Hoosier Seniors Set to Fight to the End
11/17/2017 2:32:00 PM | Football
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Chase Dutra ain't facing the end without a fight.
You know that, right?
The same goes for fellow Indiana seniors Tegray Scales, Richard Lagow, Nate Hoff, Greg Gooch, Rashard Fant, Griffin Oakes, Tony Fields, Chris Covington, Ian Thomas and 12 more, including redshirt junior receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr., who will decide after the season if he will declare for the NFL Draft.
The seniors enter the final home game of their careers -- Saturday against Rutgers (4-6) -- with resolve born from struggle. They didn't always win, but they sure as heck tried.
"We have resilience," Hoff says. "It comes from inside because it is rough. You keep to the grindstone, keep working and it will work out."
Some, such as Lagow, have been Hoosiers for just a couple of years. Others, such as Fant, Dutra and Oakes, are five-year veterans.
They all have one over-riding purpose -- beat Rutgers and Purdue to finish 6-6 and make a bowl, then whip whoever shows up.
In the meantime, they want to savor, for the final time, The Walk, Hep's Rock and everything else that makes Memorial Stadium and being a Hoosier so special.
"I'm trying to embrace every moment of it and maximize every day that I have with this team," Dutra says.
He embodies the program's spirit. He didn't arrive out of Brownsburg High School as a 5-star difference maker, but he did bring an edge and a disregard for pain.
He learned toughness while growing up with four brothers who didn't buy the turn-the-other-cheek mentality.
"We competed in everything," he says. "I mean, everything. Drinking a glass of water we'd compete in. Even now, when we are in the same house, there's a bunch of testosterone.
"We get into it about everything -- cornhole, pick-up basketball. When we're in the swimming pool, and it gets physical. We play 2-on-2 football, with someone as the all-time quarterback. Punches have been thrown. It's all about competing."
And so it's been as a Hoosier, whether as a safety or a special teams monster.
"I'll go out and give up my body every single play," he says. "I've always been like that."
Dutra has the injury history to prove it.
"If you run around being timid or scared, you're probably going to get hurt. My mindset is, don't worry about it. Run out there and knock someone out."
Scales understands that mindset. He's an All-America linebacker -- and a former high school wrestling standout -- who idolized former Chicago Bears superstar Brian Urlacher while growing up in the Cincinnati area.
"I don't play like him," Scales says, "but when I was growing up, he was one of the best."
As for his time at IU, Scales adds that, "Absolutely it went faster than I expected" and that on Saturday he will, "Play my heart out."
Scales' favorite Indiana moment isn't a moment at all.
"It's just the memories from teammates. You create memories and bonds that last forever. That's the biggest and most exciting thing in my college career."
Gooch took longer than some of the others to emerge as a starter, but he's made the most of his opportunity. A Florida native, he's learned to embrace winter.
"I came here because I felt the atmosphere. It was more of a family. There was a unity here.
"Indiana was coming up. They were building something. I didn't want to go to a school that was already built and had a name. I wanted to go to a school where we create something and be a part of something special."
And so he has.
Fant will go down as one of the best cornerbacks to play at IU. As far as what's his favorite Hoosier moment, he said, "Any win against Purdue."
He has four of them, with a chance to make it five on Nov. 25.
Then Fant changed his mind to pick the 2014 upset of No. 18 Missouri.
"I was a redshirt freshman. It was my first big win. I played a lot in that game. We did something nobody gave us a shot to do."
Fant participated in Senior Day last season because there was a chance he might enter the NFL Draft.
"It's weird because last year I thought it might be my last home game, and then I got another one," he says. "It's the last time in front of these fans. I'll embrace the moment."
So will Lagow.
"I'm excited and sad that this is the last time to suit up in our stadium."
He's regained the starting job he lost to redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey. The reason, he says, is "I try to do my job. Not try to do too much. Put us in the best position to gain yards and win. A lot of pieces go into that. Everyone is working hard to get these last two wins."
Junior defensive lineman Jacob Robinson acknowledged how much Hoff had helped him over the years, and not always with football.
"He's one of the weirdest dudes you'll ever meet. It's been a fun time with him in the D-line room.
"He's a funny guy. He's also a really good player. I've learned a lot from him."
While the Hoosiers didn't get the rock-the-college-world victory they had hoped for this season (although they came frustratingly close against Michigan and Michigan State), they did beat a good Virginia team on the road and handled Illinois on the road to restore momentum (and give coach Tom Allen the game ball for his first Big Ten victory). They can set themselves up for a third straight bowl by playing to their potential and, perhaps, just a bit more.
"The seniors want to finish the year off right," Cobbs says. "Finish on a positive note."
It starts by beating Rutgers.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Chase Dutra ain't facing the end without a fight.
You know that, right?
The same goes for fellow Indiana seniors Tegray Scales, Richard Lagow, Nate Hoff, Greg Gooch, Rashard Fant, Griffin Oakes, Tony Fields, Chris Covington, Ian Thomas and 12 more, including redshirt junior receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr., who will decide after the season if he will declare for the NFL Draft.
The seniors enter the final home game of their careers -- Saturday against Rutgers (4-6) -- with resolve born from struggle. They didn't always win, but they sure as heck tried.
"We have resilience," Hoff says. "It comes from inside because it is rough. You keep to the grindstone, keep working and it will work out."
Some, such as Lagow, have been Hoosiers for just a couple of years. Others, such as Fant, Dutra and Oakes, are five-year veterans.
They all have one over-riding purpose -- beat Rutgers and Purdue to finish 6-6 and make a bowl, then whip whoever shows up.
In the meantime, they want to savor, for the final time, The Walk, Hep's Rock and everything else that makes Memorial Stadium and being a Hoosier so special.
"I'm trying to embrace every moment of it and maximize every day that I have with this team," Dutra says.
He embodies the program's spirit. He didn't arrive out of Brownsburg High School as a 5-star difference maker, but he did bring an edge and a disregard for pain.
He learned toughness while growing up with four brothers who didn't buy the turn-the-other-cheek mentality.
"We competed in everything," he says. "I mean, everything. Drinking a glass of water we'd compete in. Even now, when we are in the same house, there's a bunch of testosterone.
"We get into it about everything -- cornhole, pick-up basketball. When we're in the swimming pool, and it gets physical. We play 2-on-2 football, with someone as the all-time quarterback. Punches have been thrown. It's all about competing."
And so it's been as a Hoosier, whether as a safety or a special teams monster.
"I'll go out and give up my body every single play," he says. "I've always been like that."
Dutra has the injury history to prove it.
"If you run around being timid or scared, you're probably going to get hurt. My mindset is, don't worry about it. Run out there and knock someone out."
Scales understands that mindset. He's an All-America linebacker -- and a former high school wrestling standout -- who idolized former Chicago Bears superstar Brian Urlacher while growing up in the Cincinnati area.
"I don't play like him," Scales says, "but when I was growing up, he was one of the best."
As for his time at IU, Scales adds that, "Absolutely it went faster than I expected" and that on Saturday he will, "Play my heart out."
Scales' favorite Indiana moment isn't a moment at all.
"It's just the memories from teammates. You create memories and bonds that last forever. That's the biggest and most exciting thing in my college career."
Gooch took longer than some of the others to emerge as a starter, but he's made the most of his opportunity. A Florida native, he's learned to embrace winter.
"I came here because I felt the atmosphere. It was more of a family. There was a unity here.
"Indiana was coming up. They were building something. I didn't want to go to a school that was already built and had a name. I wanted to go to a school where we create something and be a part of something special."
And so he has.
Fant will go down as one of the best cornerbacks to play at IU. As far as what's his favorite Hoosier moment, he said, "Any win against Purdue."
He has four of them, with a chance to make it five on Nov. 25.
Then Fant changed his mind to pick the 2014 upset of No. 18 Missouri.
"I was a redshirt freshman. It was my first big win. I played a lot in that game. We did something nobody gave us a shot to do."
Fant participated in Senior Day last season because there was a chance he might enter the NFL Draft.
"It's weird because last year I thought it might be my last home game, and then I got another one," he says. "It's the last time in front of these fans. I'll embrace the moment."
So will Lagow.
"I'm excited and sad that this is the last time to suit up in our stadium."
He's regained the starting job he lost to redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey. The reason, he says, is "I try to do my job. Not try to do too much. Put us in the best position to gain yards and win. A lot of pieces go into that. Everyone is working hard to get these last two wins."
Junior defensive lineman Jacob Robinson acknowledged how much Hoff had helped him over the years, and not always with football.
"He's one of the weirdest dudes you'll ever meet. It's been a fun time with him in the D-line room.
"He's a funny guy. He's also a really good player. I've learned a lot from him."
While the Hoosiers didn't get the rock-the-college-world victory they had hoped for this season (although they came frustratingly close against Michigan and Michigan State), they did beat a good Virginia team on the road and handled Illinois on the road to restore momentum (and give coach Tom Allen the game ball for his first Big Ten victory). They can set themselves up for a third straight bowl by playing to their potential and, perhaps, just a bit more.
"The seniors want to finish the year off right," Cobbs says. "Finish on a positive note."
It starts by beating Rutgers.
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