IU facing the 'winter of dissatisfaction'

While last offseason was a winter of transition for the IU football team, coach Terry Hoeppner has labeled this offseason a "winter of dissatisfaction."\n"For anyone who needs a change, this is a winter of dissatisfaction," Hoeppner said. "We came out with the goal to 'Play 12' this season and we were unable to do so. Maybe next year our goal will be to 'Play 13.'"\nThe Hoosiers were unsuccessful in their bid for a bowl game for the 11th straight season. But Hoeppner, who said this was his first unsuccessful season as a coach, wasn't the only one left disappointed after the 4-7 season.\n"It's hard not being able to play (in a bowl game)," sophomore quarterback Blake Powers said. "You see all these other teams playing on TV and you just wish you could be in the same boat. The nice thing is that we can start training earlier and hit the weight room."\nAlthough they started off the 2005 campaign 4-1, the Hoosiers went on a six-game losing streak to close out the season. Freshman receiver James Hardy emerged as the team's top offensive player with 61 catches for 893 yards and 10 touchdowns. All three numbers etched Hardy's name into the IU record books and garnered him freshman All-American honors. Injuries slowed down the receiver midway through the season, though, just as the team began falling further out of bowl contention.\n"We have to go into the offseason and work hard and come back out and start next season the same way we began this season," Hardy said in a statement. "We have a lot of young talent on this team. We have a lot of people that come in and want to work hard. I think that is going to carry on into next season."\nIU struggled on the road during the Big Ten portion of the season and was defeated by an average of 24 points in each of the losses. \nThe Hoosiers will now be forced to compensate for the loss of several senior starters, but Powers said he is confident the team can fill the voids.\n"I think we're improved from years past, but we have a lot more improvement left to make," Powers said. "The two biggest positions that we need to make up for losses at are offensive line and linebacker. That's the biggest focus for coaches. But they're going to look at guys on the team who are capable and who can step it up."\nHoeppner said he hopes to make improvements with the Hoosiers' overall quickness and speed in the offseason, something the team can improve upon through recruiting.\n"We will be much younger next year," Hoeppner said. "For now, we're on the road working hard (recruiting). We need to recruit guys with quickness and speed and just improve overall"