QUOTED: Preseason Camp Week 2
8/13/2017 10:28:00 AM | Football
By: Charlie Duffy
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana football team concluded its second week of preseason camp on Saturday. With less than three weeks remaining before the season opener against Ohio State, things are starting to take shape for the Hoosiers.
Here are five quotes that sum up the week.
"We need to start fast and finish strong," said sophomore offensive lineman Coy Cronk. "We have to start to put it all together. We need to continue to come out with a great mindset every day."
The offensive line has lost a couple of day two draft picks in the last two seasons in Jason Spriggs, a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2016, and Dan Feeney, a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. The re-tooled offensive line is under the direction of new coach Darren Hiller and is learning a new playbook, installed by offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. The key to the offense's success this year may very well come down to the play of the big guys in the trenches.
"I tend to error on the side of physicality early on," said head coach Tom Allen. "You have to tackle, especially since they have not done that since the spring. I like to do that early, and then once we get about two weeks in, we will focus more on the timing and the tempo."
Last season, Coach Allen's first with the Hoosiers, the defense played with an edge not seen in Bloomington in quite some time. Allen built the defense on a physical brand with blitzing and an attacking style. The defense responded by racking up tackles for loss, led by senior linebacker Tegray Scales, who led the nation with 23.5 TFLs.
That defensive mindset has spilled over into this offseason. Tackling is a must in this scheme. The hitting has ramped up in camp with one-on-one tackling drills, donut tackling and full wrap-up team periods as staples within the practice template.
"It felt great to get out there and be a part of the team again and practicing," said wide receiver J-Shun Harris II.
Harris, the redshirt junior, has been on the wrong end of two season-ending ACL's surgeries in the past couple of years. Harris showed great promise in his freshman season, hauling in 18 catches for 168 yards and a pair of scores. One of his touchdown receptions came in the Hoosiers win at No. 18 ranked Missouri, a 33-yard strike from Nate Sudfeld that broke a 17-17 tie.
Having Harris back in the fold adds an extra dynamic to the team's offense. With big-bodied wide outs Simmie Cobbs Jr. and Nick Westbrook on the outside and tight ends Danny Friend and Ian Thomas roaming the middle, Harris adds an element of shiftiness and quickness in the slot. He also figures to factor in the return game. During his freshman season, Harris netted over 400 yards in the return game.
"We have had some great practices, we make plays but there are times that we are a little bit inconsistent," said offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. "We have to get the inconsistency out of us and execute all the time."
Inconsistency plagued the Hoosiers attack last season. The team ranked in the bottom half of the country in key statistics such as third down efficiency, red zone scoring and fourth down conversion rate.
Under DeBord's guidance in 2016, Tennessee ranked inside the top 30 in each of those categories. If the Hoosiers are able to improve upon their consistency this season, the scoreboard at Memorial Stadium will be lighting up in a big way.
"I think the light is starting to shine a little bit brighter for Allen Stallings," defensive line coach Mark Hagen said. "We need him to do that with Nile Sykes being down. We need Allen to step up and be a strong player for us. He needs to be ready to jump into a starter's role."
Stallings' name has been thrown around frequently in camp thus far. The true sophomore is expected to drastically increase his role within the defense due to the injury of Sykes, who was second on the team in sacks last season. Hagen has raved about Stallings, lauding him for his relentless work ethic and natural ability at the defensive end position.
The Oak Park, Ill., product saw limited action during his freshman campaign but has the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff. Senior defensive leader Greg Gooch adds that Stallings has the pass rushing skills to provide a major impact on the defensive front.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana football team concluded its second week of preseason camp on Saturday. With less than three weeks remaining before the season opener against Ohio State, things are starting to take shape for the Hoosiers.
Here are five quotes that sum up the week.
"We need to start fast and finish strong," said sophomore offensive lineman Coy Cronk. "We have to start to put it all together. We need to continue to come out with a great mindset every day."
The offensive line has lost a couple of day two draft picks in the last two seasons in Jason Spriggs, a second-round pick by the Green Bay Packers in 2016, and Dan Feeney, a third-round pick by the Los Angeles Chargers in 2017. The re-tooled offensive line is under the direction of new coach Darren Hiller and is learning a new playbook, installed by offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. The key to the offense's success this year may very well come down to the play of the big guys in the trenches.
"I tend to error on the side of physicality early on," said head coach Tom Allen. "You have to tackle, especially since they have not done that since the spring. I like to do that early, and then once we get about two weeks in, we will focus more on the timing and the tempo."
Last season, Coach Allen's first with the Hoosiers, the defense played with an edge not seen in Bloomington in quite some time. Allen built the defense on a physical brand with blitzing and an attacking style. The defense responded by racking up tackles for loss, led by senior linebacker Tegray Scales, who led the nation with 23.5 TFLs.
That defensive mindset has spilled over into this offseason. Tackling is a must in this scheme. The hitting has ramped up in camp with one-on-one tackling drills, donut tackling and full wrap-up team periods as staples within the practice template.
"It felt great to get out there and be a part of the team again and practicing," said wide receiver J-Shun Harris II.
Harris, the redshirt junior, has been on the wrong end of two season-ending ACL's surgeries in the past couple of years. Harris showed great promise in his freshman season, hauling in 18 catches for 168 yards and a pair of scores. One of his touchdown receptions came in the Hoosiers win at No. 18 ranked Missouri, a 33-yard strike from Nate Sudfeld that broke a 17-17 tie.
Having Harris back in the fold adds an extra dynamic to the team's offense. With big-bodied wide outs Simmie Cobbs Jr. and Nick Westbrook on the outside and tight ends Danny Friend and Ian Thomas roaming the middle, Harris adds an element of shiftiness and quickness in the slot. He also figures to factor in the return game. During his freshman season, Harris netted over 400 yards in the return game.
"We have had some great practices, we make plays but there are times that we are a little bit inconsistent," said offensive coordinator Mike DeBord. "We have to get the inconsistency out of us and execute all the time."
Inconsistency plagued the Hoosiers attack last season. The team ranked in the bottom half of the country in key statistics such as third down efficiency, red zone scoring and fourth down conversion rate.
Under DeBord's guidance in 2016, Tennessee ranked inside the top 30 in each of those categories. If the Hoosiers are able to improve upon their consistency this season, the scoreboard at Memorial Stadium will be lighting up in a big way.
"I think the light is starting to shine a little bit brighter for Allen Stallings," defensive line coach Mark Hagen said. "We need him to do that with Nile Sykes being down. We need Allen to step up and be a strong player for us. He needs to be ready to jump into a starter's role."
Stallings' name has been thrown around frequently in camp thus far. The true sophomore is expected to drastically increase his role within the defense due to the injury of Sykes, who was second on the team in sacks last season. Hagen has raved about Stallings, lauding him for his relentless work ethic and natural ability at the defensive end position.
The Oak Park, Ill., product saw limited action during his freshman campaign but has the confidence of his teammates and coaching staff. Senior defensive leader Greg Gooch adds that Stallings has the pass rushing skills to provide a major impact on the defensive front.
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