Graham Notebook: Hoosiers Look Ahead to Primetime Matchup with Cavs

MIAMI, FL - SEPTEMBER 01, 2018 - quarterback Peyton Ramsey #12 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the game against the FIU Panthers and the Indiana Hoosiers at Riccardo Silva Stadium in Miami, FL. Photo By Craig Bisacre/Indiana Athletics

Graham Notebook: Hoosiers Look Ahead to Primetime Matchup with Cavs

9/3/2018 9:10:00 PM | Football

By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Reviewing defensive numbers for Indiana's 38-28 season-opening win Saturday at Florida International, IU allowed just:

327 total yards.
5-of-12 third-down conversions (with FIU gaining two via penalty).
4.4 average gain per rush.
A modest 4.9 average per play (102 FBS teams allowed more than that, on average, last season).
No more than a single TD in any quarter.

And the Indiana defense came up with three takeaways, including a pick-6 from senior safety Jonathan Crawford that give the Hoosiers a lead they never lost.

Looking back down the decades, for most of the past half-century, Hoosier fans might well have deemed those results absolutely acceptable – especially for a young IU defense opening the season on the road against a Florida-based foe that went 8-5 the previous year.

But there is a new standard at Indiana now.

And Hoosier head coach Tom Allen made it very clear during his weekly media session Monday that he was disappointed with the defensive debut.

"I did not think we played well defensively," Allen said matter-of-factly. "After watching the film … (and) I obviously saw it live and didn't feel great about it. Really disappointed in our fits. I know we got a lot of new faces and I get that, that's part of the growth. I expected to have some of those issues. But I felt like there were too many.

"…Did not feel like that we did a good enough job on first downs. That, to me, was probably the biggest issue … did not feel like that in the red zone we played to the level I know we have to play at. But I will say that it was a very deliberate process, we didn't give up a ton of big plays. They kind of just dinked us a little bit, and we made them earn it … with the kind of lead we had, you don't want to give up cheapies … so our guys were keeping things in front of them and tackling pretty well but. just overall, feel like that we just got to get a lot better. I expect we will."

Allen spent much of his college coaching career tutoring linebackers and was particularly displeased by that unit's showing.

"Especially I was really disappointed with linebackers," he said. "That's an area that I focus on and put my eyes on and Coach (Kane) Wommack and I spent a lot of time the last couple days looking at everything.

"And (we) challenged them this morning in our meeting, and challenged the defensive line, and I think it was a combination of those two groups that, to me, didn't play to the standard that we want here to be able to secure the gaps and play with discipline."

HE DID NOT FAIL. HIS ACL DID.
Cole Gest was planning on playing a lot this fall even before fellow sophomore running back Morgan Ellison drew an indefinite suspension from the squad. Ellison's absence meant Gest would carry more of the load heading into the opener at FIU.

"I will be ready," Gest said last week. "And I will not fail. Mark my words."

Gest indeed looked ready and had already rushed for 15 yards and caught a pass for 10 when, with 13:42 remaining in the first half, he was blocking in the flat on a play that produced a TD pass to Peyton
Hendershot. Gest didn't fail. But his anterior cruciate knee ligament did. He's out for the season.

Classmate and starting quarterback Peyton Ramsey winced at the memory when asked about it Monday. "It's tough," Ramsey said. "Man, he's one of the hardest working guys on our team. He's improved so much.

"You saw, for however long he was in there, just his burst. It's sad for a guy like that just because of how hard he worked and the kind of person that he is."

Coach Allen knows Gest will have support through the rehabilitation process and fully expects Gest to play a future role for the Hoosiers.

"Hate it for him," Allen said of the injury. "I know how hard he's worked. Played extremely well when he was in there and a great, great person. Works unbelievably hard and, obviously, has a setback now he has to handle.

"We'll be with him side-by-side through this whole process and he'll come back stronger than ever and he'll be with us again in the future."

FRESH FROSH
Indiana fielded 16 players seeing their first-ever collegiate snaps Saturday.

Among the true freshmen were: Matt Bjorson (TE), Jamar Johnson (S), Cam Jones (H), Devon Matthews (S), Micah McFadden (LB), Michael Penix Jr. (QB), Stevie Scott (RB), Reese Taylor (ATH) and Jaylin Williams (CB).

And the redshirt freshmen seeing the field for the first time were: Thomas Allen (LB), Alfred Bryant (DE), Juwan Burgess (S), Bryant Fitzgerald (S), Craig Nelson (RB), Caleb Jones (T) and Tramar Reece (DE).

During his post-game radio interview Saturday night, Tom Allen noted that was all a part of building a deeper team. "You train them up and you play them," he said. "That's what you have to do if you want to create depth."

"We had 16 young men that played in their very first college football game on Saturday night, 17 if you count Peyton Hendershot," coach Allen said. "…a large number of (new) guys to get involved in a game at one time, but that's what we expected."

Hendershot, a tight end who played in four games last year but then took a medical redshirt and retains redshirt freshman status, caught a TD pass Saturday.

"Just the challenges I've given to him in the last several months about elevating his game, really was encouraged to see his progress," Allen said about Hendershot, "and the way that he performed confirmed why we named him a starter.

"I thought Michael Penix was very poised for his first opportunity to play. And I think Matt Bjorson is another one that really sticks out to me … didn't know if he would be able to contribute this much, this often, or this early in his career, but he really does a good job.

"I think Stevie (Scott) continues to be a guy that (has impressed, and who led the Hoosiers with 70 rushing yards Saturday). We really didn't know if he would take any snaps at all this year. He was injured his senior year of high school, didn't play a lot that year. (Have) been encouraged by him.

"Jaylin Williams, is another one that jumps out to me making plays and I just feel like that he really will be a very, very special player. Devon Matthews, who we call Monster, is another one that really sticks out to me to be able to continue to develop and make plays and grow. And I thought Reese (Taylor) did some good things. We expect him to make plays and want to see that continue to grow there and develop."

Sophomore wideout Ty Fryfogle is another fresh face in the sense that he had just one reception last season, but he had five Saturday night and earned high praise from Allen. So did Logan Justus, a redshirt junior who did his first college place-kicking Saturday and was perfect. Justus converted all five of his PATs and drilled his only field goal attempt dead-center from 36 yards out.

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:
Logan Justus was duly named Special Teams Player of the Game for FIU.

And Largo (Fla.) High School went two-for-two regarding IU Player of the Game honors with:

Offense: redshirt junior wideout Donavan Hale, who delivered four catches for 60 yards and a pair of TDs, and secured FIU's desperation onside kick with 6:03 remaining.

Defense: senior safety Jonathan Crawford, who returned an interception for a TD, forced a fumble to end FIU's first series and finished with a trio of solo tackles.

Scout Team Players of the Week were tackle Zenden Dellinger, wideout David Felton, tight end TJ Ivy and defensive back Samuel Slusher.

"Zenden Dellinger is an offensive lineman from Fort Wayne Snider who has really been developing well and working hard," Allen said. "David Felton and TJ Ivy also are guys that have impressed us and done great job working hard and giving our defense a great look.

"And then on the defensive side of the ball for Scout Player of the Week was Sam Slusher. And he was also the Special Teams Scout Player of the week, he actually blocked multiple punts in practice, that's including from fall camp on. And really encouraged by how hard he's played. He's a young man out of Greensburg here in Indiana that's a walk-on here, that is very athletic and has caught our coaches attention."

SOMETIMES IT'S A FINE LINE
While not overly enamored of his defensive front, Tom Allen wasn't exactly pleased by the offensive line's performance Saturday, either. Even while acknowledging it had faced a talented FIU defensive front.

"The (FIU) line was, I think, the strength of their defense," Allen said. "In terms of just talent, it was the most talented group by far … they were impressive.

"But I told our offensive line and told our coaches I was disappointed in our offensive line, even though they did okay. I wanted them to finish blocks, finish the drives … it was not to what I want to see … I would say it was a solid performance, but it wasn't what I expected out of that group, who I've said from the beginning is the strength of our team.

"I want them to own that and I want them to take it personal and I want them to elevate their levels of play and rise to another level of being able to dominate on game day for sixty minutes…I want them to have an edge about them and play at a certain standard that we have. I just feel like that we played good, but not great. And I want to be great."

A GOOD ELEVEN
Indiana had 11 representatives after National Football League teams cut rosters to final 53-man form over the weekend to open the 2018 season.

Hoosiers currently on NFL rosters include:

Simmie Cobbs Jr. (Washington), Tevin Coleman (Atlanta), Chris Covington (Dallas), Dan Feeney (Los Angeles Chargers), Jordan Howard (Chicago), Cody Latimer (New York Giants), Robert McCray III (Kansas City),
Rodger Saffold (Los Angeles Rams), Jason Spriggs (Green Bay), Nate Sudfeld (Philadelphia) and Ian Thomas (Carolina).

GAME BALL FOR A GAME GUY
"This game ball goes to Matt Stauder right here!"

That was Tom Allen's sudden exhortation in a celebratory IU post-game locker room Saturday night.

And that prompted Hoosier players to gather, hoist student manager Stauder onto their shoulders and cheer to the point the walls echoed.

It was one year to the day that Stauder learned his father had died of a surprise heart attack. And shortly thereafter, Stauder was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma.

"Yeah, I tell you, pretty special moment," Allen recalled of the locker room scene Monday. "He's been through so much. It was the one year anniversary of the passing of his dad and then obviously we all know what he's dealing with now with his cancer battle.

"Just a really special young man that loves, absolutely loves this university, our program. And even though he's he doesn't feel great, after treatments he comes to practice, doesn't miss. Was the same way a year ago when he lost his dad. He wrote me a note afterwards and just said that that would have been the happiest moment of his dad's life to be able to be there for that, to see that transpire.

"So just a special time. I just respect him so much and I know our players do too and we're just pulling for him and praying for him. And he's got a tough road ahead and we're right there with him."

Hoosier running back Ricky Brookins helped spearhead a GoFundMe page to help defray Stauder's expenses at:
https://www.gofundme.com/MattStauder

DiNARDO'S DECLARATION
Former IU head coach and current Big Ten Network football analyst Gerry DiNardo was asked for a quick summation of the Hoosiers Saturday during BTN's "Final Drive" show.

DiNardo's verdict:

"Impressive! I think one of the most impressive showings of the day. Thirty-eight points. Defense probably gave up too much, more than they would like, but that wasn't easy doing what they did. Good start for Indiana."