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What is the favorite IU game...

And I’ll repeat what I’ve already said . . . Corso knew the ‘79 team was going to be good / his best, yet it didn’t achieve what it could’ve (the home loss to CU, the last second disaster at UM, the poor play resulting in a season ending loss to Purdue). The fact is that BYU gave that game away as much as IU won it (they allowed a punt to bounce around and let up in coverage, permitting TW to pick it up and return it for a score, then their kicker shanked a gimme FG that would’ve still won it). Eight wins was a nice result, but LC knew it could’ve easily been 9, 10 or even 11. They struggled to do the little things well, and it cost them dearly. So, while you might’ve thought they overachieved, they didn’t and people who closely followed the program didn’t. And it was very likely due to Corso’s hand off, loose approach.

I’m going to actually agree with you on this. It may have been a different time and environment and maybe it was Corso’s demeanor but there was a certain amount of “showmanship” and other antics that made some fans question how serious he was about winning here? Or, if he saw what he was doing was just good enough to keep the fans (win the Bucket, that was the pinnacle goal).

Taking a picture during a timeout at OSU up 7-0. The double-decker bus. His joke “See? I told you I’d bring a winner to Bloomington!” when we scheduled USC for a game. All of those things provided some entertainment but were in stark contrast to the Woddy Hayes and Bo mentalities of “winning matters” and rough and tumble football.

There were countless stories of guys going out partying hard the night before games. Meanwhile, Woody had curfews and a very businesslike approach. And, make no mistake, Corso got some very good players. If Rivals existed back in the day, there were a whole host of kids in the lines and at skill positions who would have been recruited by Power-5 today. Lonnie Johnson was a RB that would start for most teams. Harkrader, Marlon Fleming, Clifford, Wilbur, Craig Walls, Bob Stephenson, Marc Sutor, Longshore. These guys weren’t exactly chopped liver.

I distinctly remember a game in around 1982, maybe 1981, playing in a drizzling rain at home to Wisconsin (who was terrible by the way) and our kicker misses a field goal and he comes back to bench. Now, most kickers isolate themselves in shame after missed FG attempts but our guys, the kicker included, are on the bench laughing and yuking it up. Wisconsin won.....by a field goal. And Corso nor staff came over to talk to them, they just allowed that kind of thing.

Maybe Corso thought that tactic worked but it sure made people question how serious he was about moving up.
 
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I will stick with games I attended that IU won:

1. '87 vs UM in horizontal rain.

2. '87 vs PU blowout. Van Waiters with strip/score.

3. '76 at PU. Corso first Bucket win.

4. '91 at Wisky. Mal suspended. IU down 20-0, early 3rd qtr, comes back to win 28-20.

5. 2000 vs Iowa. ARE runs wild under the lights.
 
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I will stick with games I attended that IU won:

1. '87 vs UM in horizontal rain.

2. '87 vs PU blowout. Van Waiters with strip/score.



3. '76 at PU. Corso first Bucket win.

4. '91 at Wisky. Mal suspended. IU down 20-0, early 3rd qtr, comes back to win 28-20.




5. 2000 vs Iowa. ARE runs wild under the lights.

I can still see Waiter's strip/sack TD in my mind! One of the greatest plays ever. He could have just blown McCarthy up, and suddenly it looked like he just wrapped him and stopped. Before I could process what was happening he started sprinting to the end zone with one of our Dlineman in pursuit, hand held high. Beautiful!
 
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I can still see Waiter's strip/sack TD in my mind! One of the greatest plays ever. He could have just blown McCarthy up, and suddenly it looked like he just wrapped him and stopped. Before I could process what was happening he started sprinting to the end zone with one of our Dlineman in pursuit, hand held high. Beautiful!

The VW strip6 was right in front of us, I believe on the north end. Had my Sony Walkman radio headset tuned to the Pu broadcast so I could hear their take...plus Pete and Susan Quinn were friends. I remember the commentary...Monday your IU buddies at the office are going to talk about a blowout...but it wasn't...
 
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I’m going to actually agree with you on this. It may have been a different time and environment and maybe it was Corso’s demeanor but there was a certain amount of “showmanship” and other antics that made some fans question how serious he was about winning here? Or, if he saw what he was doing was just good enough to keep the fans (win the Bucket, that was the pinnacle goal).

Taking a picture during a timeout at OSU up 7-0. The double-decker bus. His joke “See? I told you I’d bring a winner to Bloomington!” when we scheduled USC for a game. All of those things provided some entertainment but were in stark contrast to the Woddy Hayes and Bo mentalities of “winning matters” and rough and tumble football.

There were countless stories of guys going out partying hard the night before games. Meanwhile, Woody had curfews and a very businesslike approach. And, make no mistake, Corso got some very good players. If Rivals existed back in the day, there were a whole host of kids in the lines and at skill positions who would have been recruited by Power-5 today. Lonnie Johnson was a RB that would start for most teams. Harkrader, Marlon Fleming, Clifford, Wilbur, Craig Walls, Bob Stephenson, Marc Sutor, Longshore. These guys weren’t exactly chopped liver.

I distinctly remember a game in around 1982, maybe 1981, playing in a drizzling rain at home to Wisconsin (who was terrible by the way) and our kicker misses a field goal and he comes back to bench. Now, most kickers isolate themselves in shame after missed FG attempts but our guys, the kicker included, are on the bench laughing and yuking it up. Wisconsin won.....by a field goal. And Corso nor staff came over to talk to them, they just allowed that kind of thing.

Maybe Corso thought that tactic worked but it sure made people question how serious he was about moving up.
Lots of players out on Fridays before home games and, even more so, Thursdays before road games. Crazy times.
 
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