Indiana, Iowa desperately seeking Big Ten win

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The resumes of Indiana and Iowa look almost identical.

Both have lost three straight games, are 0-2 in the Big Ten and their remaining schedules look, well, virtually the same, too.

On Saturday, in Bloomington, the twins will battle to salvage their sinking bowl hopes - or at least get things turned around so they can make a second-half charge.

"I think you get to a point, after five games, where you're going to get better or you're going to fall backward," Indiana coach Bill Lynch said. "So I think improvement is the No. 1 thing we have to see."

It's not much different from the talking points in Iowa City this week.

Coach Kirk Ferentz is being asked about learning curves and turnovers, confidence and promise after what had been billed as a rebound season.

Instead, the Hawkeyes (3-3) have been besieged by highlights and lowlights, and before they can start winning again, Ferentz's team must find some consistency. That quest also begins Saturday.

"I like the way our guys are working, I like the way they are playing for the most part," Ferentz said. "We just have to get over the hump. That's in our hands, and we have to do it."

While the season is far from lost, there's a sense of urgency.

Indiana still has road trips to Illinois, No. 6 Penn State and rival Purdue, along with home games against Northwestern, two-time Mid-American Conference champ Central Michigan and Wisconsin. The Badgers, Fighting Illini and Wildcats are just out of the Top 25.

After Indiana, Iowa gets Wisconsin, Penn State and Purdue at home and visits Illinois and Minnesota.

Both need six wins to become bowl eligible, so the stakes are increasing and the coaches know it.

"This is a big football game for us," Lynch said. "It will be an intense game because Iowa brings it. We've got to get it to the fourth quarter and make some plays, and that's something we've not done much of in the past few weeks."

In fact, it's not hard to figure out what's wrong with the Hoosiers (2-3).

They've gotten behind each of the past three games and their struggling run defense has had trouble getting off the field. That has allowed opponents to play keepaway, and when the Hoosiers offense has had its chances, it's been set back by self-inflicted mistakes.

Penalties have prevented Indiana from sustaining drives, and in last weekend's debacle at Minnesota, the Hoosiers lost three turnovers.

Not a winning combination.

"I'd say right now, we have to forget the past and bounce back against Iowa," linebacker Geno Johnson said. "Everybody's main focus is to go out and play hard and limit the mistakes, and each player has taken it upon themselves to change those mistakes."

Iowa faces somewhat different hurdles.

While the usually stout defense has lived up to the reputation, allowing a Big Ten-low 11.2 points per game, the offense has been erratic.

The Hawkeyes have a conversion rate of only 34 percent on third down, are averaging more than two turnovers per game and have just 12 touchdowns on 26 drives inside the red zone.

It's produced a predictable result. Iowa has lost three games by a total of nine points, all against surging opponents - Pittsburgh and Michigan State cracked the Top 25 this week and Northwestern is still undefeated.

"I think we're probably the best 3-3 team in the nation," said linebacker A.J. Edds, an Indiana native who got away from the Hoosiers. "The big thing is, we're close. It's not that we're frustrated. If anything, it's motivating because we are so close. We've done a lot of things right. We just haven't done enough good things."

Can they make those corrections, improve and make amends this weekend?

Whichever team succeeds in doing that will finally create separation and, possibly, provide a jump start for a closing run.

"I don't think we need to panic," Hoosiers defensive end Greg Middleton said. "We've just got to start getting wins."