Believing in 13

Somewhere, Terry Hoeppner is smiling.\nWhether he saw the game will forever be unknown, but what happened at Memorial Stadium on Saturday night vindicated a program that has not gone to a bowl game since 1993. A 27-24 victory over Purdue (7-5, 3-5) to win the Old Oaken Bucket and most likely take IU to a bowl game did more than just satisfy the Hoosier football team.\n“I am so honored to be a part of this,” said Jane Hoeppner, whose husband believed that a bowl for the Hoosiers was possible. “This is a huge thing for Indiana University. Terry used to say ‘It’s not a good school, it’s a great school.’”\nJumping out to a 24-3 lead, Purdue rallied in the second half to tie the game at 24-24 with only 3:39 to play. At that point, it seemed as if the Hoosiers’ (7-5, 3-5) bowl drought might continue for yet another year.\nBut nobody told that to junior kicker Austin Starr or sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis.\nOn the Hoosiers’ final drive of the game, Lewis completed 5-of-6 passes for 41 yards, reaching the Purdue 31-yard line to give Starr a chance to hit the game-winning field goal.\nEven before he kicked it, Starr knew the ball would go through the uprights.\n“Honestly, I had a dream about me doing this,” Starr said. “I can’t tell you how far it was in the dream, but I did envision that. I prepared myself the entire week to be the guy in order to beat Purdue.”\nAveraging 162.5 yards on the ground (good for 69th in the nation) heading into the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket, the Hoosier front seven clamped down, allowing the Boilermakers only 78 yards rushing. Sophomore defensive lineman Greg Middleton led a fierce pass rush as he finished with 2.5 sacks. Middleton now has 15 sacks on the year, a school record.\nOn the other side of the ball, the Hoosiers’ offense rushed for 219 yards and accumulated 435 yards of total offense.\nJunior running back Marcus Thigpen, who had not reached 100 yards rushing the entire season, amassed 140 yards on the day – a career high.\n“It’s crazy, this feels like a dream right now,” Thigpen said. “It doesn’t even seem real.”\nThe first half gave IU every possible opportunity to take control of the game, and they graciously accepted the challenge. After holding Purdue to two meaningless drives, the Hoosiers embarked on a drive starting from their own 5-yard line. Lewis completed all four of his passes, and followed that up by running from nine yards out for the score.\nWith five minutes to go in the first half, Purdue recorded its first score on a 37-yard field goal. Even though the Boilermakers had begun to close the gap, the Hoosiers answered with a 42-yard field goal.\nThen things got even better.\nAs Purdue attempted to drive in the final two minutes, wide receiver Greg Orton fumbled, and junior safety Joe Kleinsmith recovered to give the Hoosiers a short field. Eight plays later, junior wide receiver James Hardy clutched the ball in the end zone, and the Hoosiers walked into the tunnel with a 17-3 lead at the half.\nAn 8-yard run from Lewis stretched IU’s lead to 24-3 with 11:29 remaining in the third quarter, but Purdue exhausted every effort to get back into the game.\nPurdue running back Kory Sheets ran in from the 1-yard line twice, and quarterback Curtis Painter hit wide receiver Jake Standeford for 5 yards and the score. But the Boilermakers’ comeback fell just short.\nAs the fans swarmed Memorial Stadium, the Hoosiers celebrated in triumph and awe, knowing playing in a bowl game was no longer a figment of their imagination – it was close to being a reality.\n“This season, this game, is for Coach Hep,” Starr said. “I don’t know where the party’s at. It’s probably all over campus, but I’m probably not going to sleep tonight.”