The wait is over

The long wait is over.\nFor new head coach Terry Hoeppner and the IU football team, months of preparation, practice and press conferences culminate today in the team's first game at Central Michigan University. \nFor returning players, the game serves as the beginning of a new chapter in their IU football stories. For Hoeppner, the game marks the beginning of a whole new one.\n"I can't wait," the first-year coach said. "When we get under the goalposts and run out onto the field, I'll be getting goosebumps." \nBefore the large-scale returns from Athletics Director Rick Greenspan's investment in Hoeppner can be measured, the Hoosiers will have to, in classic sports cliché fashion, "take one game at a time," a stretch that begins with a 7:30 p.m. start tonight against the Chippewas. \nCentral Michigan, a program continuing to rebound from recent poor years, has lost its last two games against IU. Last year, the Hoosiers dominated the Chippewas, opening up the contest in the third quarter with an interception that eventually resulted in a 96-yard touchdown pass.\nDespite IU's recent success against their northern foe, Hoeppner isn't taking the opener lightly. \n"We are mentally prepared to go in there and win," he said. "They have some outstanding players. When we step between the lines, we better be ready to play 60 minutes of football."\nA new coaching staff came along with the off-season acquisition of Hoeppner, including many of his former assistants from the University of Miami (Ohio). Also included in the package was Hoeppner's wide-open offensive scheme, a system that features up-tempo pacing and spread sets. \n"The new system's been great from a player's standpoint," senior wide-receiver Jakheen Gilmore said. "You feel like a player on the old 49ers teams when you get out there and throw it around like that."\nBesides the new coaching staff and system, IU will feature many new and unheralded faces at plenty of its positions. Sophomore Blake Powers will be taking over the reins at quarterback, and will be throwing to a fresh corps of receivers. At running back, the vacancy left by transfer and former team-leading rusher Ben-Jarvis Green Ellis will be filled by senior Chris Taylor. \nSenior Joe Pannozzo will make an unusual transition for the Hoosiers this fall, as the former fullback will cross over to middle linebacker. \n"I just want to do my best to help this team out," Pannozzo said, discussing the switch. "This team could be really good. I don't want to rule anything out because we see all 11 of the teams on our schedule as beatable."\nDespite all the uncertainty surrounding the new-look Hoosiers, at least one thing is for sure -- Hoeppner doesn't want to lose anytime soon. \n"We are going to win," he said. "That is what I believe. If you think you can, you can. If you think you can't, you can't"