123 items found for your search. If no results were found please broaden your search.
(03/04/19 2:08am)
When he was a 26-year-old defensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois, Kane Wommack thought he was ready. He thought he had arrived.
At the FCS level, his 2015 defense ranked second in the nation in interceptions, third in takeaways, and fourth in pass efficiency defense. Eastern Illinois made the FCS playoffs in his second season there, and Wommack decided to leave for South Alabama -- where he became the youngest defensive coordinator in FBS. For two seasons in Mobile, the Jaguars' defense was one of the nation's most improved.
Wommack is 31 years old now, and feels much more prepared as a coordinator than he did five years ago in Charleston, Illinois. He linked up with Tom Allen as IU's linebackers coach last season and now has inherited the role of defensive coordinator for 2019. He knows what he wants to do in Bloomington.
"From an organization standpoint, I know exactly what I want off the field, what we want on the field," Wommack said. "There's very little talking it through, like 'hey this is how we have to do this, and how we have to do that.' That transition's even less because we've already done a lot of the same things for the last three years. I thought when I was a defensive coordinator at Eastern Illinois at 26 years old, I was like 'Man, I'm ready, I've arrived.' It so happens that the next year I became a better coordinator and a better coordinator after that."
In late December, Wommack was announced as Indiana's next defensive coordinator. Even as head coach, Allen had led the defense ever since 2016. It was a difficult decision for Allen to give it away, considering his sheer passion and historic turnaround for Indiana's defense. But IU's head coach seems at peace with the change and found a familiar face in Wommack to serve as his heir. There is a substantial level of comfort between Allen and Wommack, as the two coaches overlapped under Wommack's father at Ole Miss from 2012-13.
The Hoosiers opened spring practice on Saturday and have now held two practices. Following Sunday's session, Allen praised Wommack's ability at communicating direction and maintaining the defensive energy that was established when Allen held the title. There are differences, of course, between coaching styles. Allen says Wommack has a different way of motivating the performance and effort of his players.
"I think he's done a really good job, but like you said it's very early and it's hard to tell with some of those things," Allen said. "I have zero concerns about what we're doing. I'm still involved with that, I still feel like. Other than just me telling them what call their going to make, that's the only thing I feel a little bit different.
For Allen, dropping the defensive coordinator duties has allowed him to spend more time as Indiana's head coach. His day-to-day involvement in recruiting has increased substantially, such as taking photos and spending time with IU's 2020 recruits this offseason. Allen is also spending more time in offensive meetings and overseeing the program as a whole. For the past two seasons, there were only so many hours in the day for Allen to serve as both head coach and defensive coordinator.
"In regards to being able to oversee everything better, it's been more time on offense," Allen said. "I spent time in offensive meetings, which I really haven't done much of in the past. So I like that, and being able to get my personality there. It's more mindset and intensity of why we do what we do. It's accountability for our guys. I want to do a great job of that as the head coach."
Indiana's defense is Allen's brainchild, and for as long as he remains in Bloomington, it always will be. He was hired by Kevin Wilson to systematically fix IU's defense, and he did just that. Out of 125 FBS teams in total defense, the Hoosiers were 121st in 2015 under Brian Knorr, allowing 510 yards per game. In 2016 under Allen, they were 45th. In 2017, they were 27th, allowing 340 yards per game. Allen continues to work towards his goal of a top-25 defense.
There will always be some sort of connection between Allen and IU's defense, but it is Wommack's turn to call the plays and carry the defensive torch. Both Allen and Wommack mentioned the improved speed and experience of this Hoosier defense, two qualities that could limit the lapses suffered in 2018. There have also been position changes. After playing husky as Marcelino Ball's backup, Cam Jones is being moved to safety in order to utilize his ball-hawking ability and increase his playing time. Indiana is excited about its secondary speed, specifically Juwan Burgess (sophomore), Bryant Fitzgerald (sophomore), and Noah Pierre (freshman).
"I think it part of it is confidence because they're a year older," Allen said. "We played some young guys (last year), but there's some really fast guys there that understand their role better. We're not necessarily making a lot of major changes, so they have a pretty good foundation.
Defensively, 12 freshmen played a considerable amount last season -- mainly in the secondary. They will push Indiana's upperclassmen for starting spots, and so will an applauded incoming class. Wommack inherits competition at seemingly every position and is encouraged by the physical improvements made in the offseason. The majority of questions for IU's defense lie in the trenches, with the likes of Jacob Robinson, Ja'merez Bowen, and Mike Barwick all graduating.
"This defense has been really good for the last few years," Wommack said. "I think we've got a younger group of players that their bodies right now are at a different level. Watching them coming out here and seeing how they execute is pretty exciting."
(03/02/19 9:22pm)
For the past eight weeks, Archie Miller marched into his locker room and saw the result and ramification of defeat. He watched his team feel sorry for themselves after endless close losses, including a five-game home losing skid that was snapped Tuesday against Wisconsin.
Even after defeating No. 19 Wisconsin, though, the Hoosiers' so-called resurgence was not legitimatized. Maybe it was the ugliness of a double-overtime, three-hour slugest of a 9pm game, or allowing a 20-3 second half run to the Badgers.
Whatever it was, Indiana's players seemed relieved after defeating No. 19 Wisconsin earlier this week -- but not yet joyful. The joy came on Saturday, as Miller's team completed a season-sweep of No. 6 Michigan State, 63-62 at Assembly Hall. Students stormed the court and its celebration was heard as Justin Smith, Devonte Green, and Rob Phinisee answered postgame questions.
For a team that started with the expectation of a deep NCAA tournament run but eventually lost 12 of 13 midseason games, Saturday felt good. There was joy.
"It's definitely given us momentum," Smith said. "We had won -- we were 1 for 12 or something like that, but we really weren't focused on that, we were taking it one game at a time, and now that we got two in a row, it's next game up. We're looking to build off of it, and it feels good to win. It always feels good to win, and we're just going to continue and we want this feeling again. That's what we're going to strive for."
There is no joy for Indiana (15-14, 6-12 Big Ten) without a career-day from sophomore forward Justin Smith. His career-high 24 points were season-saving, especially in the first half when the rest of the Hoosiers struggled to do anything right offensively. Saturday was a day for the unexpected: not simply Smith's performance, but 11 second-half points from Devonte Green. Both players had slid down Miller's bench at varying points during the season.
"I mean, I was due to hit some shots," Smith said. "I hadn't hit a couple in a while, and then once I got a couple going, my teammates kept giving me confidence, told me keep shooting it, and that's what I did, and I was able to make a couple."
The Hoosiers also do not win without their impressive play on both ends of the fast-break, and stifling defense from freshman point guard Rob Phinisee -- who held Michigan State point guard Cassius Winston scoreless at the buzzer. There were endless effort plays that Indiana had not made in months, including 15 offensive rebounds against an elite rebounding team in the Spartans. Those effort plays have now resurrected IU's season.
"The only thing that has given us confidence all year in our big wins is how hard we've played," Miller said ... "I think it's great attitude by the guys. I think it's great commitment level, and they sort of are just dialed in a little bit more so. They've gotten away from the worrying and feeling sorry for themselves, and they've gotten back to work, and it's good to see."
Indiana has now defeated back-to-back ranked opponents for the first time since the 2016 Big Ten Championship team -- but this resume is nothing like that one. The Hoosiers hold six quadrant-one victories, and five ranked victories despite the nation's third-toughest Strength of Schedule. Only 13 schools have more Quad 1 victories than Indiana, and a seventh Quad 1 victory would come if Butler improves. These are all facts, but so are these: the Hoosiers are a mediocre 15-14 overall, an ugly 6-12 in the Big Ten, and lost 12 of 13 games earlier this season. Michigan State aside, Indiana's important wins have all come at home.
Obviously, it is a mystifying resume. It is a resume that will garner an insufferable amount of conversation during the next few weeks. To Indiana's credit, a conversation alone is impressive after that 46-point showing against Michigan, or 21-point loss to Minnesota. The Hoosiers could have folded. They have not. Victories against Illinois and Rutgers would close Indiana's regular season at 17-14 (8-12), in which Indiana would play in the Big Ten's 8 vs. 9 second-round game. Any wins in the Big Ten tournament would push the Hoosiers even closer to 20 wins -- and given the strength of the conference and weakness of the field, that should be enough.
"I think our resume at the end of the day will speak for itself," Miller said. "But we have a unique resume. Our schedule strength is off the charts. We have some big wins against really, really highly regarded teams, and if you take the name off the front, obviously you're going to look at a stretch in the season that doesn't look very good, but it's all about how you finish. You can keep controlling what you can control right now, which is being ready for the next one. But we have to win. I mean, we have to win, period."
Right now, Indiana feels confident. They should be -- there is nothing scarier than a team that gets hot in March. Except for these Hoosiers, it is confidence rather than heat. Miller has acknowledged that his team will never be the nation's top offense, but effort and energy change this team's ceiling regardless. Miller also warned of Thursday's road matchup with Illinois. The Illini, to their own right, play exceptionally hard. A letdown in Champaign could end Indiana's at-large chances. But for one day, anyway, it feels good.
"It feels good," Miller said. "I mean, it honestly does. It feels good to watch the guys right now just in terms of their mindset, their disposition and how they're doing things, and you've got to play tough, and you've got to play really hard, and you've got to make some things happen for yourself, and we did that today."
(02/27/19 6:53am)
In the aftermath of Indiana's 75-73 double-overtime upset of No. 19 Wisconsin, Romeo Langford sat at Assembly Hall's podium and admitted his prior mistakes.
With nine seconds remaining, Langford took the ball and waited for Rob Phinisee to set a split screen. It confused Wisconsin's defensive duo of Khalil Iverson and D'Mitrik Trice, who were supposed to stop Langford's unstoppable right hand from getting to the basket.
Langford took advantage of a wrong step, raced towards the basket, and laid it in. Ballgame. He had just logged 45 minutes of a three-hour basketball game, avoiding a single foul call and converting the game-winner.
“Rob came up to set a screen,” Langford said. “They messed up the read on it. I just saw the lane to get to the basket and that’s what I did.”
It was a game-winner that had long been in the making for IU's freshman star.
The demise of Indiana had included losses in 12 of its previous 13 games, and many were caused by team-wide execution mistakes in key junctures. By no means is Langford alone, as Archie Miller's young roster had been 1-7 in single digit games since 2019 began.
But Langford, specifically, had missed three critical shots during that stretch.
His 3-point attempt at the buzzer against Iowa would have won the game in regulation. His missed free throw against Purdue would have given Indiana the lead with 23 seconds remaining. His missed 3-pointer vs. Ohio State would have handed his team the 55-54 lead with 12 seconds remaining. The Hoosiers lost all three.
"I mean, just finally I hit one," Langford said. "I know the past two times I had it in my hand at the end of the game, it didn't come out as we planned. I just learned from mistakes in the past two, settling for a jump shot, and I felt like they couldn't stop me getting to the rim. That's exactly what I did, and I made the shot."
Tuesday's win was a marathon in many ways. The Hoosiers responded from a demoralizing overtime road loss to Iowa with six 3-pointers in the first half, a season-high. A focused brand of basketball led Indiana to a 13-point lead with 12:40 to play, but then Miller pulled Langford and senior Juwan Morgan for rest. His lineup imploded, spawning a 20-3 Wisconsin run and 54-50 lead with 6:53 remaining. The Hoosiers were in trouble of dropping their sixth straight at home, a rare feat in Bloomington.
Miller's young roster found a way, despite seeing Morgan and fellow starter Justin Smith both foul out and summoning the likes of freshman forward Race Thompson - who played 21 minutes of exceptional defense in his third career game.
"I kept calm because my teammates, I know they have faith in me," Thompson said. "They keep telling me I'm good, like you got this. This is what we do for a living. There was no reason for me to be nervous or nothing. That's what we do. I think I just played to my strengths and did what I had to do."
Indiana had two chances to win it before Langford's game-winner, but the 3-point heaves from Phinisee and Al Durham did not connect. Indiana and Wisconsin combined for 24 points in ten minutes of overtime periods. Tuesday's game was neither pretty nor impressive, yet the Hoosiers remained their level of confidence. They snapped a lengthy home losing skid, reinvigorated their locker room, and remained in-play for a Big Ten Tournament first-round bye.
"I felt like the last three games really reminded us of ourselves in the beginning of the season," Langford said. "Just how hard we've been playing and hold ourselves on defense, even though we came up short. Especially tonight, we went in two overtimes. Beginning of the season, we didn't give up on like if a team made a run on us. Wisconsin made a run on us. We got up by ten, and they came back and took the lead, and we didn't panic and just stayed with it."
For Indiana to end this season successfully, Miller wants his Hoosiers to play with confidence and energy. He acknowledged that even earlier this season, his team wasn't always playing ideal offense -- but it was playing smart defensively and with a competitive effort that handed IU victories. The Hoosiers understandably lost that during a demoralizing streak of close losses, but Miller has seen IU's moxie return in the past three games. He sees more confidence, energy, and effort.
"It's hard," Miller said of retaining confidence despite losing. "Negativity, losing, all that stuff isn't fun. But I think our guys have taken a pretty good approach ... I think just in general you're starting to see the team sort of resemble itself a little bit just in terms of how how you can play hard when things aren't going well."
Indiana's season now marches to Saturday's rematch with No. 6 Michigan State in hopes of securing a season sweep of the Spartans. Any remaining, or future, postseason hopes would benefit immensely from doing so. After Saturday, the Hoosiers will close at Illinois and home against Rutgers. As the conditioning of junior forward De'Ron Davis continues to progress, and Thompson gets integrated, and the Hoosiers play with more confidence, there is certainly a chance of Indiana salvaging its season after all.
"We learned from our mistakes for the ones that we lost and kept on battling, and we came up on top today," Langford said.
(02/20/19 3:55am)
Juwan Morgan thought he had the position.
With the game tied and clock winding down, Purdue point guard Carsen Edwards faded away and released a shot from the elbow. He missed for the 20th time that night (4-24, 0-10 3PT), and Morgan moved to box-out 7-foot-3 Boilermaker center Matt Haarms.
Except Haarms had six inches on the 6-foot-8 Morgan. Indiana's senior forward completed his box-out and jumped with two hands for the ball. He came down with nothing but air.
Instead, Haarms' left hand was extended just beyond the reach of Morgan. He banked in the tip-in, and subsequent game-winner, to give No. 15 Purdue the season sweep of Indiana -- 48-46 on Tuesday night at Assembly Hall.
"A hundred percent I think I had position," Morgan said postgame.
Upon further review, Morgan is correct. There really was not much he could have done differently on the play -- besides utilizing the foul that Indiana had to give. Tuesday night was a lot of things, starting with a hideous display of offense, as both teams combined to shoot 29.6 percent from the floor. The Hoosiers shot 7-of-26 in the paint, accumulated 17 turnovers, and were again brutal from 3-point distance (5-of-25).
But Indiana was a different team Tuesday against Purdue than the one that lost to Minnesota by 21 days prior, or by 15 at home to Nebraska a month ago. No, not offensively, nor at the free-throw line, or in the late-game department either. The Hoosiers played with a different mindset, according to their coach, and it showed. Purdue is a top-five team in KenPom offensive efficiency, yet Indiana made the Boilermakers look like they were running offensive sets for the first time. There are few statistics, or even individual plays, to back this up -- as Morgan finished 3-of-14 from the floor and turned the ball over with a one-point lead and a minute to play.
Archie Miller said postgame that he has been unhappy with his team's mindset since that Nebraska game on January 14th. He saw his team's confidence 'shook' against the Huskers, and continue to plummet until Tuesday's effort against Purdue. Indiana had legitimate swagger -- from getting into the head of Haarms, to crossing up Edwards, and an ill Romeo Langford forcing fouls at will.
"I just thought in general we had to drastically change our attitude," Miller said. "The way we think about things right now, how we approach our team concept, how we approach our practices, and I thought talking it out and having our team speak was a big thing, and those guys obviously looked at one another and said, this isn't how it's supposed to be. And I think that is the change that has to stay, because clearly we played a very good team tonight in front of obviously an amazing environment."
It's quite possible that Indiana's 'max-effort' shown Tuesday was the result of a rivalry that players dream of competing in. It's quite possible that Indiana is unable to replicate this sort of inspiring effort at Iowa on Friday night -- especially against a Hawkeye team suffering from a home defeat to Maryland on Tuesday.
Miller acknowledged that the 'sting' from this loss is in his locker room. The Hoosiers, as ugly as it was, played hard enough to escape with a victory. Miller hopes the "disposition and mentality has to stay with what we were at tonight."
"A lot of different guys just feel that letdown, and it just kind of weighs on you." Miller said. "I thought tonight, we took that out. We took sort of the air out of that one and played to win, competed, and that's the biggest thing we have to focus on moving forward is continuing to keep sort of what we had going here tonight, but more so what we had going on in practice and whatnot. If we can keep that going, we'll continue to play in games like this."
The Hoosiers started their season at 12-2, and did so with a miraculous four-game stretch that included quality opponents and narrowly close victories. The tide turned fast, as Indiana has gone 1-11 since. They are .500, 4-10 in the Big Ten, and bound for a first-round test in the conference tournament. Five games remain and Indiana may only be favored in one of them. Morgan, the clear leader of this team, still believes IU has its season in front of them. If the Hoosiers play with Tuesday's tough mentality, they'll at least be giving themselves a fighting chance in each remaining game.
"I think it's a change in mentality, just that we have no choice but to maintain," Morgan said. "These last few games we still have a chance. Everything we want is still in front of us, and I'm proud of how the guys fought today. A couple shots here, a couple shots there, and it's a different ballgame."
(02/18/19 10:36pm)
*Disclaimer: These are simply projections. The offseason is far from over. Current players could still depart, and incoming players remain a possibility. Plus, we haven't seen the incoming class play a snap. But for the sake of 2019 preparations, away we go...*
Ah, the offseason. It's been a bit longer than Indiana would have liked, given its second consecutive bowl absence despite a 4-1 start to the 2018 season. Losses at Minnesota and to Purdue were the deciding factors in this, plus an offensive scheme that resulted in quarterback Peyton Ramsey finishing as the country's ninth-worst in yards per attempt. His 6.4 yards per attempt in 2018 was nearly half of the nation's best offense in Kyler Murray and Oklahoma. Despite season-long hopes of wanting to stretch the field with talented outside receivers Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale, IU's 2018 offense was stagnant, unthreatening, and one-dimensional.
There were, however, many bright spots and reasons for optimism in 2019. It starts at the top, where offensive coordinator Mike DeBord announced his retirement after two seasons calling plays in Bloomington. Prior to DeBord's arrival, the 2015 and 2016 offenses of Kevin Wilson and Kevin Johns finished 14th and 56th, respectively, in total offense. DeBord's two seasons, with drastically different personnel, were 52nd and 69th in 2017 and 2018. Excluding five seasons in the NFL, DeBord coached 29 seasons of college football and brought instant name recognition to Bloomington. It's unfair to doubt his resume, but at IU, his personnel often went underused or rarely matched his envisioned scheme. Enter Kalen DeBoer, IU's latest and most expensive offensive coordinator in school history. He has improved his units at Southern Illinois, Eastern Michigan, and Fresno State respectively -- and couples a versatile redzone offense with an affection for passing the ball. DeBoer inherits an offense with both questions and known entities.
Here's a very early look at Indiana's projected offense in 2019:
Quarterback
Starter: Michael Penix Jr.
Backups: Peyton Ramsey, Jack Tuttle, Grant Gremel
Question to Consider: Does Indiana flirt with two quarterback options for the third consecutive season?
Overview: As February marches to its close, the NCAA has still not announced its decision on Jack Tuttle's eligibility. The Utah transfer did not play a snap for the Utes last season, and based on the NCAA's green-light ruling on Ohio State (and former Georgia) quarterback Justin Fields, all signs point to Tuttle being eligible as a redshirt freshman in 2019. The entire point of these projections is to speculate, but let's try a more grounded approach here: it's safe to say, that if healthy, Michael Penix very well could have started the remaining four games of last season. Allen and DeBord went to Penix during the Penn State game in hopes of finding a spark. His 9-of-19 for 94 yards weren't necessarily the prettiest, but it was clear that Penix instantly gave life to IU's offense -- with both his arms and legs before tearing his ACL.
Thus, I'm penciling in Penix as the February starter solely because of that decision. It was apparent that IU's staff was looking for something different last season to improve a frustrating offense, and well, offense starts with the quarterback. It's hard to project where Tuttle stands given that he hasn't even had a practice yet, so that's why he is slated third. Indiana's 2019 quarterback room might be the most complicated competition in the nation. Ramsey (66% completion percentage, 2,875 yds, 19 TD's, 13 INT's) is the two-time incumbent starter that brings experience, mobility, and comfort to go along with strong accuracy numbers -- he should not be written off. He is, though, a limited downfield passer and did not earn the respect of opposing defenses, downfield, in 2019. Part of that could be IU's past offensive schemes.
Then there's Penix (21-34, 219 yds, 1 TD), with his home-run left arm and quick legs. He does not shy away from letting the ball loose, although there could be accuracy concerns -- we just have not seen him play enough to know. His return from a torn ACL is going as expected, if not ahead of schedule, according to the program. Tuttle throws a wrench in this competition, given his stature as a recruit and quarterback in the PAC-12. From film, he is a gifted passer that can make almost every throw. There are reasons why schools like Alabama offered him, given his talent in the pocket and mobility that is enough to be considered an asset. Look, it's February. But all three quarterbacks expect themselves to play, and there could be an odd-man out here. It will be an intense spring and summer for new OC Kalen DeBoer, who is also coaching quarterbacks in his first power-conference season.
For clarification, Grant Gremel is slated to be Indiana's only walk-on at quarterback for 2019. He will be a freshman after completing his career at Noblesville. Johnny Pabst is no longer on the roster and Mike Fiacable has graduated.
Running Back
Starter: Stevie Scott
Rotation: Sampson James, Ronnie Walker Jr., Cole Gest
Question to Consider: Does Stevie Scott rush for another 1,000-yard season? Or are the Hoosiers led by a committee of tailbacks in 2019?
Overview: This is another complicated depth chart to sort out. As touched on here, Scott returns as the starter after a historically impressive freshman campaign. He shattered the IU freshman record books and proved to be durable and ready for Big Ten play. At any other school, this depth chart is complete after a few sentences. Except Scott will be pushed by many, starting with 4-star and Ohio State de-commit Sampson James. But sophomore Ronnie Walker is also slated for carries after showcasing his speed as a true freshman in 2018 -- taking 32 carries for 141 yards. Cole Gest is back for 2019 after a season-ending ACL tear in Week 1 against Florida International.
Scott projects to be Indiana's lead back in 2019, with James and Walker figuring to steal a decent amount of carries each game. Gest, meanwhile, will be very valuable in the receiving department. He is by far IU's most proven and most talented receiving tailback, and it wouldn't be surprising for Gest to be the Hoosiers' 3rd-down back in 2019. Even behind Gest, there is competition. Incoming freshman Ivory Winters raced for 59 touchdowns and 2,700 yards in high school and redshirt freshman walk-on Kristian Pechac was recruited by power-conference programs as well. Injuries at this position are unfortunately commonplace, and IU's staff has to be feeling confident in its talent and depth at running back. But can the offensive line prove consistent enough for it to matter?
Wide Receiver
Starters: Nick Westbrook, Donavan Hale, Whop Philyor (slot)
Rotation: Ty Fryfogle, Reese Taylor (slot), Miles Marshall, Jacolby Hewitt, David Ellis/Da'shaun Brown (slot)
Question to Consider: Under DeBoer's offense, do the usage rates of Westbrook and Hale increase?
It appears that 6-foot-3 senior Nick Westbrook and 6-foot-4 senior Donavan Hale will return to Indiana in 2019, and their presence alone gives reason for optimism. In his introductory press conference, Kalen DeBoer noted IU's big-bodied receivers on the outside. Except Westbrook saw his production decrease from 54 receptions and 995 yards (18.4 yards per catch) in 2016, to 42 receptions and 590 yards (14 ypc) in 2018. Both of those seasons for Westbrook led Indiana in receiving. He is IU's most complete receiver, while Hale is exceptional in the redzone. Both of them will start, with Ty Fryfogle (29 rec, 381 yds in '18) likely as the third outside option for his junior season. 6-foot-1 redshirt freshman Jacolby Hewitt, 6-foot-4 redshirt freshman Miles Marshall, and 6-foot-4 true freshman Jordan Jakes are pegged as the future for Indiana at receiver, and will compete for snaps in 2019.
As seen in 2018, this Indiana offense operates exceptionally better when speedy 5-foot-11 slot wideout Whop Philyor is healthy and involved. Philyor, a junior in 2019, is such a tough cover for defenses over the middle. His sophomore season was derailed by injury, starting against Michigan State where he caught 13 passes for 148 yards to bring the Hoosiers back into the game. Someone must fill the shoes of the graduated Luke Timian and J-Shun Harris, and given the competition at RB and DB, it will likely be Reese Taylor. If nothing else, it will benefit Taylor to have a concrete position in 2019. The versatile 5-foot-11 option caught 28 passes for 174 yards -- and the combination of Philyor and Taylor over-the-middle could be deadly for defenses, especially in the redzone while operating in the slot and backfield.
They won't be alone. Indiana has two possible options behind them in true freshmen David Ellis and Da'shaun Brown. Ellis scored 15 touchdowns and raced for almost 900 yards as a high school senior in Michigan. Brown could play either defensive back or slot receiver, and was one of Wisconsin's top 2019 recruits. There is a lot to like at this position, as long as the Hoosiers figure out their quarterback and offensive line.
Tight End
Starter: Peyton Hendershot
Rotation/Backups: Matt Bjorson, T.J. Ivy, Shaun Bonner, Gary Cooper
Question to Consider: What does Hendershot's involvement as a receiver look like as a sophomore?
Overview: Hendershot could very well be the underrated gem of IU's offense in 2019. He checks most boxes for a solid tight end -- gifted athleticism, size, strong hands, and mobility -- but his blocking will be tested. No matter the quarterback, DeBoer's offense will greatly benefit with Hendershot as a consistent threat. He made his mark with a 32-yard touchdown at Ohio State in 2018, and is primed for more snaps with Austin Dorris choosing to grad transfer at Bowling Green and Ryan Watercutter's graduation. Hendershot will almost surely start at tight end, with sophomore Matt Bjorson also receiving significant time after playing a decent amount last season. Hendershot led IU tight ends with 15 receptions, 163 yards, and two touchdowns a year ago. The Hoosiers have made tight end a consistent priority in recruiting classes and have Ivy, Bonner, and Cooper at the position as well.
Left Tackle
Starter: Coy Cronk
Backups: Britt Beery, DaVondre Love, Matthew Bedford
Overview: Cronk has started at left tackle ever since he came to Bloomington as a freshman in 2016. He will be the left tackle and leader of Indiana's offensive line in 2019. If Ramsey or Tuttle start, Cronk will be the primary lineman covering their blind spot. But he's done that for years, and done it quite well. When healthy last year, only Cronk manned Tom Allen's left tackle position.
Left Guard
Starter: Harry Crider
Backup: Mackenzie Nworah
Overview: Based on need alone, it would appear that Indiana would add a left guard or right tackle through a graduate transfer. Allen has made that possibility clear, and it's mostly due to losing Brandon Knight, Wes Martin, and Nick Linder to graduation. The grad transfer market for offensive linemen is tricky, though, and comes usually in the form of a flier. Nevertheless, it can't hurt the Hoosiers to add here -- given open scholarships and at the very least, a need for depth. That being said, I'm going to pencil in junior Harry Crider here. At 6-foot-4, 306 pounds, Crider has played in 14 games during his first two seasons. He transitioned from center to guard last season and has improved physically since arriving in Bloomington.
Nworah, meanwhile, made six starts in 2017 and only played against Maryland last season due to injury. He will be in the mix here, and elsewhere as the Hoosiers try to quickly patch some holes on the line. It is Indiana's biggest question mark heading into spring practice.
Center
Starter: Hunter Littlejohn
Backups: Harry Crider, Mike Katic
Overview: Littlejohn started all 12 games at center in 2017 as a sophomore before Indiana brought in Miami grad transfer Nick Linder. Littlejohn won the job out of summer camp, starting the first four games until he was replaced by Linder for the remaining eight. Regardless, both Littlejohn and Linder split time last year -- with Littlejohn only allowing three sacks in 904 snaps. Indiana could again add a grad transfer at center if it feels an upgrade is necessary, but an addition at left guard or right tackle seems more likely. Littlejohn is expected to start again at center as a senior in 2019.
Right Guard
Starter: Simon Stepaniak
Backup: Mackenzie Nworah
Overview: Stepaniak was a workhorse at right guard in 2018, playing 44 of the 48 offensive series in the final four games to end the year. He has started games ever since his redshirt freshman season in 2016, and will start at right guard in 2019.
Right Tackle
Starter: Caleb Jones
Backups: Britt Beery, DaVondre Love, Matthew Bedford
Overview: Right tackle is interesting. There is the massive, 6-foot-8, 360 pound sophomore Caleb Jones, who obviously has the size but is improving upon the agility requirements that come with tackle. He played in 11 games last year and notably improved, at least from my recollection. Then there is the sophomore Carmel product Beery, who converted from defensive end and appeared in four games last season. He is 6-foot-6, 301 pounds ... so there is a 60-pound difference between Jones and Beery. DaVondre Love decided to return for his final year of eligibility after all, but has never quite cracked the rotation. Finally, true freshman Matthew Bedford (6-6, 270) is here as an early enrollee. The Hoosiers fended off South Carolina and Mississippi State for him, and as an early enrollee competing in spring practice, Bedford has a fighting chance to play as a true freshman. If so, right tackle would be the spot with Cronk on the left. For whatever it's worth, this would be the blind spot of Penix. Jones is the penciled starter due to prior playing time, but Indiana could also add a grad transfer at tackle.
There are more options for Indiana's holes on offensive line, including redshirt freshmen Aidan Rafferty and Nick Marozas. Their positions on the line are unknown due to their redshirt status last season.
(02/15/19 3:03pm)
While committed to Ohio State, running back Sampson James saw how Indiana operated as a program. He saw freshmen Stevie Scott, Ronnie Walker, Matt Bjorson, and Reese Taylor quickly integrate themselves into the offense. He saw the talent and depth in IU’s running back room. He saw how close the Hoosiers were to establishing themselves in the Big Ten.
Those are the reasons why James is here, sitting in the second row of Memorial Stadium’s team room on Wednesday as an early enrollee. The nation’s ninth-ranked running back could be sitting in seemingly any team room in the country, but he’s in this one with a lot to prove.
“I was just thinking about my future, what was best for me and my future,” James said. “I feel like this is the place to best develop me here as a man and as a football player. It feels like home, it’s definitely a brotherhood here. More of my friends and family members can come see me play and it means a lot to me to stay home and do it for the home-state team.”
The Avon product was committed to Ohio State for roughly seven months. He was a visitor for the Buckeyes’ 49-26 win against Indiana in October, but flipped to the Hoosiers a day after. James said it was not a decision made overnight, but one that had been developing for ‘several weeks.’ He is the highest-rated offensive player in school history.
“I see how close we are to being one of the top programs in the Big Ten,” James said. “I definitely saw it in that game, we competed well. I definitely see the potential and I definitely believe in the program one hundred percent. I believe in Coach Allen, I believe in the strength staff, I believe in the players that are around me. There’s a lot of young talent. I believe in the program and I think we’re going to do great things.”
James joins a running back room that will have no shortage of competition or talent. Rising sophomore Stevie Scott established himself as a stalwart tailback last season, rumbling for 1,137 yards, 10 touchdowns, and six 100-yard games -- all program records for a freshman. Scott proved to be durable and consistent, while also showcasing deceptive speed in his first collegiate season. His emergence was aided by the dismissal of 2017 starter Morgan Ellison and Cole Gest’s season-ending injury in Week 1 of last season.
Gest is expected to return in 2019, alongside rising sophomore Ronnie Walker Jr. -- who took 32 carries for 141 yards last season after choosing IU over Michigan State and Virginia. Incoming freshman Ivory Winters is also in the picture after picking the Hoosiers over Kentucky and Purdue. As a high school senior, Winters totaled 2,700 yards, 59 total touchdowns, and a Missouri state championship in track.
“There’s a lot of talent and I feel like we’re going to push each other to be great everyday, which is what you want out of a running back group,” James said. “I’m excited to work with those guys and complement each other on the field.”
James, meanwhile, has been on IU’s campus for roughly six weeks. Like center Matt Katic, guard Matthew Bedford, and defensive back Larry Tracy, Indiana’s early enrollee freshmen are adjusting to college life while beginning the Hoosiers’ revamped strength and conditioning program. Spring practices begin March 2nd.
“It’s been a great experience definitely,” James said. “It’s been a smooth adjustment, the guys and coaches are real welcoming. I love it here. The workouts are really challenging but really getting me better. Everything is going well, my classes are going great, I have good grades in my classes. I feel a bond here with the guys early on and it means a lot.”
At 6-foot-1 and 211 lbs, James is the perfect blend of physicality and speed. At Avon, he both broke tackles and outran defenses to the endzone. As Indiana battles with Purdue for in-state recruits, securing a consistent Indiana pipeline will prove vital to long-term success. The Hoosiers’ 2019 class features three of the state’s top five recruits, while the Boilermakers signed the top two. James will join Carmel defensive end Beau Robbins and Andrean linebacker Cam Williams in Bloomington as elite Indiana prospects.
Indiana head coach Tom Allen was disappointed when James originally committed to Ohio State. Allen had spent time recruiting James’ older brother at a prior school and knew the family. Avon High School would come to Allen’s camp each year in Bloomington. Indiana strength coach Dave Ballou spent years as a member of Avon’s staff. IU running backs coach Mike Hart has proved to be one of the Big Ten’s best recruiters. Those were the reasons why Allen was disappointed to lose him, but also a few factors that played into James’ rethinking.
“We were just respectful to him of his decision and very genuine who we are, and we haven't changed,” Allen said of recruiting James. And he loved who we are. And it was his decision to come back and to say you know what, this is where I want to be; this is where I want to call home and this is where I want to play and I can achieve all my goals at Indiana."
It is expected that James will play in 2019, but Allen reiterates that his highly-touted recruiting class must earn their playing time. But as true freshmen, Allen let Scott handle the backfield duties, Bjorson at tight end, and Taylor at slot receiver. Indiana’s trend of quickly assimilating its younger players caught the attention of James, who hopes to help the Hoosiers snap a two-year postseason drought in 2019.
“That’s definitely encouraging and I definitely noticed that,” James said. “A lot of freshmen played last here so that’s pretty big. They’re big on, ‘if you’re good enough, you will play early.’ I feel like we have a lot of talent in my class coming in and there will be some guys that play early.”
(02/10/19 9:59pm)
In the aftermath of Indiana's demoralizing 55-52 loss to Ohio State on Sunday, Assembly Hall was dead silent.
Devonte Green's rushed 3-pointer at the buzzer clanked off the iron, and IU fans did nothing but put their heads down and meander to the exits. There were no boos, no jeers, no noise whatsoever. Assembly Hall's empty atmosphere of complete, unadulterated silence was the result of a season feeling more lost than ever.
Following a dull, sloppy first half, the Hoosiers found themselves trailing Ohio State 47-38 with 6:27 remaining as Andre Wesson converted a second-chance 3-pointer. Indiana responded with three consecutive treys of its own, as outside shooting from Romeo Langford and Devonte Green tied the game at 47 with 4:54 to play. When Green's remarkable 3-pointer splashed through before the shot clock expired, it seemed as if Indiana would survive -- providing a bandaid to its season. After all, the Hoosiers led 52-49 with 1:46 remaining and had their home crowd in disbelief.
Except Indiana faltered down the stretch. With under a minute to play in a tied game, an IU inbound play went awry. The Hoosiers were unable to inbound, so freshman point guard Rob Phinisee burned his team's final timeout. Once the ball was sent into play, senior forward Juwan Morgan delivered a poor entry pass to a heavily defended Langford in the post. Turnover. After a pair of IU timeouts to setup a go-ahead play, it was a puzzling design with faulty execution.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1094712199703089153[/embed]
"Seven seconds on the clock underneath out-of-bounds, we drew up a play that put Juwan and Romeo in a position to try and either drive it from the top or get a post-up," Archie Miller said. "I know it obviously was a deflected pass. It was a big turnover. But you can put that on me. We tried to get the ball right at the basket with Romeo, maybe get fouled, maybe get a quick bucket, but it was a big turnover."
On Ohio State's ensuing, game-winning possession out of a timeout, Buckeye wing Andre Wesson faked a pick and slipped past IU's Justin Smith for a two-handed dunk. It was beautiful design by Ohio State head coach Chris Holtmann, who escaped Bloomington with a much-needed victory of his own. Missed 3-pointers from Langford and Green were the final blows to an Indiana defeat that erased any morale remaining from its road upset of No. 6 Michigan State last week.
"I've been in the gym working on it since day one, and I feel like my three is coming back," Langford said of his missed shot. "I just missed the shot. It went in and out. You miss some and you make some, so that's all that happened.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1094697235047157760[/embed]
The Hoosiers have now lost nine of their last ten games. At 13-11, (4-9 Big Ten), it is safe to say that Indiana is no longer in the NCAA Tournament picture. Nor should it be. The Hoosiers have a baffling resume -- stacked with three victories against teams ranked in the AP Poll's top 16, but a Big Ten record that could not be much worse. Those high-profile wins are the only thing keeping IU's season from being written off, and even a single victory against Ohio State on Sunday, or Iowa last Thursday, or Rutgers two weeks ago would have done wonders for the morale and trajectory of these Hoosiers.
It has become clear that the Hoosiers are broken, and a shell of the team that routed No. 10 Marquette on its Assembly Hall floor in November. There are reoccurring problems, such as an incomplete roster that lacks consistent shooting and offensive production. It is also a roster full of youth and injury, and those two problems are not mutually exclusive. However, Indiana's struggles also stem from newfound troubles. IU's late-game execution won them contests against Northwestern, Penn State, Louisville, and Butler -- a four-game swing decided by a combined eight points. Since a 5-1 record in games decided by single-digits during November and December, the Hoosiers are 1-5 since.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1094701207799717890[/embed]
"When you're able to win some games early in the season, close games, one-possession games, they obviously could have went a number of ways," Miller said. "In some ways maybe you got fortunate. In some ways maybe you did good things. Tonight this was an instance where underneath our basket, we needed to get that ball clean in and we needed to get a shot, and down the other end, give them credit, they ran a terrific play and we weren't able to make the read off the help."
The Hoosiers will have nearly six days of rest before boarding a plane to Minnesota on Saturday. The rest will be much-needed, especially for those such as junior forward De'Ron Davis who continues to improve his conditioning after a torn achilles suffered last season. Seven games remain, and it is unfair to write Indiana off despite a beleaguered roster and resume. Anything is possible with Langford and Morgan on the roster, although a postseason appearance would be a miraculous resurrection. KenPom projects these Hoosiers to finish 16-15 and 7-13 in the Big Ten. From what we've seen in 2019, that sounds right -- and not nearly enough for an IU team that held such high expectations of themselves in November.
(02/07/19 7:31pm)
National Signing Day is in the books and the Hoosiers have their newest class. Teddy Bailey and Matt Cohen break down the newest signing class and what it means for the program moving forward. They also answer some listener questions.
(01/31/19 3:00am)
After a demoralizing home loss to Michigan last Friday, Archie Miller ended his postgame press conference by describing how much a single victory would help these Hoosiers, who had just dropped their six consecutive game.
"I think our team has got to continue to learn to do some things a little bit different, but right now we're a shell of where we were a month ago," Miller said. "We've just got to find a way to regroup, and one win really helps that. One win would really help a lot of things."
Thus, Miller's group traveled to Rutgers in hopes of securing a temporary halt to Indiana's bleeding. Instead, the Scarlet Knights used a 22-0 run, primarily to start the second half, to defeat the Hoosiers 66-58 and continue the tailspin of Indiana's once-promising season.
The 22-0 run
For as uninspiring as the 17-0 starting deficit was for Indiana on Friday against Michigan, this string of basketball was worse. In Piscataway, Al Durham scored with 3:58 remaining in the first half to give Indiana the 29-19 lead. The Hoosiers would not score for the next 9:29 of game time, shooting 0-of-10 from the floor with six turnovers. Rutgers, meanwhile, used its 22-0 scoring run to cover its deficit and hand itself the 41-29 lead with 14:48 to play before Romeo Langford connected from 3-point distance.
It wasn't any individual player that caused this run. Sure, Romeo Langford and Juwan Morgan accounted for half of the missed shots during the run -- but Langford and Morgan are the only two players in which Rutgers had to defend. I'll get to depth and offense in a minute, but both were exposed as Rutgers figured things out at halftime. Wednesday's game was a solid start for Indiana, forcing the Scarlet Knights to seven turnovers in seven minutes during the first half and appearing to play with more energy. The Hoosiers were productive offensively aside from the 22-0 run -- but 9:30 is an irreversible amount of time to go scoreless.
Let's talk depth
This team lacks it. That part is obvious. Injuries and youth have hurt: Junior forward De'Ron Davis is not the same player he was before a torn achilles and has struggled to make a full return this season. On paper, freshman Jerome Hunter is a former top-50 recruit that would have likely solved Indiana's problem with scoring droughts in seemingly every recent game. Redshirt freshman Race Thompson, who remains out, is a frontcourt option that, at the very least, would have lessened the physical workload of Juwan Morgan. Junior guard Devonte Green's indefinite suspension has also thinned Miller's bench drastically.
But injuries and youth are not the only reasons why Indiana's bench was outscored 19-2 at Rutgers and why the Hoosiers are an ache away from playing walk-ons. The Hoosiers, losers of seven consecutive games, are desperate for injections of confidence and victory. Grad transfer Evan Fitzner has not been the weapon that he was against the likes of Marquette: Fitzner has fallen to the end of Miller's bench: the 6-foot-10, 3-point specialist is 0-for-12 from distance in his last nine games. Fitzner made four 3-pointers against Marquette, three at Duke, and has not converted more-than-one in a game since. The Hoosiers are depleted, yet Fitzner is playing the least amount of minutes that he has ever played in 2018-19 -- including zero minutes at Purdue.
Pregame against Rutgers, Miller said Zach McRoberts is now dealing with a leg injury after recovering from a back issue earlier this season. McRoberts appeared briefly on Wednesday, but was evidently unavailable. Nonetheless, he has not scored in 12 of the 17 games that he has appeared in. McRoberts does provided Indiana with needed intangibles, but limits the Hoosiers' capabilities on offense. Averaging over 17 minutes per game, McRoberts has not even attempted a shot in six games this season.
The reason Indiana lacks depth is two-fold: the Hoosiers are depleted in terms of numbers and many are under-performing or nonthreatening on offense.
Sources of Offense
For the large part of Indiana's loss in New Jersey, the Hoosiers had open looks. Those looks were awfully similar to those manufactured in IU's resounding victory against Marquette earlier this season, except Wednesday's did not fall. Langford finished 7-of-20 from the floor, freshman point guard Rob Phinisee was 1-of-4 from 3-point range, and IU's bench was 0-of-5 from the field.
Phinisee is a solid facilitator for a freshman point guard being thrown into a difficult role. Opposing defenses, however, are able to focus on Langford and Morgan while daring the likes of Justin Smith, Al Durham, Zach McRoberts, etc. to shoot. Smith even mentioned it during media availability:
“It’s weird,” Smith said. “I’ve never really experienced [not being guarded] before, and it’s something I’ve got to get used to but use to my advantage. If they’re going to give me that space, I’ve got to take advantage of it and use it to the best of my ability.”
Wednesday's game against Rutgers was seen as an opportunity to collect a victory and restore confidence before Indiana's Big Ten slate gets even tougher. The Hoosiers now travel to Michigan State on Saturday, a severely unpopular place to end a seven-game losing streak. From there, Indiana hosts Ohio State and Iowa. Despite seven consecutive losses, IU's season remains alive because of a strong Big Ten and resume wins against Marquette, Butler and Louisville. But it is barely alive, does not look alive, and marches on to the Breslin Center this weekend.
(01/28/19 7:27pm)
For nearly 20 minutes, Tom Allen sat in the corner of Memorial Stadium’s Team Room on Friday afternoon and watched the introduction of his new offensive coordinator, Kalen DeBoer.
Allen had just answered questions of his own, but now he observed intently upon the most imperative hire of his tenure.
Indiana’s head coach smiled as DeBoer described his offensive philosophy as “revolved around what it takes to win,” and creating more explosive plays than the opponent. It is precisely what Allen said he wanted to hear throughout the hiring process: basic fundamental concepts of offense such as getting the ball downfield, converting 3rd downs, and consistently scoring points to lessen the defensive burden. In 2018, the Hoosiers struggled in all three facets -- finishing 107th in yards per passing attempt. In 2019, DeBoer will replace the retired Mike DeBord as IU’s offensive coordinator and associate head coach.
“It's going to be all revolved around what it takes to win, first of all,” DeBoer said Friday. “And there's a fine line between excitement, putting people in the stands and getting people excited about what we do offensively, and then making sure we're not putting our team in a vulnerable position.”
On paper, the hiring of DeBoer is an impressive success for Indiana’s football program. The former coordinator at Fresno State, Eastern Michigan, and Southern Illinois has improved his offensive units at every stop in his career. In 2017 and 2018 at Fresno State, the Bulldogs jumped from 120th nationally in total offense to 47th. The Mountain West and Mid-American Conferences are difficult places to create significant offensive improvements, and yet DeBoer did.
Prior to DeBoer’s arrival, Fresno State was fourth-worst (125th) in scoring offense nationally -- scoring just 17.7 points per game. The Bulldogs jumped to a modest 77th (27.1 ppg) in 2017 before finishing as the nation’s 26th-best scoring offense this past season, at 34.6 points per game. Only Buffalo made a better two-year jump in scoring offense than Fresno State. Compared to his predecessor, DeBoer brings a more innovative, more explosive offensive philosophy to Bloomington. He wants the Hoosiers able to play fast, explosive, and aggressive on offense. That includes utilizing Indiana’s 6-foot-3 receiver Nick Westbrook and 6-foot-4 receiver Donavan Hale. Westbrook saw his production decrease 40 percent under DeBord’s offense in 2018.
“We want to be physical,” DeBoer said. “We want to have explosive plays that should come off of -- when you have a little bit of a run game. You should be able to have some play action to go along with it. Play action doesn't have to be shots down the field, but it should open that up. We've got some big receivers from what I've seen that can go up and get the football and some guys that can get it down the field, as well.”
Indiana University will be compensating DeBoer an historic amount. Sources confirmed reports that DeBoer will earn a salary of $800,000 per year, a school record for an assistant of any sport. Under athletic director Fred Glass, Indiana has attempted to attract high-level talent through facility improvements and budget increases. The on-field results have not materialized, but the Hoosiers have made significant investments to hire, and keep, coaching personnel such as its strength and speed braintrust of David Ballou and Matt Rhea. Allen said Friday that Glass was on the phone with DeBoer to show Indiana’s commitment and investment to advancing its football program.
“We had talked quite extensively, so there was a lot that I knew about where the program was at,” DeBoer said. “But getting on campus and just seeing the facilities, I was really honestly blown away with them, and it's exciting to see the investment that Coach talks about that's been made here with the facilities, and the guys have a great environment. It's a winning -- it's a feel of winning that we're surrounded by.
Based on USA Today’s assistant coach salary database in 2018, DeBoer’s salary would have ranked in the top-40 this past season. For perspective, former IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord’s $502,500 salary ranked 126th in 2018. Kevin Johns made $332,500 as Kevin Wilson’s offensive coordinator before DeBord arrived.
“To be able to sit down with Fred and just say, hey, this is where the market is right now, and we want to go out and get the best, and we've got to compete, and you've got to be able to step up, and Fred absolutely was 100 percent supportive of that and trusted me to be able to say, this is the guy we believe in, this is the guy we've selected, and this is what we're going to need to do to get him,” Allen said of IU’s investment in hiring DeBoer.
DeBoer will be Indiana's ‘head coach of the offense’ while Allen coaches without defensive coordinator duties for the first time in his career since 2014 and former linebackers coach Kane Wommack takes over as DC. DeBoer will do so with Indiana’s offensive staff intact, a rather rare attribute of a coordinator hiring. But Allen values his offensive staff of Nick Sheridan (QBs), Mike Hart (RBs), Grant Heard (WRs), and Darren Hiller (Offensive Line), while the tight ends assignment remains open. By his account, they have recruited and coached well, and he does not want to lose them nor search for replacements. He believes DeBoer will ‘fit in great’ with the offensive coaches Allen brought in two years ago.
Now that the dust has settled, DeBoer will get to work. He’ll complete the move from central California and help his wife, Nicole, and two daughters become situated in Bloomington. There are relationships for DeBoer to build, and competitive depth charts to begin sorting out. His first power-conference offense will face Ohio State in Week 3.
“It's not something where there's the coaching staff and me and there's the players,” DeBoer said. “We're all in this together. We all want the same thing. We all want a great season. We want a great team. We want a great program. It goes well beyond the years of us all being here.”
(01/15/19 3:17am)
In what was certainly Indiana's most disappointing performance of the season, a 66-51 home defeat to Nebraska, Juwan Morgan and Romeo Langford fielded questions relating to IU's tendency to start slow, mindset concerns, and a daunting schedule forthcoming.
Indiana has a multitude of complex problems that it must overcome to end its three-game Big Ten losing streak and survive an upcoming stretch that includes four of its next five on the road -- with the lone home game against No. 2 Michigan. As 'emotionless' as the Hoosiers were on Monday, and as injured as their bench is, Indiana's uninspiring display against Nebraska was the latest example of an offense desperate for legitimate depth in terms of production.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1085010231304863744[/embed]
Morgan and Langford accounted for 35 of the Hoosiers' 51 points in Assembly Hall's first home game of the spring semester. It was dangerously close to an historically poor offensive start for this IU program -- as Indiana has only been held to under 20 first-half points ten times in the past two decades. The Hoosiers managed 22 against Nebraska's 1-3-1 zone defense in the first 20 minutes, and only Morgan and Langford converted multiple baskets in the first half.
"Why guys aren't excited to get ready to go tonight, as much as we had at stake just in terms of being able to get back up off the mat at home, I don't know," Archie Miller said. "As the coach, you've got to be able to push the right buttons, and clearly we're not pushing the right buttons right now.
Offense is more than shots. But Morgan and Langford account for 54.6 percent of Indiana's shots attempted, and 52.8 percent of its possessions used according to KenPom metrics. During IU's three-game losing skid to Michigan, Maryland, and Nebraska, only Devonte Green (once) has finished in double-digit scoring alongside Morgan and Langford. Granted, the Hoosiers were missing an in-rhythm and healthy Rob Phinisee -- however IU's freshman point guard played 27 minutes Monday and offensive troubles remained.
In two of IU's three recent losses, Zach McRoberts has a 'zero' offensive rating per KenPom. He has played in 12 games this season, averaging 17 minutes per game, and has attempted only ten shots all season. Evan Fitzner posted a 'zero' offensive rating against Michigan and played only five minutes Monday as Clifton Moore appeared to serve as his replacement -- sparking the Hoosiers with five points and three rebounds in 5:27 of playing time during a critical stretch.
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1085003602433843201[/embed]
"I think it's just a confidence thing," Morgan said. "You know, for Cliff and guys like Jake, I always tell them my story from my freshman year, like whenever -- I didn't play much, but whenever I got in, you have to be ready. You have to be ready to make the big play, regardless of what that is. Cliff got in and gave us some really good minutes, and I think he's just really come along, just as a defender, as a rebounder, and just being confident in himself. I think you saw a little bit of it tonight, and I think going forward he's going to be huge for us."
Simply put, these Hoosiers lack a third weapon that is able to consistently produce, or at the very least, threaten an opposing defense. Duos such as Morgan and Langford are rare in college basketball, but if anything, their presence should help in creating mismatches and scoring opportunities for teammates. Instead, opponents such as Nebraska have been able to fully concentrate on limiting Morgan and Langford without the threat of a third method of attack. Morgan is as consistent as can be in the paint, and Langford is one of the most unguardable players in the country when driving to the basket. But the Hoosiers are not an excellent shooting team, and are currently plagued by seemingly invisible offensive outputs from McRoberts, Fitzner, and Justin Smith. It does not help that De'Ron Davis is 'not able to go right now,' Phinisee is recovering from a concussion, Al Durham suffered an injury Monday, and freshman wing threat Jerome Hunter is taking a medical redshirt.
"But we didn't shoot the ball well at all tonight," Miller said. "To be honest with you, we have some guys that have lost some confidence, whether it's been in and out of lineups, in and out of practices, in and out of this. We're sort of really starting to move into that role, not real sure what we are getting out of certain rotations and certain things."
[embed]https://twitter.com/TheHoosierNet/status/1085006347178004482[/embed]
Following Monday's loss, Miller used the word 'searching' to find a frontcourt option alongside Morgan. In the brief time that he played, Moore handed the Hoosiers some of their best minutes played against the Huskers. Confidence is a fragile attribute, and right now, these Hoosiers are lacking a third possibility of offensive confidence. Indiana travels to West Lafayette Saturday to face Purdue.
"At the end of the day, it comes down to energy level, it comes down to leadership," Miller said. "I felt like tonight for whatever reason, I didn't see the same team that we've had all year. A lot of the tougher games that we've won, we've been in tough spots. We've always had a very, very good energy level. We've always had a very, very communicating team, a team that obviously is prodding one another, plugging one another along as the game is going, and we didn't even have that tonight. We were very emotionless."
(12/17/18 7:33pm)
After its quarterback room was depleted with the unexpected departure of Florida Mr. Football winner Nick Tronti, Indiana was yet again in the market for a quarterback this season. Since August of 2017, IU had Tronti, Arizona grad transfer Brandon Dawkins, and current Fordham quarterback Austin King depart Bloomington early.
With only two quarterbacks on scholarship in Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr., the Hoosiers had recently been tapping into the high school market, hosting 6-foot-4 3-star dual-threat quarterback David Baldwin-Griffin on an official visit in late November.
Indiana decided to go in a different direction. The Hoosiers announced Monday morning that Utah quarterback Jack Tuttle will transfer to Indiana. Tuttle redshirted as a freshman this season for the Utes and will join the Hoosiers this spring. He is a 6-foot-4, former 4-star quarterback that received offers from the likes of Alabama, LSU, Southern Cal, etc. -- and a recruit that Alabama and others unsuccessfully tried to flip from Utah. He was ranked the No. 4 pro-style quarterback in his class by Rivals, and was considered San Diego's most outstanding high school player by multiple awards. Tuttle is known for both superb accuracy and strong throwing power from the pocket.
"Jack Tuttle is a tremendous addition to our program and we are happy to welcome him to IU," Tom Allen said in a release. "He is extremely talented and brings a huge skillset to our quarterback room. We look forward to his arrival on campus next semester and his development as a Hoosier."
Tuttle led Mission Hills High School (Calif.) to a 12-1 record. He completed 205-of-295 (69.5 percent) for 3,171 yards with 41 touchdowns and just four interceptions, and rushed for 207 yards and a pair of touchdowns in his final campaign. At Utah, Tuttle enrolled early in January but announced his decision to seek a transfer in January, after losing the backup competition in Salt Lake City, according to a report by the Salt Lake Tribune. He was behind junior starter Tyler Huntley and redshirt freshman Jason Shelley on the depth chart, while being the only freshman elected to Utah's leadership council.
He will join the IU program with four years of eligibility, essentially the equivalent of a high school recruit but with a season practicing in a Power Five program. Tuttle is originally from the Southern California area but has connections to the state of Indiana. He was born in Indianapolis, and his father was a walk-on kicker at IU from 1986-89 while his mother is a graduate of Indiana State.
It is unclear whether Tuttle will be eligible for the 2019 season, per Monday's release and a program spokesperson. More information pertaining to his eligibility could come during Allen's National Signing Day presser on Wednesday, or during the spring semester once Tuttle is officially enrolled. It is rare that college football transfers are ruled immediately eligible, however Tuttle could benefit by being a mid-year transfer at his new institution, without any game experience.
Essentially, the Hoosiers are back to last offseason when it comes to quarterback. Ramsey will enter 2019 as a redshirt junior and the incumbent. Penix will be a redshirt freshman and continuing his recovery from an ACL tear suffered against Penn State -- following three brief appearances where the former 4-star recruit showed off his explosive arm and dangerous legs. Allen has stated earlier that he hopes Penix will be able to throw during spring practice, with full inclusion slated for June summer practices. And then there is Tuttle, whose immediate eligibility would further complicate the competition. Regardless, his presence in the program alone places questions and speculation on the futures of IU's other two quarterbacks. Allen is a proponent of using competition to breed success, but only one quarterback can be the starter -- and all three will enter 2019 (or 2020, for Tuttle) expecting to play. Although not official, Reese Taylor is expected to move back to either cornerback, receiver, or both, next season after becoming IU's backup once Dawkins departed and Penix was injured.
It is a good problem to have, and a problem that Indiana desperately wanted after injury depletion forced Zander Diamont into action during 2014-16. Tuttle is the highest-rated quarterback in IU history since Rivals and 247Sports started rating prospects. There is now immediate and future depth at the quarterback position, but an added complexity as well.
(12/17/18 5:49am)
Teddy and Eddie are joined by Indiana receiver Luke Timian who recaps his career in Bloomington, where the IU program is headed, and preparing for the NFL Draft. Our podcasts are available both on SoundCloud and Apple Podcasts.
(12/16/18 1:24am)
INDIANAPOLIS -- Indiana guard Devonte Green picked up his dribble with two seconds remaining in a tied game. The designed play by head coach Archie Miller had blown up, and it left Green standing 30 feet from the basket.
Without his dribble, Green sent the ball to the motioning Rob Phinisee. IU’s freshman point guard only needed one dribble to step into a 35-foot shot and convert the biggest shot of his life and defeat Butler, 71-68, in the Crossroads Classic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.
Phinisee’s shot, released with 0.3 seconds remaining, left his head coach in disbelief, leaning against the scorer’s table for support. Miller’s drawn play to setup a Romeo Langford basket did not develop. Instead, Green was left standing still until Phinisee motioned and released the dagger.
“Obviously it wasn't drawn up like that, but I saw Devonte holding the ball. I slid over, put it up, prayed to God it went in,” Phinisee said of the play.
“I saw a breakdown in the play we originally called,” Juwan Morgan said. “I saw him go up and make a veteran shot. Like I said earlier, they're not really freshmen any more, as you can tell from that shot, how they carry themselves. That was a savvy move by Rob, and he knocked it down.”
Phinisee’s instant classic will overshadow a dominant performance from senior forward Juwan Morgan -- who finished with a career-high 35 points on a remarkable 12-of-14 shooting from the floor. Morgan was a perfect 12-for-12 from 2-point range, and he was everything that he had to be for Indiana to escape Indianapolis with yet another resume-building victory for the 2018 campaign.
The Hoosiers (9-2, 2-0 B1G) have won four consecutive games, and have now won them by a combined eight points. All four of those wins (Northwestern, Penn State, Louisville, Butler) are Top-50 opponents according to KenPom. This Indiana team has shown early flaws, such as Morgan and Langford being the only Hoosiers in double-figures on Saturday against Butler, which will likely not be sustainable.
(12/09/18 1:12am)
Indiana freshman point guard Robert Phinisee set a screen and then stood open at the top of the arc. He waited for the pass from Romeo Langford, took his classmate's assist in stride, and knocked down the go-ahead 3-pointer in IU's come-from-behind 68-67 victory against Louisville.
It was Phinisee's third 3-pointer of the game, on a day when the Hoosiers (8-2, 2-0 B1G) struggled to connect from distance. All three were instrumental in helping Indiana to a crucial victory, as an earlier 3-pointer gave the Hoosiers their first lead of the game -- 49-47 with 8:36 remaining.
"The play really wasn't designed for that," Phinisee said of the play. "I saw my guy drop back in. I just took the open shot and made it."
For the third time this week, Indiana won by less than two points against a quality power-conference opponent. In all three games, the Hoosiers erased legitimate deficits -- and it has been Phinisee down the stretch that has helped IU to victory in wins against Penn State and Louisville.
Phinisee is figuring it out. It hasn't all come together just yet for the 6-foot-2 guard, as seen by a quiet performance in 28 minutes against Northwestern last week. But the pieces are starting to form and his confidence appears to be growing. A game-winning shot for Indiana's first win vs. Louisville since 2002? That should only help.
"Rob did a heck of a job I thought in general," head coach Archie Miller said. "He only turned it over one time, six defensive rebounds. We need him to hunt more shots. He's very reluctant right now to shoot unless he's wide open. He's a good shooter. The two that he hit in the second half were big. I was glad that he read it. Clearly the shot at the top was really well executed. He stepped in and drilled it.
In large part, Phinisee has been able to emerge because of a preseason injury to junior Devonte Green. Because of the injury and impressive moments from Phinisee, it has been Green who has come off the bench for these Hoosiers. Aside from a two-point, four-turnover effort at Duke, the play of Phinisee has been productive and dependable for a freshman point guard in early December.
"There's very few freshmen guards that can do what he does for 33 minutes in terms of the defensive side of the ball, which we ask him to do," Miller said. "He's also a tough kid. You don't really know how tough a guy is, what they're made of, until you get them going. He's taking advantage of the opportunities he's been given."
Saturday was a dogfight, and a display of basketball that Indiana figures to play all season long. The Hoosiers are buoyed by intelligent, tenacious defense -- but lapses and weaknesses offensively have not allowed Miller's team to win many games comfortably. Hiccups were, and still are, expected with Indiana's freshmen. They did not play well against Duke, but not many do. The resurgence shown by both Langford and Phinisee has been impressive, and a main reason why Indiana should enter the polls on Monday.
"It started in the summer when they came in willing to work, willing to learn," Juwan Morgan said of IU's freshmen. "Closer and closer to the Big Ten, they're becoming more like veterans. We can't call them freshmen any more because the plays they're making down the stretch are big plays for us. They still have mistakes here or there, but they always make up for them."
One last challenge awaits in the calendar year for these Hoosiers, as Butler will meet Indiana in the Crossroads Classic on Saturday in Indianapolis. In preparation, the Bulldogs will see a young IU team that suffers from streaky offensive play. But they will also see an Indiana squad that boasts an ever-growing ceiling.
"He continues to do a really good job for us," Miller said of Phinisee. "He had a good week. Our Penn State game, this game. He was big in the last four minutes of the game. You need your point guard to be able to do that. He's been a great, great addition to the program all the way around, on and off the floor."
(12/05/18 6:12pm)
As documented all season, the NCAA’s new redshirt rule affected the way programs handled incoming recruiting classes. As the rule states, players can play *up* to four games without losing a year of eligibility. This rule, of course, mostly applies to freshmen.
From the start, Indiana’s Tom Allen made it abundantly clear that the Hoosiers would use the NCAA’s new rule to their advantage. Who wouldn’t? But with Indiana being so young, the Hoosiers needed their young players for depth. Popular preseason questions were: How many redshirts would Indiana *have* to burn? How would IU’s staff manage the dilemma of short-term need, but long-term benefit with its freshmen class?
Well, the 2018 season has concluded. So let’s see how it all played out, and where Indiana’s roster will presumably stand in 2019:
For starters, Allen played 17 true freshmen this season -- compared to 12 in 2017. This is a combination of a few things: the new redshirt rule, a significantly less experienced roster, and a higher-rated incoming class with immediate contributors at skill positions.
Indiana’s 2018 class featured 27 players on scholarship. After DB Elijah Rodgers left the program for Gardner-Webb before the season, 26 freshmen remained. 10 will be sophomores in 2019, while 16 will maintain their year of eligibility as redshirt freshmen next season:
Returning as Sophomores in 2019: (10)
RB Stevie Scott (12 games): It doesn’t get any more obvious than with Stevie Scott. The true freshman finished 14th in single-season rushing yards at Indiana, with 1,137 yards (5.0 ypc) and ten touchdowns. Scott owns the IU record for single-season freshman rushing yards, and broke Anthony Thompson’s program mark with six 100+ yard games as a freshman. He will be a sophomore next season after playing in all 12 games for Indiana, and has already established himself as a household name in Bloomington despite missing his senior season of high school to injury. He couldn’t have been any more impressive in 2018, proving his reliability and ability to move the chains -- plus deceptive speed at the second level of a defense.
ATH Reese Taylor (12 games): No one had a more complicated season than Reese Taylor in 2018. The former Ben Davis quarterback came here as a defensive back, but once Brandon Dawkins left the program, IU announced that Taylor would be labeled a quarterback. But Taylor played cornerback, receiver, and running back in the season opener against Florida International, and seemed to have found a home at receiver until Michael Penix tore his ACL against Penn State. Thus, Taylor was rushed in as IU’s backup quarterback for the remainder of the year and subsequently limited in contributing at other positions because of it. Much attention was given to preparing Taylor as IU’s backup quarterback after Penn State, but where will he play in 2019? The Hoosiers sure could use him at slot receiver with the graduations of Luke Timian and J-Shun Harris. While Taylor did not record a carry in the final five games of the season, he appeared in all 12 games and will be a sophomore.
DB Jaylin Williams (12 games): Jaylin Williams made the earliest defensive impression. He played from the start, making three tackles in the season opener at Florida International and finishing the season with 22 tackles, two pass break-ups, and a sack. He was one of the freshmen that Allen identified during the summer and early fall, and it resulted in Williams playing every game in his first season. Indiana will have many options at cornerback next season, with Williams, Andre Brown, and Raheem Layne all returning. Assuming their commitments hold, in-state defensive back Larry Tracy and fringe 4-star prospect Tiawan Mullen will also compete for playing time. Allen has always wanted competition at positions such as cornerback, and he’ll have plenty of it starting in spring practice. Williams will have the benefit of incumbency.
LB Micah McFadden (12 games): McFadden emerged quickly at a linebacker position that was up-for-grabs in 2018. The 6-foot-2, 227-pound linebacker collected 20 tackles and forced a fumble as a true freshman. He played alongside LB Thomas Allen in high school at Plant (Fla.) and transitioned to Allen’s defense quite quickly. It will be interesting to see how the linebacker position plays out in 2019, but McFadden will surely be part of the mix, if not a starter.
TE Matt Bjorson (12 games): After Bjorson caught four passes in IU’s first three games, he appeared to have taken hold at the tight end position. But it was redshirt freshman Peyton Hendershot that was Indiana’s primary target at tight end -- and once senior Ryan Watercutter returned from injury, Bjorson’s role diminished. He only recorded one catch in the final nine games of the season, but will likely split time with Hendershot next season in an increased role. Either way, Bjorson’s contributions as a true freshman will benefit the 6-foot-3 Hinsdale native in 2019.
DE James Head (11 games): James Head is the type of player that can become a difference maker for Indiana’s defensive line in the future. At 6-foot-5 and 251 pounds, Head has the size and speed to become a solid Big Ten defensive end. Pressuring the quarterback is something IU has struggled with in recent years, and Head’s development is a priority for the program. He finished the year with 17 tackles, and three tackles for loss. Head was not a starter for Indiana this past season, but the Hoosiers graduate five defensive linemen and it would not be surprising to see Head start in 2019. After all, he chose IU over the likes of Michigan State, South Carolina, Baylor, NC State, and Mississippi State. It was clear from the beginning that Head was too valuable to limit him to four games and a redshirt.
Husky Cam Jones (11 games): As another option behind Marcelino Ball, freshman Cam Jones was more important for this Indiana defense than many might suggest. He battled injury throughout the year, missing the game against Rutgers after suffering an injury vs. Michigan State -- a game in which Jones picked off Brian Lewerke and recovered a fumble. In fact, Jones proved to be explosive in terms of takeaways. He recovered a fumble against Ohio State, and forced another vs. Minnesota. He also forced a Dwayne Haskins interception by hitting him while Haskins released the ball. He is a versatile, game-changing player that Indiana could move to linebacker if needed. The Hoosiers were eighth in the country in takeaways this season, and Jones was a big reason why.
S Jamar Johnson (10 games): Jamar Johnson’s season was highlighted by an important interception at Rutgers early in the season. He finished the year with a pair of tackles as well. Johnson’s biggest asset is his versatility, as Tom Allen says that the 6-foot-1 defensive back can play all five positions in the secondary (both cornerbacks, both safeties, and husky). That’s impressive in itself, especially being able to play a unique position such as husky in Allen’s defense as a freshman. Considering Johnson, Jaylin Williams, Juwan Burgess, Cam Jones, and Devon Matthews … Indiana’s secondary appears to be in good hands for the near future, especially with it only losing longtime safety Jonathan Crawford.
S Devon Matthews (10 games): Matthews has the capability of being a longtime starter in Bloomington. He intercepted Dwayne Haskins in Columbus, recovered a fumble, and recorded 20 tackles in his true freshman season -- none bigger than a goal line stand to end the half against Michigan and rob the Wolverines of points. Matthews is a hard-hitting, physical safety that quickly made an impression on head coach Tom Allen. Filling the shoes of Chase Dutra, it was Matthews who filled in almost flawlessly alongside Crawford, Juwan Burgess, and Khalil Bryant. The second half of 2018 was a frustrating, disappointing time for this IU program -- but it can head into 2019 knowing the talent and potential it has in its secondary.
RB Ronnie Walker Jr. (9 games): Staying in the backfield, Ronnie Walker Jr. will also be a sophomore next season. Despite Ricky Brookins and Mike Majette graduating, it could be a very crowded backfield in 2019. Talented incoming freshmen Sampson James and Ivory Jones will join Scott and Walker, plus rising junior Cole Gest who missed 2018 due to an ACL injury. Walker, meanwhile, showed flashes of explosion in his true freshman campaign. He finished with 32 carries for 141 yards and two touchdowns, highlighted by an 18-yard touchdown against Ball State and explosive 30-yard score vs. Penn State. It seemed that Walker forced his way into burning a possible redshirt, but didn’t get many carries behind Scott. The speed is there, but it’s going to take more than 32 carries to learn more about Walker.
Returning as Redshirt Freshmen in 2019: (16)
QB Michael Penix Jr. (3 games): Would Indiana be preparing for a bowl game had Penix not torn his ACL against Penn State? Hard to say, given the small sample size that we were able to see with Indiana’s returning redshirt freshman quarterback. There are a few things that we know: his arm strength is uncanny, and he’s very effective in a dual-threat capacity as well. Penix showed that he can stretch the field and threaten secondaries at a better rate than Ramsey. Who will start in 2019? It depends on health, and if Penix is able to compete during the summer and early fall as he recovers from ACL surgery. In a sense, his injury bailed out IU’s staff on making a redshirt decision and possible quarterback change. It’s hard to imagine a scenario where Ramsey starts two more seasons with Penix behind him, but who knows. Both are still young and have various pros and cons. The Hoosiers also appear to be interested in adding a quarterback to its 2019 recruiting class, which could complicate things even further. But with only two scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, it makes sense for Indiana to do so. 6-foot-4, 3-star dual-threat David Baldwin-Griffin and former Louisville commit Jaden Johnson are two options that IU is pursuing heavily.
LB James Miller (3 games): Defensively speaking, Miller is the most important player that Allen and Indiana were able to redshirt. He has a very definite future as an IU starting linebacker, and the Hoosiers were able to give him playing time while still keeping a year of his eligibility. If anything, he is the clearest example of IU using the new redshirt rule to its advantage. Miller finished with three tackles on the season and played against Maryland, Minnesota, and started at Michigan. In 2019, Miller to compete for snaps at linebacker alongside Reakwon Jones and a combination of Thomas Allen, Micah McFadden, and T.D. Roof.
RB Kristian Pechac (3 games): Pechac is an interesting case. The Bloomington South product appeared in three games on special teams as a true freshman, and even traveled to Florida International for the season opener. Remember, he committed to IU on scholarship early in the recruiting process, de-committed, left the BSHS football team, and eventually joined the IU program as a walk-on after spending a semester at junior-college in Arizona. He was a sure-fire, Division-1 talent in high school and surely has the talent to produce at running back for Indiana. It’s interesting that IU used him so much on special teams in 2018, and he could become a staple there next season. But with Scott, Walker, and impressive incoming freshmen at running back, it’s hard to see Pechac breaking through at RB in 2019 unless there are departures elsewhere.
DE Madison Norris (1 game): A state champion in hurdles at in-state Hamilton Southeastern, Norris made one appearance this season against Maryland on special teams. As aforementioned with James Head, Indiana needs explosiveness, speed, and production from its defensive ends. It’s something the Hoosiers have lacked from years, and Norris certainly has the speed part of the equation. A full offseason will allow the 6-foot-5, 207-pound freshman to develop into a Big Ten defensive end and compete for snaps next season. Maintaining his redshirt seemed like a priority this season.
WR Miles Marshall (1 game): Marshall appeared in IU’s win at Rutgers, but that was all for the 6-foot-4 true freshman wideout. With a pair of receivers graduating, Marshall could see substantial playing time next season -- although the likes of Westbrook, Hale, and Fryfogle are all expected to return as of now. Regardless, Marshall brings height and depth to the position and has been praised all season.
DL Shamar Jones (1 game): Jones played against Ball State, and the Pennsylvania native will benefit from an offseason in Bloomington. He is 6-foot-1 and 274 pounds -- and with multiple departures at defensive tackle, Jones has an opportunity to fill the shoes of Robinson/Barwick/Samuels/Bowen in 2019. Keep an eye on him.
DB Noah Pierre (1 game): Pierre became the 17th true freshman to play in 2018 against Purdue. He will compete with Brown, Layne, and fellow freshmen next season at cornerback after maintaining his redshirt this past season.
DL Jonathan King, TE T.J. Ivy, WR Jacolby Hewitt, DB Jordan Jusevitch, LB Aaron Casey, OL Nick Marozas, OL Aidan Rafferty, DL Gavin McCabe, K Charles Campbell
These nine freshmen did not appear in 2018 and will be redshirted for 2019. There is a need for all involved. For King and McCabe, senior defensive linemen Nile Sykes, Jacob Robinson, Mike Barwick Jr., Kayton Samuels, and Ja’merez Bowen are graduating. For Ivy, senior tight end Ryan Watercutter is graduating and Austin Dorris announced that he will transfer. For Hewitt, senior receivers Luke Timian and J-Shun Harris are graduating. For Jusevitch, senior Jonathan Crawford is departing the secondary. For Casey, senior linebackers Dameon Willis Jr. and Michael McGinnis are departing. For Marozas and Rafferty, offensive linemen Brandon Knight, Nick Linder, Delroy Baker, and Wes Martin are done. DaVondre Love also announced his decision to graduate transfer. And for Campbell, his first full offseason as IU’s lone scholarship kicker could pose a threat to incumbent Logan Justus. Sophomore DT LeShaun Minor, who did not appear this season, will be able to redshirt the season and return as a sophomore in 2019.
(12/01/18 10:00pm)
At the top of the arc, Romeo Langford received the ball from Devonte Green. He quickly broke to his right, gliding past Northwestern star Vic Law.
Langford only needed one dribble and four effortless steps to evade Law and convert the game-winning basket. His patented floater with 39 seconds remaining handed Indiana the 68-66 victory against Northwestern in its Big Ten opener.
For the final 3:30 of Saturday’s game, Juwan Morgan was out with an apparent injury to his right leg. It looked somewhat serious, as Morgan was unable to put weight on his right foot. Indiana’s most reliable weapon had just been sidelined. And it was the freshman, Langford, who made the game-winning play.
“We just tried to give him an opportunity to get downhill,” head coach Archie Miller said of the play. On his second bounce, he exploded up. He got a good luck. It was an executed play.”
Although not the most cleanly in terms of officiating, Indiana took better care of the basketball against Northwestern, especially in key situations such as Langford’s floater. The Hoosiers won ugly, but they won so without turning the ball over in the final seven minutes -- and only two turnovers in the final 15 minutes.
Following a 21-point loss at Duke on Tuesday, Saturday’s win was an example of a young Indiana team that showed its ability to mature. Or, as Miller said postgame, an IU team that is learning on the run. The Hoosiers shot only 11-of-19 from the free throw line, struggled to find answers against Northwestern’s 6-foot-8 senior forward Dererk Pardon (24 points on 11-of-15 shooting), and lost their most consistent player at the game’s most critical juncture. But Indiana found a way to win, through key defensive stops late in the game and relying on its prized freshman talent to call game. Langford finished with 20 points on an efficient 8-of-13 effort from the floor.
“I think it all comes with time,” Miller said of growth and cohesion. “We're getting completely tested right now. We're learning on the run. And this is a great film, obviously, with great opportunity for us to continue to kind of show how we have to play.”
Despite missing the final three and a half minutes, Morgan was yet again instrumental in leading the Hoosiers to victory. He was excellent underneath the basket, finishing a nifty 3-point play that gave Indiana the 58-57 lead with 4:343 remaining. Indiana’s senior workhorse finished with 17 points, 12 rebounds, and three assists.
His health is paramount to the trajectory of this Indiana season -- a season in which Morgan promised would blossom into a return to the NCAA Tournament. Miller did not have an update postgame on the status of Morgan, as he did not speak with Morgan or team trainers following the game. Miller’s team was decimated by injuries to start the season, and is simply “knocking on wood” that Morgan’s injuries is not serious.
Indiana next plays an impressive Penn State team on Tuesday in State College, and returns to non-conference play with resume-building opportunities against Louisville and Butler.
“I don't know what happened to Juwan,” Miller said postgame. “And I'm not sure what the status is. I haven't had a chance to see him or the docs or the trainers. Knock on wood, we'll hope for the best. I didn't see it happen. I'm not real sure.”
For now, however, Indiana is undefeated in a conference that will test these Hoosiers at every chance it gets. The Big Ten, as a whole, is remarkably improved from the league that sent only four teams to last season's NCAA Tournament.
As Miller said, Indiana is very clearly learning on the run. But the Hoosiers found a way to win their Big Ten opener, and that result alone is worthy of a passing grade.
I would say that this year the Big Ten has a lot of very good teams, probably pretty much all the teams are very good and an win a game on any given night,” Justin Smith said. “It's going to be a dogfight every night, but we're ready for it.
(11/24/18 11:14pm)
Following a 28-21 season-ending loss to Purdue (6-6, 5-4 B1G) in the Old Oaken Bucket Game, Indiana (5-7, 2-7 B1G) redshirt junior receiver Nick Westbrook fought back the tears. He was just asked what this IU program must do to reach the next step.
The Hoosiers had just seen the Old Oaken Bucket disappear into Boilermaker hands for the second consecutive season -- and the first time in Bloomington since 2011. As Purdue raced the Bucket over to its fans, redshirt sophomore husky Marcelino Ball knelt on the field for so long that IU's Marching Band was about to perform.
“We just have to choose to do it," Westbrook said. "We just have to choose to be great and realize we are a great team."
It had been a realization that matured into a pair of bowl appearances under Kevin Wilson in 2015 and 2016, a legitimate sign of progress for an Indiana football program that has 11 bowl appearances in 131 years of competition. But in the past two years, the majority of contributing players from Wilson's teams either graduated or pursued NFL ambitions. New coaches and new players have replaced them. Indiana has since experienced two demoralizing defeats to Purdue and subsequent 5-7 seasons. The Hoosiers are incredibly young and inexperienced, and the aforementioned realization by Westbrook marches on for another year.
"Just having that confidence in yourself to realize you are good enough to be a great team in the Big Ten East. The toughest division there is. Having these young guys, who aren’t as confident in themselves, going into this offseason, focused on building that confidence. Realizing how good of a player you really are.”
Saturday's loss to Purdue exposed the same weaknesses that Indiana had battled all season. Untimely penalties derailed the Hoosiers as they tried to climb back against the Boilermakers. It started on Purdue's first scoring drive, when a late hit by Allen Stallings erased a 3rd-down stop by the IU defense and allowed Purdue to extend the drive and eventually take a 7-0 lead with 5:43 remaining in the first quarter.
"The one was huge," Allen said of Stallings' penalty. "We were off the field. They're kicking long field goal, going for it on fourth down. Long ways to go. Gave them a first down on roughing the passer. To me, that's undisciplined. They just can't be."
The miscues continued. The Hoosiers battled on Saturday, as they have all season despite a few devastating injuries and the nation's 19th-youngest team on paper. True freshman running back Stevie Scott continued to break records by tying the game at 7-7 with an eight-yard touchdown run with 10:52 in the first half. Just as Indiana seemed to be back on level footing against its bitter rival, Purdue's electric receiver Rondale Moore connected with quarterback David Blough for 56 yards and hand the Boilermakers a 14-7 halftime lead. IU true freshman safety Devon Matthews fell down on the play, and sophomore Raheem Layne missed the tackle.
The clearest example of Indiana's undisciplined youth was showcased early in the fourth quarter with the Hoosiers trailing, 21-7. Matthews brought down Moore for a loss, setting up a 3rd-and-20 for Purdue on its own 7-yard line. Except Matthews celebrated with a 'throat-slash,' and handed the Boilermakers an automatic first down. Purdue's drive elapsed half of the game's fourth quarter, and despite cutting its deficit to 21-14 with 7:33 remaining on a 23-yard run by Peyton Ramsey, Indiana was unable to mount its comeback.
"The other one with Devon Matthews, I was shocked he was the guy that got called," Allen said. "I don't know what he did. Immature mistake. One of our best kids in terms of doing everything we ask, the way he handles his business. That was costly to me."
IU's 24 seniors were honored during pregame festivities Saturday, and the 17 true freshmen that have appeared this season will begin to replace them. The Kevin Wilson era in Bloomington set an expectation for bowl appearances. It is Tom Allen's task to restore the Hoosiers back to that step, which could begin with potential personnel changes in the offseason. Allen, who is both the head coach and defensive coordinator, said postgame that he is considering of handing the defensive coordinator position to someone else.
"Definitely something I've been thinking about because of all the responsibilities that fall into this position," Allen said. "Now that I've done it for a couple years, feel like I understand the time demands. There's no questions about it, as I've talked about, even last year saying there's going to come a time when I need to do that so I can be the head coach of the team."
This Indiana program must mature in order for it to progress. It certainly will in age, given the amount of true and redshirt freshmen that started for the Hoosiers this season. It must fully mature in depth, which Allen suspects will only take another two years as IU continues historic levels of recruiting. There are endless questions, but scarce answers as Indiana begins its second consecutive offseason of disappointment and reflection.
"Just left a really hurting and disappointed locker room," Allen said. "A lot of tears, a lot invested by our seniors, a lot invested by our players and coaches. Just not the result we wanted."
(11/24/18 6:37pm)
Hello from the Old Oaken Bucket Game. It's the second consecutive year that both Indiana and Purdue need a victory to earn bowl eligibility, but I assume everyone knows that already. Let's get down to what Indiana has done, and what Indiana needs to do:
Low on Momentum
It's remarkable how little momentum IU has despite this being a 14-7 game at halftime and the Hoosiers receiving the ball to start the second half. A 56-yard touchdown from David Blough to Rondale Moore will do that, but still. I'm torn on whether Indiana is lucky to be only trailing by 14-7, or if this game should be going in IU's favor a little more. The Hoosiers have done some good things: standing up Purdue on 4th-and-1 from the IU 10-yard line, giving Stevie Scott 12 carries in the first half, and holding a high-powered Purdue offense to only two first-half touchdowns. But there is very little wind in IU's sails, despite being the home team, despite winning this game in three of the past four years, etc.
I know that Purdue is likely the more confident and more hopeful football team. But the Hoosiers haven't really established themselves yet today. Peyton Ramsey has been largely ineffective, and IU really misses the east-and-west threat of Whop Philyor in the slot. I'm rambling here, so I'm going to another topic. But in terms of emotion, Purdue is playing with more of it. On the road. The interception from DT Mike Barwick at the end of the half will help, though, I'm sure. That play was just awesome.
Decisions, decisions
It's been a pretty odd game, per usual here, but in terms of decision-making and play-calling from offensive coordinator Mike DeBord and head coach Tom Allen. The short kickoffs and out-of-bounds punts are back due to the electric nature of Rondale Moore. It's understandable. Allen has also passed up two field goal attempts from 47 yards and further -- with one resulting in an eight-yard touchdown run from Stevie Scott ... but even that came on 4th-and-1. The Hoosiers are 1-2 on 4th down today and Allen is calling an aggressive game.
It's interesting though. I think we all thought that field goals would not win this game, given Purdue's proven offense. But at 14-7, field goals could certainly play a role down the stretch. Weird how that happens, huh? I personally agree with Allen coaching aggressively logical, but the play-calling hasn't really followed suit. Stevie Scott has become almost a sure-thing on short distance downs, but the Hoosiers threw on both 3rd-and-3, and 4th-and-3, on a drive that stalled early -- and a drive that began with a 14-yard run from Scott. He's the key to Indiana winning today, plain and simple. The Hoosiers will need a significantly better offensive performance if they win this thing. The Hoosiers have barely attempted downfield passes today, and I've written about that all season. It's something this offense has to do.
Miscues from a young Indiana team
Apologies for continuing to describe Indiana as young, but they really are. And at times, they show it. The 56-yard touchdown from Blough to Moore showed it, with true freshman safety Devon Matthews falling down on the play, and sophomore Raheem Layne missing a possible tackle and allowing Moore to the ball in the first place. He's an insanely difficult cover, but that was a microcosm of the naive miscues from the Hoosiers this season.
In terms of other moments that should be filed under the miscue department, kicker Logan Justus missed from 47-yards and Allen Stallings' roughing the passer penalty on 3rd-down gifted the Boilermakers an eventual touchdown, instead of a field goal try. I know the hit wasn't much at all, but it was late. And with how college football has been called this season, late is enough to warrant a call like that. Along with more competent and open offense, Indiana can't afford to shoot itself in the foot. The Hoosiers are, believe it or not, a half away from bowl eligibility and only trail by a score. The first possession of the second half against Michigan was a 3-and-out, so we'll see if DeBord can draw some plays up. The yards have been there, but Indiana has stalled around midfield for the better part of the day. Talk to you all postgame.
(11/23/18 4:50am)
A season ago, Indiana receiver Nick Westbrook was on the field for only one play. It was the opening kickoff against Ohio State, a play in which IU’s leading receiver tore his ACL and ended his season.
Westbrook was forced to watch Indiana’s 2017 season from afar. The Hoosiers withstood demoralizing losses and a complicated quarterback situation, en route to defeating Illinois and Rutgers to set-up a showdown for bowl eligibility with Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket Game.
Indiana didn’t just lose to Purdue a season ago -- the Hoosiers didn’t even show up. The Boilermakers led 31-10 before a late IU resurgence aided the final score. Purdue claimed the Bucket for the first time since 2012, and while Westbrook had very little to do with it, the bitter taste in his mouth remained.
“That’ll just be the big thing,” Westbrook said of his message this year. “To explain, ‘you guys don’t want this to end. Trust me. There was a bitter taste in my mouth last year and that was the first time I’ve ever experienced it and I hated it so much.’ Just to explain to these guys you don’t want that at all. We want to be playing an extra month.”
In the grand scheme of concepts such as program building, Indiana’s 2018 season is identically similar to its last. An inspiring start in non-conference play was erased by uninspiring performances against Michigan State and Iowa, as well as emotional defeats to Penn State, Minnesota, and Michigan. But despite this, and despite widespread youth and injury, the Hoosiers are in the same place they have been for the fourth consecutive season: defeat Purdue, and bowl, -- lose to Purdue, and season over. Indiana is 2-1 in those scenarios, and after four consecutive Bucket wins, IU’s premier trophy case sits empty.
“So I think that anything in life, when you have it, you take it for granted,” Tom Allen said of the Bucket. “When you lose it, you realize how special it really was and really is. I think that can be true of a lot of things for sure, and I think it's definitely true in this rivalry.”
The notion of ‘progress’ for this Indiana program is a conversation for next week -- or possibly later. IU’s season, again, comes down to its rival. Careers will be ended on Saturday in Bloomington. It could be the likes of longtime IU safety Jonathan Crawford, who will start his 50th game in his four years at IU on Saturday against Purdue. Crawford will break the program record for games played if Indiana defeats Purdue and appears in a bowl game. There are 25 IU seniors, with 18 contributing this year.
As aforementioned, IU football does appear to be stuck in neutral on the surface, although four consecutive seasons of playing for bowl eligibility is a notable improvement to Indiana’s 14-34 record from 2010-14. Every season is different, however, even if the results are eerily similar. The Hoosiers are historically young, with numerous starting spots being filled by promising freshmen or inexperienced upperclassmen. IU head coach Tom Allen says his program will likely reach its desired depth in two years and in return, produce tangible improvement.
Nonetheless, a victory on Saturday will signal a successful season for how Indiana’s season has gone. It will be no small task, as Purdue has experienced a newfound resurgence under heavily suited coach Jeff Brohm in the form of resounding victories against Ohio State, Iowa, and Boston College. The Boilermakers are reeling, though, following a 41-10 loss to Minnesota and 47-44 defeat to Wisconsin. They too, must regroup and condense their season into a single game. In the realm of theory, Indiana and Purdue are meeting Saturday at a crossroads for rival supremacy.
“So you get it all wrapped up into one,” Allen said of the Bucket game. “So it makes for a pretty exciting opportunity and atmosphere and a chance to be able to accomplish things that you want to accomplish as we build this program. We want to be in a position where we're climbing and growing every single year, and then that's the objective is we build and keep recruiting and putting class upon class upon class, it's going to be critical.”
Allen seems to have found a generic formula to win games with this young Indiana team: force field goals, create takeaways, establish the run, and pose a threat downfield. In successful games this season, such as last week’s 31-20 loss at No. 4 Michigan, the Hoosiers have followed this. Purdue has been the more impressive team in 2018, garnering national headlines and featuring an explosive offense in senior quarterback David Blough and electric freshman receiver Rondale Moore. It is the most lethal Purdue offense in recent memory. Indiana will welcome the return of starting junior linebacker Reakwon Jones, who is expected to play after missing the past two weeks. Freshman husky Cam Jones will miss the first half after his targeting ejection in Ann Arbor, however.
For those such as Westbrook, who will academically graduate but could play another season in Bloomington, Saturday’s all-or-nothing matchup with Purdue is nothing new. But this time, Westbrook will have a say in the matter.
“Over the last couple years I would say, it’s just, embrace it,” Westbrook said of the message. “It could be, potentially, the last game. You have to understand that what we’re fighting for is this bowl game. Just make sure people know what we’re fighting for. When you have a strong why it makes it a lot easier to go out there and play the game. A lot of extra motivation.”