Indiana University Athletics
GRAHAM NOTEBOOK: 2 Live Crewing
10/23/2018 8:45:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Penn State's K.J. Hamler had just caught an interior-screen pass when he suddenly got 2 Live Crewed.
Indiana safety Bryant Fitzgerald rocketed in low to send Hamler head over heels and prompt a PSU punt at 5:46 of the first quarter last Saturday.
"I (saw) that he was struggling holding onto it, so I said this is my chance right here," Fitzgerald, a self-designated IU "2 Live Crew" member, recalled. "They say shooters will shoot, so I just shot my shot when the opportunity presented itself."
(Not talking shooting guns here, of course).
Fitzgerald isn't a fan of 2 Live Crew's music, either, apparently. But he and fellow redshirt freshman safety Juwan Burgess were looking for an appropriate mutual moniker, given they had shared unusual and somewhat daunting circumstances together as true freshmen.
Both Burgess and Fitzgerald matriculated as highly-touted freshmen in 2017, but it turned out neither was initially eligible to play.
Fitzgerald couldn't even practice with the team till this past spring practice. But then they could finally go "live." So "2 Live Crew," as it pertains to IU football, was born.
"Juwan, with me and him being in a situation of being ineligible, we had to stick together and be together," Fitzgerald said. "That's why we call each other '2 Live Crew,' because we're back on the field together."
Fitzgerald acknowledges that the first semester of his freshman year was tough, as he was unable to contribute on the field, but he used the extra time to make rapid progress toward a degree.
"With the situation last year, it was basically all mental," Fitzgerald said of the challenge it posed, which had him leaning on family, friends and faith. "I couldn't really be out there on the field, couldn't really go to the meetings.
"Just still believing in God, my family, my teammates, just talking to the coaches every day to make sure I got a steady head (helped). It allowed me to get ahead academically, so that was a great message. Just got to stay
confident in yourself and be ready whenever your time is."
Fitzgerald's time is now, as is the case with Burgess. They, along with true freshman Devon "Monster" Matthews, are seeing plenty of snaps in support of starting safeties Jonathan Crawford and Khalil Bryant.
Burgess and Fitzgerald both already rank among IU's top 10 tacklers this fall, and Fitzgerald's two interceptions lead the club. The second of those came Saturday, on the second snap of the second quarter.
PSU's Mac Hippenhammer, covered by Husky Marcelino Ball, was only able to tip rather than catch a Trace McSorley pass – and Fitzgerald snagged it one-handed to give the Hoosiers the ball back at their own 28.
"Going back and looking at the play, it was great coverage by 'Lino," Fitzgerald said. "I shouted him out. I gave him a big hug on the sideline.
"It was one of those opportunities where I could've gone for the two-hand, but it's not that appealing. So I had to go for one hand to … try to make a college football pump-up video."
Fitzgerald laughed at himself upon saying that, then added: "I returned it for two yards, though, so I got a lot of work to do on the return.
"But it was just a sweet feeling to have that interception after all the things I went through last year. That was a nice feeling."
The feeling arose Saturday that Fitzgerald was all over the field.
If Peyton Hendershot hadn't stepped up to stop PSU's fake punt at 2:09 of the first quarter, Fitzgerald was right there, too.
And Fitzgerald was one stride away from a possible pick-6 when Juwan Johnson couldn't corral the ball on a crossing pattern. "There was a lot of green grass right there," Fitzgerald said, "and if I would've broken just a little bit
sooner it definitely would've been six for the Hoosiers."
All that was before halftime.
Fitzgerald finished the game fifth among Hoosier tacklers with four total, plus the pick.
He's starting to get the hang of this college football thing.
"You can't really overstate what a big deal that is to have several months where you don't play ball and how that sets you back a little bit," Hoosier head coach Tom Allen said of Fitzgerald's situation last fall. "So he's continued
to get better and better. Showed good spurts on Saturday night playing good football, making big plays.
"He's a physical player. He has a high 'care factor.' He's one of those guys that everybody loves and respects because he does everything that you ask him, works extremely hard.
"He's an in-state kid -- I watched him play and I thought he was the best player in the state when he came out of (Avon) high school, because of his ability to make plays in all three phases, offense, defense, special teams. He
was a running back. He was a return guy. And obviously played defense. Just thought he was a really, really talented guy, and he is."
Coaches want to see talent playing "fast," and not just in terms of raw speed. They want players to get so comfortable with what they're doing on the field that they just react rather than having to think about things. Fitzgerald, as evidenced Saturday, is getting there.
"Just getting back into the groove of things," Fitzgerald said. "It's kind of been up and down. It's kind of been rough. Some good things, some bad things. Still some learning curves ...
"But I feel like I'm getting more and more comfortable with the scheme."
So Fitzgerald is just starting to let it rip, to shoot his shots, on the field.
"2 Live Crew" is finding a groove.
SHADES OF SAQUON
Indiana true freshman back Stevie Scott extended the ball with two hands to break the plane and reach the end zone for the TD that put the Hoosiers ahead, 21-20, with 4:01 left in the third quarter Saturday.
Scott celebrated by racing through the end zone and then curling back to the IU sideline, all the while rotating both arms in full windmill mode.
"That is Saquon's touchdown dance," Scott said Monday. "So, you know … just did it."
Saquon as in Barkley, the former Penn State All-American now a rookie standout for the New York Giants.
So did Scott's celebration – certainly more overt than his more muted reaction to his first-quarter TD Saturday – stem from the fact IU had just taken the lead against Penn State?
"Yeah, that's what it really was," Scott affirmed. "I was into the game … it was spontaneous. It just kicked in. As soon as I scored, that's the first thing that came into my head."
It marked Scott's sixth rushing touchdown already this fall, ranking fourth among all true freshmen nationally. And his 138 yards Saturday was his third game to exceed 100 yards, ranking second among true freshmen
nationally.
"I thought I played pretty well and the line blocked really well to help me accomplish that," Scott said of his performance Saturday. "But we still didn't win, so it doesn't really matter."
What might continue to matter as the season continues is the one-two rushing punch provided by Scott and classmate Ronnie Walker. The freshman duo combined for 30 carries, 176 rushing yards (5.9 per attempt) and three TDs against Penn State.
Walker's 30-yard TD gallop gave Indiana a 14-7 lead early.
"Actually, after he scored, I was the first person down there waiting to greet him when he got to the sideline," Scott said of Walker's TD. "Every time Ronnie does something great, you know, I love seeing my teammates do good. That gives me a boost of confidence to do my thing and, also, it just is a great feeling to see my teammates doing good."
Walker lost a fumble later, and Scott – who lost a few himself this fall – tried to be there for his teammate then, too. "I just told him to keep his head up," Scott said. "Mistakes happen. Just come back and make a big play.
"I like the way he runs. His high-step – one thing that I have to work on is picking my feet up. I feel like Ronnie does a pretty good job of doing that ... and Ronnie has good breakaway speed, especially when he gets out in the open field.
"So I'm looking for a two-headed monster to come along in the backfield next year."
NOT SO SPECIAL
Indiana outrushed Penn State, 224-174, and outgained the Nittany Lions in total yards by 554-417 – but fell, 33-28, in large part due to two second-half fumbles lost and allowing PSU 170 yards' worth of kickoff returns.
"Special teams let us down and really disappointed in that," Allen said. "Spent a lot of time over the weekend addressing our kickoff cover unit and different things there – adjusting personnel, and making corrections and changes we have to do to be at the level we need to be at in special teams to win those kind of games.
"The first thing we have to address is the quality of the kick … the kick has to be set to a certain spot, and that didn't happen at all on the first one. Then the second (kickoff) they ran back was, the hang time was very, very low.
"Step number two is personnel. So we adjusted in personnel, made some changes to get guys that we feel like will do a better job. Obviously the guys we had in there (who) we thought were going to do a good job did not get the job done."
Nine of the 11 players in that kickoff-coverage unit were freshmen. IU's coaches have consistently cited the speed and talent of this year's freshman class, but lack of experience showed Saturday.
"We have talented guys on there. They're on scholarship. They're going to be really good players," Allen said. "But they're freshmen.
"Maybe you (will see more) starter-type guys. We've got to have great coverage. So it will be addressed."
KEEPING FROSH FRESH
Indiana, heading into Friday night's 8 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Minnesota, remains the lone Big Ten team yet to have a bye week this season.
The Hoosiers have now played 14 true freshmen this fall. And freshmen can sometimes "hit a wall" during their first college campaign, which is longer and more demanding than their high school seasons.
"This whole week after week after week with a young group of guys," Allen said. "(It's a challenge) working through the fatigue – the mental fatigue and physical fatigue, and you get some injuries, and you don't feel good all the time.
"And you've got classes and study table, and you've got this and that, and you've got papers due, and all those things that these guys haven't gone through in the past."
Stevie Scott (RB), Matt Bjorson (TE), Jamar Johnson (DB), Micah McFadden (LB), Reese Taylor (now the backup QB) and Jaylin Williams (CB) have played in all eight games as true freshmen.
Four true freshmen who remain eligible for a redshirt season (by participating in fewer than 4 games) are Shamar Jones (DT), Miles Marshall (WR), Kristian Pechac (RB, seeing his first action of the season Saturday, on special teams) and Michael Penix Jr. (the quarterback who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter Saturday).
Penix's injury means Taylor, a multi-position standout who had already received practice reps at quarterback, will get more now at that position.
"We had some packages, we put him in there, did some things," Allen said of Taylor at QB. "Now it's obviously intensified. Before it was just more drill work and isolated situations. But he's played that position his whole life (and led Ben Davis to the 6A Indiana state title last fall). So he was pretty natural at it.
"Obviously, you've got to have an understanding of his other roles that he plays, as well. A little bit of a unique situation in that regard. Just got to do a great job as a staff of preparing him and utilizing his talents as well as having him prepared for that (QB) role as well. That does create unique challenges for our staff but (offensive coordinator Mike) DeBord did a great job with that (before) and the process has already begun."
And Allen's staff will continue to shepherd their talented freshmen through the course of a long season.
"We've just got to continue to stay the course with him and I tell our coaches just keep mentoring them," Allen said. "Keep teaching them. You have to teach them about how this works and what's it like to be a Big Ten football player and handle everything that you have to do.
"I just think that's something our coaches are really working hard at … trying to be a very good father figure to them as a coach."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Penn State's K.J. Hamler had just caught an interior-screen pass when he suddenly got 2 Live Crewed.
Indiana safety Bryant Fitzgerald rocketed in low to send Hamler head over heels and prompt a PSU punt at 5:46 of the first quarter last Saturday.
"I (saw) that he was struggling holding onto it, so I said this is my chance right here," Fitzgerald, a self-designated IU "2 Live Crew" member, recalled. "They say shooters will shoot, so I just shot my shot when the opportunity presented itself."
(Not talking shooting guns here, of course).
Fitzgerald isn't a fan of 2 Live Crew's music, either, apparently. But he and fellow redshirt freshman safety Juwan Burgess were looking for an appropriate mutual moniker, given they had shared unusual and somewhat daunting circumstances together as true freshmen.
Both Burgess and Fitzgerald matriculated as highly-touted freshmen in 2017, but it turned out neither was initially eligible to play.
Fitzgerald couldn't even practice with the team till this past spring practice. But then they could finally go "live." So "2 Live Crew," as it pertains to IU football, was born.
"Juwan, with me and him being in a situation of being ineligible, we had to stick together and be together," Fitzgerald said. "That's why we call each other '2 Live Crew,' because we're back on the field together."
Fitzgerald acknowledges that the first semester of his freshman year was tough, as he was unable to contribute on the field, but he used the extra time to make rapid progress toward a degree.
"With the situation last year, it was basically all mental," Fitzgerald said of the challenge it posed, which had him leaning on family, friends and faith. "I couldn't really be out there on the field, couldn't really go to the meetings.
"Just still believing in God, my family, my teammates, just talking to the coaches every day to make sure I got a steady head (helped). It allowed me to get ahead academically, so that was a great message. Just got to stay
confident in yourself and be ready whenever your time is."
Fitzgerald's time is now, as is the case with Burgess. They, along with true freshman Devon "Monster" Matthews, are seeing plenty of snaps in support of starting safeties Jonathan Crawford and Khalil Bryant.
Burgess and Fitzgerald both already rank among IU's top 10 tacklers this fall, and Fitzgerald's two interceptions lead the club. The second of those came Saturday, on the second snap of the second quarter.
PSU's Mac Hippenhammer, covered by Husky Marcelino Ball, was only able to tip rather than catch a Trace McSorley pass – and Fitzgerald snagged it one-handed to give the Hoosiers the ball back at their own 28.
"Going back and looking at the play, it was great coverage by 'Lino," Fitzgerald said. "I shouted him out. I gave him a big hug on the sideline.
"It was one of those opportunities where I could've gone for the two-hand, but it's not that appealing. So I had to go for one hand to … try to make a college football pump-up video."
Fitzgerald laughed at himself upon saying that, then added: "I returned it for two yards, though, so I got a lot of work to do on the return.
"But it was just a sweet feeling to have that interception after all the things I went through last year. That was a nice feeling."
The feeling arose Saturday that Fitzgerald was all over the field.
If Peyton Hendershot hadn't stepped up to stop PSU's fake punt at 2:09 of the first quarter, Fitzgerald was right there, too.
And Fitzgerald was one stride away from a possible pick-6 when Juwan Johnson couldn't corral the ball on a crossing pattern. "There was a lot of green grass right there," Fitzgerald said, "and if I would've broken just a little bit
sooner it definitely would've been six for the Hoosiers."
All that was before halftime.
Fitzgerald finished the game fifth among Hoosier tacklers with four total, plus the pick.
He's starting to get the hang of this college football thing.
"You can't really overstate what a big deal that is to have several months where you don't play ball and how that sets you back a little bit," Hoosier head coach Tom Allen said of Fitzgerald's situation last fall. "So he's continued
to get better and better. Showed good spurts on Saturday night playing good football, making big plays.
"He's a physical player. He has a high 'care factor.' He's one of those guys that everybody loves and respects because he does everything that you ask him, works extremely hard.
"He's an in-state kid -- I watched him play and I thought he was the best player in the state when he came out of (Avon) high school, because of his ability to make plays in all three phases, offense, defense, special teams. He
was a running back. He was a return guy. And obviously played defense. Just thought he was a really, really talented guy, and he is."
Coaches want to see talent playing "fast," and not just in terms of raw speed. They want players to get so comfortable with what they're doing on the field that they just react rather than having to think about things. Fitzgerald, as evidenced Saturday, is getting there.
"Just getting back into the groove of things," Fitzgerald said. "It's kind of been up and down. It's kind of been rough. Some good things, some bad things. Still some learning curves ...
"But I feel like I'm getting more and more comfortable with the scheme."
So Fitzgerald is just starting to let it rip, to shoot his shots, on the field.
"2 Live Crew" is finding a groove.
SHADES OF SAQUON
Indiana true freshman back Stevie Scott extended the ball with two hands to break the plane and reach the end zone for the TD that put the Hoosiers ahead, 21-20, with 4:01 left in the third quarter Saturday.
Scott celebrated by racing through the end zone and then curling back to the IU sideline, all the while rotating both arms in full windmill mode.
"That is Saquon's touchdown dance," Scott said Monday. "So, you know … just did it."
Saquon as in Barkley, the former Penn State All-American now a rookie standout for the New York Giants.
So did Scott's celebration – certainly more overt than his more muted reaction to his first-quarter TD Saturday – stem from the fact IU had just taken the lead against Penn State?
"Yeah, that's what it really was," Scott affirmed. "I was into the game … it was spontaneous. It just kicked in. As soon as I scored, that's the first thing that came into my head."
It marked Scott's sixth rushing touchdown already this fall, ranking fourth among all true freshmen nationally. And his 138 yards Saturday was his third game to exceed 100 yards, ranking second among true freshmen
nationally.
"I thought I played pretty well and the line blocked really well to help me accomplish that," Scott said of his performance Saturday. "But we still didn't win, so it doesn't really matter."
What might continue to matter as the season continues is the one-two rushing punch provided by Scott and classmate Ronnie Walker. The freshman duo combined for 30 carries, 176 rushing yards (5.9 per attempt) and three TDs against Penn State.
Walker's 30-yard TD gallop gave Indiana a 14-7 lead early.
"Actually, after he scored, I was the first person down there waiting to greet him when he got to the sideline," Scott said of Walker's TD. "Every time Ronnie does something great, you know, I love seeing my teammates do good. That gives me a boost of confidence to do my thing and, also, it just is a great feeling to see my teammates doing good."
Walker lost a fumble later, and Scott – who lost a few himself this fall – tried to be there for his teammate then, too. "I just told him to keep his head up," Scott said. "Mistakes happen. Just come back and make a big play.
"I like the way he runs. His high-step – one thing that I have to work on is picking my feet up. I feel like Ronnie does a pretty good job of doing that ... and Ronnie has good breakaway speed, especially when he gets out in the open field.
"So I'm looking for a two-headed monster to come along in the backfield next year."
NOT SO SPECIAL
Indiana outrushed Penn State, 224-174, and outgained the Nittany Lions in total yards by 554-417 – but fell, 33-28, in large part due to two second-half fumbles lost and allowing PSU 170 yards' worth of kickoff returns.
"Special teams let us down and really disappointed in that," Allen said. "Spent a lot of time over the weekend addressing our kickoff cover unit and different things there – adjusting personnel, and making corrections and changes we have to do to be at the level we need to be at in special teams to win those kind of games.
"The first thing we have to address is the quality of the kick … the kick has to be set to a certain spot, and that didn't happen at all on the first one. Then the second (kickoff) they ran back was, the hang time was very, very low.
"Step number two is personnel. So we adjusted in personnel, made some changes to get guys that we feel like will do a better job. Obviously the guys we had in there (who) we thought were going to do a good job did not get the job done."
Nine of the 11 players in that kickoff-coverage unit were freshmen. IU's coaches have consistently cited the speed and talent of this year's freshman class, but lack of experience showed Saturday.
"We have talented guys on there. They're on scholarship. They're going to be really good players," Allen said. "But they're freshmen.
"Maybe you (will see more) starter-type guys. We've got to have great coverage. So it will be addressed."
KEEPING FROSH FRESH
Indiana, heading into Friday night's 8 p.m. (ET) kickoff at Minnesota, remains the lone Big Ten team yet to have a bye week this season.
The Hoosiers have now played 14 true freshmen this fall. And freshmen can sometimes "hit a wall" during their first college campaign, which is longer and more demanding than their high school seasons.
"This whole week after week after week with a young group of guys," Allen said. "(It's a challenge) working through the fatigue – the mental fatigue and physical fatigue, and you get some injuries, and you don't feel good all the time.
"And you've got classes and study table, and you've got this and that, and you've got papers due, and all those things that these guys haven't gone through in the past."
Stevie Scott (RB), Matt Bjorson (TE), Jamar Johnson (DB), Micah McFadden (LB), Reese Taylor (now the backup QB) and Jaylin Williams (CB) have played in all eight games as true freshmen.
Four true freshmen who remain eligible for a redshirt season (by participating in fewer than 4 games) are Shamar Jones (DT), Miles Marshall (WR), Kristian Pechac (RB, seeing his first action of the season Saturday, on special teams) and Michael Penix Jr. (the quarterback who sustained a season-ending knee injury in the third quarter Saturday).
Penix's injury means Taylor, a multi-position standout who had already received practice reps at quarterback, will get more now at that position.
"We had some packages, we put him in there, did some things," Allen said of Taylor at QB. "Now it's obviously intensified. Before it was just more drill work and isolated situations. But he's played that position his whole life (and led Ben Davis to the 6A Indiana state title last fall). So he was pretty natural at it.
"Obviously, you've got to have an understanding of his other roles that he plays, as well. A little bit of a unique situation in that regard. Just got to do a great job as a staff of preparing him and utilizing his talents as well as having him prepared for that (QB) role as well. That does create unique challenges for our staff but (offensive coordinator Mike) DeBord did a great job with that (before) and the process has already begun."
And Allen's staff will continue to shepherd their talented freshmen through the course of a long season.
"We've just got to continue to stay the course with him and I tell our coaches just keep mentoring them," Allen said. "Keep teaching them. You have to teach them about how this works and what's it like to be a Big Ten football player and handle everything that you have to do.
"I just think that's something our coaches are really working hard at … trying to be a very good father figure to them as a coach."
Players Mentioned
TE
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DB
/ Football
TE
/ Football
DB
/ Football
DL
/ Football
WR
/ Football
DB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
ATH
/ Football
DB
/ FootballFB: Fernando Mendoza - Heisman Trophy Press Conference (12/15/25)
Monday, December 15
FB: Curt Cignetti - Pre-Heisman Press Conference
Wednesday, December 10
FB: Fernando Mendoza - Pre-Heisman Press Conference
Tuesday, December 09
FB: CFP Quarterfinals (Rose Bowl) - Student-Athlete Press Conference
Monday, December 08