Beat-up IU football team hits the road

The score was not the only painful thing about IU’s loss to Michigan State. The list of Hoosiers wounded almost out distanced the number of mistakes. 

The Hoosiers (2-2) have little time to rest, as they head to Minneapolis – their first road trip of the year – this weekend to take on a rising Minnesota (4-1) team led by Eric Decker, one of the top pass-catchers in the nation.

“They have an outstanding quarterback, a very good wideout in Decker, and the defense is very sound,” IU coach Bill Lynch said to the media Tuesday. “They have some new guys over there that are very athletic.”

Decker, a 6-foot-2, 215-pound Cold Spring, Minn., native, is currently No. 14 and No. 6 in the nation in receiving yards per game and total receiving yards, respectively.

“Decker is very, very good” Lynch said. “And they use him in a lot of different places. They move him around so you have to find him in the formation.”

Finding Decker will be a steep task for the Hoosiers’ dinged-up secondary.

“Safety-wise, I don’t know where we will be by the end of the week,” Lynch said. “Austin (Thomas) and Nick (Polk) are a lot further along than they were at this point last week. And they worked out (Monday) like the rest of the guys, so they weren’t just off to the side.”

Lynch praised how Joe Kleinsmith and Brandon Mosley filled in for Thomas and Polk last weekend.

“I thought they played a solid game Saturday ... that’s a tough game for safeties too,” he said. “They had to be involved in the run and the play-action pass.”

In practice Tuesday, backup safety Jerimy Finch was not fully dressed out and was sporting a boot on his right leg.

“Jerimy is a little further behind than the other guys right now,” Lynch said. “But by Thursday afternoon, it could all change.”

Other recovering players Tuesday included a good portion of the team’s wide receivers.
Andrew Means appeared to be back in shape after leaving Saturday’s game with a swollen knee (bursitis).

“I think he’ll be all right,” Lynch said. “When he gets hit on the knee, it swells up real fast ... If it blows up, it gets tight and you can’t bend it. And if you can’t bend it, you can’t play.”

Means was in full pads and taking reps with the rest of the first-team offense on Tuesday. Lynch said the Hoosiers would be protecting the receiver’s knee from hits during the week.

Others recovering in the receiving corps were Tandon Doss and Terrance Turner.

Like Finch, Doss was in shells Tuesday – just helmet and shoulder pads – after sustaining a knee injury. On Tuesday, Lynch said he was not expecting Doss to play this weekend.

Turner, who had a 97-yard touchdown reception called back on a penalty against the Spartans, was in full pads and taking reps Tuesday, but came up lame after a reception with what appeared to be a tweaked hamstring.

Good news for the Hoosiers is quarterback – and wide receiver, after Saturday’s game – Kellen Lewis is healthy and ready to go in Minneapolis.

“You know how ankles are; some guys bounce back real quick,” Lynch said. “And it didn’t swell up bad, and he was in Sunday and he said it was real good. And he was running on it (Monday). So we are lucky there.”