Indiana University Athletics
GRAHAM NOTEBOOK: Hoosiers Turn Attention to Ball State
9/10/2018 6:40:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There came a moment during fall camp when Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey figured the Hoosiers might well have somebody notable in true freshman running back Stevie Scott.
"There was one play where he – I forget who he ran over, but he ran right over somebody," Ramsey recalled Monday. "I think everybody was like, 'This guy can play.' "
Probably pretty much everybody watching Saturday's 20-16 win over Virginia came to the same conclusion.
Scott earned Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week honors while rushing 31 times for 204 yards, just three yards shy of Hall of Famer Anthony Thompson's single-game mark for an IU true freshman.
Senior guard Wes Martin feels Scott's patience in finding holes combined with the ability to burst through them is reminiscent of Jordan Howard, the former Hoosier standout now starting for the Chicago Bears.
"I heard on the radio the Jordan Howard comparison the other day," Martin said. "Obviously, (Stevie) is young and has got a lot of work to do, but (he is) showing great patience and then, when the hole opens, the explosiveness to run through that hole.
"He doesn't have that Tevin Coleman speed … I'd say (Howard) is the best comparison."
But Martin also thinks the 236-pound Scott looked even faster than he did during fall camp – such as in the 40-yard scoring gallop for IU's first points Saturday night, with Scott outpacing the Cavalier secondary.
"I think, to me, it looks like he's gotten faster," Martin said. "I don't remember him being so fast. Maybe, during fall camp, his legs were a little tired and he's fresh now. He looks faster. And I think he has a lot more confidence about himself.
"That's something that just comes were repetition. When you take so many reps, you get comfortable with the scheme. You get comfortable with your blockers and where things are going to fit."
Scott noted he is trying to practice what IU running backs coach Mike Hart preaches.
"Since I got up here, Coach Hart always tells me to be patient," Scott said. "Just be patient, then once you see the hole just hit it. So I have that running through my head. When I see the hole, I explode through it."
Scott has listened to Hart, a standout predecessor from Scott's Syracuse (N.Y.) home area, for years – even after Scott initially committed to Rutgers, and especially after the leg injury that ended Scott's senior season at Christian Brothers Academy after just three games.
"He was actually at the game when I got hurt," Scott said of Hart. "We kept our relationship … he just basically told me get well, heal up, you're going to be fine. Just keep a positive mindset and you'll be good. I kept that and it helped me in the long run.
"He just told me to take a (recruiting) visit. I took my visit out here and enjoyed it. Enjoyed my teammates, the atmosphere and the academics and things that they offered. I just felt that this was the best move for me, my family."
Scott considers Hart, who remains Michigan's career rushing leader, a mentor.
"Just getting help from older people that have experienced things before, you just listen to them," Scott said. "It's like a mentor. Everything they're telling you is for the right reasons.
"He played at a high school in my city. So he's big (there). He actually holds a rushing record in my high school area."
Scott stood out on both sides of the ball at Christian Brothers, to the point colleges were recruiting him as a linebacker, too.
"Playing defense in my high school career, I always liked to hit," Scott said. "I like the contact. Because you've got to be aggressive with football. This is an aggressive game. You can't come in weak-minded, either. You just got to be strong and aggressive."
Just where Scott would fit in for Indiana's plans was uncertain heading into fall camp.
Hoosier head coach Tom Allen noted that the best athletes with innate football talents at the high school level tend to play either running back or linebacker, and Scott fit that mold.
"He was on the linebacker board for a while," Allen, who also serves as IU's defensive coordinator, said Monday. "Coach Hart was the one that recruited him – he's from his hometown, he's known him for a long, long time – and so I think in the back of his mind he always wanted him as a running back.
"We weren't sure so we just said, 'Hey, let's offer this young man. He can play something. He's a big, physical, strong guy that has great film on both sides of the ball, playing linebacker and playing running back. When I saw him, when I watched him on film, I thought he was a linebacker, but I'm a defensive guy. So I think when (Hart) saw him, he saw him as a running back. That's the great problem to have."
And as of now, Scott poses a problem for opposing defenses.
STILL PLANNING ON PLAYING TWO
Ramsey played most of IU's season-opening win at Florida International but all of the Virginia game.
The Hoosiers had also hoped to play true freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who had an impressive debut stint at FIU, but weather and circumstances Saturday night ended up dictating otherwise.
"We really expected to play (Penix), to be honest with you," Allen affirmed. "And then as the game (went on), just the weather conditions were so bad (and) I just thought Peyton was doing a good job and was comfortable out there.
"I know (Ramsey) threw the one pick that was a mistake that he shouldn't have thrown, but I just that was a tough situation to put (Penix) in … it was really a one possession game for a lot of the time, especially in the second half, and so it was just circumstances."
So far IU's coaches have given no indication they plan on limiting Penix to four games this season to preserve redshirt status, per a NCAA rule new on the books this year.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Allen appreciated IU's ability to run the football when Saturday night's conditions made passing problematic. So he awarded the Offensive Player of the Game honor to the offensive line en masse.
"Coy Cronk, Wes Martin, Hunter Littlejohn, Simon Stepaniak, Brandon Knight, Nick Linder, Delroy Baker -- all those guys played on the O-line during the game and as a group did an awesome job," Allen said. "They were the reason why Stevie Scott got all those yards rushing. And, yeah, it was great that he did what he did, but he knows that as well as all of us do that the O-line was the reason why he was able to get those yards."
Redshirt junior linebacker Reakwon Jones, who spent part of Saturday night successfully shadowing dual-threat Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins, was named Defensive Player of the Game, and Allen also gave a shout-out to junior safety Khalil Bryant for his play both defensively and on special teams.
The Special Teams Player of the Game was true freshman linebacker Micah McFadden, whose forced fumble during a kickoff return set up the first quarter score that gave IU the lead for good. "That was a huge, game-changing play," Allen said.
Scout Team Players of the Week were Owen Strieter and Madison Norris, defensively, Ryan Barnes and Luke Shayotovich on offense, and true freshman linebacker James Miller on special teams.
PICKING UP THE TRASH
After a Saturday night worth celebrating, Allen came back to Memorial Stadium at 6 a.m. Sunday feeling like he had unfinished business.
And sure enough, the trash can was still tipped over, and its spilled contents still littered the ground.
So Allen picked up the trash.
Allen had spontaneously kicked that trash can aside so it wouldn't impede his post-game celebratory high-fives with IU students still in the stands and braving the weather following the final whistle of a 20-16 win over Virginia.
"I was hoping it was … still turned over and nobody had touched it," Allen said, "so I went out there and picked up all the trash and put it back in. I really felt bad. Someone was going to have to clean that up and I didn't think to run back to do it (Saturday night) because I was so fired up about the game.
"Let me clarify, first of all, someone asked me, what were you thinking about the trash can? I said I really wasn't thinking, I don't know why I did that. My intent was to thank the students for staying. I mean, they were awesome. We got out there to start warm up and they're all there in the full group (and) it's just pouring down rain … then the whole game, they never left and they cheered. So as soon as I shook hands with (Virginia coach Bronco) Mendenhall, they caught my eye. They were still there cheering away, so I ran over there to go high five-them and everything.
"I make it through the first round of them and the second tier is a lot higher. I started jumping up. Well, the trash can is right in my way. So instead of going around it, I just kicked it aside, and didn't really think anything of it."
Allen admitted it proved heavier than expected, full of rainwater and debris.
But he was undaunted in the emotion of the moment. And over it went.
"I have a little history of being a little emotional, so that's just me," he said. "Fans were awesome. That was no fun to sit through that (weather). Appreciate them braving the conditions."
And whoever's task it was to clean up the stadium Sunday can appreciate a head coach willing to look after himself in that regard.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There came a moment during fall camp when Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey figured the Hoosiers might well have somebody notable in true freshman running back Stevie Scott.
"There was one play where he – I forget who he ran over, but he ran right over somebody," Ramsey recalled Monday. "I think everybody was like, 'This guy can play.' "
Probably pretty much everybody watching Saturday's 20-16 win over Virginia came to the same conclusion.
Scott earned Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week honors while rushing 31 times for 204 yards, just three yards shy of Hall of Famer Anthony Thompson's single-game mark for an IU true freshman.
Senior guard Wes Martin feels Scott's patience in finding holes combined with the ability to burst through them is reminiscent of Jordan Howard, the former Hoosier standout now starting for the Chicago Bears.
"I heard on the radio the Jordan Howard comparison the other day," Martin said. "Obviously, (Stevie) is young and has got a lot of work to do, but (he is) showing great patience and then, when the hole opens, the explosiveness to run through that hole.
"He doesn't have that Tevin Coleman speed … I'd say (Howard) is the best comparison."
But Martin also thinks the 236-pound Scott looked even faster than he did during fall camp – such as in the 40-yard scoring gallop for IU's first points Saturday night, with Scott outpacing the Cavalier secondary.
"I think, to me, it looks like he's gotten faster," Martin said. "I don't remember him being so fast. Maybe, during fall camp, his legs were a little tired and he's fresh now. He looks faster. And I think he has a lot more confidence about himself.
"That's something that just comes were repetition. When you take so many reps, you get comfortable with the scheme. You get comfortable with your blockers and where things are going to fit."
Scott noted he is trying to practice what IU running backs coach Mike Hart preaches.
"Since I got up here, Coach Hart always tells me to be patient," Scott said. "Just be patient, then once you see the hole just hit it. So I have that running through my head. When I see the hole, I explode through it."
Scott has listened to Hart, a standout predecessor from Scott's Syracuse (N.Y.) home area, for years – even after Scott initially committed to Rutgers, and especially after the leg injury that ended Scott's senior season at Christian Brothers Academy after just three games.
"He was actually at the game when I got hurt," Scott said of Hart. "We kept our relationship … he just basically told me get well, heal up, you're going to be fine. Just keep a positive mindset and you'll be good. I kept that and it helped me in the long run.
"He just told me to take a (recruiting) visit. I took my visit out here and enjoyed it. Enjoyed my teammates, the atmosphere and the academics and things that they offered. I just felt that this was the best move for me, my family."
Scott considers Hart, who remains Michigan's career rushing leader, a mentor.
"Just getting help from older people that have experienced things before, you just listen to them," Scott said. "It's like a mentor. Everything they're telling you is for the right reasons.
"He played at a high school in my city. So he's big (there). He actually holds a rushing record in my high school area."
Scott stood out on both sides of the ball at Christian Brothers, to the point colleges were recruiting him as a linebacker, too.
"Playing defense in my high school career, I always liked to hit," Scott said. "I like the contact. Because you've got to be aggressive with football. This is an aggressive game. You can't come in weak-minded, either. You just got to be strong and aggressive."
Just where Scott would fit in for Indiana's plans was uncertain heading into fall camp.
Hoosier head coach Tom Allen noted that the best athletes with innate football talents at the high school level tend to play either running back or linebacker, and Scott fit that mold.
"He was on the linebacker board for a while," Allen, who also serves as IU's defensive coordinator, said Monday. "Coach Hart was the one that recruited him – he's from his hometown, he's known him for a long, long time – and so I think in the back of his mind he always wanted him as a running back.
"We weren't sure so we just said, 'Hey, let's offer this young man. He can play something. He's a big, physical, strong guy that has great film on both sides of the ball, playing linebacker and playing running back. When I saw him, when I watched him on film, I thought he was a linebacker, but I'm a defensive guy. So I think when (Hart) saw him, he saw him as a running back. That's the great problem to have."
And as of now, Scott poses a problem for opposing defenses.
STILL PLANNING ON PLAYING TWO
Ramsey played most of IU's season-opening win at Florida International but all of the Virginia game.
The Hoosiers had also hoped to play true freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr., who had an impressive debut stint at FIU, but weather and circumstances Saturday night ended up dictating otherwise.
"We really expected to play (Penix), to be honest with you," Allen affirmed. "And then as the game (went on), just the weather conditions were so bad (and) I just thought Peyton was doing a good job and was comfortable out there.
"I know (Ramsey) threw the one pick that was a mistake that he shouldn't have thrown, but I just that was a tough situation to put (Penix) in … it was really a one possession game for a lot of the time, especially in the second half, and so it was just circumstances."
So far IU's coaches have given no indication they plan on limiting Penix to four games this season to preserve redshirt status, per a NCAA rule new on the books this year.
PLAYERS OF THE GAME
Allen appreciated IU's ability to run the football when Saturday night's conditions made passing problematic. So he awarded the Offensive Player of the Game honor to the offensive line en masse.
"Coy Cronk, Wes Martin, Hunter Littlejohn, Simon Stepaniak, Brandon Knight, Nick Linder, Delroy Baker -- all those guys played on the O-line during the game and as a group did an awesome job," Allen said. "They were the reason why Stevie Scott got all those yards rushing. And, yeah, it was great that he did what he did, but he knows that as well as all of us do that the O-line was the reason why he was able to get those yards."
Redshirt junior linebacker Reakwon Jones, who spent part of Saturday night successfully shadowing dual-threat Virginia quarterback Bryce Perkins, was named Defensive Player of the Game, and Allen also gave a shout-out to junior safety Khalil Bryant for his play both defensively and on special teams.
The Special Teams Player of the Game was true freshman linebacker Micah McFadden, whose forced fumble during a kickoff return set up the first quarter score that gave IU the lead for good. "That was a huge, game-changing play," Allen said.
Scout Team Players of the Week were Owen Strieter and Madison Norris, defensively, Ryan Barnes and Luke Shayotovich on offense, and true freshman linebacker James Miller on special teams.
PICKING UP THE TRASH
After a Saturday night worth celebrating, Allen came back to Memorial Stadium at 6 a.m. Sunday feeling like he had unfinished business.
And sure enough, the trash can was still tipped over, and its spilled contents still littered the ground.
So Allen picked up the trash.
Allen had spontaneously kicked that trash can aside so it wouldn't impede his post-game celebratory high-fives with IU students still in the stands and braving the weather following the final whistle of a 20-16 win over Virginia.
"I was hoping it was … still turned over and nobody had touched it," Allen said, "so I went out there and picked up all the trash and put it back in. I really felt bad. Someone was going to have to clean that up and I didn't think to run back to do it (Saturday night) because I was so fired up about the game.
"Let me clarify, first of all, someone asked me, what were you thinking about the trash can? I said I really wasn't thinking, I don't know why I did that. My intent was to thank the students for staying. I mean, they were awesome. We got out there to start warm up and they're all there in the full group (and) it's just pouring down rain … then the whole game, they never left and they cheered. So as soon as I shook hands with (Virginia coach Bronco) Mendenhall, they caught my eye. They were still there cheering away, so I ran over there to go high five-them and everything.
"I make it through the first round of them and the second tier is a lot higher. I started jumping up. Well, the trash can is right in my way. So instead of going around it, I just kicked it aside, and didn't really think anything of it."
Allen admitted it proved heavier than expected, full of rainwater and debris.
But he was undaunted in the emotion of the moment. And over it went.
"I have a little history of being a little emotional, so that's just me," he said. "Fans were awesome. That was no fun to sit through that (weather). Appreciate them braving the conditions."
And whoever's task it was to clean up the stadium Sunday can appreciate a head coach willing to look after himself in that regard.
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