Golden opportunity for Hoosiers

The Hoosiers finally could catch a break this season. After two tough road trips and two tough losses, the team returns to Bloomington to face Minnesota during Homecoming weekend. Since IU's upset over then-No. 24 Oregon, the team has been on a steady decline despite increasingly good play. \nThe Hoosiers now have the chance to right the ship, but it won't be easy. The No. 23-ranked Golden Gophers are 6-2 (3-2 Big Ten) this season, and they have one of the more prolific offenses in the country, featuring the two-tailback tandem of Laurence Maroney and Marion Barber III.\nA win this weekend for the Hoosiers could change their season, though that doesn't necessarily mean a win against Minnesota would send the Hoosiers to a bowl game. After Minnesota, IU has two games against conference cupcakes Illinois and Penn State, so we could potentially see a nice little win streak happening if the Hoosiers are able to prevail over the Golden Gophers Saturday afternoon.\nUnfortunately for the Hoosiers, a victory over Minnesota seems unlikely. The Hoosiers have a difficult time stopping runs, which is bad news because the Golden Gophers like to run -- a lot. Together, Minnesota's top two tailbacks have combined to rush for 1,757 yards already this season. Comparably, the Hoosiers' top two tailbacks have combined to rush for just 637 yards. This does not bode well for the IU defense that has allowed almost 5-1/2 yards per carry to opponents this season.\nOffensively, who knows which Hoosier team will show up? Quarterback Matt LoVecchio has been more effective through the air, yet the running game has come to a halt. BenJarvus Green-Ellis has seen his yards per carry fall to an average of exactly three yards over the past three games, while backup tailback Chris Taylor continues to state his case for the starting job. Hopefully Gerry and Co. will give Taylor more carries against Minnesota because the IU running game will suffer for yet another weekend otherwise.\nThe benefit of Homecoming weekend usually doesn't have much effect on football games anymore, yet the Hoosiers do have a definite advantage working in their favor this weekend. Back in 2000, the Golden Gophers came to Bloomington during Homecoming weekend, and similarly, the Hoosiers entered that game with just two wins. In a back and forth game that saw absolutely no defense, the Hoosiers came out on top, 51-43. At the time, Minnesota was the conference front runner with a 5-2 overall record. This year, Minnesota is 6-2 and still stands a chance to make a run at a Big Ten title.\nHopefully Homecoming weekend will provide the Hoosiers with a little spark. If they are able to pull out a victory, their season, which was considered dead after losing to Northwestern and Ohio State, will still have a little life left in it.