Timian Moving the Chains for Hoosiers
9/8/2017 10:14:00 AM | Football
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Overlook Indiana receiver Luke Timian at your own risk.
Ohio State risked it – and lost.
Wait. It's not as simple as that, but when you look at the numbers Timian put up in his first-ever college start (career-highs of 10 catches for 72 yards in last week's season-opening loss), it makes you wonder why this redshirt junior didn't get a ton of Power 5 school scholarship offers after leaving Oklahoma State three years ago.
The short answer – other schools messed up.
The long answer – they really messed up.
Timian is the kind of receiver that can break a defense faster than you can say Marvin Harrison or Wes Welker or Julian Edelman.
Why?
Because he moves the chains. When it's, say, third-and-6, and a first down is needed, Timian delivers.
He doesn't dazzle with size as fellow Hoosier receivers Simmie Cobbs Jr. and Donavan Hale do, or draw double coverage. He is 6-foot and 195 pounds, and won't force defensive coordinators to alter game plans.
And yet …
IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord says Timian is smart, tough and quick. He runs good routes. He reads defenses to know how and when to alter routes. He's in tune with quarterback Richard Lagow enough so they both know what the other will do before they do it.
Oh. One other thing. Timian doesn't want to rest or be anywhere near the sideline when the offense has the ball.
"I'm not looking to come out," he says.
Timian's keep-me-in-coach approach gained urgency after fellow receiver Nick Westbrook's season-ending knee injury on the Ohio State game's opening kickoff.
"I have to tough it out and play 95 percent of the snaps," he says. "Maybe 100 percent."
In a lot of ways, Timian's role mirrors that of Mitchell Paige from last year. Paige had a team-leading 58 catches for 646 yards and four touchdowns.
Timian, who is on pace to do way more than that, finds motivation from Paige's mindset as much as his production.
"I got to see how much work in took to play at a high level," Timian says. "He had such a high motor. He was never looking to come out. That's something he instilled in me. If you want to be a big-time player, you can't look to come out. You have to want the ball when it matters. That's something I've definitely tried to take on."
If you didn't expect this after Timian's first two Hoosier seasons, well, the signs were there. Last year, he had 19 catches for 277 yards (14.6 yards per catch) and a touchdown. That was good enough to earn him the team's Outstanding Walk-on Player of the Year honor.
The year before that, Timian played in six games and totaled two catches for 51 yards. One was a 27-yard touchdown reception against Duke in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
The Ohio State performance ratcheted up the expectation bar. He says he's fine with that.
"For me, that was my first start. It's getting comfortable with playing that many snaps. Before that I was right around 40 to 50 snaps a game. I played 85 snaps (against Ohio State). It definitely boosted my confidence knowing I can play at a high level for that many plays.
"It's proving that I could do it. I'm glad that was the first game. Now, the rest of the season, I know I can play at a high level for that many snaps."
Teammates know it, too.
"His role has always been big," Cobbs says. "He knows he needs to make plays. The guys behind him know they have to make plays. We have to hold ourselves to a standard at the wide receiver position. You never know when it's your time, and when it is, you're expected to make plays no matter what."
All this comes from the glow of a scholarship earned. Timian began August camp as a walk-on, as he had his previous two IU camps. Then came his well-documented surprise during a team meeting. First, he was one of several players asked to sing the IU fight song. Behind him, two projection screens showed the message, "Get Loud." Then the message changed to "Luke just earned a scholarship."
The resulting celebration included a manly greeting from Lagow.
"It was nice to see my hard work rewarded because I had put so much into getting a scholarship for my family." Timian says. "It was huge from that aspect. At the same time, now that the coaches have put that trust into me, I have to relay that back to them."
As a Texas native, Timian didn't seem an obvious choice to wear the Cream & Crimson. In high school, he played on Southlake's 5A Texas state title team. Then he went on to Oklahoma State, where he redshirted in his one season there.
"I thought the path I chose was the best for me, but it ended up not being the best," he says. "Oklahoma State was not the right fit for me."
Timian had a recruiting connection with former IU receivers coach Kevin Johns, and decided to join the program as a walk-on.
"I needed a fresh start," Timian says. "I had built a relationship with Coach Johns. I decided this would be the best fit for me. I really came into my own here. I'm trying to make the most of my opportunity."
The next opportunity comes Saturday at Virginia. The Cavaliers (1-0) are coming off a 28-10 victory over William & Mary. They have a pair of defensive standouts in linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding.
"They do a lot of different things on defense," Timian says. "We all have to be focused the entire game on reading the different defenses, blitzes and coverages.
"This is a great opportunity for us to go on the road against an ACC team. It's the biggest game of the year for us because it's the next one. Coach Allen preaches that all the time. We buy into it."
No Hoosier buys in more than Timian. He reaped the reward against Ohio State, and the best might be yet to come.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Overlook Indiana receiver Luke Timian at your own risk.
Ohio State risked it – and lost.
Wait. It's not as simple as that, but when you look at the numbers Timian put up in his first-ever college start (career-highs of 10 catches for 72 yards in last week's season-opening loss), it makes you wonder why this redshirt junior didn't get a ton of Power 5 school scholarship offers after leaving Oklahoma State three years ago.
The short answer – other schools messed up.
The long answer – they really messed up.
Timian is the kind of receiver that can break a defense faster than you can say Marvin Harrison or Wes Welker or Julian Edelman.
Why?
Because he moves the chains. When it's, say, third-and-6, and a first down is needed, Timian delivers.
He doesn't dazzle with size as fellow Hoosier receivers Simmie Cobbs Jr. and Donavan Hale do, or draw double coverage. He is 6-foot and 195 pounds, and won't force defensive coordinators to alter game plans.
And yet …
IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord says Timian is smart, tough and quick. He runs good routes. He reads defenses to know how and when to alter routes. He's in tune with quarterback Richard Lagow enough so they both know what the other will do before they do it.
Oh. One other thing. Timian doesn't want to rest or be anywhere near the sideline when the offense has the ball.
"I'm not looking to come out," he says.
Timian's keep-me-in-coach approach gained urgency after fellow receiver Nick Westbrook's season-ending knee injury on the Ohio State game's opening kickoff.
"I have to tough it out and play 95 percent of the snaps," he says. "Maybe 100 percent."
In a lot of ways, Timian's role mirrors that of Mitchell Paige from last year. Paige had a team-leading 58 catches for 646 yards and four touchdowns.
Timian, who is on pace to do way more than that, finds motivation from Paige's mindset as much as his production.
"I got to see how much work in took to play at a high level," Timian says. "He had such a high motor. He was never looking to come out. That's something he instilled in me. If you want to be a big-time player, you can't look to come out. You have to want the ball when it matters. That's something I've definitely tried to take on."
If you didn't expect this after Timian's first two Hoosier seasons, well, the signs were there. Last year, he had 19 catches for 277 yards (14.6 yards per catch) and a touchdown. That was good enough to earn him the team's Outstanding Walk-on Player of the Year honor.
The year before that, Timian played in six games and totaled two catches for 51 yards. One was a 27-yard touchdown reception against Duke in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl.
The Ohio State performance ratcheted up the expectation bar. He says he's fine with that.
"For me, that was my first start. It's getting comfortable with playing that many snaps. Before that I was right around 40 to 50 snaps a game. I played 85 snaps (against Ohio State). It definitely boosted my confidence knowing I can play at a high level for that many plays.
"It's proving that I could do it. I'm glad that was the first game. Now, the rest of the season, I know I can play at a high level for that many snaps."
Teammates know it, too.
"His role has always been big," Cobbs says. "He knows he needs to make plays. The guys behind him know they have to make plays. We have to hold ourselves to a standard at the wide receiver position. You never know when it's your time, and when it is, you're expected to make plays no matter what."
All this comes from the glow of a scholarship earned. Timian began August camp as a walk-on, as he had his previous two IU camps. Then came his well-documented surprise during a team meeting. First, he was one of several players asked to sing the IU fight song. Behind him, two projection screens showed the message, "Get Loud." Then the message changed to "Luke just earned a scholarship."
The resulting celebration included a manly greeting from Lagow.
"It was nice to see my hard work rewarded because I had put so much into getting a scholarship for my family." Timian says. "It was huge from that aspect. At the same time, now that the coaches have put that trust into me, I have to relay that back to them."
As a Texas native, Timian didn't seem an obvious choice to wear the Cream & Crimson. In high school, he played on Southlake's 5A Texas state title team. Then he went on to Oklahoma State, where he redshirted in his one season there.
"I thought the path I chose was the best for me, but it ended up not being the best," he says. "Oklahoma State was not the right fit for me."
Timian had a recruiting connection with former IU receivers coach Kevin Johns, and decided to join the program as a walk-on.
"I needed a fresh start," Timian says. "I had built a relationship with Coach Johns. I decided this would be the best fit for me. I really came into my own here. I'm trying to make the most of my opportunity."
The next opportunity comes Saturday at Virginia. The Cavaliers (1-0) are coming off a 28-10 victory over William & Mary. They have a pair of defensive standouts in linebacker Micah Kiser and safety Quin Blanding.
"They do a lot of different things on defense," Timian says. "We all have to be focused the entire game on reading the different defenses, blitzes and coverages.
"This is a great opportunity for us to go on the road against an ACC team. It's the biggest game of the year for us because it's the next one. Coach Allen preaches that all the time. We buy into it."
No Hoosier buys in more than Timian. He reaped the reward against Ohio State, and the best might be yet to come.
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