Can You Keep a Secret – Kalen DeBoer’s Keys to Offensive Success

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Kalen DeBoer has a secret.

He has to. You don't resurrect offenses at multiple stops all across the country, with a variety of talent levels, as Indiana's offensive coordinator has done, without some kind of hidden edge.

As it turns out, it's not as much about schemes or play-calling or sheer imagination as it is about people and trust and the bond that develops when everyone is on the same page.

It's why DeBoer is in Bloomington and not, say in California; why he is a nominee for the Broyles Award, given annually to the nation's best assistant coach.

"I came into a place where I trusted the coaches," he says. "It started with (head coach Tom Allen). It's believing in the people."

DeBoer is a big reason why the Hoosiers (7-2) are a Top-25 team as they prepare to face Top-10 power Penn State (8-1) this Saturday in Happy Valley.

And if they can rough up one of the nation's top defenses and earn their first victory over a Top-10 team since stunning No. 9 Ohio State 31-10 in 1987, who knows where that could lead.

DeBoer flashes back to his IU interview last year

"As you talk to them you hear, 'How close we are.' You see it on film -- these guys can make plays.

"We're young, but if we continue to stay the course, you see the potential to do big things."

Potential is everywhere you look these days, from sustained quarterback excellence (see Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr.) to running back growth (Stevie Scott III is back to batter-defenses form) to receiver dominance (share the wealth is a big theme) to offensive line improvement (even with Coy Cronk's season-ending injury).

DeBoer's offense spreads the field and the receptions -- five Hoosiers have at least 20 catches and 350 receiving yards. It takes pass-catching advantage of tight ends and running backs to fully exploit defensive vulnerability and maximize talent.

The result -- the IU offense is rocking as it rarely has before. The Hoosiers have scored at least 30 points eight times in nine games this season. That's a program record. They've had six straight 30-point efforts, which ties the Hoosier record.

IU leads the Big Ten in passing offense (308 yards per game) and is second in total offense (446.4), completion percentage (69.6) and sacks allowed (1.44). It averages 34.0 points a game.

Credit DeBoer learning players' strengths and weaknesses as much as his Xs-and-Os emphasis.

"You get a feel of what our guys are capable of," he says. "What their strengths are. You install concepts in spring ball and fall camp.

"A lot of it is them being confident in what we're doing. Players make plays. There's not a magic formula, but there are things we do our guys believe in. They also understand the adjustments and answers we have within our system we can go to whether that's during the course of a game, or week to week. It depends on the team we're playing and their style of defense."

Beyond that, DeBoer adds, "We work on fundamental things – taking care of the ball, placement of the ball, throw it to where there can be yards after catch. Being aware of the landmarks we're trying to get to. The confidence in the details we preach every day.

"That falls on the staff. Our staff has been awesome with those details. I go to bed knowing the things we talked about will be coached up extremely well. The players want to be coached. They have responded and made plays in big moments."

DeBoer has been here before. He previously developed potent offenses at Fresno State, Eastern Michigan, Southern Illinois and Sioux Falls. As a head coach, he led Sioux Falls to three NAIA national titles, and four-straight national championship game appearances.

He saw all sorts of possibilities at Indiana with Allen, who has the Hoosiers believing championships are on the horizon.

"It was about making sure I was around good people," DeBoer says. "Coach Allen and the staff have a ton of energy. These are guys who enjoy being around each other. They enjoy coming to work each day. When that happens, when you put everything into your job and enjoy being there every day, great things happen. It filters to the players. They see the camaraderie and chemistry among the staff. They share and have it as well."

Allen praises DeBoer's ability to adapt to his players to get the most out of them every week.

The job he did with Penix and Ramsey, and now Jack Tuttle, is as good as the program has ever had.

"There's a lot of variable that comes into play that Kalen has to manage," Allen says, "and he's done a great job with that. He continues to come up with a great plan each week that gives our guys a chance.

"They've got to execute it, but it gives us a chance to score points and win games."

And the Hoosiers have won – seven times in nine games.

This is ultimately why DeBoer was brought to Indiana.

IU has become a mini mecca of assistant coaching excellence. Allen was a Broyles Award nominee in 2016. Running backs coach Mike Hart earned the distinction last year.

The quarterback play of Ramsey and now backup Jack Tuttle is crucial moving forward.

With Penix out for the season after a right sternoclavicular joint injury, Ramsey, named a team co-captain this week, knows he's the guy. So does Penn State's defense.

Could that lead to fewer Ramsey running plays to minimize the hits he takes?

"It's in the back of your mind," DeBoer says. "Some of the hits are when he's stationary in the pocket throwing. I know there have been a couple where he scrambled. Some of the biggest hits he's had are when he's had to make something happen, or in the pocket. That's his style of play. It's who we are. But we have to be careful."

DeBoer says his quarterbacks generally get seven to eight carries a game.

"A couple are on scrambles. A couple are on zone or power reads. But you want your skill players handling the ball."

Then there's Tuttle, a former four-star prospect who is just 5-for-10 for 27 yards in limited action.

He spent most of the season dealing with third-string-quarterback practice restrictions. He rarely worked with starters or top reserves.

All that changed after Penix got hurt.

"Last week was a good week for him," DeBoer says of Tuttle. "He really settled in. He understands where he's at now. He needs to be the guy who is ready to go.

"He had a very successful set of practices. He was very consistent. That's what you want. The growth. He has a peace about him. He has a better understanding of the offense. He puts just as much into it as Michael and Peyton."

In other words, if Tuttle has to play against Penn State, he'll be like all the quarterbacks and offensive players this season:

Ready to rock.

That's no secret. It's fact.

Indiana University Athletics

Can You Keep a Secret – Kalen DeBoer’s Keys to Offensive Success

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Players Mentioned

Coy Cronk

Michael Penix Jr.

Peyton Ramsey

Stevie Scott III

Jack Tuttle

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