Indiana Football to Honor 2007 Insight Bowl Team, Veterans Day Against Penn State

Tom Allen said former Indiana football coach Bill Lynch will be back in Bloomington this weekend when the Hoosiers take on Penn State.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana will recognize a memorable season in the football program's history on Saturday when the Hoosiers take on Penn State at 3:30 p.m. ET.

Coach Tom Allen said they will honor the 2007 Indiana football team that reached the Insight Bowl.

"Really excited to have coach [Bill] Lynch back, Jane Hoeppner, as well," Allen said. "And just all the Hoeppner family has meant to this program and coach [Terry] Hoeppner and his tremendous legacy."

Before the 2007 season, coach Terry Hoeppner took a leave of absence to attend to his health. Bill Lynch moved from offensive coordinator to interim head coach for the 2007 season, and on June 19, Hoeppner died of brain cancer. 

In his first season as head coach at the Division I level, Lynch led the Hoosiers to a 7-6 record, the most wins for any first-year coach at Indiana since 1905.

The Hoosiers started the season with wins over Indiana State, Western Michigan and Akron, and defeated Iowa, Minnesota and Ball State to reach bowl eligibility for the first time since 1993. Lynch led the Hoosiers to a 27-24 win over Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game, landing a spot in the Insight Bowl against Oklahoma State in Tempe, Ariz. 

Indiana Hoosiers running back Marcus Thigpen leaps over Oklahoma State Cowboys defensive back Perrish Cox (16) during the second quarter / Rick Scuteri-USA TODAY Sports

Oklahoma State defeated Indiana 49-33, and the Hoosiers had no answer for quarterback Zac Robinson, who finished with 302 passing yards, 70 rushing yards and five total touchdowns. Dez Bryant led Oklahoma State with nine receptions for 117 yards and two touchdowns, and Dantrell Savage rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown. 

Indiana opened the scoring with a field goal, but Oklahoma State responded with three first-quarter touchdowns and didn't look back. Indiana quarterback Kellen Lewis completed 22-of-43 attempts for 204 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for 83 yards and a touchdown. The Hoosiers pushed for a comeback in the fourth quarter with touchdowns from Josiah Sears and James Bailey, but the deficit was too great to overcome. 

In his final year at Indiana, James Hardy hauled in 79 receptions for 1,125 yards and 16 touchdowns, becoming the program's all-time leader with 2,740 receiving yards and 191 receptions.

In addition to honoring the 2007 Insight Bowl team, Allen said Indiana will also celebrate the nation's veterans on Saturday with Veterans Day approaching on Nov. 11.

"So much respect and love and appreciation for what they do on a daily basis," Allen said. "Really, always enjoy honoring them on this special day."

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