Indiana University Athletics
Scales Cherishes Leadership Role with Defense
8/29/2017 2:38:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tegray Scales likes chasing quarterbacks.
Even, apparently, his own.
Indiana fifth-year senior signal-caller Richard Lagow, who considers Scales one of his best friends on the team, told the following tale at Friday's media session:
"The other night, we were out in front of my apartment complex, and I was throwing something away in the trash. And (Scales) pulls up, hops out of the car, and just chases me around the complex.
"… He'll randomly show up at my house and run into my room … he's a weird dude, but I love him to death."
Speaking of love, fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant related that classmate Scales feels adept at dispensing advice to the lovelorn.
"He's got a little soft spot, definitely has a soft side to him," Fant said of Scales, IU's first All-American linebacker since 1987.
"A tender heart.
"I think he thinks he's 'The Love Doctor,' too. For somebody not in a relationship, he has the most relationship and love advice. Give that to him."
Opposing ball-carriers might not sense Scales' softer side. They might not feel the love.
They might not think the guy who led the nation in solo tackles last season has much of a sense of humor, either.
"It's like a quiet humor," Fant said. "It's not loud and outspoken. Just whispering something out of the corner of your ear and you're saying, 'Did he just say that?' It's hilarious. And it's the moments he does it.
"I'd definitely say he's one of the funniest guys on the team, but he's quieter, more on the down-low with it."
Scales is indeed a soft-spoken man known to let his actions speak for him.
But now Scales is pumping up the volume a bit as the acknowledged senior leader of a defense hoping to go from good to great, and of an Indiana team hoping to break through against a demanding 2017 schedule – including Thursday's 8 p.m. season opener with the Hoosiers hosting No. 2-ranked Ohio State.
So there Scales was grabbing Coach Tom Allen's megaphone during early preseason camp practices to amplify points he wished to make.
"I knew, once he grabbed it, he had everybody's attention because he's Tegray," Fant said. "He's definitely continued to become the leader. He's the leader of our team, as a whole, and of our defense, definitely. So I'm excited to get the season started with him."
Scales and Fant are two of nine starters back for IU's defense, which also features several other players with significant experience, this season.
It's a deep, veteran crew that should be adept at the adjustments crucial as almost any game unfolds – especially openers, when teams are always ready to show something previously unseen.
"We don't know what they're going to do," Scales said of the Buckeyes, who now feature erstwhile Hoosier head coach Kevin Wilson as their offensive coordinator. "It's the first game.
"(But) it's year two (of IU playing Allen's defense). We know the defense now. We can do a lot more things with the defense … we've just got to adjust and that's what we've been working on -- getting our checks together, knowing what we're doing, and we can adjust to anything."
Fant said the Hoosiers defense is more adept at that than when he arrived in Bloomington five years ago.
"As a veteran team, now, we can make those changes," Fant said, "whereas, when you were a freshman, it was like, 'Man, that's a lot to grasp. What do I have to do?' … now we just communicate more and talk it through, so that experience definitely helps."
Scales feels Allen, who has retained his defensive coordinator duties while ascending to the Hoosiers head coaching position, and staff have supplied "a great game plan" for the Hoosiers defense heading into Thursday.
"I think we're prepared," Scales said Friday. "… I think, come the 31st, we'll be even more prepared … just tightening up on our defense and communication, making sure we are at our best when it counts the most.
"That's going to be the game-changer – making sure that, when our opportunity comes, we take full advantage of it. And it's just an opportunity that we've got to take advantage of. We don't get this opportunity that often. It's one of the biggest openers in Indiana history, so we embraced it and we took it head-on."
Not only do the Buckeyes constitute the highest-rated team ever to face IU in a Hoosiers season opener, the game also kicks off the conference season and will unfold after an ESPN GameDay pre-game show and during an ESPN live nation-wide Megacast.
Scales said he and his teammates will have to handle the hype well, will have to make sure they pace themselves pre-game and peak emotionally for the 8 p.m. kickoff.
And he'll have to do so even though he is a son of Ohio, a product of Cincinnati Colerain, which makes the Ohio State game even more meaningful to him.
Right?
"Not really," Scales said. "I do go to Indiana, so I'm playing for my teammates. I'm from Ohio, and that is true, but I'm an Indiana Hoosier now, and I'm playing for my brothers to the left and right of me.
"It's an honor just to lead our team onto the field and represent our team (as a captain for the game, alongside Lagow, Greg Gooch and Wes Martin). Like I said from the beginning, all the success I've had is a reflection of our defense and where we're going. I'm extremely blessed."
Scales, having earned 2016 All-American honors, enters Thursday night as a preseason All-America pick. But he knows past performance means nothing now. And that he and the IU defense, so long maligned until last season, remain hungry for me. A lot more.
"I keep the same grind, 24/7," Scales said. "I've always been underestimated – coming out of high school – and I've always had that chip on my shoulder.
"Those (preseason) honors are a reflection of our defense and where we're going. It was a blessing to get those honors, but I've got to show up now."
Just as with Lagow, OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett is liable to see Scales show up seemingly out of nowhere at times.
And the chase will be on.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tegray Scales likes chasing quarterbacks.
Even, apparently, his own.
Indiana fifth-year senior signal-caller Richard Lagow, who considers Scales one of his best friends on the team, told the following tale at Friday's media session:
"The other night, we were out in front of my apartment complex, and I was throwing something away in the trash. And (Scales) pulls up, hops out of the car, and just chases me around the complex.
"… He'll randomly show up at my house and run into my room … he's a weird dude, but I love him to death."
Speaking of love, fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant related that classmate Scales feels adept at dispensing advice to the lovelorn.
"He's got a little soft spot, definitely has a soft side to him," Fant said of Scales, IU's first All-American linebacker since 1987.
"A tender heart.
"I think he thinks he's 'The Love Doctor,' too. For somebody not in a relationship, he has the most relationship and love advice. Give that to him."
Opposing ball-carriers might not sense Scales' softer side. They might not feel the love.
They might not think the guy who led the nation in solo tackles last season has much of a sense of humor, either.
"It's like a quiet humor," Fant said. "It's not loud and outspoken. Just whispering something out of the corner of your ear and you're saying, 'Did he just say that?' It's hilarious. And it's the moments he does it.
"I'd definitely say he's one of the funniest guys on the team, but he's quieter, more on the down-low with it."
Scales is indeed a soft-spoken man known to let his actions speak for him.
But now Scales is pumping up the volume a bit as the acknowledged senior leader of a defense hoping to go from good to great, and of an Indiana team hoping to break through against a demanding 2017 schedule – including Thursday's 8 p.m. season opener with the Hoosiers hosting No. 2-ranked Ohio State.
So there Scales was grabbing Coach Tom Allen's megaphone during early preseason camp practices to amplify points he wished to make.
"I knew, once he grabbed it, he had everybody's attention because he's Tegray," Fant said. "He's definitely continued to become the leader. He's the leader of our team, as a whole, and of our defense, definitely. So I'm excited to get the season started with him."
Scales and Fant are two of nine starters back for IU's defense, which also features several other players with significant experience, this season.
It's a deep, veteran crew that should be adept at the adjustments crucial as almost any game unfolds – especially openers, when teams are always ready to show something previously unseen.
"We don't know what they're going to do," Scales said of the Buckeyes, who now feature erstwhile Hoosier head coach Kevin Wilson as their offensive coordinator. "It's the first game.
"(But) it's year two (of IU playing Allen's defense). We know the defense now. We can do a lot more things with the defense … we've just got to adjust and that's what we've been working on -- getting our checks together, knowing what we're doing, and we can adjust to anything."
Fant said the Hoosiers defense is more adept at that than when he arrived in Bloomington five years ago.
"As a veteran team, now, we can make those changes," Fant said, "whereas, when you were a freshman, it was like, 'Man, that's a lot to grasp. What do I have to do?' … now we just communicate more and talk it through, so that experience definitely helps."
Scales feels Allen, who has retained his defensive coordinator duties while ascending to the Hoosiers head coaching position, and staff have supplied "a great game plan" for the Hoosiers defense heading into Thursday.
"I think we're prepared," Scales said Friday. "… I think, come the 31st, we'll be even more prepared … just tightening up on our defense and communication, making sure we are at our best when it counts the most.
"That's going to be the game-changer – making sure that, when our opportunity comes, we take full advantage of it. And it's just an opportunity that we've got to take advantage of. We don't get this opportunity that often. It's one of the biggest openers in Indiana history, so we embraced it and we took it head-on."
Not only do the Buckeyes constitute the highest-rated team ever to face IU in a Hoosiers season opener, the game also kicks off the conference season and will unfold after an ESPN GameDay pre-game show and during an ESPN live nation-wide Megacast.
Scales said he and his teammates will have to handle the hype well, will have to make sure they pace themselves pre-game and peak emotionally for the 8 p.m. kickoff.
And he'll have to do so even though he is a son of Ohio, a product of Cincinnati Colerain, which makes the Ohio State game even more meaningful to him.
Right?
"Not really," Scales said. "I do go to Indiana, so I'm playing for my teammates. I'm from Ohio, and that is true, but I'm an Indiana Hoosier now, and I'm playing for my brothers to the left and right of me.
"It's an honor just to lead our team onto the field and represent our team (as a captain for the game, alongside Lagow, Greg Gooch and Wes Martin). Like I said from the beginning, all the success I've had is a reflection of our defense and where we're going. I'm extremely blessed."
Scales, having earned 2016 All-American honors, enters Thursday night as a preseason All-America pick. But he knows past performance means nothing now. And that he and the IU defense, so long maligned until last season, remain hungry for me. A lot more.
"I keep the same grind, 24/7," Scales said. "I've always been underestimated – coming out of high school – and I've always had that chip on my shoulder.
"Those (preseason) honors are a reflection of our defense and where we're going. It was a blessing to get those honors, but I've got to show up now."
Just as with Lagow, OSU quarterback J.T. Barrett is liable to see Scales show up seemingly out of nowhere at times.
And the chase will be on.
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