Last Stand at the 'Rock'

IU coach Terry Hoeppner fined junior cornerback Tracy Porter at Tuesday's practice. No, it wasn't for speeding down 10th Street or littering in the arboretum. Hoeppner fined the junior because he committed the cardinal sin of a cornerback: He got beat by his man.\n"I'm not making excuses, but I broke on a ball and didn't make the play so (the receiver) caught the ball," Porter explained afterward. "Just a little fine that we have." \nAnd what kind of fine will it be? \n"He hasn't told me," Porter said. "He just told me I'm getting fined, maybe a little running."\nPorter's punishment came just days after Minnesota quarterback Bryan Cupito torched the IU secondary for more than 378 passing yards and four touchdowns in last Saturday's 63-26 loss.\nWith No. 2 Michigan coming to town Saturday, the Hoosiers have been working to improve their secondary play. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 at Memorial Stadium, and the game will be televised on ESPN.\n"The biggest thing coming from the secondary is to get our eyes out of the backfield," Porter said. "We have a tendency to key on the quarterback and watching what he does. We did a better job on that today (in practice) focusing on your guy and your assignment."\nThe IU secondary will be put to the test against a Michigan receiving corps that is welcoming back star sophomore Mario Manningham. The receiver came off the bench in last weekend's win against Ball State but did not have any catches. He had missed the previous three games with a torn meniscus in his knee that required surgery.\n"Really, their offense has missed Manningham the last four games," senior safety Will Meyers said. "But he adds a totally new element to their offense, which is down field, big play making. We're going to have to keep him contained, not give up the big plays like we did last week."\nWhile IU will have to contend with Manningham's play-making ability, the Hoosiers might be catching Michigan at the right time. The Wolverines are coming off a 34-26 victory against Ball State in which the Cardinals had a chance to tie the game in the fourth quarter.\n"Ball State just played very well," Hoeppner said during his weekly press conference. "I know our players have already watched that game. We pointed it out. Anything can happen on any given Saturday."\nWith the opportunity to upset the No. 2 team in the nation and possibly clinch bowl eligibility with a sixth win, IU has plenty on its plate this weekend. Saturday's game is even more important for the senior class, which will be playing its last home game at Memorial Stadium.\n"A lot of stuff is going through my head," Meyers said. "Sixth win, bowl game, last home game, No. 2 team in the country, just a lot of things. But the No. 1 thing is to go out on the right note. Not only with how the team plays, but also myself. I want to play a good game -- just try to help our defense out and get a win"