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Lewis, Hardy help Indiana stun Iowa

Oct 14, 2006 - 7:43 PM BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (Ticker) -- Kellen Lewis and James Hardy earned second-year coach Terry Hoeppner a breakthrough victory at Indiana.

Lewis and Hardy hooked up on three touchdown passes as the Hoosiers stunned No. 15 Iowa, 31-28, in a Big Ten Conference contest.

It was the Hoosiers' first victory over a top-15 team since beating No. 9 Ohio State in 1987.

A redshirt freshman, Lewis completed 19-of-25 passes for a season-high 255 yards and ran for a score for Indiana (4-3, 2-1 Big Ten), which has won multiple league games for the first time since 2001.

"Obviously, a very satisfying win for our football team and our football program," Hoeppner said. "I know technically it's an upset, but in my mind I felt very confident. I know what kind of people they are and I know what kind of coaching staff we have."

Indiana trailed, 28-24, before Lewis found Hardy for a 20-yard TD on a post pattern with 9:51 to play. Hardy finished with eight catches for 104 yards for the first three-TD game by a Hoosiers receiver since Duane Gunn against Minnesota in 1983.

"We started moving him around in formations, not just playing him at X," Hoeppner said. "He played X most of the time last year. We've moved him around to the F position and he's playing on the inside. He came through with some big-time catches, but the rest of the guys have stepped it up too."

After each team had a fruitless possession, Drew Tate was driving Iowa (5-2, 2-2) for a potential go-ahead score when he threw a pass that went off the hands of receiver Andy Brodell. Safety Will Meyers made a spectacular one-handed interception at the Indiana 15 with just under three minutes to play, and the Hoosiers ran out the clock.

"It was certainly a disappointing loss for our football team and basically we got what we deserved," Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz said. "The credit goes to Indiana, they played a very spirited game, they played very well, played hard, and made the plays they had to make to be successful, so we give them a lot of credit. Basically, we didn't play well enough to win the ball game, flat and simple."

Tate went 23-of-40 for 292 yards, a TD and an interception and Damian Sims ran for 94 yards and two TDs for Iowa, which had won the last three meetings.

Iowa held a 21-17 lead and was driving for another score midway through the third quarter when Sims was hit by safety Austin Thomas and the ball popped into the air. Linebacker Josh Bailey recovered the ball at the Indiana 12, and Lewis marched the Hoosiers down the field before completing a 23-yard touchdown pass to Hardy for a 24-21 lead with 3:01 left in the period.

Sims capped a 14-play, 77-yard drive with a one-yard run for a 28-24 Iowa lead with 12:36 to play.

Hawkeyes kicker Kyle Schlicher missed a pair of field-goal tries in the first quarter, of 51 and 34 yards.

"You turn the ball over, you miss kicking opportunities, you go right down through it and this is a team loss," Ferentz said. "You name it, we did it today. I don't say that to diminish anything that Indiana did, they played very spirited and played like a ranked team, and we did not. You go back and pick five to eight plays in the course of the game that might have made a difference, but ultimately we didn't get it done."