Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO NOTEBOOK: Competitive Intensity Fuels Indiana Spring Scrimmage
3/31/2019 1:18:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana running backs coach Mike Hart pleaded for a call that didn't come.
Behind him quarterback Peyton Ramsey thrust his arms in the air waiting for an official to duplicate his touchdown signal.
The call never came. The signal wasn't shown.
Hart, the leading rusher in Michigan history, and Ramsey, the returning starter who thrives by beating back all challengers, insisted to the officials brought in to work Saturday's scrimmage that the running play had worked, the ball had broken the goal-line plane, a touchdown had been scored.
No matter. Officiating judgment was final -- it was a stop for the defense.
The offense tried another run from the 1-yard line. The defense stuffed it to clinch the goal-line stand, and celebrated. The offense took it and stewed.
Yes, it was just a small moment in a spring practice at Mellencamp Pavilion. It likely will have zero effect on next season.
Or will it?
IU is building for its first winning season since 2007 and it starts with a fiercely competitive mindset.
When the offense and defense go head to head, winning matters.
"We're cool off the field, we're teammates," veteran receiver Donavan Hale said. "But in practice, we don't like each other."
Specifically, he said, "When we're on the field, the defense is like a completely different team. When we go against each other, it's not like Indiana against Indiana. It's like two different teams competing.
"It's a game. We're against each other. They are not part of our team in practice."
Such competition doesn't breed animosity, Hale added.
"It is fun. After practice, we're all brothers. We're just competing and trying to get better and go beat other teams."
That, of course is the goal for a team seeking a bowl bid after consecutive 5-7 seasons.
"Iron sharpens iron," Hale said. "When we get on the field, we know what we have to do, and it's even worse when we go against other teams."
Still, did he think the offense scored on that run?
"To me, it doesn't matter," Hale said. "It's up to the refs. We go through adversity all the time. We can't dwell on it. We have to bounce back."
That's the attitude new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer seeks.
"That's the way it is. Offense, defense. You want to win. I love the energy we had at the goal line, but you're looking for that energy all the time.
"Sometimes you have to manufacture it. Sometimes it happens because of explosive plays, big plays, momentum.
"But if it isn't happening right way, somehow you have to manufacture it. That's what we talked about.
"Everything was positive. We have a bunch of good guys, they all want to get better, and every day they're bringing it."
Although no scrimmage statistics were kept, a victor was determined. Was it the offense or the defense?
"They would have won the scrimmage," DeBoer said off the defense with a grudging smile. "That's all right. We're competitive. We want to win it. We'll learn from the film and get better. It's all about the process."
PROMISING QUARTERBACK PLAY
During the scrimmage, Ramsey worked with the No. 1 offense, while transfer newcomer Jack Tuttle mostly had the No. 2 unit.
Ramsey has been the IU starter for much of the last two seasons. Tuttle, a highly-touted high school prospect out of California who spent last season at Utah, is pushing to challenge for the starting job.
It remains uncertain if Tuttle will be eligible for next season because of NCAA transfer rules that normally require sitting out a year. IU is requesting an exemption so Tuttle can play.
DeBoer likes what he's seen from both.
"I think Peyton is so well respected amongst the team. The offense, when he talks, they listen. I think what he says always has some substance to it. He just knows what to say at the right time.
"No one is perfect, but he does a lot of things really well. There's a thought process and I don't think he thinks too much to where it slows down his play. He's just had a really consistent and solid (spring). He's picked up everything that has been thrown at him.
"Jack has done a great job. He hasn't seen some of the defensive looks that Peyton has seen. He's trying to learn the offense, plus understand how it matches up against the defense. He doesn't always get the first-stringers. The opportunities are fewer and far between."
As for redshirt freshman Michael Penix Jr., who is staying out of any contact while recovering from ACL surgery, DeBoer said, "I think Mike has done a great job of staying in it even though his reps are considerably limited. He gets very few."
Penix spent extra time after Saturday's practice throwing to receivers.
"I always look at him when we are scrimmaging and watch him," DeBoer said. "I know he is on the headset listening. I'm trying to use coaching, teaching moments to him as well even though he is not on the field so that he knows what I am thinking. Peyton is going through those situations. I'm talking to Mike to let him know what I am thinking in that situation, so there's learning moments for him as well."
Added Hale: "All the quarterbacks look good. They're all competing. It's just going to come down to who wants it the most."
HALE THE RECEIVERS
Hale, a 6-4, 225-pound senior to be, looks to improve on last season's honorable-mention All-Big Ten status during which he caught 42 passes for 508 yards and six touchdowns.
One thing in his favor, receivers coach Grant Heard said, is that Hale has lost weight.
"He probably needs to lose another five pounds. He won't have to deal with all the pounding on his legs, carrying all that heavy weight.
"He is an older guy, so there isn't anything I can throw at him defensively that he hasn't seen. He can play fast. He's a smart kid. Losing weight has helped him tremendously."
Hale is part of what could be one of the Big Ten's top receiving groups. Also returning are Nick Westbrook (42 catches, 590 yards, 4 touchdowns), Ty Fryfogle (29, 381, 3) and Whop Philyor (23, 235, 1).
As far as newcomers, consider 6-4, 206-pound Miles Marshall, who redshirted last season. He did play in one game, a victory at Rutgers, and made the travel squad.
On Saturday he caught a deep scoring pass from Tuttle.
"He got to travel and be in those game environments," Heard said. "Hopefully, when he gets to the fall, it's not a big shock to him being in those big stadiums. He understands how we prepare Friday nights for games.
"Hopefully, as he keeps progressing, that stuff will come in handy for him."
DeBoer shares that hope from a three-star prospect who had 1,118 receiving yards as a Georgia high school senior. He's worked at outside and slot receiver positions this spring.
"Miles was one of the guys that stood out to me the first two practices," DeBoer said. "You watch the 1-on-1s, you watch some of the routes he caught in 7-on-7s, and you are like 'Wow'. He's got some range, he's long, he goes up and gets it.
"He really played fearless the first couple of practices. What he's got to get used to is we will keep throwing stuff on you and grasping the concepts, grasping the verbiage and the system and understanding what he is seeing in front of him.
"There's a lot of things happening right now, so he's not playing quite as fast. The potential he has is exciting. I think the last couple of practices he is using every day as a teaching moment and getting better."
Teaching moments are everywhere for all of IU's young receivers in DeBoer's new offense.
"It's a new system so everybody is at ground zero," Heard said. "It's not ones here and ones there. It's different verbiage. We're all still trying to learn, myself included. It's good that they're young.
"My older guys are at a little bit of a disadvantage because this is their third system for some of them. Stuff starts running together on them. They start putting old stuff with new stuff.
"The young guys are doing great. They just have to keep working, keep grinding."
What's the key for the receivers to make the impact Heard expects?
"Catch the ball and score a touchdown every time we touch it," he said with a laugh.
Then he got serious.
"Just be consistent. When the play comes our way, make it. That's it. Just do our job consistently over and over again. If we do that, we'll be where we need to be and things will come our way when it's time to make a play.
DeBoer recognizes the receiving potential.
"I think the older guys you kind of know. Nick Westbrook when he's out there he's made a lot of plays.
"You find ways to use Hale's body. He has big size. The last practice he made some nice plays in the red zone.
"I think every guy has done a little something at different places. It was nice seeing Fryfogle out there this week in practice. He's kind of getting going with it now. Everyone's done just a really solid job.
"I knew based on the staff giving me the information and watching film, what to expect. It's probably the young guys that surprise you. Guys like Miles and younger players, those are the ones that you don't really know about and when they surprise you, it's pretty cool."
FUN WITH STEVIE SCOTT
Tailback Stevie Scott is coming off the best season an IU true freshman running back has ever had – 1,137 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns.
DeBoer can't wait to put him to game-time use.
"He's fun to watch. He's a combination of power and speed. From what I understand, he's gotten faster than he was a year ago. That's exciting to me because I watched the film from last year because he was very productive there and made a lot of plays.
"He's been really consistent and becoming more of a student of the game as he matures as a player. I think you see that. I'm excited about what he brings to the table."
GOTTA HAVE BALANCE
Last year under offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, IU averaged 26.4 points while rushing for 1,888 yards and throwing for 3,094.
DeBord retired and DeBoer was brought in after successful stints at Fresno State and Eastern Michigan.
How is the offense grasping his system?
"Everything I ask of the guys they have come through with it," DeBoer said. "They are a great group of guys. The coaches are selling out to it. I love the way we are all coming together.
"It's a process. You want to focus on results. That's important. We've got to have production. Right now, we're just trying to get our install together.
"There's the tempo stuff we'll build on. There's red zone, goal line, short yardage. We haven't even put that in yet.
"What we want to have is the guys understanding at the end of spring the pieces that we have in place with our system, then we'll figure out how to get the right guys in the right spots over the summer and into the fall, going into the season."
What kind of offense does DeBoer want?
"We want to be multiple. We want to be able to play to our personnel. Right now, we're installing concepts. There needs to be a point where we know who our people are and what they are really good and we get the right guys in the right spots to run the concepts we installed.
"We want to be diverse, multiple, balanced. Balanced doesn't mean we have to at the end of the game be 50-50. It means we need to have the ability to run the ball when people are forcing us to do that and pass the ball when they are loading the box and have some diversity."
OWNERSHIP FOR ALL
DeBoer doesn't coach with my-way-or-else intensity. He wants feedback from his staff, and he's getting it.
"It's me that it ultimately falls on, everything that we do, and I get that, but I want it to be our offense," he said. "When everyone is invested in it, players and coaches having ownership in it, it becomes so much more.
"Everyone has good X's and O's. It's how much you buy into it. We have some really good coaches on staff and I want to use all of their knowledge as well to help make us better. They've seen a lot of different things done a lot of different ways. There's different ways that you can win and I want to use all of the information they have to make us the best we can be."
Added Heard: "Coach DeBoer is awesome as a communicator. He's not a dictator. He'll ask, can we get it here, and explain why. There are always reasons why. He's a great voice for the offense as a whole. He's always getting us together and talking to us, which I think is awesome. We're always on the same page."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana running backs coach Mike Hart pleaded for a call that didn't come.
Behind him quarterback Peyton Ramsey thrust his arms in the air waiting for an official to duplicate his touchdown signal.
The call never came. The signal wasn't shown.
Hart, the leading rusher in Michigan history, and Ramsey, the returning starter who thrives by beating back all challengers, insisted to the officials brought in to work Saturday's scrimmage that the running play had worked, the ball had broken the goal-line plane, a touchdown had been scored.
No matter. Officiating judgment was final -- it was a stop for the defense.
The offense tried another run from the 1-yard line. The defense stuffed it to clinch the goal-line stand, and celebrated. The offense took it and stewed.
Yes, it was just a small moment in a spring practice at Mellencamp Pavilion. It likely will have zero effect on next season.
Or will it?
IU is building for its first winning season since 2007 and it starts with a fiercely competitive mindset.
When the offense and defense go head to head, winning matters.
"We're cool off the field, we're teammates," veteran receiver Donavan Hale said. "But in practice, we don't like each other."
Specifically, he said, "When we're on the field, the defense is like a completely different team. When we go against each other, it's not like Indiana against Indiana. It's like two different teams competing.
"It's a game. We're against each other. They are not part of our team in practice."
Such competition doesn't breed animosity, Hale added.
"It is fun. After practice, we're all brothers. We're just competing and trying to get better and go beat other teams."
That, of course is the goal for a team seeking a bowl bid after consecutive 5-7 seasons.
"Iron sharpens iron," Hale said. "When we get on the field, we know what we have to do, and it's even worse when we go against other teams."
Still, did he think the offense scored on that run?
"To me, it doesn't matter," Hale said. "It's up to the refs. We go through adversity all the time. We can't dwell on it. We have to bounce back."
That's the attitude new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer seeks.
"That's the way it is. Offense, defense. You want to win. I love the energy we had at the goal line, but you're looking for that energy all the time.
"Sometimes you have to manufacture it. Sometimes it happens because of explosive plays, big plays, momentum.
"But if it isn't happening right way, somehow you have to manufacture it. That's what we talked about.
"Everything was positive. We have a bunch of good guys, they all want to get better, and every day they're bringing it."
Although no scrimmage statistics were kept, a victor was determined. Was it the offense or the defense?
"They would have won the scrimmage," DeBoer said off the defense with a grudging smile. "That's all right. We're competitive. We want to win it. We'll learn from the film and get better. It's all about the process."
PROMISING QUARTERBACK PLAY
During the scrimmage, Ramsey worked with the No. 1 offense, while transfer newcomer Jack Tuttle mostly had the No. 2 unit.
Ramsey has been the IU starter for much of the last two seasons. Tuttle, a highly-touted high school prospect out of California who spent last season at Utah, is pushing to challenge for the starting job.
It remains uncertain if Tuttle will be eligible for next season because of NCAA transfer rules that normally require sitting out a year. IU is requesting an exemption so Tuttle can play.
DeBoer likes what he's seen from both.
"I think Peyton is so well respected amongst the team. The offense, when he talks, they listen. I think what he says always has some substance to it. He just knows what to say at the right time.
"No one is perfect, but he does a lot of things really well. There's a thought process and I don't think he thinks too much to where it slows down his play. He's just had a really consistent and solid (spring). He's picked up everything that has been thrown at him.
"Jack has done a great job. He hasn't seen some of the defensive looks that Peyton has seen. He's trying to learn the offense, plus understand how it matches up against the defense. He doesn't always get the first-stringers. The opportunities are fewer and far between."
As for redshirt freshman Michael Penix Jr., who is staying out of any contact while recovering from ACL surgery, DeBoer said, "I think Mike has done a great job of staying in it even though his reps are considerably limited. He gets very few."
Penix spent extra time after Saturday's practice throwing to receivers.
"I always look at him when we are scrimmaging and watch him," DeBoer said. "I know he is on the headset listening. I'm trying to use coaching, teaching moments to him as well even though he is not on the field so that he knows what I am thinking. Peyton is going through those situations. I'm talking to Mike to let him know what I am thinking in that situation, so there's learning moments for him as well."
Added Hale: "All the quarterbacks look good. They're all competing. It's just going to come down to who wants it the most."
HALE THE RECEIVERS
Hale, a 6-4, 225-pound senior to be, looks to improve on last season's honorable-mention All-Big Ten status during which he caught 42 passes for 508 yards and six touchdowns.
One thing in his favor, receivers coach Grant Heard said, is that Hale has lost weight.
"He probably needs to lose another five pounds. He won't have to deal with all the pounding on his legs, carrying all that heavy weight.
"He is an older guy, so there isn't anything I can throw at him defensively that he hasn't seen. He can play fast. He's a smart kid. Losing weight has helped him tremendously."
Hale is part of what could be one of the Big Ten's top receiving groups. Also returning are Nick Westbrook (42 catches, 590 yards, 4 touchdowns), Ty Fryfogle (29, 381, 3) and Whop Philyor (23, 235, 1).
As far as newcomers, consider 6-4, 206-pound Miles Marshall, who redshirted last season. He did play in one game, a victory at Rutgers, and made the travel squad.
On Saturday he caught a deep scoring pass from Tuttle.
"He got to travel and be in those game environments," Heard said. "Hopefully, when he gets to the fall, it's not a big shock to him being in those big stadiums. He understands how we prepare Friday nights for games.
"Hopefully, as he keeps progressing, that stuff will come in handy for him."
DeBoer shares that hope from a three-star prospect who had 1,118 receiving yards as a Georgia high school senior. He's worked at outside and slot receiver positions this spring.
"Miles was one of the guys that stood out to me the first two practices," DeBoer said. "You watch the 1-on-1s, you watch some of the routes he caught in 7-on-7s, and you are like 'Wow'. He's got some range, he's long, he goes up and gets it.
"He really played fearless the first couple of practices. What he's got to get used to is we will keep throwing stuff on you and grasping the concepts, grasping the verbiage and the system and understanding what he is seeing in front of him.
"There's a lot of things happening right now, so he's not playing quite as fast. The potential he has is exciting. I think the last couple of practices he is using every day as a teaching moment and getting better."
Teaching moments are everywhere for all of IU's young receivers in DeBoer's new offense.
"It's a new system so everybody is at ground zero," Heard said. "It's not ones here and ones there. It's different verbiage. We're all still trying to learn, myself included. It's good that they're young.
"My older guys are at a little bit of a disadvantage because this is their third system for some of them. Stuff starts running together on them. They start putting old stuff with new stuff.
"The young guys are doing great. They just have to keep working, keep grinding."
What's the key for the receivers to make the impact Heard expects?
"Catch the ball and score a touchdown every time we touch it," he said with a laugh.
Then he got serious.
"Just be consistent. When the play comes our way, make it. That's it. Just do our job consistently over and over again. If we do that, we'll be where we need to be and things will come our way when it's time to make a play.
DeBoer recognizes the receiving potential.
"I think the older guys you kind of know. Nick Westbrook when he's out there he's made a lot of plays.
"You find ways to use Hale's body. He has big size. The last practice he made some nice plays in the red zone.
"I think every guy has done a little something at different places. It was nice seeing Fryfogle out there this week in practice. He's kind of getting going with it now. Everyone's done just a really solid job.
"I knew based on the staff giving me the information and watching film, what to expect. It's probably the young guys that surprise you. Guys like Miles and younger players, those are the ones that you don't really know about and when they surprise you, it's pretty cool."
FUN WITH STEVIE SCOTT
Tailback Stevie Scott is coming off the best season an IU true freshman running back has ever had – 1,137 rushing yards with 10 touchdowns.
DeBoer can't wait to put him to game-time use.
"He's fun to watch. He's a combination of power and speed. From what I understand, he's gotten faster than he was a year ago. That's exciting to me because I watched the film from last year because he was very productive there and made a lot of plays.
"He's been really consistent and becoming more of a student of the game as he matures as a player. I think you see that. I'm excited about what he brings to the table."
GOTTA HAVE BALANCE
Last year under offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, IU averaged 26.4 points while rushing for 1,888 yards and throwing for 3,094.
DeBord retired and DeBoer was brought in after successful stints at Fresno State and Eastern Michigan.
How is the offense grasping his system?
"Everything I ask of the guys they have come through with it," DeBoer said. "They are a great group of guys. The coaches are selling out to it. I love the way we are all coming together.
"It's a process. You want to focus on results. That's important. We've got to have production. Right now, we're just trying to get our install together.
"There's the tempo stuff we'll build on. There's red zone, goal line, short yardage. We haven't even put that in yet.
"What we want to have is the guys understanding at the end of spring the pieces that we have in place with our system, then we'll figure out how to get the right guys in the right spots over the summer and into the fall, going into the season."
What kind of offense does DeBoer want?
"We want to be multiple. We want to be able to play to our personnel. Right now, we're installing concepts. There needs to be a point where we know who our people are and what they are really good and we get the right guys in the right spots to run the concepts we installed.
"We want to be diverse, multiple, balanced. Balanced doesn't mean we have to at the end of the game be 50-50. It means we need to have the ability to run the ball when people are forcing us to do that and pass the ball when they are loading the box and have some diversity."
OWNERSHIP FOR ALL
DeBoer doesn't coach with my-way-or-else intensity. He wants feedback from his staff, and he's getting it.
"It's me that it ultimately falls on, everything that we do, and I get that, but I want it to be our offense," he said. "When everyone is invested in it, players and coaches having ownership in it, it becomes so much more.
"Everyone has good X's and O's. It's how much you buy into it. We have some really good coaches on staff and I want to use all of their knowledge as well to help make us better. They've seen a lot of different things done a lot of different ways. There's different ways that you can win and I want to use all of the information they have to make us the best we can be."
Added Heard: "Coach DeBoer is awesome as a communicator. He's not a dictator. He'll ask, can we get it here, and explain why. There are always reasons why. He's a great voice for the offense as a whole. He's always getting us together and talking to us, which I think is awesome. We're always on the same page."
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