High hopes bowl over DiNardo

CHICAGO -- It has been 11 years since IU football fans watched the Hoosiers play in a bowl game. Coach Gerry DiNardo's goal for 2004 is to not make the fans wait any longer.\n"You want to play in the postseason," DiNardo stated at Big Ten Media Day in Chicago. "Our goals will never change -- have a winning season and win a bowl."\nThis year is the best chance that IU has had under the third-year coach of reaching that goal. IU returns 21 starters, more than any other Big Ten team. In addition, for the first time in DiNardo's tenure, the team has reached the NCAA limit of 85 scholarship players. This, for the coaching staff, is a key for the program.\n"That's a major step, in our opinion, in trying to rebuild our program," DiNardo said. "You can try to upgrade your roster by signing a better player as opposed to trying to balance your roster by numbers."\nThe key for IU in 2004 will be to improve on the offensive side of the ball. The Hoosiers averaged only 14.8 points per game and a paltry 166.5 passing yards per game. Hoosier quarterbacks threw for over 200 yards once in conference play, when they had 204 yards in an overtime loss to Northwestern.\nDespite the troubles of last season, DiNardo said he is confident the team's offensive output will improve.\n"The new strength (of this team) could be explosiveness on offense," DiNardo said. \nThe cream and crimson lost starting wide receiver Glenn Johnson and hope that fifth-year senior Travis Haney can step into the starting offense and complement senior wide receiver Courtney Roby and sophomore running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis.\nCentral to any offensive improvement will be senior quarterback Matt LoVecchio. \n"You look at our situation and where Matt came from, it's a recipe for high expectations," DiNardo said. \nHowever, DiNardo said he believes his signal-caller can live up to the hype this year. \n"(LoVecchio) was the best quarterback at the end of spring practice," DiNardo added. "(He'll) be better in the system because he'll be more comfortable."\nBehind LoVecchio is highly prized recruit Mike Vlahogeorge, who finished high school in December 2003, enrolled early at IU and took part in spring training. Despite getting a step up on other freshmen, it is unlikely that Vlahogeorge will see any playing time this season. \n"He has an 80 percent chance of redshirting, and I suspect that's what'll happen," DiNardo said.\nFor the Hoosiers to have a bowl campaign this season, DiNardo said he believes the team has to have early success. \nThe Hoosiers open the 2004 campaign against non-conference opponents Central Michigan, Oregon and Kentucky, the last two being played on the road. The Hoosiers play six of their 11 games away from Memorial Stadium, the only team in the conference to play the majority of its games on the road.\nDespite all of the potential obstacles, DiNardo said he is cautiously optimistic. \n"I think we have the best team in my three years," DiNardo said. "The issue is will we be good enough, and will we be better than our opponents?"\nFor Hoosier fans hungry for December football, there is hope that they will be.\n"We'll be a better team in 2004," DiNardo said. \n-- Contact staff writer Kevin Switaj at kswitaj@indiana.edu.