For the '76 season, the scarlet helmet that featured a scarlet one-inch center stripe, and three-quarter-inch white and then three-quarter-inch black flanking stripes was dressed up a bit. The white block I on the sides of the helmet remained trimmed in black but the entire look of the helmet was bolder due to the addition of a white face mask for all of the players. The white mask seemed to make the scarlet of the shell even more gleaming. Progress was predicted for 1976 as a big finish for school-leading rusher (2781 yards) Courtney Snyder was expected but he went down with a broken ankle in the opener against Miami. 5'7", 174-pound All Ohio product and true freshman Mike Harkrader had to step in. High school track star Darrick Burnett was the burner in the backfield, and unexpectedly Harkrader produced 191 yards against Iowa and  1003 for the season. The 5-6 year was a result of improved O-line play as Malverne (N.Y.) High School's Bill Jones moved over from defense, and the defense stepped up with an improved performance led by DE Carl Smith. 1977 looked like '76 with leading rusher Harkrader hobbled by a knee injury but Darrick Burnett stepped in admirably with 784 yards and QB Scott Arnett was steady. The 5-5-1 record was the result of a defense that yielded 3602 yards and 228 points, though DE Smith again played well as did LB Joe Norman. Corso had the Hoosiers headed in the right direction but fell off to 4-7 in '78 due to injuries. QB Arnett began the season hurt and FB Tony D'orazio never got to the field. Still not one-hundred percent from his knee repair, Harkrader was back with 880 yards and Tim Clifford handled the QB role with the dinged-up Arnett. The Hoosiers played tough against a brutal schedule (LSU, Washington, and Nebraska) but defense again needed to be stronger and that was the goal entering 1979. The offense exploded for 4580 yards and 314 points but unlike past seasons, QB Tim Clifford was the centerpiece, throwing for 2078 of those total yards. Oft-injured Mike Harkrader was still an explosive tailback but alternated with Lonnie Johnson who contributed another 708 rush yards to the total. The defense did enough to allow the high powered offense to stay in almost every game and the final 8-4 record included an exciting 38-37 win over BYU in the Holiday Bowl. Yes, a bowl game and a bowl win for the Hoosiers, Corso had indeed brought them back in 1979 and ever-quotable, stated, in reference to Purdue heading off to the Bluebonnet Bowl, "Two teams from Indiana going to a bowl-and one of them is not Notre Dame!"

 

There was no bowl in 1980 but IU now had a competitive program as their second consecutive winning season at 6-5, indicated. DB Tim Wilbur came up big as he and LB Marlin Evans both were named All Big 10. Harkrader completed his career as the all-time leading IU rusher and Lonnie Johnson was the second leading ground-gainer in the Big 10. Clifford also completed his career with a number of passing records and was backed up by soph Cam Cameron who became IU's head coach in 1997 and after years as an NFL assistant, became the Miami Dolphins head man in 2007. The high of two straight winning seasons was followed by a harsh fall back to earth as the 1981 squad finished at 3-8 and the offense often disappeared. Pierce JC transfer QB Babe Laufenberg put up almost 1800 yards but injuries forced Corso to play "musical-backs" as he tried to find a winning combination. 1980's All Big 10 defenders Wilbur and Evans were out of school for the year which contributed to the defensive woes. Nate Borders was a decent DB contributor and later played in three replacement games for the '87 Bengals. Forty-five lettermen, Laufenberg, and speedy receiver Duane Gunn returning from a broken leg in 1981 predicted big numbers for the IU offense in '82 but the rushing game was absent most of the time. The 5-6 finish included close losses to Iowa and Michigan State but the latter game included 96 yards in penalties and five turnovers which rankled the administration. Twenty-four days after dropping the Old Oaken Bucket game to Purdue, Corso was fired. For anyone who enjoys college football, Corso has become a familiar and beloved figure as an ESPN college football analyst and personality.

 

Bill Walsh disciple and former NFL quarterback Sam Wyche took the reins in '83, falling to 3-8 but left to enter the NFL as the Bengals' head coach. Bill Mallory had a lengthy and largely successful tenure from 1984 through '96 and IU appeared six bowl games during that time. Under Cam Cameron and Gerry DiNardo, they again hit the skids but were on the upswing under Terry Hoeppner who tragically succumbed to a brain tumor in 2007. Assistant Bill Lynch, the former head coach at Ball State ascended to the head coaching spot and hopes remain high for a Hoosier revival.