.\nFighting back emotions after the game, IU coach Cam Cameron had trouble putting his star quarterback\'s performance into words. Cameron said Randle El was moved to play better because of the death of assistant coach Pete Schmidt Friday.\n"I don\'t know what to say," Cameron said, with tears in his eyes. "(Randle El) plays like that a lot, but there was an added significance in this ballgame."\nRandle El said he was focused on winning the game despite the grave circumstances surrounding Schmidt\'s death.\n"That was a point in the game where I felt I needed to step in and get things going," Randle El said of the late touchdowns. "I felt that we were stalling a little bit so I just tried to help us out."\nIowa coach Kirk Ferentz was pleased that his team made the game close, but he said his team could not overcome IU\'s talent and their own mistakes.\n"Our guys never quit, but until we solve some problems, we simply aren't going to win games," Ferentz said.\nAs a team, the Hoosiers rushed for 432 yards in amassing 543 total offensive yards. Randle El led the attack as he rushed for a career-high187 yards. Williams had 133 yards on 17 carries.\nRandle El's rushing total set a record for most yards on the ground by an IU quarterback. Randle El became only the sixth player in NCAA Division I history to rush for 2,000 yards and throw for 4,000 yards in a career.\nA major reason for the success of the Hoosiers\' ground game was the offensive line. Although they were thought to be the weak link at the outset of the season, they showed their toughness Saturday.\n"We just never quit," sophomore tackle A.C. Myler said. "That was our goal coming into the week and we accomplished it. We\'re very happy with the way we played, but we made some mistakes out there. We're just trying to get better week after week."\nThrough the air, Randle El completed only nine passes for 111 yards. The focus during the week was to try to run the ball in the middle of the Hawkeye defense. Randle El said the game was made easier because Iowa\'s defense played the same scheme it has played all year.\n"We went into the game saying we were going to take what they were giving us," Randle El said. "If we don\'t have to pass, we won't. (Iowa) ran everything we worked on in practice."\nEven though the Hawkeyes put up 33 points and 532 yards of offense, IU showed some flashes of strength on defense.\nWith Iowa playing freshman quarterback Jon Beutjer, IU defensive coordinator James Bell sent a number of blitzes that kept the Hawkeye offense periodically off balance. Beutjer threw four touchdown passes, but was sacked four times by junior linebacker Justin Smith -- who was named to the preliminary Butkus Award Watch List.\nSmith, who had 13 tackles overall, said some things just happened to work out for him Saturday in order to make the plays he did.\n"We really didn\'t do anything different," Smith said. "It's a simple scheme, but we still have some kinks. It\'s just a matter of time."\nIn what seems to be the normal pattern of a football game, the Hoosiers got off to a quick start before losing control. Even though the first offensive play was a 21-yard reception by senior wide receiver Versie Gaddis, Randle El and his feet sparked the rest of IU\'s initial drive. The Hoosiers scored when junior receiver Derin Graham recovered Randle El\'s fumble in the end zone with 10:23 left in the first quarter.\nAfter a second consecutive defensive stop, it was Williams\' turn to showcase his running ability. Williams rushed eight times on the drive for 53 yards, including a three-yard touchdown run to give the Hoosiers a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.\nThe Hawkeyes used a fumble by freshman running back Brian Lewis in the fourth quarter to make things interesting. Beutjer connected with junior wide receiver Chris Oliver for a 69-yard touchdown with 1:32 left in the fourth.\nDespite the late heroics of Beutjer and his strong arm, Cameron knew his quarterback would not stand to lose Saturday night.\n"(Randle El) was not going to let us get beat," Cameron said.