One Last Time

One last hurrah. \nThe 2004 class of Hoosier football players will suit up for the final time at Memorial Stadium Saturday against the 2-7 Penn State Nittany Lions. While 18 players will say goodbye to their home turf, all the players remain vigilant in their quest to beat Penn State despite the lack of a bowl bid.\nSenior safety Herana-Daze Jones said the team still has high expectations for Saturday's game, and he fully believes the Hoosiers can pull out a victory.\n"We still have a lot of pride on this team, and that's what we're feeling," Jones said. "We're just going to go out and play hard, and we're going to try and get the 'W.'"\nWhile the team intends to give its all on the field, Jones said the realization of this being his last home game has not fully registered with him. \n"In anything you do, there's always a time to move on, but it is sentimental as the last time I get to play. But I think the last game will be a bit more sentimental than the last home game," Jones said. \nFellow senior Courtney Roby had some of the same sentiments about the game. However, for Roby, the game will stir up a mixture of emotions. \n"It'll definitely hit me after the game on Saturday," Roby said. "I don't think it has really hit me that much yet, but I'm looking forward to it ... At the same time, it's going to be emotional to not be able to play on our home turf anymore." \nUnderclassmen also remain vigilant in their goal to give the Nittany Lions a loss for the first time in series history. Sophomore tight end Chris Rudanovic said his game will be dedicated to injured senior tight end Aaron Halterman, who sustained an injury in last week's game against Illinois.\n"It's huge, especially for Aaron (Halterman)," Rudanovic said. "Aaron went down, and he's a senior ... This is his last home game, even though he's not even playing in it, and I want to play as hard as I can for him. And I definitely want to win for the other seniors because they deserve it after not going to a bowl game in their careers."\nAs for Penn State, the team brings a talented core of defenders to the table. IU coach Gerry DiNardo said their talent level on defense belies their 2-7 record with complete players at every defensive position. \n"Their talent level is extremely high, and they play very well," DiNardo said. "The other thing that makes them very good is that they have at least one playmaker at each position. They have at least one difference-maker at defensive line, linebacker and secondary."\nDefensively, the Nittany Lions are led by sophomore linebacker Paul Posluszny, who comes into the game with 76 tackles and eight tackles for loss. On the offensive side of the ball, Penn State has struggled this season, as the team only averages 15.1 points per game. \nWhile the Nittany Lions rank last in the Big Ten in total offense, Jones said he is taking nothing for granted in the contest because of their past success against the Hoosiers. During the Gerry DiNardo era, IU has been decimated by Penn State, as the Nittany Lions have outscored the Hoosiers 110-32. \n"All I have to say about their offense is that every time they play us, they seem to do really good," Jones joked. "I am really worried about their 'struggles' on offense -- just like Ohio State was struggling on offense, and they had a good offensive game against us."\nAs much as Penn State has been plagued with troubles on the offensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers have suffered the same fate on the defensive side. Thus far, IU has given up 434.3 yards per game and has been hurt on the ground with opponents averaging 5.2 yards per carry. IU currently ranks second to last in total defense and rushing defense.\nRegardless of the outcome, the IU underclassmen are hoping to pay some homage to the leadership the 2004 senior class has shown. Junior linebacker Paul Szczesny said the seniors will be greatly missed, both for their leadership on the field and their friendship off the field.\n"We're going to miss them a lot," Szczesny said. "They've really been some great leaders, and they helped us out a lot this year with both their work ethic and their play. They lead by example, and we're going to miss those guys." \n-- Contact staff writer Dan Patrick at djpatric@indiana.edu.