Indiana University Athletics
Notebook: Indiana Prepares for Penn State
9/25/2017 8:56:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head football coach Tom Allen speculated post-game Saturday that future foes may just start punting away from J-Shun Harris II.
Be that as it may, they probably won't be able to keep the ball away from true freshman Morgan Ellison.
Redshirt junior slot receiver and return specialist Harris earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors with a scintillating 70-yard punt return TD that helped ignite IU's 31-0 start in Saturday's 52-17 win over Georgia Southern.
That game also served notice that Ellison is capable of carrying a full load at the college level.
Ellison's 25 carries (more than double his previous largest workload) in exceptionally hot conditions produced 186 yards (7.4 average) and two TDs, earning him Big Ten Freshman of the Week plaudits.
It marked the first time since last Oct. 31 that Indiana has garnered two league Player of the Week honors concurrently, with Marcus Oliver and Tyler Natee cited last fall.
Ellison's rushing yardage Saturday ranked fourth all-time for an IU freshman. His 85.7-yard average per game also ranks fourth among true freshman backs nationally – a figure that could grow.
"You all know what (Ellison) did statistically," Allen told the media. "But he's a true freshman, playing the way he convinced me he could play (during fall camp).
He's proven that he's a young man that has a bright future if he stays hungry and humble and keeps working hard.
"… His offensive line and our offensive line were a big reason for that (showing Saturday). He recognized that. But proud of him and his hard work so far … He's got great feet. He's quick, he's got burst and vision. He's got some good speed too. So we'll make sure we protect the ball better and have great ball security. That's the only thing I would say he needs to focus on after (Saturday's) performance, but he's a good player."
Ellison broke legs during both his sophomore and junior years at Pickerington (Ohio) High School, and Harris is back after sustaining ACL knee injuries in both 2015 and 2016 at IU.
Now, Harris is one of just two IU players – the other is Rob Turner in 1990 – to return a punt for a TD in back-to-back games, with Harris also having delivered a 44-yard score at Virginia.
"You know, the past few years have been rough (but) I feel like that was just a refreshing break," Harris said post-game. " … We got some great athletes on all of our specials teams, but specifically our punt return unit, (and) without all of those guys getting their key blocks at the right moment, it wouldn't be the touchdown result that we've experienced twice this year."
Harris is averaging 26.1 yards per seven punt returns on the season, ranking third nationally.
For Saturday's 70-yard score, Harris fielded the punt on the bounce, made one defender miss, got to the east sideline while picking up some superb blocking, then made a decisive diagonal cut across field to pay dirt.
"How about J-Shun? That kid's unreal," Allen said post-game. "They're probably going to quit punting to him. He's making them pay. What a great story. Golly, so proud of him. Awesome, awesome young man."
IN THEIR DEFENSE
Allen also evinced pride in the IU Defensive Players of the Game pronounced by the program Monday, Allen Stallings IV and Andre Brown Jr.
Sophomore end Stallings got his first career start in lieu of senior Greg Gooch, who was serving an automatic one-half suspension resulting from a targeting call at Virginia. Stallings' three solo tackles included a sack.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Brown's day featured a co-game-high five solo tackles, highlighted by a dazzling strip-and-score for the game's final TD.
"Really thought his play was taken to another level," Allen said of Stallings. "With Greg Gooch's situation, he was bumped up to being the starter, which was a great opportunity for him and he responded. Thought he played throughout the game, from start to finish, at the level that I want to see him play at.
"And with Andre Brown … I (also) thought he played really well throughout the game. There at the end, the strip and the defensive touchdown was just great technique. Even the tackle that he made prior to stripping the ball was textbook, and really proud of his toughness and effort throughout the game."
Brown, who started eight games as a true freshman in 2015 before missing all of last season with an injury, is now back in the regular cornerback rotation and got the start Saturday.
Allen has hoped that Stallings, one of the better natural pass-rushers on the squad, would step up into the rotation as a productive end.
"Sometimes when you're the backup and you're not old enough and mature enough to be locked in all the time, that's kind of how you perform," Allen said.
"You're kind of up and down.
So (Stallings) wasn't consistent and … I challenged him and my challenge was spirited because I knew he was the guy, and he had to be the guy, and he needed to elevate, and he responded.
"I'm going to give Greg Gooch a lot of credit, too, because he's not only been a great leader for us … he really has been a great mentor to Allen and helped him practice different. I think because Greg knew he wasn't going to be in there in the first half, he really took it personal to make sure Allen was ready.
"So (Stallings) played more consistent, he gave better effort all the time, and he finished the game. We played a lot of snaps, it was hot, and he was still playing with that same burst. He got that sack at the end because of tremendous effort, and just want-to ... I just thought he raised his preparation level, his performance level and his effort."
1-2 PSU PUNCH
IU's defense will face what Allen feels is perhaps the nation's best running back-quarterback tandem when the Hoosiers travel for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. assignment at No. 4-ranked Penn State.
Saquon Barkley's 358 all-purpose yards (including a career-high 211 rushing) set a school record during Saturday night's last-second 21-19 win at Iowa – which is saying something given PSU's rich tradition of running backs.
Barkley also provided a key block, picking up a blitz, to help enable quarterback Trace McSorley to thread a pass between three defenders for a 7-yard TD on a do-or-die, fourth-down play as time expired.
"There's not a quarterback-tailback combination in the country right now that's playing at a higher level," Allen said Monday. "They are doing a great, great job. They are dangerous and confident.
"Barkley's making runs that are impressive, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Anytime you've got a back like him, you've got to gang tackle that guy. You've got to get as many hats to the ball as you can, and that's a challenge because they spread you out. And the quarterback is just, man, McSorley is just special. He's just got that moxie that you want in a quarterback, that core confidence and that belief."
Allen thinks Penn State, as a team, perhaps currently constitutes the league's best.
"Just a ton of respect for their coaching staff and their program, what they have done," Allen said. "Coach (James) Franklin has done a tremendous job in a tough situation initially, and has recruited extremely well, and has his team playing at a high level.
"When you look at all three phases (it's) probably the best combination of everything that you see … as far as run game, pass game, offense, defense, special teams, across the board, all playing at a very high level. Impressive win at Iowa on Saturday night. I think we were all watching that game and were just impressed to see how they finished."
DINGED BUT NOT DONE
Indiana won't have its full complement of players at Penn State, and not just because of travel-roster restrictions.
"Unfortunately we did have quite a few injuries from (Saturday's) game," Allen said. "And …we sat some guys out and we're not sure yet if they are going to be back (this) week."
Junior tailback Mike Majette, junior wideout Donavan Hale, redshirt sophomore guard Simon Stepaniak and fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant all missed Saturday's win over Georgia Southern. Their availability status remains uncertain.
Fifth-year senior nose tackle Nate Hoff recorded a co-game-high five solo tackles before exiting Saturday with an undisclosed injury. Allen said Hoff "is a guy that's going to be questionable this week."
Starting husky Marcelino Ball, who sustained a "lower body injury," and starting cornerback A-Shon Riggins also went down Saturday. So did freshman defensive tackle Juan
Harris, who Allen said was "very doubtful for the immediate future."
And junior linebacker Kiante Walton's immediate future involves surgery, though the procedure is not thought to be season-ending.
"Sometimes you are (healthy and) sometimes you're not, and other young men have to rise up and play to a level that you expect them to," Allen said. "What this team demands, what our conference demands, (that's) part of it. You look across the country and other teams are dealing with the same thing and you have to pony up."
BYE-BYE BYE
The Charleston Southern game, arranged quickly after Hurricane Irma forced cancellation of the IU-Florida International game, is now set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and BTN telecast Oct. 7, which was originally the Hoosiers' bye date this season.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana head football coach Tom Allen speculated post-game Saturday that future foes may just start punting away from J-Shun Harris II.
Be that as it may, they probably won't be able to keep the ball away from true freshman Morgan Ellison.
Redshirt junior slot receiver and return specialist Harris earned Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors with a scintillating 70-yard punt return TD that helped ignite IU's 31-0 start in Saturday's 52-17 win over Georgia Southern.
That game also served notice that Ellison is capable of carrying a full load at the college level.
Ellison's 25 carries (more than double his previous largest workload) in exceptionally hot conditions produced 186 yards (7.4 average) and two TDs, earning him Big Ten Freshman of the Week plaudits.
It marked the first time since last Oct. 31 that Indiana has garnered two league Player of the Week honors concurrently, with Marcus Oliver and Tyler Natee cited last fall.
Ellison's rushing yardage Saturday ranked fourth all-time for an IU freshman. His 85.7-yard average per game also ranks fourth among true freshman backs nationally – a figure that could grow.
"You all know what (Ellison) did statistically," Allen told the media. "But he's a true freshman, playing the way he convinced me he could play (during fall camp).
He's proven that he's a young man that has a bright future if he stays hungry and humble and keeps working hard.
"… His offensive line and our offensive line were a big reason for that (showing Saturday). He recognized that. But proud of him and his hard work so far … He's got great feet. He's quick, he's got burst and vision. He's got some good speed too. So we'll make sure we protect the ball better and have great ball security. That's the only thing I would say he needs to focus on after (Saturday's) performance, but he's a good player."
Ellison broke legs during both his sophomore and junior years at Pickerington (Ohio) High School, and Harris is back after sustaining ACL knee injuries in both 2015 and 2016 at IU.
Now, Harris is one of just two IU players – the other is Rob Turner in 1990 – to return a punt for a TD in back-to-back games, with Harris also having delivered a 44-yard score at Virginia.
"You know, the past few years have been rough (but) I feel like that was just a refreshing break," Harris said post-game. " … We got some great athletes on all of our specials teams, but specifically our punt return unit, (and) without all of those guys getting their key blocks at the right moment, it wouldn't be the touchdown result that we've experienced twice this year."
Harris is averaging 26.1 yards per seven punt returns on the season, ranking third nationally.
For Saturday's 70-yard score, Harris fielded the punt on the bounce, made one defender miss, got to the east sideline while picking up some superb blocking, then made a decisive diagonal cut across field to pay dirt.
"How about J-Shun? That kid's unreal," Allen said post-game. "They're probably going to quit punting to him. He's making them pay. What a great story. Golly, so proud of him. Awesome, awesome young man."
IN THEIR DEFENSE
Allen also evinced pride in the IU Defensive Players of the Game pronounced by the program Monday, Allen Stallings IV and Andre Brown Jr.
Sophomore end Stallings got his first career start in lieu of senior Greg Gooch, who was serving an automatic one-half suspension resulting from a targeting call at Virginia. Stallings' three solo tackles included a sack.
Redshirt sophomore cornerback Brown's day featured a co-game-high five solo tackles, highlighted by a dazzling strip-and-score for the game's final TD.
"Really thought his play was taken to another level," Allen said of Stallings. "With Greg Gooch's situation, he was bumped up to being the starter, which was a great opportunity for him and he responded. Thought he played throughout the game, from start to finish, at the level that I want to see him play at.
"And with Andre Brown … I (also) thought he played really well throughout the game. There at the end, the strip and the defensive touchdown was just great technique. Even the tackle that he made prior to stripping the ball was textbook, and really proud of his toughness and effort throughout the game."
Brown, who started eight games as a true freshman in 2015 before missing all of last season with an injury, is now back in the regular cornerback rotation and got the start Saturday.
Allen has hoped that Stallings, one of the better natural pass-rushers on the squad, would step up into the rotation as a productive end.
"Sometimes when you're the backup and you're not old enough and mature enough to be locked in all the time, that's kind of how you perform," Allen said.
"You're kind of up and down.
So (Stallings) wasn't consistent and … I challenged him and my challenge was spirited because I knew he was the guy, and he had to be the guy, and he needed to elevate, and he responded.
"I'm going to give Greg Gooch a lot of credit, too, because he's not only been a great leader for us … he really has been a great mentor to Allen and helped him practice different. I think because Greg knew he wasn't going to be in there in the first half, he really took it personal to make sure Allen was ready.
"So (Stallings) played more consistent, he gave better effort all the time, and he finished the game. We played a lot of snaps, it was hot, and he was still playing with that same burst. He got that sack at the end because of tremendous effort, and just want-to ... I just thought he raised his preparation level, his performance level and his effort."
1-2 PSU PUNCH
IU's defense will face what Allen feels is perhaps the nation's best running back-quarterback tandem when the Hoosiers travel for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. assignment at No. 4-ranked Penn State.
Saquon Barkley's 358 all-purpose yards (including a career-high 211 rushing) set a school record during Saturday night's last-second 21-19 win at Iowa – which is saying something given PSU's rich tradition of running backs.
Barkley also provided a key block, picking up a blitz, to help enable quarterback Trace McSorley to thread a pass between three defenders for a 7-yard TD on a do-or-die, fourth-down play as time expired.
"There's not a quarterback-tailback combination in the country right now that's playing at a higher level," Allen said Monday. "They are doing a great, great job. They are dangerous and confident.
"Barkley's making runs that are impressive, and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Anytime you've got a back like him, you've got to gang tackle that guy. You've got to get as many hats to the ball as you can, and that's a challenge because they spread you out. And the quarterback is just, man, McSorley is just special. He's just got that moxie that you want in a quarterback, that core confidence and that belief."
Allen thinks Penn State, as a team, perhaps currently constitutes the league's best.
"Just a ton of respect for their coaching staff and their program, what they have done," Allen said. "Coach (James) Franklin has done a tremendous job in a tough situation initially, and has recruited extremely well, and has his team playing at a high level.
"When you look at all three phases (it's) probably the best combination of everything that you see … as far as run game, pass game, offense, defense, special teams, across the board, all playing at a very high level. Impressive win at Iowa on Saturday night. I think we were all watching that game and were just impressed to see how they finished."
DINGED BUT NOT DONE
Indiana won't have its full complement of players at Penn State, and not just because of travel-roster restrictions.
"Unfortunately we did have quite a few injuries from (Saturday's) game," Allen said. "And …we sat some guys out and we're not sure yet if they are going to be back (this) week."
Junior tailback Mike Majette, junior wideout Donavan Hale, redshirt sophomore guard Simon Stepaniak and fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant all missed Saturday's win over Georgia Southern. Their availability status remains uncertain.
Fifth-year senior nose tackle Nate Hoff recorded a co-game-high five solo tackles before exiting Saturday with an undisclosed injury. Allen said Hoff "is a guy that's going to be questionable this week."
Starting husky Marcelino Ball, who sustained a "lower body injury," and starting cornerback A-Shon Riggins also went down Saturday. So did freshman defensive tackle Juan
Harris, who Allen said was "very doubtful for the immediate future."
And junior linebacker Kiante Walton's immediate future involves surgery, though the procedure is not thought to be season-ending.
"Sometimes you are (healthy and) sometimes you're not, and other young men have to rise up and play to a level that you expect them to," Allen said. "What this team demands, what our conference demands, (that's) part of it. You look across the country and other teams are dealing with the same thing and you have to pony up."
BYE-BYE BYE
The Charleston Southern game, arranged quickly after Hurricane Irma forced cancellation of the IU-Florida International game, is now set for a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff and BTN telecast Oct. 7, which was originally the Hoosiers' bye date this season.
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