Indiana University Athletics
Valuable in Many Ways
10/5/2018 12:48:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There was nothing particularly flashy about it.
It was a simple play, well-executed.
Indiana tight end Austin Dorris was lined up on the right side of the formation, with Nick Westbrook split wide and J-Shun Harris II in the slot. Harris motioned left, stopped, then came back right.
At the snap, Dorris took his defender toward the back of the end zone, clearing space. Westbrook button-hooked into a hitch pattern, providing a perfectly legal "pick" impediment for pursuing Rutgers players and leaving room underneath for Harris to cut toward the pylon.
Harris was wide open. Peyton Ramsey delivered the ball in plenty of time for a 2-yard TD pass that bumped Indiana's lead to 21-7 with 9:21 left in the first half of last Saturday's Hoosier road win.
But the remarkable thing about the play was this:
It was Harris' first touchdown reception since his freshman season of 2014.
And it served as a marker for the fifth-year senior's re-emergence in the Hoosiers' passing game since his recovery from a third anterior cruciate ligament knee surgery.
Harris has stepped up at an opportune time. IU played without fellow fifth-year senior receiver Luke Timian the past two weeks and without sophomore wideout Whop
Philyor last Saturday due to injuries.
The seven catches for 54 yards at Rutgers bumped the two-week receiving totals for Harris, counting the Michigan State game, to 13 catches for 96 yards. Before that, his only catch was a 6-yarder in the Ball State game.
Harris had previously shined as a specialist this fall supplying nine punt returns for 130 yards (a 14.4 average – including an 86-yard touchdown return against Ball State that helped him earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the third time in his career).
But he's now again a major cog in Indiana's passing game for the first time since he caught 18 passes, including two for TDs, as a true freshman in 2014.
"He's always been in it," IU receivers coach Grant Heard said this week of Harris' presence in the 2018 passing game. "But because of his injuries and different circumstances, we are trying to limit the wear and tear on his tires as much as possible.
"He's a leader in our room. I have the utmost confidence when I put him in. So him doing that (at Rutgers) didn't surprise me. The question with him has always been how long he can sustain it, in terms of the number of snaps. That (on Saturday) is probably the highest number of snaps he's had in a long while.
"I knew he'd be ready."
Willing and able, too.
"I was practicing as a receiver all camp (so as not to) limit myself to just punt return," Harris said. "Because I know at any point, or any play, I could be in a situation where I am in right now.
"So I have been practicing and mentally preparing myself, just in case … played a lot in the slot today and felt great to be able to contribute to the team. And you know when some guys go down, guys have to rise up, and we have experienced that in the receiving room."
Harris naturally relished experiencing a receiving touchdown again.
"It felt awesome," Harris said. "The last time that I was able to get into the end zone as a receiver was freshman year, so that felt pretty good.
"There was not the huge uproar that we usually get at our home stadium. It was silent, so it did not feel as great as it would be if it was at home. Hopefully, in the future, can get one at home as well."
That will have to wait at least another week. The Hoosiers (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) visit No. 3-ranked Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) for a 4 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
The availability of either Philyor or Timian to augment the receiving corps will remain uncertain till game time. The Hoosiers know they will need all hands on deck.
But they already know they can count on Harris.
"I tell you, the kid just never ceases to impress me," Hoosier head coach Tom Allen said of Harris this week. "I know returning punts is one thing that he does extremely well … but to be able to play the number of snaps it takes to be a receiver, in both preparation and during game day, with all of his history with his knees and all that –
it's just a tremendous testament to his perseverance and his toughness and his fight.
"He's got so much to him and his core character … you trust him. You count on him. You depend on him, and he comes up big for his teammates. Makes great decisions back there with handling punts … making plays, critical third-down catches, several of them (Saturday). We need him. He's a vital part of our team, and with having Luke
and Whop down last week, that was huge for him to step up. That may have to continue, and the whole group is going to have to keep doing that until we get those guys
back on track and healthy."
Heard sent six wide receivers into last Saturday's fray, including Miles Marshall – raising the number of true freshmen seeing action for IU so far this fall to 13.
Such was the wideout play that the Hoosier coaches decided to give Offensive Player of the Game honors to the collective receiving group, specifically citing Harris, Ty Fryfogle, Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale.
"(Those) four guys who played a lot of snaps," Heard said. "For them to get in and battle (through that many plays) and never complain … they gutted it out and showed up big on third downs, when they really needed to make plays.
"And they're getting better in the run game, with the blocking, and starting to enjoy that part of it. They're getting better every week. That's all I ask them to do, to get better and not make the same mistakes, and then let's see where we are at the end of the year."
Harris now has intimate, informed knowledge of five Indiana football teams as a player, and he feels things seem a bit different with a squad that is the NCAA's 19th-youngest. He's sees more depth and talent among his own unit, for one thing.
"In the past, we've had it, but I feel there is something about this year," Harris said. "We have some young guys like Whop and Ty who believe in themselves as the best of the best. If everybody has the mindset that we're the best, we don't fall (off much when substituting).
"Hopefully we can continue to keep guys healthy and involved, so when those (injured receivers) come back, we can be stocked and be the stout receiving corps we
believe we are."
Harris likes the development of redshirt sophomore quarterback Ramsey, too.
"Peyton is a very smart quarterback," Harris said
Ramsey returns the sentiment, and is pleased about Harris' return to prominence in the passing game.
"He's really smart," Ramsey said of Harris. "His football IQ is really off the charts. He does a good job of sitting in holes, finding windows and beating people when he needs to.
"(His elevation in the passing game) is really cool because we know what he's capable of. He's explosive, he's dynamic. It's something that we've seen from him. In the
past, way before all of his three knees (injuries sustained), he was putting that on tape. He's doing the same thing now. It's great to see how close to that, before his injuries, that he really is."
The coaches see it, too.
"Valuable part of our football team in so many ways," Allen said of Harris, "and – said it before, but I'll say it again – can't be more happy for a kid to be having the success he's having, as hard as he's worked and what he's overcome. It's great to see."
Great to see Harris in the end zone again.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There was nothing particularly flashy about it.
It was a simple play, well-executed.
Indiana tight end Austin Dorris was lined up on the right side of the formation, with Nick Westbrook split wide and J-Shun Harris II in the slot. Harris motioned left, stopped, then came back right.
At the snap, Dorris took his defender toward the back of the end zone, clearing space. Westbrook button-hooked into a hitch pattern, providing a perfectly legal "pick" impediment for pursuing Rutgers players and leaving room underneath for Harris to cut toward the pylon.
Harris was wide open. Peyton Ramsey delivered the ball in plenty of time for a 2-yard TD pass that bumped Indiana's lead to 21-7 with 9:21 left in the first half of last Saturday's Hoosier road win.
But the remarkable thing about the play was this:
It was Harris' first touchdown reception since his freshman season of 2014.
And it served as a marker for the fifth-year senior's re-emergence in the Hoosiers' passing game since his recovery from a third anterior cruciate ligament knee surgery.
Harris has stepped up at an opportune time. IU played without fellow fifth-year senior receiver Luke Timian the past two weeks and without sophomore wideout Whop
Philyor last Saturday due to injuries.
The seven catches for 54 yards at Rutgers bumped the two-week receiving totals for Harris, counting the Michigan State game, to 13 catches for 96 yards. Before that, his only catch was a 6-yarder in the Ball State game.
Harris had previously shined as a specialist this fall supplying nine punt returns for 130 yards (a 14.4 average – including an 86-yard touchdown return against Ball State that helped him earn Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the third time in his career).
But he's now again a major cog in Indiana's passing game for the first time since he caught 18 passes, including two for TDs, as a true freshman in 2014.
"He's always been in it," IU receivers coach Grant Heard said this week of Harris' presence in the 2018 passing game. "But because of his injuries and different circumstances, we are trying to limit the wear and tear on his tires as much as possible.
"He's a leader in our room. I have the utmost confidence when I put him in. So him doing that (at Rutgers) didn't surprise me. The question with him has always been how long he can sustain it, in terms of the number of snaps. That (on Saturday) is probably the highest number of snaps he's had in a long while.
"I knew he'd be ready."
Willing and able, too.
"I was practicing as a receiver all camp (so as not to) limit myself to just punt return," Harris said. "Because I know at any point, or any play, I could be in a situation where I am in right now.
"So I have been practicing and mentally preparing myself, just in case … played a lot in the slot today and felt great to be able to contribute to the team. And you know when some guys go down, guys have to rise up, and we have experienced that in the receiving room."
Harris naturally relished experiencing a receiving touchdown again.
"It felt awesome," Harris said. "The last time that I was able to get into the end zone as a receiver was freshman year, so that felt pretty good.
"There was not the huge uproar that we usually get at our home stadium. It was silent, so it did not feel as great as it would be if it was at home. Hopefully, in the future, can get one at home as well."
That will have to wait at least another week. The Hoosiers (4-1 overall, 1-1 Big Ten) visit No. 3-ranked Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) for a 4 p.m. kickoff Saturday.
The availability of either Philyor or Timian to augment the receiving corps will remain uncertain till game time. The Hoosiers know they will need all hands on deck.
But they already know they can count on Harris.
"I tell you, the kid just never ceases to impress me," Hoosier head coach Tom Allen said of Harris this week. "I know returning punts is one thing that he does extremely well … but to be able to play the number of snaps it takes to be a receiver, in both preparation and during game day, with all of his history with his knees and all that –
it's just a tremendous testament to his perseverance and his toughness and his fight.
"He's got so much to him and his core character … you trust him. You count on him. You depend on him, and he comes up big for his teammates. Makes great decisions back there with handling punts … making plays, critical third-down catches, several of them (Saturday). We need him. He's a vital part of our team, and with having Luke
and Whop down last week, that was huge for him to step up. That may have to continue, and the whole group is going to have to keep doing that until we get those guys
back on track and healthy."
Heard sent six wide receivers into last Saturday's fray, including Miles Marshall – raising the number of true freshmen seeing action for IU so far this fall to 13.
Such was the wideout play that the Hoosier coaches decided to give Offensive Player of the Game honors to the collective receiving group, specifically citing Harris, Ty Fryfogle, Nick Westbrook and Donavan Hale.
"(Those) four guys who played a lot of snaps," Heard said. "For them to get in and battle (through that many plays) and never complain … they gutted it out and showed up big on third downs, when they really needed to make plays.
"And they're getting better in the run game, with the blocking, and starting to enjoy that part of it. They're getting better every week. That's all I ask them to do, to get better and not make the same mistakes, and then let's see where we are at the end of the year."
Harris now has intimate, informed knowledge of five Indiana football teams as a player, and he feels things seem a bit different with a squad that is the NCAA's 19th-youngest. He's sees more depth and talent among his own unit, for one thing.
"In the past, we've had it, but I feel there is something about this year," Harris said. "We have some young guys like Whop and Ty who believe in themselves as the best of the best. If everybody has the mindset that we're the best, we don't fall (off much when substituting).
"Hopefully we can continue to keep guys healthy and involved, so when those (injured receivers) come back, we can be stocked and be the stout receiving corps we
believe we are."
Harris likes the development of redshirt sophomore quarterback Ramsey, too.
"Peyton is a very smart quarterback," Harris said
Ramsey returns the sentiment, and is pleased about Harris' return to prominence in the passing game.
"He's really smart," Ramsey said of Harris. "His football IQ is really off the charts. He does a good job of sitting in holes, finding windows and beating people when he needs to.
"(His elevation in the passing game) is really cool because we know what he's capable of. He's explosive, he's dynamic. It's something that we've seen from him. In the
past, way before all of his three knees (injuries sustained), he was putting that on tape. He's doing the same thing now. It's great to see how close to that, before his injuries, that he really is."
The coaches see it, too.
"Valuable part of our football team in so many ways," Allen said of Harris, "and – said it before, but I'll say it again – can't be more happy for a kid to be having the success he's having, as hard as he's worked and what he's overcome. It's great to see."
Great to see Harris in the end zone again.
Players Mentioned
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