Hoosiers fall to Wolverines, end hopes of bowl berth

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Somebody will have to cut the bracelet off IU coach Terry Hoeppner's wrist. \nLast weekend, Hoeppner said he refused to give up on the Hoosiers' chances at a bowl berth. The bracelet, which says "Play 12," was worn by Hoeppner and the entire team as a symbol of IU's season goal.\nBut after Saturday's 41-14 loss to the Michigan Wolverines, the Hoosiers fell short of their goal.\n"We were ready to play, and we wanted the ball (to start the game)," Hoeppner said. "We came out well, but we couldn't take advantage. Michigan played a perfect first half."\nAfter Michigan won the coin toss and deferred, IU started with the ball at its own 35. The Hoosiers marched down the field, completing four first downs. Sophomore quarterback Blake Powers capped off the 65-yard drive with a 42-yard touchdown pass to senior receiver Jahkeen Gilmore. The touchdown marked the Hoosiers' first opening drive score of the Big Ten season, as well as the last touchdown the team would score for more than 48 minutes.\n"It was good for our confidence and good to know that we could take the ball down and score on a good team like that," Powers said. "We gotta take the momentum and make something better out of that. I don't think it was what they did as much as what we didn't do. We didn't execute."\nPowers was pulled from the game in the second quarter after throwing his only interception of the day to Michigan linebacker Prescott Burgess. He was replaced by junior backup Graeme McFarland. \n"We just wanted to shake things up," Hoeppner said. "Graeme's been practicing so well lately, and we wanted to give Blake a chance to catch his breath."\nThe switch failed to yield any tangible difference in IU's offensive effectiveness, as Michigan closed the half with a 41-7 lead. \nIU was victimized by long special teams runs from Steve Breaston, who amassed 201 all-purpose yards, and the pounding running attack of Kevin Grady, who ran 14 times for 94 yards and two touchdowns.\nStarting quarterback Chad Henne, who was benched at the end of the first half, completed 17 of his 24 passes for 174 yards and three touchdowns. \n"I'm extremely proud of this team for not quitting," Hoeppner said. "That was a tough second half to come out and play. These guys fought hard."\nFreshman defensive lineman Greg Brown, who recorded a sack and a fumble recovery in the game, said despite the loss, the defense was proud of its second half performance.\n"Basically all the coaches told the defense to do was to keep fighting," Brown said. "We came out (this season) wanting to 'Play 12.' This hurts."\nThe Hoosier offense struggled throughout the game after its opening drive touchdown. As of halftime, it accumulated six first downs and 60 rushing yards. But by the end of the day, IU's offense tallied only nine first downs and 63 rushing yards.\nFreshman receiver James Hardy, who leads the team in all receiving categories, did not travel with the team. The team was also without freshman receiver James Bailey, who will also sit out the Hoosiers' season finale against Purdue because of suspension.\n"You always wanna be healthy, but no team ever goes through the season with no injuries," Powers said. "We can't focus on that."\nWith the loss, the Hoosiers fell to 4-6 on the season, extinguishing any hopes of a bowl berth. But there is still one game remaining, an opportunity to recapture the Old Oaken Bucket from rival Purdue at 1 p.m. Saturday in one of the nation's oldest rivalry games. \n"This is my first bucket game," Hoeppner said. "It's going to be an exciting week. You can bet I'm going to be intense this week. We're going to get ready for the Boilers"