Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio Notebook: Key Decisions Coming As Fall Camp Ends
8/18/2018 4:19:00 PM | Football
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Fall camp is over, optimism is high and for this, the Indiana Hoosiers can give thanks.
August's annual mission to turn finely conditioned athletes into a fiercely tuned team has head coach Tom Allen pumped.
Of course, given Allen is pumped from the instant he opens his eyes each morning, that's not surprising. But Saturday's scrimmage at Memorial Stadium offered the biggest clues yet of the team the Hoosiers hope to become.
"We played a lot of guys," Allen said. "This will probably be the last scrimmage for that to be the case. We'll make a lot of decisions off of this film, and move forward with our depth chart.
"It's about getting guys ready. You can only get a couple of guys ready for each position for a game setting."
Allen and his staff have spent the last two weeks preparing the Hoosiers for another challenging season, which begins Sept. 1 at Florida International.
"I'm very pleased with our camp," Allen said. "The effort has been awesome. You can see it by the little things, like guys being on time, being where they're supposed to be, taking care of the little things off the field.
"It's been a good group, especially with as many young guys as we have. The way they handled themselves in camp was what you want. It can be a lot of long days. You don't have to go to class, but there are a lot of things they have on their plate and they can wear down.
"They've had a good bonding time together. It was a chance for us to reinforce what want to teach our guys off the field, and get our mindset to where it needs to be to allow us to do what we need to do, which is to finish."
HARD-HITTING ENDING
Ending camp with a scrimmage rich in offensive and defensive highlights -- as well as some glitches that will become teaching points -- was exactly what IU coaches had in mind.
Early in the scrimmage, the offense dominated. At the end, during an overtime session, the defense took charge, including a key stop on fourth-and-goal.
"You want it to go back and forth," Allen said. "You want both sides to respond, and they did.
"I love the competitive spirit of our guys. The physical toughness was there. We tackled pretty well. I didn't see a lot of missed tackles. That's something you look for.
"Our guys played hard. We got a lot of situational work in with special teams and offense and defense. We created some realistic opportunities for our guys outside of a normal practice setting. We made it a game situation. I was pleased with that."
Allen and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord want to develop a big-play offense, one in which the deep pass is a key component.
Progress showed.
"I liked the explosive ability of our offense," Allen said. "They're creating bigger plays than they have in the past, which is big for us.
"The defense gave some of that up, but I like the way we're doing it on offense creates a lot of challenges for the defense.
"Our offensive line is coming together. The ability to stretch the field vertically and make defenses defend the whole field horizontally with our quarterbacks, throw game and run game is a big part of what we want to do."
Nobody wants that more than DeBord, who aims to duplicate the potent offense he had at Tennessee with the Hoosiers.
"We had moments," he said about the offense's scrimmage performance. "We had moments where we really moved the ball, scored touchdowns. Then we had other moments where we weren't as successful.
"The thing that sticks out to me is third-and-short. We have to get better in that situation. That will be one point of emphasis this week."
Red zone offensive success remains a top priority. That made scoring early red-zone touchdowns especially encouraging.
"That's what we want to do -- put the ball in the end zone every time," DeBord said.
During the end-of-scrimmage overtime session, the ball never made it into the end zone.
"We had fourth down and didn't convert in that situation," DeBord said. "Obviously, we have to convert."
Still …
"We're a better offense," DeBord said. "We have to fix our weaknesses. That will be the focus."
As far as the defense's strong ending, Allen added, "I was encouraged. I thought the defense really bowed up when they had to at critical times and made key stops. We got a takeaway in the red zone. Those are the kinds of things that jump out to me."
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION
For those seeking clarity on IU's quarterback battle, take a deep breath.
Peyton Ramsey, Brandon Dawkins and Michael Penix Jr. continue their quest to prove they should be the starter.
All three had their moments during Saturday's scrimmage.
"Guys are making plays with their legs and arms," Allen said. "All three have a chance to make you pay, whether it's the decision-making or the ability to run or throw, or all of the above.
"We're trying to find the guy who gives us the best of all of those. That's what we're looking for. We want a guy who will protect the ball and do a great job of giving us a chance.
"I believe we have more weapons at our disposal than last year. The (receivers and running backs) need to make those plays, but the quarterback has to be a good distributor of the ball as well as be somebody who can create.
"We're looking for that type of person. It's becoming clearer each day."
As far as assessing the quarterback play in the scrimmage, DeBord said, "I always hold my thoughts to later and look at the film. Was it a bad route that caused an error in the throw? You never know until you see the film. We'll make a decision after that."
RUNNING TO IMPRESS
Watch out for Stevie Scott.
Yes, Mike Majette, Morgan Ellison, Cole Gest and Ricky Brookins have the veteran experience at running back, but Scott, a 6-2, 233-pound freshman out of New York, is making a big impression. So is fellow freshman Ronnie Walker Jr.
"Stevie Scott will be a very forceful runner," DeBord said. "He's big. He's strong. He has good speed. He did a good job."
Scott thrived at running back and linebacker at Christian Brothers High School. Injuries limited him to just three games last season, which likely kept him off most coaches' radar.
Not the radar of Hoosiers running backs coach Mike Hart. Scott, after all, had rushed for 2,500 yards and 42 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons.
IU coaches had considered playing Scott at linebacker, but Hart made a convincing case to use him on offense.
So far, so good.
"Stevie Scott jumped out to me," Allen said. "He's a load."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Fall camp is over, optimism is high and for this, the Indiana Hoosiers can give thanks.
August's annual mission to turn finely conditioned athletes into a fiercely tuned team has head coach Tom Allen pumped.
Of course, given Allen is pumped from the instant he opens his eyes each morning, that's not surprising. But Saturday's scrimmage at Memorial Stadium offered the biggest clues yet of the team the Hoosiers hope to become.
"We played a lot of guys," Allen said. "This will probably be the last scrimmage for that to be the case. We'll make a lot of decisions off of this film, and move forward with our depth chart.
"It's about getting guys ready. You can only get a couple of guys ready for each position for a game setting."
Allen and his staff have spent the last two weeks preparing the Hoosiers for another challenging season, which begins Sept. 1 at Florida International.
"I'm very pleased with our camp," Allen said. "The effort has been awesome. You can see it by the little things, like guys being on time, being where they're supposed to be, taking care of the little things off the field.
"It's been a good group, especially with as many young guys as we have. The way they handled themselves in camp was what you want. It can be a lot of long days. You don't have to go to class, but there are a lot of things they have on their plate and they can wear down.
"They've had a good bonding time together. It was a chance for us to reinforce what want to teach our guys off the field, and get our mindset to where it needs to be to allow us to do what we need to do, which is to finish."
HARD-HITTING ENDING
Ending camp with a scrimmage rich in offensive and defensive highlights -- as well as some glitches that will become teaching points -- was exactly what IU coaches had in mind.
Early in the scrimmage, the offense dominated. At the end, during an overtime session, the defense took charge, including a key stop on fourth-and-goal.
"You want it to go back and forth," Allen said. "You want both sides to respond, and they did.
"I love the competitive spirit of our guys. The physical toughness was there. We tackled pretty well. I didn't see a lot of missed tackles. That's something you look for.
"Our guys played hard. We got a lot of situational work in with special teams and offense and defense. We created some realistic opportunities for our guys outside of a normal practice setting. We made it a game situation. I was pleased with that."
Allen and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord want to develop a big-play offense, one in which the deep pass is a key component.
Progress showed.
"I liked the explosive ability of our offense," Allen said. "They're creating bigger plays than they have in the past, which is big for us.
"The defense gave some of that up, but I like the way we're doing it on offense creates a lot of challenges for the defense.
"Our offensive line is coming together. The ability to stretch the field vertically and make defenses defend the whole field horizontally with our quarterbacks, throw game and run game is a big part of what we want to do."
Nobody wants that more than DeBord, who aims to duplicate the potent offense he had at Tennessee with the Hoosiers.
"We had moments," he said about the offense's scrimmage performance. "We had moments where we really moved the ball, scored touchdowns. Then we had other moments where we weren't as successful.
"The thing that sticks out to me is third-and-short. We have to get better in that situation. That will be one point of emphasis this week."
Red zone offensive success remains a top priority. That made scoring early red-zone touchdowns especially encouraging.
"That's what we want to do -- put the ball in the end zone every time," DeBord said.
During the end-of-scrimmage overtime session, the ball never made it into the end zone.
"We had fourth down and didn't convert in that situation," DeBord said. "Obviously, we have to convert."
Still …
"We're a better offense," DeBord said. "We have to fix our weaknesses. That will be the focus."
As far as the defense's strong ending, Allen added, "I was encouraged. I thought the defense really bowed up when they had to at critical times and made key stops. We got a takeaway in the red zone. Those are the kinds of things that jump out to me."
QUARTERBACK COMPETITION
For those seeking clarity on IU's quarterback battle, take a deep breath.
Peyton Ramsey, Brandon Dawkins and Michael Penix Jr. continue their quest to prove they should be the starter.
All three had their moments during Saturday's scrimmage.
"Guys are making plays with their legs and arms," Allen said. "All three have a chance to make you pay, whether it's the decision-making or the ability to run or throw, or all of the above.
"We're trying to find the guy who gives us the best of all of those. That's what we're looking for. We want a guy who will protect the ball and do a great job of giving us a chance.
"I believe we have more weapons at our disposal than last year. The (receivers and running backs) need to make those plays, but the quarterback has to be a good distributor of the ball as well as be somebody who can create.
"We're looking for that type of person. It's becoming clearer each day."
As far as assessing the quarterback play in the scrimmage, DeBord said, "I always hold my thoughts to later and look at the film. Was it a bad route that caused an error in the throw? You never know until you see the film. We'll make a decision after that."
RUNNING TO IMPRESS
Watch out for Stevie Scott.
Yes, Mike Majette, Morgan Ellison, Cole Gest and Ricky Brookins have the veteran experience at running back, but Scott, a 6-2, 233-pound freshman out of New York, is making a big impression. So is fellow freshman Ronnie Walker Jr.
"Stevie Scott will be a very forceful runner," DeBord said. "He's big. He's strong. He has good speed. He did a good job."
Scott thrived at running back and linebacker at Christian Brothers High School. Injuries limited him to just three games last season, which likely kept him off most coaches' radar.
Not the radar of Hoosiers running backs coach Mike Hart. Scott, after all, had rushed for 2,500 yards and 42 touchdowns during his sophomore and junior seasons.
IU coaches had considered playing Scott at linebacker, but Hart made a convincing case to use him on offense.
So far, so good.
"Stevie Scott jumped out to me," Allen said. "He's a load."
Players Mentioned
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