Hoosiers Gameday: Players say hard work fuels belief
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – At the end of last season, Kevin Wilson said the Hoosiers fell apart physically, bereft of the energy and push and strength necessary to earn a postseason berth after a 2-5 start.
In May, June and July, during the period in which rules forbid coaches from participating in workouts, Wilson’s players finally gave him what he had wanted most since he took the Indiana job in 2010: a true commitment to the weight room. While Wilson concedes football games don’t have a bench press competition at midfield, and that his training staff is oriented toward speed first, he considers more team-wide muscle a major reason Indiana starts this campaign in a better place.
“We’ll see if we’re strong enough now to last the whole season,” Wilson said.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell said exertion in the weight room will pay off by allowing the Hoosiers to go to more of a power running game against the large defensive tackles that dot Big Ten defenses.
“We’ve built a bigger, stronger team to where we can do those things,” Littrell said. “At times last year I didn’t know if we could hold up in the run game.”
Looking ahead to an anticipated season that kicks off tonight, players say the strength work is part of a larger upgrade in effort and dedication – an upgrade, Hoosiers say, which is the main reason why they should be taken seriously. It gives them confidence.
“I feel like this is our year,” linebacker David Cooper said. “When you work so hard, I’ve seen myself and the rest of my team work so hard. It’s just a feeling. This will be a good year.”
Cooper said in past seasons the team had been missing that work ethic.
“I’m going to be honest. I don’t think it was there,” Cooper said. “This year I feel like there ain’t no more falling off. This is our year. We’re ready.”
That’s why Wilson’s demeanor is a little lighter. It’s why he stuck bunny ears behind an oblivious assistant doing an on-camera interview. It’s why he said he doesn’t regret a single day of training camp.
“He’s always been comfortable with us,” Cooper said. “He feels the way we feel that this year’s going to be that year. We’ve been working too hard. He knows we’re ready.”
At Memorial Stadium, with the first crack of the helmet against Indiana State, Wilson and the Hoosiers want to reap the fruits of that hard work and effort.
“Our standard is to be as good as we can be,” Wilson said. “We’ve worked very hard. You don’t get do-overs. You don’t get these games back. It’s my job to keep the confidence level up.”
That task is much easier when the players so fervently believe in their own preparedness.
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