Indiana University Athletics
Practice Report No. 11
4/17/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
April 17, 2003
Bloomington, Ind.- The Hoosiers' defense looked good in the early part of practice on Thursday, but the offense came on late with strong short yardage plays. The Hoosiers' completed practice No. 11 and are only three practices away from the Spring Game next Friday, April 25.
The early part of practice for the Hoosiers consisted of pass blocking work. The running backs work on pass blocking with the defensive lineman, while the tight ends worked with both the safeties and the defensive line. The offensive line worked against one another in various pass-blocking drills.
During 9-on-7 drills between the defensive backfield and receivers, the Hoosier offense worked mainly on passes to the flat. Sophomore fullback John Pannozzo and junior wideout David Lewis each caught a couple of passes in the flat. The most impressive catch and run of the drill came from freshman wide receiver Lance Bennett. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native caught the pass, juked a defender with a cut back and walked into the end zone untouched.
The next full-contract drill was the team drill with the offense and defense matching up. The defense looked good as they laid some pretty sizable hits on the offensive receivers and also got pressure on the quarterback. The hits came early and often for the defense. The first big hit of the afternoon came on a collision between Pannozzo and sophomore cornerback Leonard Bryant. Sophomore linebacker Kyle Killion and junior defensive end Eli Radke combined to sandwich senior Brian Lewis on a run for no gain.
Redshirt freshman Kenny Kendal continued to bring pressure for the Hoosier defensive line as he got to the quarterback on a few occasions. The most impressive defensive performance of the afternoon may have come from Radke, who on three occasions put pressure on the quarterback, including batting one pass to the ground.
The biggest offensive play during the team drill came on a catch and run by junior tight end Aaron Halterman. The Greenwood, Ind., native caught a 10-yard pass and ran for a 30-plus yard gain. At the end of the play though, Bryant continued his hard hitting by leveling Halterman and forcing him out of bounds.
The Hoosiers then worked on kickoffs and kickoff return. Indiana's first team deep was sophomore running back Chris Taylor and sophomore cornerback Courtney Clency. On the first kick, Taylor showed off his moves and speed by breaking away from the defensive pack. The play may have gone back for a touchdown had the coaches not blown the play dead. The Hoosiers also used Bennett, redshirt freshman corner Steve Gunter and junior wide receiver Travis Haney back deep.
Indiana went back to the 11-on-11 drills where the Hoosier offense worked on screen passes. Both Brian Lewis and Pannozzo caught passes for first downs. The offense looked good during the short yardage drill as well. The Hoosier offense was able to gain first downs on 3rd-and-short on four of six attempts.
The Hoosiers will return to the practice fields for their final Saturday practice of the spring. The Indiana Spring Game will be on Friday, April 25 at 7:00 p.m. The game will be played at Memorial Stadium. Admission is free with the gates opening at 5:30 p.m.
