Indiana University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: 2018 Cream & Crimson Game
4/14/2018 3:06:00 PM | Football
2018 Cream & Crimson Game Player Quotes
Marcelino Ball, Ricky Brookins, Jonathan Crawford, Michael Penix Jr., Peyton Ramsey
Redshirt Sophomore Husky Marcelino Ball
As you take back that husky position, what are you trying to improve on or change?
"There have been things that changed since I've been there. It's also been five or six months since I've played. The first week or two kind of felt like I forgot how to play, but after time it comes back. I'm still making mistakes, but I give myself a little leeway for being out for so long."
Coach Wommack is with the linebackers group now, how is that different?
"It's different, but everybody is bonding and stuff like that. As far as being away from the DBs, I just have a different perspective that I like. We talk about the D-line's objectives and the linebacker objectives, so now I already know what the DBs are doing because I've been in that room for two years. Now I have the linebackers' and D-line's perspective, so I can know when to push the buttons on coverages and stuff like that."
Do you find yourself speaking up more, now that you're a third-year guy?
"I try to lead by my actions, making plays on the field. I'm trying to be quieter because I feel that making plays, showing effort, and things like that will make your teammates follow your example. After that, you can probably speak more to them. But for now, I came back from six months off so I'm still trying to find my groove. I don't feel like I can speak right now, like [Jonathan Crawford] or Reakwon Jones or others making plays out there. I'm trying to stay in my zone and lead by example right now."
Fifth-Year Senior Running Back Ricky Brookins
On his spring performance with the opportunities at running back...
"I think I did alright. I think I showed I could run the ball a little more than I have usually. I showed that I can be patient and get better run reads than I used to. Overall, I think the coaches know what I can do and the team does, too. It's basically they know what I am capable of."
On going up against the team in a game setting...
"It's fun but whenever you get to compete in a game situation like this, we compete a little bit more. It's a lot of fun with guys out there playing hard but also taking care of each other at the same time."
On being a leader in the running backs room...
"I'm the oldest guy in the room and we have a lot of young guys who can make plays. I'm not as vocal as I'd like to be but with the young guys, they're playing a lot so I'm trying to coach them up. Trying to tell them it's not all the pressure in the world. You got a lot of time, I can help you out, take it slow, be patient and just have fun with it."
On if anybody caught his eye this spring...
"I think they're all doing great. Craig (Nelson) is doing really well. Ronnie Walker Jr. is doing well, Ahrod Lloyd is doing great, Connor Thomas. They are all contributing and making the plays they are supposed to. They looked really good."
Senior Defensive Back Jonathan Crawford
What are your biggest takeaways from spring ball?
"For me, it's probably communication. We've got young guys on the back end, so getting them on board with understanding the calls and what the offense is doing is really big. That's what we've been working on and I feel like we've improved that."
Speaking of young guys, [Juwan Burgess] had that big hit at the start of the second half. What did those guys show you now that they're finally back on the field?
"Confidence. The first practice is always slow, getting in the groove of things, but they both were out. Confidence is what leads to them making better plays and that's what they're doing."
How important is the summer work when it comes to preparing for the season?
"For me, the summer is big for working individually. If you want to get your game better, personally, I think you should work all summer. As a team, you do great in team workouts over the summer but if you want to get better, you need to do work on your own too. For me, summer is big in terms of doing individual work to get better."
What will the keys be for Indiana in 2018?
"Hunger, because of last year. We didn't end out how we wanted to, and you see it in Coach Allen's face. He's always hungry and he wants it more."
Freshman Quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
On what he wanted to gain in this spring game...
"Improve as a team and myself as an individual. That's the main thing, improvement."
On his biggest challenge this summer...
"This summer, my biggest challenge is continuing to improve and be a leader, being more vocal, talking to the team and making sure everybody is on point, cheering them up when things are not going too well. Just the leadership."
On anything different he saw in live situations...
"It wasn't too much different because we scrimmage every Saturday. As far as the difference, it wasn't too much. Families coming to watch and just trying to play your best."
Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Peyton Ramsey
On playing in the game versus normal practices...
"Just live situations the entire time. I think it is hard to mimic that in a practice setting because everything is really controlled. I think being out here and actually getting to play out these situations was really helpful for us."
On what he was able to see out there...
"Just having fun, seeing the defense. We didn't show a lot, we didn't do a lot, stuck to our base stuff. It was good to see us execute at a high level doing our simple, basic stuff."
On having Michael Penix Jr. in the quarterbacks room...
"When you have talent in the room and other guys who are going to push you, it's helpful for everybody. It's helpful for not only me but helpful for the rest of the offense and team. There are guys who are going to continue to push and help make the entire offense better. "
On having wide receivers playing that he normally doesn't get reps with...
"As much as I'd like Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale to be out there working on our timing, I think it was big for Luke (Timian) and Whop (Philyor). Younger guys like David Felton, Jacolby Hewitt and Chris Gajcak out there getting reps and getting the opportunity to go out and compete against our top guys. I think it was beneficial for them and us getting our timing down."
Marcelino Ball, Ricky Brookins, Jonathan Crawford, Michael Penix Jr., Peyton Ramsey
Redshirt Sophomore Husky Marcelino Ball
As you take back that husky position, what are you trying to improve on or change?
"There have been things that changed since I've been there. It's also been five or six months since I've played. The first week or two kind of felt like I forgot how to play, but after time it comes back. I'm still making mistakes, but I give myself a little leeway for being out for so long."
Coach Wommack is with the linebackers group now, how is that different?
"It's different, but everybody is bonding and stuff like that. As far as being away from the DBs, I just have a different perspective that I like. We talk about the D-line's objectives and the linebacker objectives, so now I already know what the DBs are doing because I've been in that room for two years. Now I have the linebackers' and D-line's perspective, so I can know when to push the buttons on coverages and stuff like that."
Do you find yourself speaking up more, now that you're a third-year guy?
"I try to lead by my actions, making plays on the field. I'm trying to be quieter because I feel that making plays, showing effort, and things like that will make your teammates follow your example. After that, you can probably speak more to them. But for now, I came back from six months off so I'm still trying to find my groove. I don't feel like I can speak right now, like [Jonathan Crawford] or Reakwon Jones or others making plays out there. I'm trying to stay in my zone and lead by example right now."
Fifth-Year Senior Running Back Ricky Brookins
On his spring performance with the opportunities at running back...
"I think I did alright. I think I showed I could run the ball a little more than I have usually. I showed that I can be patient and get better run reads than I used to. Overall, I think the coaches know what I can do and the team does, too. It's basically they know what I am capable of."
On going up against the team in a game setting...
"It's fun but whenever you get to compete in a game situation like this, we compete a little bit more. It's a lot of fun with guys out there playing hard but also taking care of each other at the same time."
On being a leader in the running backs room...
"I'm the oldest guy in the room and we have a lot of young guys who can make plays. I'm not as vocal as I'd like to be but with the young guys, they're playing a lot so I'm trying to coach them up. Trying to tell them it's not all the pressure in the world. You got a lot of time, I can help you out, take it slow, be patient and just have fun with it."
On if anybody caught his eye this spring...
"I think they're all doing great. Craig (Nelson) is doing really well. Ronnie Walker Jr. is doing well, Ahrod Lloyd is doing great, Connor Thomas. They are all contributing and making the plays they are supposed to. They looked really good."
Senior Defensive Back Jonathan Crawford
What are your biggest takeaways from spring ball?
"For me, it's probably communication. We've got young guys on the back end, so getting them on board with understanding the calls and what the offense is doing is really big. That's what we've been working on and I feel like we've improved that."
Speaking of young guys, [Juwan Burgess] had that big hit at the start of the second half. What did those guys show you now that they're finally back on the field?
"Confidence. The first practice is always slow, getting in the groove of things, but they both were out. Confidence is what leads to them making better plays and that's what they're doing."
How important is the summer work when it comes to preparing for the season?
"For me, the summer is big for working individually. If you want to get your game better, personally, I think you should work all summer. As a team, you do great in team workouts over the summer but if you want to get better, you need to do work on your own too. For me, summer is big in terms of doing individual work to get better."
What will the keys be for Indiana in 2018?
"Hunger, because of last year. We didn't end out how we wanted to, and you see it in Coach Allen's face. He's always hungry and he wants it more."
Freshman Quarterback Michael Penix Jr.
On what he wanted to gain in this spring game...
"Improve as a team and myself as an individual. That's the main thing, improvement."
On his biggest challenge this summer...
"This summer, my biggest challenge is continuing to improve and be a leader, being more vocal, talking to the team and making sure everybody is on point, cheering them up when things are not going too well. Just the leadership."
On anything different he saw in live situations...
"It wasn't too much different because we scrimmage every Saturday. As far as the difference, it wasn't too much. Families coming to watch and just trying to play your best."
Redshirt Sophomore Quarterback Peyton Ramsey
On playing in the game versus normal practices...
"Just live situations the entire time. I think it is hard to mimic that in a practice setting because everything is really controlled. I think being out here and actually getting to play out these situations was really helpful for us."
On what he was able to see out there...
"Just having fun, seeing the defense. We didn't show a lot, we didn't do a lot, stuck to our base stuff. It was good to see us execute at a high level doing our simple, basic stuff."
On having Michael Penix Jr. in the quarterbacks room...
"When you have talent in the room and other guys who are going to push you, it's helpful for everybody. It's helpful for not only me but helpful for the rest of the offense and team. There are guys who are going to continue to push and help make the entire offense better. "
On having wide receivers playing that he normally doesn't get reps with...
"As much as I'd like Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale to be out there working on our timing, I think it was big for Luke (Timian) and Whop (Philyor). Younger guys like David Felton, Jacolby Hewitt and Chris Gajcak out there getting reps and getting the opportunity to go out and compete against our top guys. I think it was beneficial for them and us getting our timing down."
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