After a hiatus longer than most of their peers in the Big
Ten, Indiana football kicked off this past Thursday, taking on the Indiana
State Sycamores. What ensued was something I, as a Hoosier fan, have never seen
before.
Looking up from my 8th row seat, I saw behind me
a solid wall of crimson-clad fans. I haven’t seen that many people crowding the
student section of Memorial Stadium in my three years at school, and it didn’t
go unnoticed. Throughout the game, the fans responded enthusiastically to every
play, cheering on their team and doing a fair bit of heckling of our in-state
foe.
The part that made this game so much more incredible than
any before was the intensity with which the team attacked the game. Each and
every player seemed to be soaking in the moment, getting pumped for the game. It
was truly incredible to see just how much Indiana University, both on and off
the field, was buying into the success of our team.
Indiana University is known as a basketball school. A
historically elite hardwood squad has far outshone a lackluster team on the
gridiron, and has always led people to somewhat scoff at the idea of being a
Hoosier football fan. That wasn’t the case on Thursday night. It was clear that
the school had made significant investments in the fan experience, updating the
info-graphics and animations that played on the Jumbotron. The new football
helmets, depicting the Indiana state flag logo on one side and the IU trident
on the other, decked out the players in a new look that even further brought
energy to the field.
Since his hiring two years ago, Kevin Wilson has preached a
shift in football culture. He has changed the way the team prepares, the way the
students get excited, and even the way the band pumps up the crowd. In this,
his third year at the helm, there are big things expected on the horizon.
Here, though, is the kicker. The Hoosiers won. They didn’t
win by a small margin, either. The Hoosiers put up more points than any other
team in the college football nation, walloping the Sycamores 73 to 35. They
also came within a field goal of tying the most points the team has ever scored
in a game. What that tells us is that it’s working. The Hoosiers are shifting
the direction. They are getting the production to go with the new, flashy
uniforms and the attitude adjustment. They are producing where it counts.
It is important, of course, to acknowledge that this is the
first game of the season. Indiana State is by no means an elite team. This one
win does not necessarily signify and total shift in football culture. It does,
though, indicate a significant change. It does show that the possibility is
there. It does show that the days of Hoosier success on the football field is
not so far away. The fans saw this weekend just how much their excitement can
motivate their team. Now it’s their job to keep it up and stick with their team
throughout the season. Let’s go Hoosier nation.
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