Indiana University Athletics
September 7 Practice Report
9/7/2005 12:00:00 AM | Football
Sept. 7, 2005
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - All minds were on Nicholls State at Wednesday's practice. The Hoosiers, who practiced in full pads, continued preparation for the much-anticipated home opener against Nicholls State set for Saturday at 4 p.m. at Memorial Stadium.
Despite all the turmoil surrounding this weekend's game, practice opened the same way it has all fall with position drills. The passing and running games were both emphasized in preparation for a balanced offensive attack on Saturday.
From individual drills, IU transitioned into the 7-on-7 exercise where the passing game took center stage. Quarterback Blake Powers connected over the middle with wide receiver Ryan Skelton in the drill's first snap. On the next play, Graeme McFarland found Jahkeen Gilmore 40 yards downfield for a score.
The defense proved it was just as tough with a pair of impressive picks by true freshmen Josh Bailey and Austin Thomas. Stepping up and making snags for the Hoosiers today were Lance Bennett, Gilmore, Ryan Skelton and Brandon Walker-Roby.
From the 7-on-7 drills, the Hoosiers shifted to team versus scout team to further prepare for Nicholls State. The drills began with a focus on the running game and saw significant carries from running backs Chris Taylor, Josiah Sears and Yamar Washington courtesy of holes created by the offensive line.
Each quarterback took their turn commanding the offense against the scrappy scout team defense. Making grabs for the offense were Gilmore, Rhett Kleinschmidt and Marcus Thigpen, among others.
On the defensive side, linebacker Kyle Killion and the defense made several hits behind the line of scrimmage and demonstrated they are ready for Nicholls State's offense. Highlighting the defense's day was a one-handed snare by linebacker Ryan Marando toward the end of practice.
After another effective practice, coach Hoeppner and the Hoosiers are ready and fired up for Saturday's home debut.
