BIG TEN Indiana ready for OSU's invasion

There's usually a large contingent of Buckeye fans at Memorial Stadium.
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) -- Indiana coach Terry Hoeppner has been warned about the mirage he might see today.
The seats will be covered in shades of red, exuberant chants will resonate, and for the first time this season Memorial Stadium is expected to be sold out. Sounds great for a program trying to rebuild its image and fill seats.
But the expected scarlet red may make No. 14 Ohio State feel like it's back home in Indiana.
"I can remember playing over there. Our crowd was huge," Buckeyes linebacker A.J. Hawk said.
"They had the O-H-I-O going in their stadium. We had tons of support."
The Buckeyes (4-2, 2-1) have been anything but road warriors lately.
Despite having one of the nation's stingiest defenses and explosive playmakers on offense -- elements that should help quiet hostile crowds -- Ohio State has lost five of its last six conference road games.
But going to Indiana has always been different.
Typically, the crowd's loyalties are split in half, which explains why Ohio State games have produced four of the five highest Memorial Stadium attendance totals over the past decade.
Years of losses
Ohio State also clinched its last Rose Bowl trip here in 1996 and has won 12 straight in the series. The Hoosiers haven't beaten Ohio State at home since 1988.
Hoeppner, in his first season with the Hoosiers, began hearing the horror stories almost as soon as he took the job last December.
And if he had doubts, his players could recount their own tales from 2003.
"You see red and you're thinking that it's your people," Indiana kick returner Lance Bennett said.
"Then I turn around and see Ohio State people right behind our bench. I'm thinking 'What is this?' But that's what happens. What can you do? You can't get mad."
So the Hoosiers (4-2, 1-2) are trying to get even.
In six short weeks, they've turned a program that had grown accustomed to losing into one filled with hope. They need two more wins to qualify for their first bowl game since 1993.
Now, Hoeppner and Indiana face the daunting task of delivering a signature victory while also trying to reclaim home-field advantage over their neighboring opponent.
Rather than sending Ohio State an allotment of 25,000 tickets, which has happened in the past, school officials cut the number to 15,000 in hopes that would minimize the Buckeyes fans.
"I knew the history," Hoeppner said.
"This was the challenge, that as a program, they would test us most at home. We'll see where we are. It will be a good barometer."
Matchups
To keep Hoosiers fans interested, it will take more than sales pitches.
Indiana has to figure out a way to negate Ohio State playmakers Santonio Holmes and Ted Ginn Jr. and contend with the Buckeyes' blitz packages when its on offense.
"They may blitz us in warmups," Hoeppner said.
"It's truly going to be dial-a-blitz, a blitzarama."
Indiana's passing game has been better than expected.
Sophomore Blake Powers already has broken the single-season school record with 20 touchdown passes, and 6-foot-7 redshirt freshman James Hardy is creating mismatches wherever he goes.
Hardy ranks among the top five nationally in receptions per game (7.7) and yards receiving per game (124.0).