The Daily Hoosier
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram
    Trending
    • Curt Cignetti starts IU football job radiating confidence
    • 2024 quarterback Timothy Carpenter decommits from IU
    • IU soccer’s season ends at Notre Dame after penalty kicks
    • JMU starting QB in the portal, IU offers top JMU recruit
    • Report: IU offensive line coach Bob Bostad expected to be retained by Curt Cignetti
    • Cignetti jumps into Purdue rivalry with both feet
    • IU men’s soccer faces Notre Dame Saturday with College Cup on the line
    • IU basketball: Maryland at Indiana — The Report Card
    • Sign Up
    • About/Support
    • Jobs
    • Tickets
      • IUBB Tickets (Stubhub)
      • IUFB Tickets (Stubhub)
    • Shop
      • Official IU Store
      • IU Adidas Store
      • Amazon: Support TDH
      • IU Memorabilia
      • IU Press (Books)
      • The Daily Hoosier T-Shirt
    • Radio/Podcasts
    • Pro IU
      • IUBB NBA
      • IUFB NFL
      • IUBASE MLB
    • Forum
      • Disqus Forum
    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    The Daily HoosierThe Daily Hoosier
    Sunday, December 3
    • IU Basketball
      • Latest IU Basketball News
      • IU Basketball 2023-24 Schedule
      • IU Basketball 23-24 Roster/Staff
      • Scholarship Chart
      • Future Schedules
      • 2023-24 Big Ten Standings
      • 2023-24 IU Basketball Stats
      • Rankings & Bracketology
      • IU Basketball Media Guide
    • IU Football
      • Latest IU Football News
      • Head coach candidates
      • Offseason roster tracker
      • IU Football: The 2023 Schedule
      • Roster
      • 2023 IUFB Stats
      • 2023 B1G Standings
      • Future Opponents through 2031
      • IUFB 2023 Media Guide
    • IU Recruiting
      • IU Basketball Recruiting News
      • IU Football Recruiting News
      • IUBB 2024-2026 Prospects
      • Recruit Interviews
      • Recruit Highlights
      • CBB Team Rankings
      • IU Football Recruiting Commits
    • IU Women’s Basketball
      • IU Women’s Basketball News
      • 23-24 Schedule
      • Big Ten Standings
    • IU Men’s Soccer
      • 2023 Schedule
      • Indiana Men’s Soccer: Program History
    • More Hoosiers
      • Fan and Business NIL options
      • IU Baseball
        • Baseball Schedule (links to iuhoosiers.com)
        • 2021 Stats (links to iuhoosiers.com)
        • Big Ten Standings
      • IU Swim & Dive
      • IU Olympic Results
    • Hoosier History
      • March Madness Classics
      • Basketball History
      • Football History
      • IUFB Best Seasons
      • IUFB All-Time Top 10 Players
    The Daily Hoosier

    IU Football Countdown: The Top 10 Seasons of All-Time — No. 10

    Mike SchumannBy Mike SchumannAugust 22, 2019 IU Football 2 Comments
    Credit - CJ Poteet / IDS
    Share
    Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Email

    As we count down to Indiana’s 2019 opening game against Ball State on August 31, The Daily Hoosier is looking back at the top ten football seasons in the program’s history.


    If emotions were the only criteria, the 2007 IU football season would surely vault to the top of this list.  To properly tell the story, you have to go back a few years.

    Terry Hoeppner was named IU’s 26th head football coach on December 17, 2004.  His infectious energy soon took hold, and after a 4-1 start to the 2005 season, it appeared that the program might be on its way to finally turning things around.

    Indiana would struggle the rest of the way in 2005 and finished the season 4-7, but the optimism surrounding the program was still high.

    The mood soon changed.

    Just days after the 2005 season ended, Hoeppner had a brain tumor removed near his right temple.

    Back on the sidelines to start the 2006 season, Hep’s squad got off to another strong start.  The 2-0 Hoosiers looked primed to keep things rolling with five straight home games coming up on the schedule.

    And then it happened again.

    Hoeppner had a second operation on Sept. 13, 2006, and IU would go on to lose seemingly winnable home games against Southern Illinois and Connecticut.  The team was rattled — to say the least.

    To the surprise of many, Hoeppner was back on the Hoosier sidelines just days after that surgery, and although IU came up short against Wisconsin, a reversal of fortunes was forthcoming.  Hep was back.

    After a rare Big Ten road win over Illinois, and wins over Iowa and Michigan State at home, the Hoosiers appeared to have righted the ship.  But ultimately a tumultuous 2006 season wasn’t to be, and IU came up just short of enough wins in 2006 to become bowl eligible.

    Hoeppner’s “Play 13” mantra would carry on to 2007.  But it would carry on without him.

    The IU head coach took a medical leave from the Hoosiers on March 18, 2007, and on June 19, 2007, he was gone.

    Although the program was devastated by the news, the show had to go on.

    And now the 2007 season was defined.  Nothing short of a bowl game would be acceptable.

    Credit – BTN

    Under the direction of head coach Bill Lynch, the 2007 season got off to a Hoeppner like start.  Six games into the season, IU had 5-1 record including a stunning road win over Iowa.  At a time when a winning record was required to become bowl eligible, the Hoosiers needed just two more wins over the last six games to reach their goal.

    IU had an explosive offense led by versatile quarterback Kellen Lewis and his favorite target James Hardy.

    Lewis would throw for 3,043 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for another 736 yards and 9 more scores.  Hardy caught 79 passes on the season for 1,125 yards and 16 touchdowns.

    Despite the great start, a familiar obstacle loomed.  Consecutive losses to Michigan State, Penn State and Wisconsin put the 13th game in doubt.

    IU would need two wins in their final three contests to achieve bowl eligibility — and they split their next two games against Ball State and Northwestern.

    It would all come down to the Old Oaken Bucket Game, and arch-rival Purdue.

    A 24-3 late third quarter lead appeared to have IU on its way, but the Boilermakers rallied and eventually tied the game at 24 with under four minutes to go.

    IU would have one final drive to meet the “Play 13” standard set by their late head coach.

    On a drive that started on Indiana’s own 24 yard line, Lewis led the Hoosiers into Purdue territory with several big completions.

    The drive would ultimately stall out at the Purdue 31 yard line, and an entire season of emotions, hard work and perseverance would come down to one kick.

    Austin Starr’s 49 yard game winner sent a capacity crowd onto the field in celebration, and it sent Indiana to the Insight Bowl.

    Hoeppner’s family was on the IU sideline during the game and celebrated with the fans and players after the emotional win.

    Although his time at IU was relatively brief, Hoeppner’s legacy in Bloomington is everywhere.

    He was instrumental in getting the north end zone project approved.  “The Walk” before games is a Hoeppner creation as well.

    For one unforgettable season, Hoeppner’s memory became a cause.

    “The Rock” was another one of Hoeppner’s ideas, and for the 2007 season, the memory of the late Hoosier coach served as the limestone foundation of a vision realized.

    Credit Photo to Mike Schumann / The Daily Hoosier

    You can follow us on Twitter:  @daily_hoosier

    Find us on Facebook:  thedailyhoosier

    The Daily Hoosier –“Where Indiana fans assemble when they’re not at Assembly”

    Seven ways to support completely free IU coverage at no additional cost to you.

    Share this:

    • Tweet

    Related

    indiana hoosiers Terry Hoeppner
    Mike Schumann

    Keep Reading

    Curt Cignetti starts IU football job radiating confidence

    JMU starting QB in the portal, IU offers top JMU recruit

    Report: IU offensive line coach Bob Bostad expected to be retained by Curt Cignetti

    Latest Hoosier News
    • Curt Cignetti starts IU football job radiating confidence
    • 2024 quarterback Timothy Carpenter decommits from IU
    • IU soccer’s season ends at Notre Dame after penalty kicks
    • JMU starting QB in the portal, IU offers top JMU recruit
    • Report: IU offensive line coach Bob Bostad expected to be retained by Curt Cignetti
    • Cignetti jumps into Purdue rivalry with both feet
    • IU men’s soccer faces Notre Dame Saturday with College Cup on the line
    Sign Up



    Facebook X (Twitter) Instagram YouTube
    © 2023 The Daily Hoosier, LLC.

    Type above and press Enter to search. Press Esc to cancel.

    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Ad Blocker Enabled!
    Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. Please support us by disabling your Ad Blocker.