BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Matt LoVecchio still is Indiana's starting quarterback, and Graeme McFarland still would like to play more.
But don't expect any changes Saturday when the Hoosiers (1-7, 0-4 Big Ten) visit No. 24 Minnesota (7-2, 3-2).
"I think he's getting more comfortable with our offense," coach Gerry DiNardo said about LoVecchio. "I believe our passing game will improve."
In his first season at Indiana, LoVecchio has struggled mightily.
His passer rating of 103.4 is the lowest of all the Big Ten starters.
Only two quarterbacks, Illinois' Jon Beutjer and Northwestern's Brett Basanez, have thrown more interceptions than LoVecchio's seven, and his two TD passes are the fewest in the Big Ten.
Making matters worse was that when McFarland completed all six of his passes for 54 yards and one touchdown in his first appearance of the season -- late in the Hoosiers' 35-6 loss to Ohio State on Saturday.
Afterward, McFarland said he would like to play more but would do whatever the coaches asked.
DiNardo made it clear he was not asking McFarland to do much more any time soon.
"No," he said simply when asked if McFarland would play against the Golden Gophers.
DiNardo has not blamed LoVecchio entirely for the Hoosiers' passing problem. Rather, he said it's been a combination of things -- pass protection, route running, throwing and catching.
But a five-game losing streak has taken a definite toll on all of the Hoosiers, including the unemotional LoVecchio.
"He's very typical of everyone else in the program," DiNardo said. "He wants to know when we're going to get this turned around, when we're going to start winning, when we're going to start having some fun."
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MODEL PROGRAM?: DiNardo has never faced Minnesota as a coach, but he'd like to know more about the Gophers turnaround.
When coach Glen Mason took over in 1997, Minnesota had produced six straight losing seasons. In his third season, Mason went 8-4 and Minnesota earned its highest national ranking in 32 years.
On Saturday, DiNardo will get a firsthand look at just how far the program has come -- and a possible model for what the Hoosiers, with nine straight losing seasons, could do.
"I think Glen has done a great job with that program, and I think a lot of people in college football would tell you the same thing," DiNardo said. "That's a lot of losing seasons to overcome. It means no one on the team had ever won."
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LEAVING IT BEHIND: DiNardo didn't let the embarrassing Ohio State loss linger long.
When he showed up for Tuesday's news conference, he barely mentioned the Ohio State game until hit with a flurry of questions about the Buckeyes.
Finally, DiNardo responded: "You guys are asking a lot of questions about Ohio State. I don't remember a lot about it. I've probably watched 10 different games since then."
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PUNTS: Running back BenJarvus Green-Ellis has scored six touchdowns this season, the most by a true freshman at Indiana since Alex Smith scored 10 times in 1994. ... The Hoosiers' turnover margin has improved from minus-12 last year to plus-2 this season. ... Indiana's last road win came Nov. 10, 2001 at Michigan State. ... Minnesota has the Big Ten's top scoring offense (39.8). Indiana has the conference's No. 10 scoring defense (30.4).
Originally published Thursday, October 30, 2003
