Baby steps

Given its early season performance, it might be difficult for IU fans to remember how young IU's wide receiving corps really is. \nThe Hoosier offense delivered a reminder to that effect Saturday as the IU passing game continued its recent streak of inefficiency marked by key drops and injuries among its receivers in a 42-21 loss to Minnesota. \n"We made some good catches and some good plays out there," IU coach Terry Hoeppner said. "Unfortunately, we also had a lot of drops. It's something we need to clean up."\nSophomore quarterback Blake Powers completed 26 passes on 43 attempts for 253 yards, but the Hoosiers failed to string big passing plays together.\nFreshman Marcus Thigpen led IU with five catches for 83 yards, but exemplified IU's struggles in mastering its offensive timing, dropping several passes on key third downs.\nThe passing game wasn't all missed opportunities and lack of execution, though. In the second quarter, Powers exhibited shades of his early-season form delivering a pair of passes to James Bailey to set up one score, and a pair to Thigpen and junior Jahkeen Gilmore en route to another. \nThe Hoosiers lost track of that form, though, and the passing game faded into inconsistency for the rest of the day. \nThe wideouts, on which Hoeppner's spread system has thrived, feature only one upperclassman -- Gilmore. But the youth has often been overlooked thanks to surprising freshman season performances from Hardy and Thigpen.\nSaturday's game was a reminder that the most productive element of the team is also one of its most inexperienced, Hoeppner said.\n"This was a position that was a strength for us early in the year," he said, addressing drops that crippled the Hoosiers. "(The receivers) did not have a great day as a group. When we ran the ball better, it should've really opened things up, but we didn't continue to play hard when we needed to."\nThe story of Powers' year might serve as the best metaphor for his receivers' year-long ups and downs. \nLed by Hardy, the young wideouts helped Powers break Antwaan Randle-El's single-season touchdown record of 18 touchdown passes in his first five games. \nIn the four contests since breaking that record, however, Powers has thrown only three touchdowns, and the IU offense has been consistently overwhelmed by opposing defenses. \nOn Saturday, Hardy had only one reception for seven yards and left the game in the third quarter with an undisclosed injury. \nPowers said the sporadic nature of this season was evident in the contrast of the second and third quarters Saturday.\n"The best part of this season was like when we were at halftime -- pumped up and ready to go," he said. "The worst parts of this year were like that third quarter when we fell flat."\nGilmore said neither he nor his fellow wideouts were ready to concede to poor play as a position, though.\n"This season isn't over yet," he said. "Everybody's upset about the way we played, but we're not done yet. We're going to keep fighting and keep getting better. That's all you can do"