Indiana University Athletics
Powers Catching on at New Position
3/29/2007 12:00:00 AM | Football
March 29, 2007
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The Indiana football team continues to work toward improving its skill during spring practices. Senior Blake Powers is doing more than improving this spring, he is learning an entire new position as he begins the transition from quarterback to tight end.
Powers had a breakout season for the Hoosiers during his sophomore campaign in 2005. As starting quarterback, he completed 212-of-376 passes, placing second in the Indiana single-season record book in each category. He threw for 2,305 yards and tossed a Hoosier single-season record 22 touchdowns.
With the emergence of then-redshirt freshman quarterback Kellen Lewis in 2006, Powers saw action in eight games during his junior season. With the quarterback position being filled, the coaching staff and Powers both saw this as an opportunity to utilize his size and speed at a different position.
"With this move I felt like I could help the team," Powers said. "I talked to the coaches about it, and they seemed to think that I could do that and it gives the offense another weapon. I feel like I can give us that option of being able to throw to a faster tight end."
Instead of calling out routes for his receivers to run, Powers will be listening to the commands of where he needs to be once the ball is snapped. Route running has come pretty naturally to Powers, who ran a few plays as a receiver early in his high school career. But he feels the most challenging part of the new position is doing something he has never done before, blocking.
"Run blocking is pretty challenging," Powers said. "It's something I have never done. I have to continue to make progress in that every day. Running and catching the ball, that is what comes natural to me. The biggest thing is blocking. I just have to work on the technique. Hopefully by the end of the spring, it will be second nature."
With the move to tight end, Powers will have more than a coaching staff to turn to for instruction. His father, Dan, played tight end at Indiana from 1975-78, lettering in both 1977 and 1978. Father Powers did not initiate the idea of the younger Powers switching positions, but both father and son agree that it will be beneficial.
"(My father) wants the same thing I do," Powers said. "To do whatever is best for this team to move forward."
Powers will continue to work on the necessary skills to become a better tight end as spring practice carries on.
