Freshmen receivers Hardy and Marcus Thigpen led all Hoosier receivers with performances of 107 and 92 yards, respectively. Hardy became the first freshman receiver to gain more than 100 yards in a game since Oct. 10, 1998, when Levron Williams racked up 105 yards against Ohio State.\n"We made plays when we had to," IU coach Terry Hoeppner said. "James Hardy. Wow, what a special player he's going to be and was for us tonight."\nBoth receivers scored a touchdown in their first collegiate contest. Hardy followed his 21-yard touchdown reception with a spectacular one-handed grab on a 54-yard pass that set up the second Hoosier touchdown. Thigpen created some magic of his own, scoring a 74-yard touchdown -- the majority of those yards coming after the catch -- that gave the Hoosiers a 20-13 lead. The freshman duo showed they could rise up and play at the Division I level.\n"We had confidence before the game," Hardy said. "We talk about it every day while watching film. We knew this was going to happen."
Hoosiers get \nlucky break\nThe first Hoosier touchdown almost never happened. After falling behind 3-0, IU's senior defensive end Ben Ishola fumbled the pooch kick by Central Michigan kicker Mike Gruzwalski. As the Central Michigan special teams unit celebrated the turnover, it overlooked the penalty flag lying on the field. The refs flagged the Chippewas for illegal procedure because they did not have at least four men lined up on each side of the ball during the kickoff.\nThe Hoosiers held on to the football during the re-kick, starting their drive near midfield. After a slow first quarter offensively, the Hoosiers took advantage of the Chippewa penalty. Less than three minutes later, sophomore quarterback Blake Powers connected with freshman James Hardy on a 21-yard touchdown pass, giving the Hoosiers a 7-3 advantage.\n"We got a break on the one we dropped," Hoeppner said. "That gave us great field position, and we were able to take advantage of it."
Chippewa kickoffs \navoid Bennett\nJunior wide receiver Lance Bennett only ran for 50 return yards on his combined five punt and kickoff returns, but his presence on the field gave IU a significant advantage in starting field position. Central Michigan utilized an unorthodox kicking strategy by kicking the ball high and short to minimize the touches Bennett had with the football.\n"You have to give them credit," Hoeppner said. "They had a good plan for us. They had great respect for our kick-return team."\nBennett finished the 2004 season ranked No. 4 in the nation in kickoff returns, averaging 30 yards per return. His 98-yard kickoff return against Oregon last season stands as the second-longest in school history. Two weeks later against Michigan State, Bennett set the school record with a 94-yard punt return for a touchdown.
Foolish penalties \nhurt Hoosiers\nThe Hoosiers lost 78 yards on 10 penalties during the game. Not only did the Hoosiers commit a high number of penalties, but they came at inopportune times.\nIU was called for a personal foul on punt coverage with 6:11 left in the third quarter, which offset a personal foul on Central Michigan. A holding call negated a first-down run by senior running back Yamar Washington with 12:16 left in the fourth quarter. Two plays later on the same drive, a false start cost the Hoosier offense five more yards, killing the drive.\n"I was hoping we would be efficient and it would be like clockwork," Hoeppner said. "But I wasn't that surprised that some of those things \nhappened"
