DIPRIMIO NOTEBOOK: Coach Cronk Has a New Hoosier Role

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - You can call him, Coach Cronk.

That would be Coy Cronk, the senior offensive lineman whose playing season ended with a leg injury, but not his impact on Indiana's football season.

One of his missions -- ensure his left tackle replacement, true freshman Matthew Bedford, is ready for the rest of the season.

"He's got to help these guys – that's going to be his new role, to motivate and lead and coach the O-linemen," head coach Tom Allen said during Monday's weekly press conference.

"(Cronk) is a team guy. He's a captain. He's a leader of this team. He just isn't going to be doing it on the field. He's highly respected and is going to play a big role in helping Matt Bedford's development.

"I love that about Coy. And he's excited about that. And that's what leaders do. He's a special guy."

With Cronk as mentor, Bedford's college starting debut at Michigan State suggested he's ready for what he'll face against rugged Big Ten competition.

The next test comes Saturday when Indiana (3-2) hosts Rutgers (1-4) for Homecoming.

Fundamentals are a big part of Bedford's preparation.

"He knows he's the starting left tackle," Allen said. "There's a sense of urgency that creates.

"He's going to be tested. He's going to have to rise up, study, dive into it and prepare at a high level."

*******

How well has IU protected quarterbacks Michael Penix Jr. and Peyton Ramsey?

Ohio State had six sacks for 31 yards. The Hoosiers' four other opponents managed just two sacks for 13 yards.

That speaks to strong offensive line play, solid direction by offensive line coach Darren Hiller, plus having quarterbacks who keep themselves out of trouble.

"It's ultimately the quarterback," Allen said, "because we put a lot on the quarterback to be able to make those adjustments and calls. The center has a big role in that, as well.

"But as far as them trusting the quarterback, because he sees more than they can see, just from where he's standing in the shotgun, and so I think that the ability to read coverages, which goes back to coaching.

"It's a tribute to Coach Hiller. He does a tremendous job. He's a great teacher and he's got answers and he communicates. Communication is critical."

Offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer also plays a big role.

"Obviously the way the quarterbacks are coached," Allen said. "They create videos and work on this all the time, about recognizing pressures and where is it coming from, and where we need to the help to slide to.

"We've got to keep working. It's going to give us a challenge. And I saw several games (last Saturday) where there was a whole bunch of sacks in this conference. I mean, a lot of them. These defenses are aggressive. There are a lot of great athletes on the D-line, and they're bringing pressure, and they're disguising stuff and trying to confuse you. It takes a lot of work (to devise the proper protection schemes)."

*****
The evolution of Penix continues.

In three games the redshirt freshman has completed 69.6 percent of his passes for 809 yards, six touchdowns and two interceptions.

Ramsey, a redshirt junior backup, completes 74.3 percent of his passes for 635 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions.

Allen said coaches have a plan to ensure Penix has the necessary support to build on his strong play.

"We knew some mistakes were going to be made," Allen said. "You've got to help him grow.

"Peyton's role in all of this and the way he helps (Penix) has been awesome. He's been a great teammate. He's helped him mentally get ready. They talk a lot. It's a great thing."

Beyond that, Allen added, "You take the pressure off him. You tell him, 'You don't have to win the game by yourself. You've just got to execute the offense, distribute the ball, and make good decisions.

"At the end of the day, he's got to do it. He's shown tremendous poise. You can see his growth. It's very exciting to see what he's becoming."

*****

Allen spent a lot of bye-week time working with defensive coordinator Kane Wommack and the defense. Adjustments were made, with more coming.

"We had some very productive meetings as a defensive staff," Allen said.

That included watching the Michigan State film "three different times" and taking "three different set of notes."

"I tried to find ways to keep getting us better," Allen said, "because we're not where I want to be yet."

Allen said the goal is to "Find what we do best" and figure out "What do we need to adjust to help our guys be more successful?"

The talent is there for success, he added.

"They play so hard. They've just got to continue to execute better. That's the key. We've got to execute better, and so we have to ask some tough questions about why in those situations that we're not."

Answers were found, Allen said.

"I feel good about the things we're working on in practice."

*****
The future is always on Allen's mind. In this case, that means recruiting, and the coach and his staff took full advantage of the bye week to hit the recruiting road.

The goal -- continue the momentum from landing arguably the two best recruiting classes in school history.

Allen said he went out last Thursday and Friday to do "a lot of good in-state recruiting and see some games and get in front of a lot of coaches."

"We got our staff out as well across the country. They're doing a great job of building relationships and continuing to evaluate players."

*****

Former Rutgers head coach Chris Ash was fired after just over three years and replaced by tight ends coach Nunzio Campanile on an interim basis.

The Scarlet Knights have lost four straight games.

Underestimating them is not an option, Allen said. Neither is buying into talk the Hoosiers, who have won three straight in the series, are favored.

"I think that the challenge is you've got to be a mature football team to understand it's a Big Ten opportunity for teams. I've been in this league long enough to know those things are irrelevant.

"They've got a unique situation they're in, but we have no control over that. All we can control is how we prepare. And I know that we're playing a Big Ten football team. We'll have to be at our very best. That's the absolute truth."

DIPRIMIO NOTEBOOK: Coach Cronk Has a New Hoosier Role

Players Mentioned

Matthew Bedford

Coy Cronk

Michael Penix Jr.

Peyton Ramsey

Related Videos