IU football season ends in tears

When Terry Hoeppner's first season as IU coach ended Saturday, he didn't want to leave the field. \nInstead, the coach snuck a glance at the Old Oaken Bucket -- just as it was raised skyward by a group of Boilermakers.\nHoeppner was forced to swallow the black and gold celebration Saturday as his Hoosiers dropped their eighth bucket game in nine years, 41-14, and Hoeppner ended his first season as IU head coach with a 4-7 record.\n"I wanted to soak it in and absorb it," Hoeppner said of Purdue's post-game celebration. "I didn't want to turn the page yet. I want that to be frozen in my mind to provide even further resolve for the winter, spring and summer."\nHoeppner became emotional after the game Saturday, choking up and ending his press conference early. The teary coach described the decision he made to take over a downtrodden IU football program and the personal effects of the Hoosiers' disappointing season. \n"There's no buyer's remorse here," Hoeppner said. "If I knew then what I know now, I'd still take the job, because I love this University ... For me, the saddest part is that we don't have a game next week."\nIU began Hoeppner's last 2005 game with two defensive stops and a long scoring drive, putting them on top early. Sophomore quarterback Blake Powers led the Hoosiers down the field and punched in a nine-yard rushing touchdown. \nBut Hoeppner and the Hoosiers were plagued by a second quarter that saw them commit four turnovers and surrender good field position to Purdue's offense. \nThe Boilermakers responded by burying IU with three touchdowns and a field goal -- taking a 27-7 lead into halftime. \nIt was the second week in a row that the Hoosiers scored first on an opponent only to yield successive scores on their way to a loss. One week ago at Michigan, Powers connected with junior wideout Jakheen Gilmore for a 42-yard touchdown pass before the Wolverines put up 41 consecutive points on the way to a rout.\nMissed opportunities were especially costly Saturday at Memorial Stadium, Hoeppner said.\n"We had the chances to really swing the momentum in this game our way," he said. "It's a game of turnovers. We've learned that the hard way." \nThe loss to Purdue caps Hoeppner's first season and first Hoosier losing streak. The slide -- which included six straight losses to close the season -- took IU from a 4-1 start to a 4-7 finish and no bowl game. \n"We killed ourselves," said freshman wideout James Hardy. "We have a lot of guys on this team with a lot of energy and we had high expectations. We need to start next season the way we started this year but we need to finish the season much better. We've got a lot of people willing to work very hard to get that done."\nPowers echoed the forward-thinking philosophy of IU's returning starters as the Hoosiers attempt to rebound from the loss of key seniors on the offensive and defensive line and at the linebacker position. \n"We have got to work on all areas of our game and realize that every position can get better," Powers said. "We are going to come back out during the offseason and work hard and make a go at it again next year"