Despite 3-game skid, Lynch says ‘stay the course’ against visiting Iowa

Bill Lynch stood in front of his team after practice Wednesday ready to address them in one of his final pep talks before Saturday. But the man in the faded gray sweatshirt did something he rarely ever does.

He began to emphatically scream.

Attempting to convey to his players the importance of their game against Iowa this weekend, Lynch broke out of his reserved demeanor because the disappointment about the past three weeks needs to end.

“We’ve got to get it to the fourth quarter, and we’ve got to make plays in the fourth quarter,” Lynch said. “That’s something we haven’t been good at the past three weeks.”

Opponents have out-scored the Hoosiers 23-0 in the final 15 minutes of IU’s three losses, and Lynch cited “a little bit of everything” as areas of improvement.

In August, this was a team with aspirations of becoming the first back-to-back IU bowl contender since the 1990-91 seasons.

Instead, the Hoosiers stand with a lackluster 2-3 record, winless in the Big Ten and familiarly starting in their conference’s cellar.

“It’s done talking about potential with this team,” said wide receiver Andrew Means. “We’ve got to start performing like we can and show people we can play.”

For a team that won seven games last year and went to its first bowl since 1993, most of the Hoosiers do not have a reason why they have entered hibernation mode. They feel the offense has the talent, the defense has the toughness and that football is back in a big way in Bloomington.

However, quarterback Kellen Lewis offered a different explanation – one his teammates opted to disagree with.

“I think right now we have a lack of confidence,” he said. “It’s something we had a lot more last year. We have to come in with that same hunger from last year.”

Lewis’ struggles as a passer, which he acknowledged, have contributed to the team’s slump but is not the sole reason. The defense allowed 42 points to Ball State and Michigan State each, while other miscues such as penalties, dropped passes and turnovers have plagued the Hoosiers.

If IU can draw productivity from both sides of the football at the same time, on paper, they appear to be better than Iowa. The Hawkeyes are averaging just under 17 points during the last four weeks.

But what their offense does have is a hard north-to-south runner in Shonn Greene. IU has already faced a high-caliber running back in Javon Ringer, which junior linebacker Geno Johnson said should adequately prepare them for Saturday.

“We’re going to take things from that game and how we limited Javon Ringer in gaining yards,” he said. “We’re going to take that same aspect of motivation that we had toward the Michigan State game into the Iowa game because it’s going to be another physical game.”

While the defense will make its living by clogging the holes up front, the Hoosiers need Lewis to transform back into the standout player who has a propensity to create something out of a broken-down play. Lewis does lead the team in rushing but has thrown for four touchdowns against four interceptions.

The last two times IU has played Iowa, Lewis relied heavily on James Hardy. Hardy torched the Hawkeyes in his career, catching five touchdowns and accumulating 420 yards in three games.

But Hardy is no longer a Hoosier and IU needs to find a new way to beat a physical Iowa team for the third straight year.

For Lynch, that means a continuation of the style of play the Hoosiers have tried to be successful at this year.

“I certainly think it’s important that we stay the course and don’t panic,” Lynch said. “Because what we do has been proven, and we can play well in games.”