Indiana hopes to rebound after another poor game

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The critiques from Indiana's coaches are getting harsher by the loss.

This week, they're saying the Hoosiers have taken a step backward, that the receivers lack productivity and the defense played scared at Wisconsin.

New coach Kevin Wilson's tough message seems to be resonating in the Hoosiers' locker room after the team lost its fourth straight game.

"I feel like it's been the same problem since Day 1," sophomore receiver Kofi Hughes said Tuesday, referring to the team's play. "We've got to turn the page and start doing something that's working."

It doesn't get much more succinct than that.

The Hoosiers (1-6, 0-3 Big Ten) still have not beaten a Football Bowl Subdivision foe and must now rebound from their most embarrassing loss of the season. Wilson and his assistants weren't just upset with Saturday's 52-point drubbing by the Badgers, they were dismayed over by the poor effort they showed up on film.

"Last week, we laid an egg," co-defensive coordinator Mike Ekeler said. "They played uninspired, they played undisciplined, they played like they were scared and we've addressed it."

Those are fighting words in football, and that's exactly how Wilson and his staff hope the Hoosiers respond this week as they prepare to visit Iowa (4-2, 1-1).

The straight-talking Wilson has never shied away from giving his opinions, a marked change from previous Indiana coaches.

At times, his brutal honesty can rub players the wrong way.

At least half a dozen have quit the team since practice began in August, and the continual mistakes have led to myriad lineup changes. Sixteen true freshmen have already made their college debuts, and Wilson is content to let the youngsters keep playing over the upperclassmen if he doesn't see improvements in practice.

On Saturday, Wilson benched tight end Ted Bolser after only 15 plays. The redshirt sophomore caught five TDs last season.

"He had two holds and a (illegal) procedure," Wilson said. "So I had seen enough."

He's had just about enough, too.

Wilson left one of the nation's top offenses behind at Oklahoma when he took the Indiana job, but the Hoosiers have struggled to score points because of constant mistakes.

Indiana is averaging only 12.3 points in three Big Ten games. Only Minnesota (8.5) has been worse. The Hoosiers have topped 30 points only twice all season including their lone victory, 38-21 over South Carolina State.

Wilson has tried four different quarterbacks - Ed Wright-Baker, Dusty Kiel, Tre Roberson and Hughes in the wildcat formation - this season, yet none have produced the desired results. The four have combined to go 138 of 248 for 1,564 yards with seven touchdowns and six interceptons.

And although Wilson acknowledges the completion percentage should be closer to 70 percent, instead of 55.6 percent, and that the passing game is "falling off," he's blaming everyone.

"I don't think the quarterbacks trust the line, I don't think the receivers play with speed, the whole offense is out of sync," Wilson said. "Our receivers, we play very fast on passing plays and they jog off the line on running plays."

Hughes said the coaches have demonstrated the differences on film, and he said it was obvious enough to tip off opposing defenses. Hughes believes that problem will be rectified this week.

Defensively, it's been almost as tough.

Four of Indiana's defensive starters are true freshmen or redshirt freshmen, but inexperience doesn't seem to be the problem. It's effort and tenacity.

"I take responsibility for it because it looked like we were uncoached," he said, referring to last week's loss. "It looked like we were uninspired."

Players are determined to change their impression.

"You try to prove them wrong," defensive tackle Larry Black Jr. said. "Some people did look scared, but we know we're capable of doing better things. It's about bringing your A game every day."

And that's what Wilson wants to start seeing, too.

"We take tests like you do as a student, and we play in front of a lot of people so there's a lot of stress out there," Wilson said. "But you need to take pride in being a good Big Ten football team, not just being happy to be a Big Ten team."