These crazy Indiana coaches just love the spotlight.
Hoosiers football coach Cam Cameron pulled his best Bobby Knight impersonation when he popped off on the officials Saturday following the Hoosiers’ 41-38 loss to North Carolina State. By JASON LLOYD “We played well enough to win the football game on the scoreboard, period,” Cameron said. “You can slice it any way you want. That football game was flat taken from Indiana University. Not from Cam Cameron, not from just our football team, it was taken from every single one of us. “And you saw it with your own two eyes. I have never seen anything like that in my life.” Cameron was fuming in part because his team blew a 12-point lead in the final five minutes, but also because of two flags thrown on Indiana and one that wasn’t thrown. Leading 35-26, the Hoosiers were whistled for a delay of game on a fourth down play when there was still one second left on the play clock. Indiana eventually kicked a field goal for a 38-26 lead with 4:29 to play. After N.C. State scored to make it 38-33, the Wolfpack got the ball back with 1:54 to play but looked to be out of chances when a pass sailed over tailback Ray Robinson’s head. But after the entire play had ended, an official flagged Indiana for defensive holding and gave the Wolfpack a first down. The Wolfpack eventually scored, and on the ensuing kickoff Derin Graham returned the kick to the N.C. State 44-yard line, where he was whipped into the IU bench after falling out of bounds. Cameron wanted a call, but didn’t get it. The Hoosiers’ 37-yard field goal attempt to force overtime was blocked, but Cameron’s tongue obviously wasn’t. The outburst cost Cameron $10,000 and the coach apologized for his actions yesterday. “I think everyone knew I was concerned with the officiating, but how I handled it was inappropriate,” he said. “I was wrong for criticizing, even though I didn’t use a specific term as it relates to officials. But it was obvious everyone knew who I was talking about, and that’s just not the way we handle it in the Big Ten Conference.” Cameron added that he has spoken to the commissioner’s office about the all-ACC officiating crew. “Before I went into the press conference, I met with our athletic director, our president and our vice-president,” he said. “Then I came close to being all right, but I just went across the line.” That other IU coach Cameron has been close friends with Knight since arriving at Indiana and said he is sad to see his friend leave. “It’s been tough on everyone,” Cameron said. “Everyone I think is well aware of my personal experience with Coach Knight. It’s one of those situations where the only way this will heal is with time.” Ohio State kicker Dan Stultz is from Knight’s hometown of Orrville. “Bobby Knight, excuse me, I mean Coach Knight, is respected in the town of Orrville,” Stultz said. “He just has a different style of coaching. Whether he won no games or wins a national championship and is 32-0, something that hasn’t been done since the 70s when he did that, I respect him and people (in Orrville) respect him. All you have to say is he got the job done when he was there. “I talked to my dad on the phone … and I think a lot of people are in shock. You hate to see him go out like that, something that isn’t even basketball related.” Henson close Michigan quarterback Drew Henson officially practiced for the first time following foot surgery yesterday, but Michigan coach Lloyd Carr said freshman John Navarre will again start Saturday when the Wolverines travel to UCLA. “Drew is making tremendous progress,” Carr said. “We’re going to have to see how Drew practices this week. But my guess is he won’t play under any conditions.” Carr left no doubt that when Henson is ready, he is the starting quarterback regardless of Navarre’s hot start. “Drew is our starting quarterback,” Carr said. “When he comes back and is ready to play, he’ll step in there. “But we still have to see how he reacts when he has to change directions and when he has to scramble away. He has to find out if he has pain when he does those things or if he has any problems when he really cuts loose. But he appears to be very, very close to coming back.” Van Dyke update Michigan State quarterback Ryan Van Dyke, forced to leave the Spartans win over Marshall with a bruised hand, told coach Bobby Williams he’s feeling better. “He’s able to grip a football, so he’s going to get out there and do a little bit,” Williams said. “There’s not much he can do, but at least he’ll be able to move around, grip the ball and get a range of motion in his throwing hand.” Williams is hopeful Van Dyke will return for Saturday’s game at Missouri, but for now freshman Jeff Smoker continues to practice with the first team. “I’d like to have Ryan practice by (today),” Williams said. “He looks like he’ll be able to be back by then.” Juggling act Amid all the suspensions in Madison, Badgers coach Barry Alvarez said dividing practice time has been tricky. “Those guys that are not playing (due to suspension) need to stay sharp, but not at the expense of guys that are playing this week,” he said. “So we try to get them reps with the second unit and try to condition them a bit more since they won’t play. But the emphasis goes to those that will play. We’ve been able to get through practice OK, the whole issue has just been unsettling.” After slight confusion, receiver Chris Chambers’ three-game suspension officially started last week. He will also miss this week’s game against Cincinnati and next week against Northwestern before becoming eligible just in time for Wisconsin’s trip to Ann Arbor. The initial confusion resulted when the NCAA declared Chambers couldn’t start serving his suspension until deemed healthy enough to play. Chambers has been slowed thus far by a stress fracture in his foot. “We had the interpretation right away,” Alvarez said. “It seems like the media had several different interpretations all along. He could play this week and he could’ve partially played last week. He has to sit three weeks (for the suspension). So we started it last game, he’ll sit this week and then next week.” Long year After Iowa’s disappointing loss to Western Michigan left the Hawkeyes 0-2, rumblings of an 0-11 seasons have already started. Second-year coach Kirk Ferentz dismisses any such talk this early in the year. “I don’t think that way,” he said. “We’re 0-2 right now. We have to take great ownership in that. We’re not happy about it, but that’s where we’re at. “This is the nature of sports. People love ya when you’re winning and critical when you’re not winning. That’s how it goes. You just have to keep going with what you know is right.” Memories Penn State coach Joe Paterno has been around for 45 of the 95 meetings between the Nittany Lions and Pitt. With Saturday being No. 96, Paterno reflected on some of his memories between the two schools. “The first one I ever coached in, I was an assistant in 1950,” he said. “We had a blizzard and couldn’t play. So we had the national guard take us back to State College, then we went back the next week and played in old Forbes Field because the Steelers were going to play there Sunday and they didn’t want to have to take the snow off both Pitt Stadium and Forbes Field. “I also remember going down there when John F. Kennedy was shot. We postponed that game and came home.” Paterno said keeping rivalries and traditions alive like Penn State-Pitt is important. “Especially when youUre locked into eight conference games, it’s nice to be able to still do this,” he said. “It’s been a great rivalry. They’ve given us a couple great lickings along the way.” This Saturday just might be another.
