Seniors say goodbye while freshmen shine

For eight senior Hoosier football players, Saturday's 24-16 loss to Purdue marked not only the end of a season but also the end of their careers. Those eight donned the cream and crimson one last time on Senior Day at Memorial Stadium and nearly came away with an upset victory, despite IU's being a heavy underdog to the No. 16 ranked Boilermakers.\n"It's disappointing, but I know how hard we played. I know how hard we fought," senior safety Joe Gonzalez said. "Losing is never fun, especially the bucket game, but no better way to go out than to go out with a fight."\nMuch of IU's relatively small senior class -- Gonzalez, wideout Glenn Johnson, cornerback Duane Stone, defensive tackle Courtney Young, running back Brian Lewis, kicker Adam Braucher and safeties Matt Calvert and Matt Foss -- contributed to the Hoosier effort.\nJohnson led the team in receiving with 51 yards on four catches, Stone returned a lateral for 14 yards and Gonzalez had four tackles, including one for a loss.\nIU coach Gerry DiNardo said he thanked his seniors for what they brought to the program.\n"After the game, I thanked them for their two years," DiNardo said. "Coaching changes are always a hard thing, and it's hardest on the older guys. I told them when we do go to postseason in the future, they will be part of the reason why."\nIU loses two of its biggest defensive leaders in Gonzalez and Stone. Gonzalez was one of IU's two captains and Stone started every game for IU this season, picking off a pass and defending six more.\nGonzalez, who had four tackles Saturday, said after the game, moving on is an emotional transition.\n"It goes by fast," he said. "It's kind of funny how this place grows on you. When you're a freshman, you can't wait for things to speed up because you're kind of lost. When you're a sophomore, junior, this place starts to feel like home a little bit. And when you're a senior, you'd do anything in your power to stay one more year if you could."\nStone did get in on one last big play for IU. In the fourth quarter, he helped set up a field goal when freshman Cedric Henry picked off a pass from Purdue quarterback Kyle Orton and lateralled it to Stone before being tackled. He picked the ball off the ground and returned it 14 yards, setting up IU's last field goal.\nStone said he's confident moving on because of how well the freshman class has played this year. Henry had a fumble recovery and the interception, and freshman running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis led the way offensively, totaling 163 yards on the ground and one touchdown. \n"I know Ced is going to step up, Ben is going to step up," Stone said. "And more than just them, they just had their opportunities today. This team is headed in the right direction."\nGreen-Ellis said he would have liked to win the game for the seniors, but the freshman class is ready to assume the leadership the football team is losing. \n"For the seniors, this was their last game, and you want to go out with a win and a bowl game," Green-Ellis said. "Neither one of those happened today, so we just have to try harder for next year's seniors. Our freshman class, we'll be OK. Now we're veterans. We've got to go out and play like it next year."\n-- Contact staff writer Gavin Lesnick at glesnick@indiana.edu.