Indiana University Athletics
Indiana Begins Spring Practice on March 21
3/20/2006 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 20, 2006
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Head coach Terry Hoeppner helped re-energize the Indiana football program in 2005. The Hoosiers posted their first 4-1 start since 1994, as the IU fan base enjoyed a 39 percent increase in per game attendance, a 46 percent increase in overall season ticket sales and a 110 percent increase in student season ticket sales. Indiana's spread offense generated a school record 24 touchdown passes, and Hoeppner helped establish new IU football traditions. Two hours prior to each home game, fans and players engaged in "The Walk," as Indiana coaches and players marched through the tailgating areas en route to the "crimson gates" at Memorial Stadium. Hoeppner also dubbed Memorial Stadium "The Rock," a nod to the stadium's limestone construction. A three-ton remnant from the original stadium construction was placed near the north end zone, as the IU coaches now challenge the Hoosiers to "defend the rock."
While Hoeppner, his staff and the players appreciate that success, it also fuels their motivation for 2006, as spring practice gets underway on March 21.
"There are so many areas where we can get better, but there are so many things that we are excited about," Hoeppner said. "The fact that we redshirted so many freshmen that we think are very talented. They have indicated that to us on the practice field. We had some of the best scout teams week-in and week-out that we have ever had. Those young running backs and young defensive linemen, it was a real challenge for the offense and defense."
IU returns 17 starters from a year ago (seven on offense, seven on defense and three on special teams). Combine this experience with 19 athletic redshirt freshmen, and it will be a competitive spring for the Hoosiers.
James Hardy turned in one of the most prolific seasons IU has seen at wide receiver, as the 6-7, 215-pounder also earned Freshman All-American accolades from rivals.com, The Sporting News and FootballNews.com. The Fort Wayne, Ind., product finished second in school history with 61 receptions, tied for second with 10 touchdowns and fifth with 893 yards. In addition, his five 100-yard games were tied for second most in a season in school history. Hardy finished first in the Big Ten and 23rd nationally with 89.3 yards per game and fourth in the conference and 29th in the nation with 6.10 receptions per game. His 10 touchdowns ranked fifth among all freshmen nationally, and he became the first IU receiver since Ernie Jones (1987) to catch at least one touchdown in seven of his first eight games.
Hardy headlines what is arguably Indiana's deepest position, as the Hoosiers return six players who caught at least 10 passes a year ago and three impressive redshirt freshmen pass catchers are eager to work their way into the rotation this spring. Jahkeen Gilmore (30 receptions, 383 yards) was the Hoosiers' third-leading receiver last fall. James Bailey was one of the top comeback stories in college football in 2005, finishing as the team's fourth-leading receiver after his involvement in a March 2005 auto accident that forced him to spend two weeks in a hospital and another two weeks in a wheelchair. He caught 27 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns. Tight end Matt O'Neal (11) and freshman Brandon Walker-Roby (10), the half-brother of IU's all-time leading receiver, Courtney Roby, round out Indiana's double-digit receivers. Walker-Roby was one of three true freshmen to see action for the Hoosiers last season.
Waiting in the wings are three talented redshirt freshmen who showed flashes of strong play in practice last fall - Chris Banks has a 34-inch vertical leap with great speed, while Andrew Means has great size and runs solid routes. Means also is an outfielder on the IU baseball team. Finally, Nick Polk has great hands and a knack for the big play.
Three quarterbacks will see action under center this spring. Junior Blake Powers returns after setting single-game school records with 37 completions and 57 attempts at Iowa, and the 6-4, 235-pounder set the new Indiana single-season touchdown pass record with 22. Overall, his 212 completions and 376 attempts are second on IU's single-season chart, and his 2,305 yards are fourth in single-season school history.
Senior Graeme McFarland and redshirt freshman Kellen Lewis will also take significant snaps. McFarland played in seven games in 2005, and he threw for two touchdown passes. The athletic Lewis is a mobile quarterback with a strong arm.
Marcus Thigpen moves from wide receiver to running back, where Indiana hopes to use his 4.29 40-yard dash speed both on the ground and through the air. Thigpen will be joined by three talented redshirt freshmen. Demetrius McCray was the Florida Class 4A Player of the Year in 2004 after rushing for 1,642 yards and 29 touchdowns at Armwood High School in Brandon, Fla. Justin Carrington gained nearly 1,900 yards and scored 26 touchdowns his senior season at Liberty High School in Leesburg, Va., and Bryan Payton impressed the Hoosier coaching staff with his hard-nosed running style last fall. Payton is a Fort Wayne native by way of Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy.
With the departure of offensive guard Adam Hines (45 consecutive starts) and offensive tackle Isaac Sowells, several young, talented offensive linemen will gain exposure this spring. Chris Mangiero bounced back from a foot injury suffered midway through the 2004 season to start all 11 games at center in 2005. He also played at offensive guard in 2005. He was second among offensive linemen with 833 total snaps.
Senior Justin Frye and junior Jonathan Sandberg will take a majority of snaps at offensive guard this spring. Sandberg saw limited action in 2005, and Frye has started 33 of his last 34 games at either right guard or right tackle. He was Indiana's right tackle for the first seven games of the season before moving to right guard for the final four games of the year. Overall, he played 788 snaps.
Scott Anderson started the final four games of the 2005 season at right tackle. In addition to starting at Michigan State and Michigan and at home against Minnesota and Purdue, Anderson also saw action against Kentucky, Illinois and Ohio State. He played a total of 281 snaps during the season. The coaching staff also moved Kyle Thomas, a 6-4, 290-pound sophomore, from defensive end to offensive tackle. Thomas is athletic for his size, and 6-5, 283-pound Chauncey Incarnato could also make a quick contribution. Incarnato is eligible in 2006 after sitting out last year as a transfer from Notre Dame, and he has three years of eligibility remaining. Incarnato earned Associated Press Division III All-Ohio special mention honors as a senior at Dover (Ohio) High School in 2003, as he did not allow a sack for a team that went 10-1 and averaged nearly 38 points per game.
Along the defensive line, Indiana returns considerable experience in juniors Joe Kremer and Charles Emerson and sophomore Greg Brown. Brown started four (at Central Michigan and vs. Nicholls State, Minnesota and Purdue) of the 11 games in which he played in 2005. He finished the year with 17 tackles, highlighted by a career-high five (four solo and one assisted) at Michigan. He had four tackles for loss (24 yards) and two quarterback sacks. Emerson recorded 23 tackles (18 solo, five assisted) in 2005. Emerson played in all 11 games, and he started against Kentucky, Wisconsin, Illinois and Ohio State. His season high in tackles (four) came against Nicholls State, and he had one sack at Michigan State. Kremer played in all 11 Indiana games in 2005. He recorded four tackles against Nicholls State, and he had two tackles for loss against Illinois. The Hoosier coaching staff is also high on redshirt freshmen Emile Bass and Todd Newman. Bass is a 6-3, 288-pounder with deceptive speed, while Newman is a 6-4, 274-pound converted tight end.
Junior middle linebacker Adam McClurg, sophomore Geno Johnson and senior Jake Powers are the top three returnees. A pair of redshirt freshmen - Dan Kinsey, who was also a national champion decathlete in high school, and Josh Bailey bring valuable speed and athleticism to the position.
Indiana returns all four secondary starters. Senior safeties Will Meyers and Troy Grosfield recorded 84 and 57 tackles, respectively. Tracy Porter and Leslie Majors are each back for their third season at cornerback. Majors posted a career-high 10 tackles at Michigan in 2005. He started all 11 games, and he has had seven tackles in four different games, most recently against Wisconsin. Porter had three interceptions for 108 yards, broke up six passes and forced a fumble.
Indiana has a veteran, well-balanced special teams unit. Senior punter Tyson Beattie averaged 41.7 yards per punt in 75 attempts as a junior. Eleven of his punts dropped inside the opponents' 20-yard line, including a season-high three at Central Michigan. Beattie kicked a season-high 63-yarder at Michigan, the second longest of his career. Beattie added 13 punts of 50-plus yards, with the top two kicks coming at Michigan and a 55-yarder against Illinois. His 41.2 yard career punting average is tied for third in school history.
Senior Lance Bennett is one of the league's premier kickoff returners. Bennett averaged 22.7 yards on 24 kickoff returns and 6.6 yards on 10 punt returns in 2005. Bennett had an 86-yard kickoff return against Kentucky and a 41-yard return against Michigan State. He had a 23-yard punt return against Illinois. He has played a key role in helping the Hoosiers rank among the top three in the league in kickoff returns each of the last two years.
Sophomore Joe Kleinsmith was one of three true freshmen to see action last fall. Kleinsmith made three field goals as a freshman, including a career-long 39-yarder against Ohio State. Kleinsmith also made 31-of-34 extra points.
