If you are old enough and you paid attention to college football before it became the national industry that it is, you know what this picture means. And you also know that this picture is to college football as to what a dinosaur bone is to paleontology. A coach like Paul “Bear” Bryant is not coming again. For that matter, a coach like Nick Saban is not coming again. Yes, you can get excited about your coach. Jump up and down. Enjoy it for a few years. Enjoy it for one season, if you can.
Need proof? Look at Bama’s game today. ESPN’s College Gameday is in Tuscaloosa. Bama is playing Vanderbilt and this Vandy team is not like playing the Gloria Vanderbilt teams of old. This Vandy team can bring it. The Tide must stop them from brining it. Last year in the fifth game of the season, Alabama, ranked #1, showed up in Nashville and was defeated 40-35 by the ‘Dores. That is not a typo. That is a direct reference to the metamorphosis the college football game has undergone. It is the difference between college football and pro-college football. A Vandy game is a must-win. Go ahead, scratch your head too.
When Coach Bryant got to Alabama, the three previous before he got there the Tide went 4-24-1. Bama was 5-4-1 in Coach Bryant’s first season in 1958. His next 24 teams all went to a bowl game. Coach Bryant’s teams won 6 National Championships. How did he do against Vandy? The first two were ties. The next 23 were 22-1. And you better know that 14-10 loss in Nashville in 1969 is still a sore spot for many an old Tide fan.
I had high expectations for this Alabama team at the beginning of the season. They stubbed their toe against Florida State in the first game of the year. Tide fans were the sweethearts they are after the loss. Whether they were burning Coach Kalen DeBoer in effigy or complaining about the way he had redecorated his football office or calling into to Paul Finebaum sounding like Mid-South wrestlers yelling about a “loser leave town match, brother!” Dutch Mantel is alive and well in many a Tide heart.
Why was I high on the Tide coming into the season? Coach Kalen DeBoer is a good coach. I have plenty of faith in his ability to win games. Will Coach Deboer win at Bama for 23 more years running? Not a chance. Between Bear Bryant and Nick Saban there was a list of the man who replaced the man who replaced the man who replaced the man…. until finally Coach Saban came along. The measuring stick is what you get with the Alabama faithful, and it is a funny thing. Bowl games will only get you so far before you are shown the door. Today the Tide will beat the ‘Dores.
And you didn’t know I could write one of these without gushing over the Indiana Hoosiers.
Week 6 Picks
Last week we had 10 winners and 4 losers for the second week in a row. Gotta do better.
Pitt beats Boston College… I hear a QB change is on for Pitt at home today.
Clemson beats North Carolina… Dabo has to beat Belichick… right?
Illinois beats Purdue… The Illini are still fighting the respect-a-meter after getting 63 put on them by the Hoosiers.
Cincinnati beats Iowa State… The Bearcats are always to counted on for at least one good upset a year in Nippert Stadium.
Georgia beats Kentucky… The Cats offense won’t spend enough time on the field.
Michigan beats Wisconsin… The Wolverines at home against a reeling Bucky.
Notre Dame beats Boise State… The Irish will take care of this.
Penn State beats UCLA… Paycheck notwithstanding, you have to believe the UCLA fanbase is missing the days of PAC-12.
Alabama beats Vanderbilt… The Tide will be the team that scores 40 this time around.
Louisville beats Virginia… The Cards got past Pitt with a great second half. This is a resilient bunch of Cards. They need to a better start today and they should have one.
TCU beats Colorado… At home, the Horned Frogs will get this one.
Ohio State beats Minnesota… I will be the one celebrating if my old friend Goldy can get this one!
Texas A&M beats Mississippi State… The Aggies are not an SEC darling. They never will be. They do have a strong team this year. Too much maroon in one stadium for me.
Cal beats Duke… It gets dark on the east coast mighty early. I just don’t see Duke kicking at 10:30 EDT going well.
Enjoy the games. Take your mind off the trainwrecks for a while.
A couple crazy things happened last Saturday night. Indiana University’s Memorial Stadium had a record crowd of 56,088. I’m glad that Memorial Stadium has a strong foundation of Bedford stone. When D’Angelo Ponds blocked and returned Illinois’ first punt for the first Indiana touchdown of the game, I could feel the stone trembling. A wonderful thing it was.
The second crazy thing that happened was this:
By the end of the night, Indiana throttled the #9 ranked Illini 63 to 10. The Hoosiers didn’t throw the ball once in the 4th quarter. This could have been a 70-burger. Coach Cignetti is an old softy. Wrong. He is a great football coach.
A friend of mine texted me these words this week. “The Heisman Trophy favorite plays for us right now. Let that sink in.” Those are nice words. Can I believe it? Yes, I can. Here’s why:
This Indiana O-Line is a special bunch. Never has a quarterback had a Heisman Trophy season without one. You can’t put up numbers if you are not upright. This season, unlike last, the guy at the QB position, Fernando Mendoza, is also a threat to run as well. Defenses have plenty to be concerned about. It all starts with, as Keith Jackson so eloquently put it many years ago, “the big uglies up front”. In the process, Indiana also ran for over 300 yards for a fourth time in four games this season. And this not against Indiana State. This was the University of Illinois.
What of the defense?
This group of eaters sacked Illinois QB Luke Altmyer time and again last Saturday. Seven sacks all told.
I have rooted on the Hoosiers for a long time. Long enough to remember the first four games of this young season have all been at home. I get it. This is not your father’s IU Football. If Indiana goes to Iowa City, I was there the last time they came in as a ranked team, and it was uglier than a bowling shoe, and the Hoosiers win by say 20 or more. This slight grin I am wearing along with a subtle turn of the head will grow exponentially. I sat with some math teachers this week. You get the idea.
Week Five Picks. Last Week: 10 winners and 4 losers.
Louisville beats Pitt… Miller Moss needs a coming out party at Pitt. He also needs to read the field a little better in the pocket to do it.
Notre Dame beats Arkansas… Even though the Hogs are just a few plays away from being undefeated, the Irish will bring a strong run game.
Minnesota beats Rutgers… Goldy will be smiling today. Never mind, he is always smiling.
Illinois beats USC… The Illini will bounce back today and remind the Trojans they are in the Big Ten.
Vandy beats Utah State… Anchors down, anchors away, whatever it is. It is still Vandy.
Ole Miss beats LSU… This is in Oxford. I was there for this matchup a long time ago. The B2 Bomber is to fly over setting the stage for an epic finish.
Ohio State beats Washington… The Buckeyes win. Hard to say. Enough said. Go Huskies!
Mississippi State beats Tennessee… Those cowbells will outdo Rocky Top in Starkville today.
Penn State beats Oregon… In a White Out in Happy Valley. The Hoosiers have both of these teams ahead.
NC State beats Virginia Tech… In Raleigh and the Hokies are reeling.
Alabama over Georgia… Yes. The Tide can’t stay down with this much talent. It will rise and it will roll.
San Jose State over Stanford… Big game for San Jose and the Cardinal goes down.
Kentucky beats South Carolina… Just when you count Mark Stoops out, the shuts you naysayers up for a least a week.
Indiana beats Iowa… Could this be a 5-0 start for the Hoosiers two years in a row? Just another “first” in the line of many that Hoosier fans are basking in. This week former IU coach Cam Cameron said, “I watched that game the other night against Illinois…every single football coach that took the job at Indiana, that’s what they envisioned.” This time it was for real.
It is here. The biggest home game of the season for Indiana Hoosiers. Memorial Stadium will be rocking and rolling tomorrow night.
Week 4 Picks
Arkansas beats Memphis… Coach Pittman needs and will get this one
Louisville beats Bowling Green… Look for the Cards to score 60.
Maryland beats Wisconsin… Looks like things are unravelling in Madison.
Clemson beats Syracuse… The Tigers need to bounce back in a big way. Two losses already.
Texas Tech beats Utah… The Raiders have been playing strong and the Utes have not been tested.
Oregon beats Oregon State… Hopefully this Civil War keeps playing out.
Oklahoma beats Auburn… If this was on the plains I might think otherwise. Never count out Hugh Freeze.
UCF beats North Carolina… The Knights will win this in a close one.
Nebraska beats Michigan… The Huskers are much improved and the Wolverines are not in a good place.
Notre Dame beats Purdue…. We can hope ND joins the Big Ten one day so we can keep this one going, unless you are a Purdue fan.
Ole Miss beats Tulane… Simmons is out a QB but the Rebels will win this at home.
Washington beats Washing State… God bless The Apple Cup.
USC beats Michigan State… Kicks off at 11 PM EDT. There will be some sleepy Spartans at halftime.
Indiana beats Illinois… In the game we have been waiting for, the Hoosiers won’t let this chance leave them behind. Cooper Jr., Williams Jr., and Sarratt compile the best trio of WRs in the country. One of them will be open.
On Saturday night, on NBC Television at 7:30 PM, the Indiana Hoosiers will host the Illinois Fighting Illini. This will be the first time a ranked IU team has taken on a top ten opponent in the history of Memorial Stadium. The stadium opened in 1960. Now, realize that from 1962-1967 there was only an AP Top 10 (and you think that only recently things have been really screwed up). In 1967 the Hoosiers were in the Top 10 the week before the Purdue game. They lost to Minnesota. So, out of the Top Ten Indiana went. Purdue came to Memorial Stadium ranked # 3 in the land. IU won 19-14 and headed to Pasadena. Hold was I then? I wasn’t. I WAS ‘on the way’ and got here in March of 1968.
There are folks in SEC Football Country that can’t believe I exist. A guy from Indiana who has seen 80 FBS teams in person over a football life and didn’t get paid to do it. I am an English teacher. Thanks to this webpage, where I try to show my students that anything is possible, I did sit in the press box for Indiana’s first three nonconference games. I thank IU for that going on four seasons now. Two weeks ago, I was in the Louisville press box for U of L against James Madison. I did an interview with Co-Defensive Coordinator Mark Hagen recently. Mark, playing linebacker at IU in the late 80s and early 90s, probably made more tackles than any Indiana player has.
Nothing like getting your earwax melted by a UT fan in Knoxville.
Yep. This Indiana Football fan has seen 80 FBS teams play from coast to coast. How many college basketball games have I seen? One… and that was in Indiana’s Assembly Hall after my son came home from a meeting he attended two years ago and claimed an envelope with two tickets and a parking pass that everyone had PASSED on. Yes, it was a nonconference game against Wright State. That is not the point. The point is that after football season is over, I need to give my eyes a rest. They have been glued to football.
Folks like Blake Toppmeyer and John Adams and Paul Finebaum can’t conceive my existence. They think the SEC invented football and the rest of us need to bow to the Football Mecca, be it Tuscaloosa or Athens or Baton Rouge or Birmingham. I give a tip of the cap to all of those places.
My dad was a high school football coach. He and my mother were born in Mississippi. My Mississippi roots run deeper than any magnolia tree you have ever seen. I have many relatives who “finished” at Ole Miss. I get it. I have been to Oxford. I have seen the Rebels play in Winston-Salem, Oxford, Lexington, Nashville (Vandy and Music City Bowl), Jackson, Knoxville, and Tuscaloosa. The 2019 Ole Miss- Bama game in Tuscaloosa pretty much summed up my disbelief of SEC Football Fandom. I thought I knew. I didn’t know. In that game, Tua Tagovailoa threw a school record 6 touchdown passes. In the postgame ruing at our tailgate, a guy said, “I know he threw 6 touchdown passes, but Tua left some balls out there.” I thought I was going to faint. I wanted to grab the guy and tell him I have waited for November watching the Indiana Hoosiers in my lifetime to throw 6 touchdowns on the season. Some of them don’t get it. Some of them never will, even though they think they know it all.
I get that notion that college football in the south is your way of life against ours. It is like that up here in Big Ten country too. Maybe some in the south see it as that last vestige of “we’ll show those Yankees”. Old habits die hard. A part of me doesn’t blame them. If Ohio State was playing Georgia, I’d get on all fours and start barking myself. Any day Ohio State loses is great day.
But on this coming Saturday, Indiana has a chance and good chance of climbing a little bit higher on that mountain of college football that may or may not be atop Stone Mountain. SEC pundits will still find a way to put Indiana down. That is what they do. They love their punching bags.
Again, I get it. I do. In the 1970s, when there was limit on how many times a school could be on televised games, the Alabama Crimson Tide was featured on ABC, the only game in town, 30 times. Indiana’s only televised game on ABC in the 70s was a 69-17 loss in Bloomington to Nebraska. I was there. I.M. Hipp is still running. I was there in 1976 when IU played #1 Michigan one week and lost 35-0 only to face #8 Ohio State the next week and lose 47-7. I was there in 2000 when Indiana had a 12-point lead against North Carolina State in the 4th quarter with less than five minutes remaining. Indiana lost 41-38. Some freshman named Phillip Rivers, an Alabama boy, threw for 401 yards and 5 TDs to lead the comeback. I was there in 1994 to watch an Indiana team lose to #2 Penn State 35-29. In the process Indiana, who came back with 16 points in the 4th quarter, ruined Penn State’s National Championship hopes. Look it up. I was there in 1988 when a Bill Mallory led Indiana team played on ABC five times in the regular season and Anthony Thompson was the best football player in the land. Those were some good times. It was a simpler time. We could talk like this all night. I have a million stories.
But this Saturday is special. I know Indiana’s Football Coach, Curt Cignetti, talks about one game at a time. I think that is a great deal of talk. Indiana’s nonconference schedule has been ridiculed. I have given it a hard time. The logic may be that while playing Indiana State, the focus in the back room was always on Illinois. I can only believe this is the case and has been for weeks.
This Saturday is Indiana’s time to shine. Those rays of light may not make it under the door of the inner sanctum of the SEC Network or ESPN and their SEC bias for that matter. Still, lurking in the shadows will be Indiana Football and these folks will hate every minute of it. If I am wrong, I’ll be wrong. There has been plenty of that to see in the SEC this year as they have handed out and taken back a Heisman Trophy in three short weeks. And I know those SEC television folks will be rooting for Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, a Starkville boy, when he takes the field against those imposters from Bloomington.
I get it. I do. I have seen every side of it. And this is Indiana’s time.
The Indiana Hoosiers put up 45 points in the first half against the Indiana State Sycamores last night. There were 66 points at the end of the third quarter. At games end the score was 73-0 and it didn’t really seem that close in the largest shutout victory for the Hoosiers since 1901. Indiana’s offense racked up 680 yards to Indiana State’s 77. IU had 33 first downs. ISU had 5. You’re glad for the practice and you hope everyone comes out healthy. Let us just hope the understanding that the next opponent up will be capable of running over you is alive and well.
26 Indiana Hoosiers were in on a tackle. There were 16 TFLs. Thanks to center Pat Coogan hustling his butt off when Kaelon Black fumbled in the red zone, Indiana never turned the ball over once. Coogan recovered it and his effort was game ball material. ISU had no turnovers.
Offensively, Fernando Mendoza completed 19 of 20 passes for 270 yards and 5 touchdowns. He didn’t take a snap in the second half. Omar Cooper Jr. caught 10 passes for 207 yards and 4 TDs. One of those was thrown to him in the second half by Alberto Mendoza. You have to wonder when was the last time two brothers playing for the same team threw TD passes in consecutive weeks? Alberto was 6 of 9 for 104 yards and 2 TDs. Redshirt senior Grant Wilson completed his only pass for 5 yards. It was good to see the well-traveled redshirt senior get on the field.
Attendance at last night’s game was much better than I anticipated. 46,219 was the official attendance. I don’t know how many pushed their way through the turnstiles, well, I guess you can’t say that anymore, but it was a good crowd. The Big Ten in all of its television wisdom kicked this one off at 6:30 on the Friday night Bloomington North was playing Bloomington South. Such is college football these days.
Don’t worry. Even with a 73-0 score, Coach Cignetti had a few ‘hands on the hips and look to the sky’ moments. This one, during a timeout, when he was obviously not happy. One mental breakdown against Illinois next week could be six points for the Illini and Coach Cig knows that.
The next three home games are sold out. Illinois next week then Michigan State and UCLA come calling during the last two Saturdays in October. Swissconsin will probably be sold out in November.
I was delighted to spend some hours turning back the clock, spinning yarns, laughing, talking about the present, and the future with these guys. Adam Disque, Andrew Evertts, and I worked together at Medora Schools some time ago. That we have stayed in touch and try to get together for a game every year has been a blessing. These guys are great.
I’m looking forward to stepping away from the press box next week and putting on a crimson jersey and cheering on the Hoosiers! A ranked matchup is rare in our Memorial Stadium. 1987, when IU was ranked #15 and Michigan was #20, was the last time we had anything to compare to the upcoming game with top ten ranked Illinois. With a nod to Keith Jackson, “It should be a good one.”
WEEK THREE PICKS
Michigan beats Central Michigan… The Wolverines have an interim coach while Coach Moore serves a suspension. That’s Michigan.
Georgia Tech beats Clemson… Some crazy things can happen in Boddy Dodd Stadium not far from a chili dog and a frosted orange at the Greasy V. I think this is going to be one of those days.
Oregon beats Northwestern… This is on Fox Big Noon Kickoff? You’re kidding me. Bones have to be thrown.
Alabama beats Swissconsin… Bama will score and score often. They better.
Georgia beats Tennessee… This one is on ‘one cheek hill’ in Knoxville. Crazy things can happen at Neyland too. Not today.
USC beats Purdue… Am I the only one still getting used to this being a Big Ten matchup? If the Boilers have enough sense to show up in gold helmets, that would be enough to take a peek with Tommy Trojan and his outfit on.
Miami beats USF… The heart wants what the heart wants. The heart won’t win this one.
Ole Miss beats Arkansas… The Rebs have too many offensive weapons. I just wish they’d burn their ‘dunk goal’.
Illinois beats Western Michigan… See you next week.
LSU beats Florida… A night game in Death Valley as the Lord intended. My apologies to Lewis Grizzard. When I was a kid, I remember listening to LSU night games on WWL 870.
Notre Dame beats Texas A & M… This is a great matchup, and I tip my hat to A & M for scheduling this game.
Kentucky beats Eastern Michigan… The Cats will need to win by 50 to get folks off Coach Stoops’ back.
Boston College beats Standford… BC should knock the Cardinal all over the field.
Minnesota beats Cal… They are rowing the boat in Minneapolis. The Mississippi is kind of small up there though.
Enjoy the games this weekend. Take care of each other.
On Monday night I traveled to Harrison County rival Corydon Central High School to take in the JV Football game between the Corydon Central Panthers and the visiting North Harrison Cougars. A few of the students in my English classroom day to day play for NH. I enjoy watching them go at it.
This was the first time I had a chance to lay my eyes on the Corydon’s new artificial turf on their football field. Mr. Martin was right all those years ago in 7th grade geography class. He said, “Change is a constant feature.”
When I show up at the local high school stadiums to take in a game, I brush away the cobwebs and often harken back to sights and sounds that travel all the way back to my earliest memories when I was attending games my dad coached in the 1970s and 80s. At Corydon, I looked at the nice new scoreboard sitting above turns 3 and 4 of the west side of the track. I thought about one I had seen there when I was a child, though I am convinced it was on the other end of the field. That old scoreboard didn’t have a clock with digital numbers on it. It had a circle resembling a clock that kept time in some fashion that I am not even certain of. Even timepieces can do funny things.
Last night’s game was a close one. The Cougars ran out of time. The Panthers won out 14-8, erasing an 8-0 advantage the Cougars held at halftime. The boys played hard. I was proud of them. As I looked on, I could hear and see so many memories, both good and bad, from many years ago.
In 1981, as an 8th grader playing right guard next to my friend and center Mick Rutherford. The first play from scrimmage was a 2-hole quick to Russ Keith. Mick and I came off the ball, made a hole, hit the ground, looked up, and saw the back of Russ’ jersey running all 66 yards to paydirt. The final score was North Harrison 8 Corydon Central 0. Mick and I are still great friends to this day. We lost Russ to cancer many years ago.
In 1982, as a freshman JV player, I was on the sidelines watching and rooting on a 7-1 North Harrison team in its 5th varsity season against a 3-5 Corydon Central team. We ran the wishbone offense that year. In the first quarter, our quarterback broke his hand. We lost 36-28. That was difficult.
Fastforward. It is 1990, five years after my dad was coach. At the June North Harrison school board meeting, I got up and spoke up. Not approving of the pathetic support that was being given to the football program, I aired my grievance. Mind you, I didn’t say anything I would not have said in front of my mother or a Sunday School class. In a short time, I learned that free speech can certainly come with a high price. In 1991, North Harrison hired a new football coach. Not long after he was no longer the football coach, he and I were on a field trip together with our sons to the Louisville Zoo in the spring of 1998. He told me when he was hired by NH in 1991, he asked about assistant coaches and was told he could hire anyone except one person. You guessed it. I don’t regret it. Standing up and defending kids needing a voice was a sword I had to fall on. I still feel that way.
When the 1992 high school football season came around, I was on the sidelines again. This time I was a Corydon Central Panther. I distinctly remember playing North Harrison that year. It was 0-0 at halftime on a beautiful autumn night. I was the special teams coach and had a ball showing youngsters how to swing their legs to the fullest. When the second half got under way, Billy Powell intercepted a pass from his linebacker spot and returned it for a TD. Our sideline erupted. During that week of practice, though it was not about me, players came up to me to stick a finger in my chest and tell me they were going to win this one for me. I told them to just go win it. Of course, I appreciated the gesture. When Billy hit the end zone, our sideline went berserk. Guys were on the field rolling around like Curly of the Three Stooges. I was celebrating. Our whole team was on the field soaking up the moment. When revelry went on longer than the ref thought it should, he threw a flag. 15 more yards! Hooooo-ray! That means a 35 yard extra point and that will be an even nicer exclamation point. I was good with it. I was great with it. Reminded me of the night in 1985 when I was kicking PATs with a square-toed shoe that I had to change into while I was playing center. One night this endeavor was taking a while. The ref came over to me. “Hustle up 56, you’re short on time.” I looked over at him and said, “Just go ahead and throw it.” He did and moved us five yards back. I suppose he could have moved us 15 yards back had he wanted. Was the kick good? Yes. It hit the track. I looked at the ref and gave him a thumbs up. He just shook his head and chuckled.
Jason Becker’s 35-yard extra-point that night would have been good from 50. It nearly disappeared into the night sky. Jason would kick two more PATs that night and the final score was Corydon Central 21 North Harrison 0. The first shout-out in the Big Cat Classic since 1985 when I was a player for the team we beat that night. Oh what a night.
In 1993, in addition to being the special teams coach, I was the sole JV coach. I would continue with these two roles in 1994. We won two games during those two years and they were nice bookmarks. The first victory was a 26-0 win over the Brownstown Central Braves, the school of my childhood, in 1993 in the first game of the season. The last game of 1994 was a win over the North Harrison Cougars 18-0. I was given the soak the coach treatment after the game. Both of these games were played at Corydon. That was just fine with me.
The 1994 team came to life again Monday night as I sat there watching. I thought about moments and players and plays I have not thought about in many years. I loved calling offensive plays. We had one play called “The Root Pass”. The center snapped the ball between the quarterback’s legs to the running back lined up behind the quarterback and the running back passed the ball. The last line I yelled to the center before we ran this play was, “Don’t hit the quarterback in the root!” Those kids loved this stuff.
Another play was “The Herky Jerky Turkey”. Casey Helm was the tight end on the left side of the line. He ran up-field about 7 yards and did a Dan Ross misdirection move turning 270 degrees and sprinting across the field to our offensive right. The quarterback faked a pitch left to the running back filling to block the spot Casey had vacated. Kevin Rice, the quarterback, rolled to his right after the toss fake and when it worked well, he’d hit Casey dragging across the middle and that boy had sure hands. When we hit that pass, I made a fist pump that Lane Kiffin had to of copied.
That 1994 team is the team I called “The Magnificent 13”. When we had 11 on the field, there were two standing next to me. I did everything I could to make this fun for these guys. They played their butts off for me. I knew it then and I appreciate it now. I often wore Moody Blues T-Shirts to practice, and the guys called me “Coach Moody”. A month or so ago, I was picking up a to go order at the Beef “O’ Brady’s in Corydon; I heard a voice yell out, “Moody!” It was a former player. I had to ask his first name. I filled in the rest, and we shared a great moment.
Last story. One of the “Magnificent 13” was a wide receiver I called “Peanut”. Peanut Corbett, if memory serves. He was no bigger than a minute and a bit portly for a wide out. One day he couldn’t catch a cold naked in the North Pole. I said, well…I yelled “Peanut! Get over here!” Our helmets were gold. I told him to turn around, as all the guys were standing around us. I began to rub and stare at the back of his helmet. “Peanut…Peanut…the great golden ball is giving me a vision…what is this? Peanut wearing #62 and playing guard in the next game? Could it be…” He pleaded with me, “No, Coach. Give me another pass.” We ran a skinny post to him; he held onto the ball, and he smiled at me.
After the 1994 season, there was a head coaching change at Corydon Central. I never coached at Corydon again. Or anywhere else for that matter.
In subsequent years I interviewed for the head football coaching position at North Harrison on two occasions. I never had a chance either time, no matter what I could bring.
On this Monday night in 2025, it was great to go back and just sit there in silence and relive so many good times and rue over so many missed opportunities. That’s life. I have had a good one.
I recently published an interview with University of Louisville Co-Defensive Coordinator Coach Mark Hagen who led the Indiana Hoosiers in tackling during 3 of his 4 seasons of playing in Bloomington. Mark was on the last IU team to win a bowl game in 1991. Having written that, and wishing Coach Hagen nothing but the best, I decided it was time to cross the river and take in a University of Louisville game and root him on! On Friday night the Cards hosted the James Madison University Dukes. In the early going, there was not much to root about.
After one quarter JMU led 7-0. When that quarter ended it felt like I was watching two teams fighting over a turnip. The first quarter ended with JMU running 15 offensive plays for 39 yards and Louisville running 17 plays for 27 yards. These offenses could not get out of their own ways. That and, with a nod to Coach Hagen, the U of L defense was stout.
I have to admit, I felt both a little old and little nostalgic as I watched QB Miller Moss #7, a good one in my opinion. I had not been in the U of L press box in 35 years. On that occasion, #7 was a guy named Browning Nagel. He led that 1990 team to a win over Alabama in the Fiesta Bowl. Louisville finished 10-1-1 that year and was one of Coach Howard Schnellenberger’s finest achievements.
The nostalgia really kicked in when a young man came to me at the end of the first quarter and handed me a paper copy of the first quarter game stats. I look at the young man, smiled, and said, “Thank you, good sir.” He didn’t know what to make of that.
I knew. I alluded earlier to this being the first time in 35 years that I was in the U of L press box. That season I was there for the Memphis State game and the last home game against Boston College. That was a 17-10 victory willed by linebacker Mark Sander in one of the greatest defensive efforts I have ever witnessed. That night, I WAS THE YOUNG GUY, age 22, handing out the stat sheets to media members. The last one I handed out, as they were in commercial, was to Gerard Phelan. He was doing color commentary for NESN (New England Sports Network) for Boston College. I shook his hand and proceeded to hang out with him on that antique catwalk of a place to call a game in that old baseball stadium Louisville once played football in. Looking at a small monitor at the instant replays was all too perfect. When they went to commercial again, Phelan and I talked about the catch he made. You know the one. Boston College vs. Miami in 1984. THE PASS. Doug Flutie’s miracle heave to Gerard Phelan won Doug Flutie the Heisman Trophy. Have we had a moment that dramatic since? The Auburn people would say yes (Kick 6). Gerard Phelan could not have been kinder to me. Like Minnie Pearl, I was just proud to be there.
Ultimately, the Cardinals got it together. After being down 7-6 at the half, after being down 14-6 in the third quarter, the switch flipped. When the switch flips for Louisville, we are usually talking about big plays. A Miller Moss 64-yard pass in the third quarter started the Card roll. A 2-point convert tied the game at 14.
Early in the 4th quarter, JMU fumbled in their own end zone. Cardinal defender A.J. Green had no qualms about landing on the ball for 6 points. The PAT was no good. Cards 20-Dukes 14. Then, late in the 4th quarter, Cards running back Isaac Brown lived up to his billing and took off down the left sideline for 78 yards and 6 more for the Cards. A 2-point conversion made the score 28-14. That was the final. The Cards are going to be fine.
On Saturday, the Kennesaw State Owls flew up from nearby Atlanta to Bloomington, Indiana to take on the #23 ranked Indiana Hoosiers. I hope the Owls were compensated well. Wasn’t this the week Indiana was going to play the Louisville Cardinals before IU bought their way out of that match-up? I think so. And that was a shame. I get Indiana’s logic. Schedule low and get some wins and some more practice before the Big Ten games get here. I agree with the sentiments of Buck Suhr, Indiana color-commentary partner to play by play man Don Fischer. Buck intimated, and I agree with him, that Indiana, even after an 11-2 season, can’t expect sellout crowds when they are bringing in Pea Ridge and Squash Holler (my terms and not Buck’s) for practice games before the likes of Illinois get here on September 20th. That game is sold out. This is the choice Indiana has made, after great deliberation (the IU way) I am sure. So be it. If the CFP is not at the end of the rainbow, the Hoosiers might be able to win a bowl game for the first time since 1991. They win, thanks to Big Ten broadcasting money, either way.
Saturday’s game was a good one for the Indiana Hoosiers. 56-9 was the final score. The Kennesaw State Owls were ready to warm up the bus by the end of the third quarter.
I know Indiana took some guff after last week’s 27-14 win over Old Dominion. After that game, the AP #20 ranked Indiana Hoosiers fell to #23. This week’s 56-9 win gave Indiana a one spot bump to #22. They are not going to get much love out there. We know that.
Look, I have no doubt Indiana has plenty of game plan, especially on defense, that they are saving for Illinois. We’ll see it.
Going into game three against Indiana State on Friday night, the Hoosiers have dominated every aspect of the first two games they have played. The Indiana offense is averaging 549 yards. The Hoosiers have 58 first downs to their opponents 20. Take away 2 long runs by the Old Dominion QB in game one, and the Hoosiers would lead in rushing yards 625 to 154. In fact, the Hoosiers have run for more that 300 yards in consecutive games this year for the first time since 2014. And the Hoosiers are running the ball by committee. This is not Anthony Thompson or Vaugh Dunbar running the ball 35 times. Kaelon Black, Roman Hemby, and Lee Beebe, Jr. are leading a Hoosier rushing attack that is stout behind an improving and better every day offensive line.
On Saturday, wide receiver Elijah Sarratt caught three of quarterback Fernando Mendoza’s four touchdown passed. Mendoza looks more comfortable with every quarter he has played this season. He has also been plagued with a case of the drops by some of his receivers. That did not happen last year. That will be corrected. And if I may, look out for E.J. Williams, Jr. at the wideout position. He is going to impress you in the time of crunch.
In the end, and in the Big Ten play, I have a feeling the Indiana defense will be the phase of the game that really shines and comes through. Front D-line with Mikail Kamara leading that charge, Aiden Fisher at linebacker playing defensive QB, and a defensive backfield led by D’Angelo Ponds and Amare Ferrell, this IU defense is going to be a squad to be reckoned with during conference play. Yes, I am a homer. But I have been looking closely in on IU Football for more than 50 years. That also makes me a realist.
What was really special this weekend was finally catching up with the best College Football play by play man in all the land. His name is Tim Brando. More than that, Tim Brando is, with a nod to Archie Manning, a good guy.
Photo Courtesy of Tim Brando
For many years Tim Brando and I have been “pen pals” of sort. We finally met Saturday. He was calling the Indiana – Kennesaw State game in Bloomington for Fox Sports. TB is a Shreveport guy. Pat Conroy often spoke of the power of geography. I think that truth is in play here. My grandparents lived in Shreveport for decades. Tim’s dad and my dad went to the same high school, albeit 17 years apart, in Shreveport called St. John’s. The school is now on its second name change since and goes by Loyola Prep.
My Granny always enjoyed tuning into a game that Tim Brando was calling. She could have tuned into any one of five games on at the same time. She’d would always gravitate to “that good Shreveport boy” if he was calling the game.
Tim’s dad, Hub Brando, was a Shreveport media legend. On Saturday, Tim told me that when he runs into folks of a certain vintage, they aren’t so much interested in what he is up to. They want to talk about Hub. I get it. My dad coached football for a long time. I can’t walk through Brownstown, Indiana too long before I get asked, “How’s your dad?” Last year I was the guest of a friend at the IHSAA Class 2A Boys Basketball Championship in Indianapolis. When I made a quick exit, before the final celebratory postgame, I was met on an empty concourse by a guy I have known for a long time. I said, “How about those BCHS Braves! They did it!” He looked at me and said, “Yes they did. Tell me, how is your dad doing?” I get it TB. I get it.
Granny would be proud to know that I think Tim Brando is the best college announcer in the business. Tim’s style is just pure and real. He doesn’t take himself so seriously that he gets in the way. He knows that sometimes less is more. Keith Jackson was like that. Solid and easy to listen to. That is a gift these days. As I was driving to the U of L game, I was talking to an old friend and told him that Brando was going to call the game in Bloomington the next day. With no provocation, and no hint of my positive thoughts about Tim and his work, my friend said, “I really like him. I think he might be the best of any to listen to.” Old friends that think alike. What a treasure.
Photo Courtesy of Tim Brando
I’m glad TB enjoys coming to Bloomington. What a beautiful day it was to call or watch a game. I am thankful that Tim has, on occasion, reposted some of my work. That is a great compliment. I appreciate it.
I have to admit. I didn’t make my weekly picks for this past Saturday’s games. Things were a bit hectic. I will try to do better. Indiana plays host to Indiana State this Friday night. Looks like 3-0 when the Illini come to town and things get serious.
Hunker down boys. Crunch time got here in a hurry compared to the 2024 football season for the Indiana Hoosiers that played out like Coach Curt Cignetti was driving the glass coach to pick up Cinderella.
Last year the Hoosiers played more than 480 minutes, more than eight games, before they found themselves behind. This year it took all of 11 seconds for the Old Dominion Monarchs, thanks to the fleet feet of their quarterback Colton Joseph. ODU 7 Indiana 0.
Last year after the season opener, Coach Curt Cignetti chastised the fans that left at halftime. This year the offensive line could not get out of its own way to push a Hoosier runner into the endzone inside the five. Fans left at halftime. Coach Cig had much more to think about after this game than chewing fans.
Last year the Hoosiers had to go 5-0 before they got an ounce of love from the AP Top 25 voters. This year they entered the season as the AP’s 20th ranked team. After a lackluster performance on Saturday, the Hoosiers dropped to #23 this week.
The Hoosiers will probably be fine. They have a couple more games to get the kinks worked out before the 11th ranked Illinois Illini show up to Bloomington. That game could be a matchup between the lowest ranked teams ever to play in Memorial Stadium.
Saturday was not BAD for the Hoosiers. If they don’t improve before Illinois gets here it will be bad.
Team Stats
1st Downs
10
30
3rd down efficiency
4-10
10-17
4th down efficiency
0-0
0-2
Total Yards
314
502
Passing
96
193
Comp/Att
11/22
18/32
Yards per pass
4.4
6.0
Interceptions thrown
3
0
Rushing
218
309
Rushing Attempts
23
57
Yards per rush
9.5
5.4
Penalties
9-65
3-25
Turnovers
3
1
Fumbles lost
0
1
Interceptions thrown
3
0
Possession
18:32
41:28
These are not bad stats. The game was not the 27-14 score it appeared to be. The Hoosiers ran all over these guys. Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black ran well. The offensive line was stellar from 20 to 20. The QB and receiver play has to improve. Errant throws and drops were a problem.
Defensively, 163 of Old Dominion’s 218 yards came on two runs by the quarterback. The defense was not bad.
The only thing that seemed to fail the eye test was a team that was not ready to play good football when the guys in the striped shirts finally gave them the go-ahead to start hitting someone with a different colored jersey on. This is the moment when things really need to and really should come together. That is teamwork.
Herb Brooks, when putting his 1980 Olympic Hockey team together, said he wasn’t looking for the best players. He was looking for the best team.
4 hours before kickoff things were hopping around Memorial Stadium. That was refreshing. Major College Football is alive and well in Bloomington.
In 2019, I took this picture 3 hours before the Ohio State game. Things are much better in 2025.
A trip to Neyland Stadium is thing to behold. The first time I was there I had the tune Rocky Top memorized before the end of the first quarter and heard it ringing in my head the next three days. I was there rooting on the Ole Miss Rebels. UT won 52-14. Ugly. Ugly game I tell you. Let us hope we don’t see anything looking close to that ugly this weekend as we enjoy the first full weekend of the 2025 College Football season. We need it. Even with all the chestnuts that roast over the business state of the game, we still need it. Your 11 against their 11. It is time I tell you!
Every week I will offer 14 games. I pick winners straight up. I don’t gamble. I can’t fathom being upset because my team only won by 12 points. That is not going to happen with this ole boy. Don’t ask.
Mississippi State beats Southern Miss… Coach Huff brought his Marshall squad with him to Hattiesburg. Won’t be enough. At least State has the guts to play USM. Ole Miss can’t claim that. Don’t tell about no-win situations.
Tulane beats Northwestern… The Green Wavers have a quality QB and more to prove.
Texas beats Ohio State… Arch Manning at QB for Texas. A redshirt freshman at QB for Ohio State? Never mind that I abhor Brutus. It’s Arch’s show and we are ready to watch.
Kentucky beats Toledo… Coach Stoops is already catching heat and the ball has yet to be kicked. The Louisville paper ran a story recently looking at possible replacements for the man. His buyout is huge. Still, let the man coach the season. Jon Gruden can stay away.
Indiana beats Old Dominion… The teams that come to Bloomington better be ready. The Hoosiers will be and if you saw the Purdue game at the end of the season last year, you better know they want to score 66 or more points on you too. The Hoosiers still have a great deal to prove. It is 2024 all over again.
Louisville beats Eastern Kentucky… Watch this powerful offense put up some monster numbers in this one.
Alabama beats Florida State… After getting beat by Vandy last year, you’ll see a much-improved Tide. They will win and win and win this year.
Georgia beats Marshall… Earlier today I was thinking about watching Rakeem Cato throw the ball to Tommy Shuler 19 times for 200 yards against Purdue in 2012 in West Lafayette. Purdue won 51-41. Doesn’t seem that long ago. Yes, UGA wins this one.
Clemson beats LSU… Cade Klubnik vs. Garrett Nussmeier. Not unlike Marino vs. Montana. One of those QB matchups. Clemson’s defense will give LSU fits, as they fly all over the place.
Ole Miss beats Georgia State… Coach Lane Kiffin is always fun. The scoreboard in Oxford had better have good batteries. Reb fans are missing Jaxson Dart. New QB Austin Simmons will do just fine.
Washington beats Colorado State… The Huskies will be improved.
UCLA beats Utah… An old PAC-12 game that is no more. UCLA and Tennessee traded quarterbacks. Nico Iamaleava traded Rocky Top for The Rose Bowl. Who could blame him?
Notre Dame beats Miami… The Irish better be ready for the South Florida heat and HUMIDITY. I am sitting here watching a ranked Boise State team wilt on a trip to take on South Florida. The Broncos are pooped, and they are behind 31-7 in the 4th quarter.
North Carolina beats TCU… Watch that Patriots coach win. Mack Brown will tell you the UNC brass gave the new guy the keys to the kingdom and the war chest.
We’re here! Enjoy it all. I will be in Bloomington Saturday for the Indiana game.
When I caught up Mark Hagen last week, I thought I might lead our conversation off with a zinger about a game that was played nearly 40 years ago that, given he has seen so much football since, might make him ask me about some of the particulars from my research. It took one question and immediately I knew I was about to talk to someone who knows and loves and remembers the game of football as well, if not better, than I do. These are rare conversations.
If Coach Mark Hagen is not blowing a whistle right now or running a defensive drill, I’d say he is looking at game tape of the Louisville Cardinals’ first opponent of the 2025 football season. That would be the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. Mark Hagen is the Co-Defensive Coordinator of the Louisville Cardinals. He followed Head Coach Jeff Brohm from Purdue back to Brohm’s hometown team. Cards fans will be happy this year. They are in for a great season. If they stay healthy, look out.
What question did I ask Mark Hagen to open our interview? Just how tired he was after the 1986 Indiana High School Athletic Association Class 5A Championship game between Hagen’s Carmel Greyhounds against the Fort Wayne Snider Panthers? The Panthers were led by NFL running back Vaughn Dunbar, according to my notes Dunbar had quite the night. Mark Hagen remembered it well.
“Vaugh was a great back. That season our defense was stout. He had 250 and some change and 96 of it was on one run when they were back up. We were fortunate to get that game into overtime and get the “W” (Carmel won 20-17) but he almost beat us single-handedly that day.” Just like my notes told me.
Coming out of high school Mark took recruiting trips to Arizona State, Wisconsin, Purdue, and Indiana. Indiana Head Coach Bill Mallory won him over. “Coach Mallory had a vision for his program. Being around him, he was just a motivator. He was certainly a fatherly figure and just a great person all-around. I’m very thankful that I made that decision to go to Indiana. He wanted to feature in-state talent.”
Mark Hagen was a great player for Indiana. He was a 4-year letterman and 2-time Second Team All-Big Ten. He led a 1991 Indiana defense that held Baylor scoreless in The Copper Bowl. Indiana won 24-0. That was the last bowl victory for the Indiana Hoosiers.
Mark turned to coaching and got his start under Bill Mallory as a graduate assistant in 1992. What led Mark to coach was unplanned. Mark had graduated from Indiana’s Kelly School of Business. From there, students can usually find a good gig. Why football? “I decided to coach when my playing days came to an end. Three back surgeries meant I was not going to play at the next level. I couldn’t get into an NFL camp as a free agent. It was an abrupt end, and I just wasn’t ready to give up on the game of football. I asked Coach Mallory about it, and he was all for it. The NCAA cut Graduate Assistant spots, so I was a GA in the weight room and Coach had me very involved. And the next year I was named Coach Mal’s Administrative Assistant. I had this t role for 3 years. I was involved with the defensive coaches. When defensive coordinator Coach Joe Novak left to be the head coach at Northern Illinois, I went with him and that was my first assistant coaching job.”
This would be the first in a long line of defensive coaching stints since 1992.
1992-1995 Indiana University
1996-1999 Northern Illinois
2000-2010 Purdue University
2011-2012 Indiana University
2013-2015 Texas A&M
2016-2019 Indiana University
2000 Texas
2021-2022 Purdue University
2023-Present University of Louisville
College Football coaching can take some unlikely turns and a few ugly ones as well. Look at that list above. If you are an Indiana fan, seeing this guy coach for Purdue is like an Ole Miss fan seeing their hero coach for Mississippi State. It happens and it happens for good reason. “We made the move to West Lafayette in March of 2000 and never in a million years did I think I would be there for eleven years, but I truly enjoyed each and every one of them. I learned a lot and was a part of some great teams.” One of those teams, led by quarterback Drew Brees, went to The Rose Bowl.
In 2020, the ugly part showed itself, as it usually does sooner or later if you hang in there long enough. Coach Tom Herman was the head coach of the Texas Longhorns and Mark Hagen was the Associate Head Coach for Defense/Defensive Line Coach. This was 2020. This was the covid season of covid seasons. The Texas Longhorns were 7-3, including a 32-point win over Colorado in the Alamo Bowl. In Texas, the head football coach can go 7-3, win a bowl game, keep the team together through thick and thin and covid and still get fired. Such was the fate of Head Coach Tom Herman that year.
” After the 2020 Alamo Bowl we had a ten-day break; I was watching my third daughter in a soccer game in Waco, Texas. Got a call and was told we had a staff Zoom meeting in 30 minutes. I thought this can’t be good. Coach Herman told us they had relieved him of his job, and they were hiring Steve Sarkisian. Everything happens for a reason, and I had a chance to go back to Purdue. Purdue’s head coach, Jeff Brohm, called me the next day and offered me a job and I was able to go back to Purdue which is a place I always enjoyed.”
Toward the end of our conversation, I couldn’t help myself. I told Coach Hagen when I see the Louisville Cardinals play, there goes a run for 79 yards! There goes a pass for 81 yards! I told him I have to believe, as Coach Hagen is watching these long gainers, he has to be saying give us an eight-minute drive every now and then to spell our defense. Coach Hagen’s response to that started with laughter and followed with, “Well, yeah, I’m cautiously optimistic with our running attack we can get into some situations where we can control the ball, but you know what? People love big plays whether they are through the air, on the ground, or on special teams returns, blocked punts, strip sacks. What we do is our thing. It comes with some rest or comes with sudden change, that is what our guys are in for on the defensive side of the ball, and we hold each other accountable. Whatever the situation is. Short field, a team backed up, no matter the situation we have to do our job. We have to make sure we don’t give up big plays. Miami, Notre Dame, SMU those were all one score losses last year. We can’t let teams hang around.”
We ended our conversation talking about Coach Bill Mallory. At Bill Mallory’s Memorial Service after Coach Mal died suddenly in June of 2018, one player from each of the four college teams Bill Mallory led over the years got up to speak. One from Miami, Ohio, one from Colorado, one from Northern Illinois, and one from Indiana University. The Hoosier that stood at the microphone and delivered an inspiring message was Mark Hagen #47 in your program and #1 in your hearts.
With coaches like Mark Hagen and Jeff Brohm, the Louisville Cardinals are not a team I would root against. I told Coach Hagen I hope his team stays healthy and they win every game. If you are a Cards fan, you will have plenty to enjoy this 2025 College Football Season. Enjoy it.
