Indiana University Athletics
Mangieri Stays Hot Against Penn State
10/10/2015 4:34:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen | Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Nick Mangieri said Monday he felt like he was playing the best football of his career.
He proved why against Penn State.
The senior defensive end sacked Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg two times on Saturday. He finished the game with four total tackles.
Through five games, Mangieri leads the Hoosiers with seven sacks. For perspective on how strong Mangieri's pass rush has been this season, Indiana's leading pass rusher from 2014, current New Orleans Saint Bobby Richardson, had 5.5 sacks in 12 games. Mangieri has five sacks in his last three games alone.
Fifth-year senior bandit Zack Shaw—who picked up two sacks against Penn State—is second on the team with three sacks. The two split time together at the bandit position in 2014 before Mangieri moved back to the defensive line last spring.
"No doubt about it, this is definitely the best I've felt going out there every week," Mangieri said Monday. "My confidence is at an all-time high."
Mangieri said his growing confidence has made the difference in his play, which may explain why he's put together such an impressive streak of games.
"When you're able to have confidence in what you're doing, it's going to show on the field and you're going to make plays," Mangieri said.
He proved that once more against the Nittany Lions.
Now Indiana's active leader in career sacks, he'll look to build on that momentum next weekend against Rutgers.
Cameron Makes Unplanned Debut
For a second consecutive weekend, Indiana needed the aid of a back-up quarterback in the third quarter.
Redshirt freshman Danny Cameron made his IU debut in relief of sophomore Zander Diamont, who was forced to exit the game midway through third quarter with an injury.
Cameron, a pro-style quarterback, showed poise in the pocket, completing 6-of-16 passes for 65 yards. His lone mistake on the day was a fourth-quarter interception that bounced off the hands of his intended target.
Cameron completed passes to four different receivers, with Mitchell Paige and Ricky Jones each catching two passes. His longest completion went 20 yards to sophomore tight end Jordan Fuchs.
Jones said he was impressed with the way players like Cameron stepped up after unexpected injuries. In a tough situation, Jones said Cameron responded well.
"It comes with playing college football," Jones said. "Guys go down all the time, so it definitely is just the next man up, and he has to step up. It's just part of football. It's a part of life."
Senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld, the usual starter, was dressed but unable to play. Head coach Kevin Wilson didn't have much of an update on his health, instead insisting that he's confident in his backups like Cameron.
"We thought today, (Sudfeld's) mobility would hurt him, his ability to execute and his ability to protect himself," Wilson said. "He's no worse than he was. We'll keep coming…I just think he's a few days away."
Wilson's Word:
"My deal is, our team's got to keep fighting, and I didn't like the way we fought down the stretch. I thought we were a bit more selfish in our performance. We're a better team than we showed today. We played a good opponent, great credit to Penn State."
IUHoosiers.com
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Nick Mangieri said Monday he felt like he was playing the best football of his career.
He proved why against Penn State.
The senior defensive end sacked Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg two times on Saturday. He finished the game with four total tackles.
Through five games, Mangieri leads the Hoosiers with seven sacks. For perspective on how strong Mangieri's pass rush has been this season, Indiana's leading pass rusher from 2014, current New Orleans Saint Bobby Richardson, had 5.5 sacks in 12 games. Mangieri has five sacks in his last three games alone.
Fifth-year senior bandit Zack Shaw—who picked up two sacks against Penn State—is second on the team with three sacks. The two split time together at the bandit position in 2014 before Mangieri moved back to the defensive line last spring.
"No doubt about it, this is definitely the best I've felt going out there every week," Mangieri said Monday. "My confidence is at an all-time high."
Mangieri said his growing confidence has made the difference in his play, which may explain why he's put together such an impressive streak of games.
"When you're able to have confidence in what you're doing, it's going to show on the field and you're going to make plays," Mangieri said.
He proved that once more against the Nittany Lions.
Now Indiana's active leader in career sacks, he'll look to build on that momentum next weekend against Rutgers.
Cameron Makes Unplanned Debut
For a second consecutive weekend, Indiana needed the aid of a back-up quarterback in the third quarter.
Redshirt freshman Danny Cameron made his IU debut in relief of sophomore Zander Diamont, who was forced to exit the game midway through third quarter with an injury.
Cameron, a pro-style quarterback, showed poise in the pocket, completing 6-of-16 passes for 65 yards. His lone mistake on the day was a fourth-quarter interception that bounced off the hands of his intended target.
Cameron completed passes to four different receivers, with Mitchell Paige and Ricky Jones each catching two passes. His longest completion went 20 yards to sophomore tight end Jordan Fuchs.
Jones said he was impressed with the way players like Cameron stepped up after unexpected injuries. In a tough situation, Jones said Cameron responded well.
"It comes with playing college football," Jones said. "Guys go down all the time, so it definitely is just the next man up, and he has to step up. It's just part of football. It's a part of life."
Senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld, the usual starter, was dressed but unable to play. Head coach Kevin Wilson didn't have much of an update on his health, instead insisting that he's confident in his backups like Cameron.
"We thought today, (Sudfeld's) mobility would hurt him, his ability to execute and his ability to protect himself," Wilson said. "He's no worse than he was. We'll keep coming…I just think he's a few days away."
Wilson's Word:
"My deal is, our team's got to keep fighting, and I didn't like the way we fought down the stretch. I thought we were a bit more selfish in our performance. We're a better team than we showed today. We played a good opponent, great credit to Penn State."
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