Kellen Lewis easily proved he was a star with the team, having one heck of a tandem with 6'5" wide receiver James Hardy, who currently plays with the Buffalo Bills of the National Football League.
Lewis showed leadership on the squad of IU, and showing off his knowledge of what he puts on the turf of Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers were up, 24-3, against the Purdue Boilermakers in the team's last game of the season. IU stood at 6-5 while Purdue laid back at 7-4.
If IU lost, there Bowl game dreams for this year will be suddenly crushed.
But if they were to win, a bowl game was guaranteed in sight. With this win, the prayers will be no more, it's miracle. With Purdue at a 24-3 deficit, everything was all going good with folks in the red and white.
This was just too good.
But the Boilermakers made a quick touchdown, and by the looks of it, "Oh no's!" shrilled from the crowd as Purdue bounced there way back to tie the game up at 24. This wasn't going good now.
IU had to do something, and quick. Kellen Lewis looked to be off to the rescue. Lewis lead IU to set up a game-winning kick that would send IU into a bowl game for the first time, in well, forever.
Well, it happened.
Kellen Lewis was automatically a big star, and now, here he was, on to the Insight Bowl, against the hateful Oklahoma State Cowboys. Things never went well in that game, though. IU shamefully lost, 49-33, against Oklahoma State.
But it wasn't all that bad. I mean, come on, the Hoosiers football team actually went to a bowl game. A damn bowl game. You just don't expect that from a team like IU in football!
Lewis showed how good he was that year, throwing for over 3,000 passing yards, 28 touchdowns and ten interceptions, and including a 134.17 quarterback rating. He also ran for 736 rushing yards and went in for nine touchdowns.
He also, surprisingly, had an 87-yard receiving touchdown that year.
It truly was a solid year for Kellen Lewis. Could he bring the same, or possibly better, skills on the field for IU coming into the 2008-09 season? It was going to be a longshot with Hardy leaving, but hey, he can do it.
In the 2008 season, it was actually a disappointment.
It wasn't a good year at all for Lewis, who threw for only about 1,100 yards, six touchdowns and eight picks, and a 108.19 rating. The Hoosiers also went 3-9, ending with a painful 62-10 drought with the Boilermakers.
Lewis had off the field issues, going into some scuffles which lead him to be permanently disabled on the IU roster. It was sad for many IU fans for him to leave, and it was going to be a tough year with Ben Chappell under center.
But what happened to Lewis?
Nobody ever knew what happened to Lewis. I searched for many articles and archives surrounding the name of Kellen Lewis. Nothing matched, until I went to IndyStar.com in which they labeled a story of Lewis.
This is certainly something really different.
Image courtesy of the Indianapolis Star and The Valdosta Daily
Lewis now stands at Valdosta State in which he is the starting quarterback for the Blazers. Valdosta State is a Division II school, and Lewis certainly has the hunger for going back to IU.
The equipment is certainly very different from the ones he received back at Indiana University. The violations really struck Lewis, but his new path stands Valdosta in which he tries to pursue his dream as a professional football player.
Lewis is also preparing for his game on Saturday as well.
"It makes you realize all of the things you took for granted," Lewis told Terry Hutchens of the Indianapolis Star. "Here, you don't get the cleats, you don't get as much gear, the same kind of things aren't paid for. The supplemental (scholarship) check isn't quite the same. I think it has all just brought the hunger back to me a little bit."
With his game at Newberry, he won't be hard to find with his number 15 plastered on his chest. Lewis knew he was the man at IU. Oh, what could have been if he stayed there. Things changed big time though, as a quarterback spot was never destined to be with his switch to receiver at IU.
Now here he is, a Blazer. Lewis hopes to bring his dual threat to the team and show that he still is the man. And along with running back Bryan Payton, the Blazers look to be a very fun team to watch.
"With all that he has gone through, I think this was something that needed to happen in his life," Payton said. "With some people, you have to hit rock bottom to change. But I think he's going to do great down there and I think he's going to come out of this a better man."
Lewis will have a solid year as a Blazer, it's already been guaranteed. At practice, Lewis just ran and ran. But when it all pays off, Lewis will graduate from Valdosta State...
and be a better man.
