Cream & Crimson Time for a Heapin’ Helpin’ of Hoosiers
4/11/2019 8:40:00 PM | Football
By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There is nothing "at steak" for the head coach, from a gastronomic perspective.
Indiana football honcho Tom Allen will chow down on steak no matter who wins Friday's 7 p.m. Cream & Crimson Game, the annual culmination of spring practice.
Allen affirmed, while meeting the media Thursday, he will utilize the prerogative of his position to avoid the inferior fare traditionally dished out to the losing side and partake of the more appetizing post-game meal.
"Oh, sure," Allen said with a grin. "Yeah. That comes with the position."
But Allen and crew also hope to provide those taking advantage of the free admission to Memorial Stadium, and those watching the live BTN telecast, with some football worth sinking their teeth into.
They've concocted a way, for example, for fans to see redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. throw and run the ball – despite his not participating in full-contact scrimmaging as he continues to rehabilitate from last fall's knee surgery.
"In between the first and second quarter, at the beginning of the halftime break, and in between the third and fourth quarter, we're going to have a 7-on-7 opportunity to move the football with Mike Penix," Allen said. "It will be full-bore, full-speed, with tagging off just like we do in practice during those 7-on-7 sessions.
"I think that will be a really good way for us to get him involved and get the reps we need (for) him in the pass game. We have some (other) guys that have been limited due to some offseason surgeries, so they've been in blue jerseys throughout spring and have never gone live. Those guys will all be participating in the 7-on-7 portion as well. And there will be guys on offense and defense that will do both (live and 7-on-7)."
Redshirt junior Peyton Ramsey, the returning starter at quarterback, is slated to handle almost all the actual scrimmage snaps with Penix limited to the 7-on-7 work and fellow redshirt freshman Jack Tuttle, the transfer from Utah, unavailable due to short-term illness.
Ramsey will lead the Cream, which this year is the offense, and the defense will constitute the Crimson.
The Cream tally will result from basically normal offensive methodology. And old defensive coordinator Allen has conjured lots of ways for the defense, the Crimson, to score Friday night:
"Really want to get a lot of good reps with our guys," Allen said. "Still feel like we need to tackle. I know some teams do this as a modified version of it, especially after their first drive or so, but the plan right now is to be able to go through that and get some good reps in.
"We'll have a couple guys out on offense that we're just choosing to sit out. But bottom line is, it's going to be a lot of good reps for our guys, (for) a lot of young guys we need to get better."
Allen specifically cited sophomore running back Stevie Scott and senior offensive linemen Coy Cronk and Simon Stepaniak as among the players held out for the Cream & Crimson Game.
"Stevie's probably going to be participating in 7-on-7s, but those two linemen, we've seen what we need to see with those guys," Allen noted. "We've got a lot of young guys we need to get a lot of good reps at (those positions), so those would be the guys to note."
Young linemen such as true freshmen Matthew Bedford and Michael Katic who enrolled in January. Both have already impressed.
"Matthew Bedford is a guy who's supposed to be in high school right now," Allen said of the 6-foot-6, 284-pounder from Cordova, Tenn. "I get the fact that … you're throwing a lot of stuff at him and he's going to make mistakes, but when you really evaluate the technique and his ability to be able to bend and the things that he can do physically, he's got a chance if he continues to work extremely hard. He's very focused.
" … Katic's done a great job. Mike's a big strong guy that's still trying to figure it out as well. But those two guys, when you throw them into the line of scrimmage -- when (they're otherwise) still in the spring of (their) senior year of high school – that's a big jump for sure. Those guys have caught my eye. I appreciate the way they've worked every single day."
Allen is routinely asked which players seem to be surfacing in practice, and he answers as best he can off the top of his head. And he's talked about a slew of players over the course of the spring. But here are players he happened to specify Thursday, in addition to Bedford and Katic:
"Madison (Norris, the redshirt freshman defensive end and former state hurdles champ from Hamilton Southeastern), he's a guy that came here and I think he weighed 189 pounds when he got here coming off winning the state championship in track and from all that running that spring. It's just been a slow process to get him to gain good weight. So we have a good plan for that for the rest of the summer.
"He really gives us a lot of speed off the edge and he's going to be involved in special teams. We have a redshirt year under his belt now, and really saw him make some good burst to the football, whether it's when the quarterbacks start to flush, pursuit, chasing the ball down from the back side. He just plays with tremendous effort. I just love his toughness. He's long. He's 6-foot-4. He's got a big ol' frame. You just got to get some weight on him. And we will. We brought him here for that purpose, to rush the passer. That's a big thing for us.
"I think (redshirt freshman defensive back) Noah Pierre is another guy that really has impressed me. You come into the spring time. It's his first spring here after redshirting and you never know. Some guys really take to it and take off, and he's just played with a lot of confidence. He plays really fast and I'm really anxious to see him. He's one of those guys that we took in that class that we felt was very deep in the secondary. He's proven to be another guy that continues to get better.
"Micah McFadden (the sophomore linebacker who played in all 12 games as a true freshman last fall), I haven't mentioned him in a little bit, but the growth from last fall to right now is pretty intense in a good way. Even (redshirt freshman linebacker) James Miller. I feel the same way with him. Just the fact that he's now been here and seeing him really blossom.
"I think (redshirt freshman wideout) Miles Marshall, I feel the same way about him and the way that he's making plays. He's just much more confident in and out of his breaks.
Just getting lined up right is sometimes hard because we're going with tempo at times, and the way we signal everything and coaches getting on him. Everything's happening in a hurry.
"I'll tell you what, (fellow redshirt freshman wideout) Jacolby Hewitt is another one that I thought, today, really shined. He's a guy that I've been on because I think he's got a lot of talent. He would show up in certain weeks during the fall on the scout team and just be dominant. So I know he has that in him. Just guys like that have really.... this is an important time for them. I could go on and on.
"(Redshirt sophomore offensive tackle) Caleb Jones is really starting to come on. I'm really, really pleased with his maturity and the way he's gone about his business this spring.
Coy (Cronk has) taken him under his wing and challenged him. Simon (Stepaniak has) done a good job, and Hunter (Littlejohn, the fifth-year senior center). Those three seniors
have really done a great job of leading all these young linemen.
"I stopped the film yesterday and every single lineman was either a freshman or redshirt freshman in the group that was on the field. That's a group that has to get a lot of reps and take its time.
"(Redshirt freshman tackle) Aidan Rafferty has worked extremely hard. He's gained 50 pounds since he's been here. Well, you got to get used to playing with those 50 pounds that you have now on your body. Those are things that happen.
"(Fellow redshirt freshman tackle) Nick Marozas is the same way. He's gotten a lot bigger, and those are guys that we're counting on to develop. They're not quite ready yet, but they will be. I just think that's the kind of growth we're looking for. I think that when you look at even tomorrow night, I expect those guys to get a lot of reps. That's one reason why we're playing a lot of those guys on the offensive line more."
Those are just some of the young players IU fans have a chance to see, some for the first time, Friday night.
"I want our fans to see our guys," Allen said. "They've worked extremely hard. We'll keep the schemes on both sides of the ball pretty vanilla, but it is based on what you do. You can't get away from that.
"Trying to make it as (entertaining and) equitable as we can. I've used this (scoring) system in the past at other places I've been, and when we go offense versus defense it's been very effective. It will be a fun night, for sure, and it looks like the weather is going to be great. Looking forward to it. Should be a good crowd and some great things going on."
And whatever else happens, the head coach intends to eat well.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - There is nothing "at steak" for the head coach, from a gastronomic perspective.
Indiana football honcho Tom Allen will chow down on steak no matter who wins Friday's 7 p.m. Cream & Crimson Game, the annual culmination of spring practice.
Allen affirmed, while meeting the media Thursday, he will utilize the prerogative of his position to avoid the inferior fare traditionally dished out to the losing side and partake of the more appetizing post-game meal.
"Oh, sure," Allen said with a grin. "Yeah. That comes with the position."
But Allen and crew also hope to provide those taking advantage of the free admission to Memorial Stadium, and those watching the live BTN telecast, with some football worth sinking their teeth into.
They've concocted a way, for example, for fans to see redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. throw and run the ball – despite his not participating in full-contact scrimmaging as he continues to rehabilitate from last fall's knee surgery.
"In between the first and second quarter, at the beginning of the halftime break, and in between the third and fourth quarter, we're going to have a 7-on-7 opportunity to move the football with Mike Penix," Allen said. "It will be full-bore, full-speed, with tagging off just like we do in practice during those 7-on-7 sessions.
"I think that will be a really good way for us to get him involved and get the reps we need (for) him in the pass game. We have some (other) guys that have been limited due to some offseason surgeries, so they've been in blue jerseys throughout spring and have never gone live. Those guys will all be participating in the 7-on-7 portion as well. And there will be guys on offense and defense that will do both (live and 7-on-7)."
Redshirt junior Peyton Ramsey, the returning starter at quarterback, is slated to handle almost all the actual scrimmage snaps with Penix limited to the 7-on-7 work and fellow redshirt freshman Jack Tuttle, the transfer from Utah, unavailable due to short-term illness.
Ramsey will lead the Cream, which this year is the offense, and the defense will constitute the Crimson.
The Cream tally will result from basically normal offensive methodology. And old defensive coordinator Allen has conjured lots of ways for the defense, the Crimson, to score Friday night:
- Defensive stop: 2 points (3 points if it's a 3-and-out stop).
- Fourth-down stop: 3 points.
- Takeaway: 5 points.
- Safety: 5 points.
- Missed field goal: 3 points.
- Defensive TD: 7 points (with the PAT conversion conceded).
- Special behind-the-scenes tours of Memorial Stadium for fans will transpire from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
- Children ages 5 through 12 are invited to participate, with a signed waiver, in a free one-hour football clinic conducted by IU coaches and former Hoosier players from 5 to 6 p.m. at the Stadium. Check-in for the clinic starts at 4:30 p.m.
- Allen will address spectators during halftime of the game. Players and coaches will sign autographs afterward.
- Free hot dogs, brats, chips and drinks will be available at Memorial Stadium's Sample Terrace and at Knothole Park. Concession stands will also be open.
"Really want to get a lot of good reps with our guys," Allen said. "Still feel like we need to tackle. I know some teams do this as a modified version of it, especially after their first drive or so, but the plan right now is to be able to go through that and get some good reps in.
"We'll have a couple guys out on offense that we're just choosing to sit out. But bottom line is, it's going to be a lot of good reps for our guys, (for) a lot of young guys we need to get better."
Allen specifically cited sophomore running back Stevie Scott and senior offensive linemen Coy Cronk and Simon Stepaniak as among the players held out for the Cream & Crimson Game.
"Stevie's probably going to be participating in 7-on-7s, but those two linemen, we've seen what we need to see with those guys," Allen noted. "We've got a lot of young guys we need to get a lot of good reps at (those positions), so those would be the guys to note."
Young linemen such as true freshmen Matthew Bedford and Michael Katic who enrolled in January. Both have already impressed.
"Matthew Bedford is a guy who's supposed to be in high school right now," Allen said of the 6-foot-6, 284-pounder from Cordova, Tenn. "I get the fact that … you're throwing a lot of stuff at him and he's going to make mistakes, but when you really evaluate the technique and his ability to be able to bend and the things that he can do physically, he's got a chance if he continues to work extremely hard. He's very focused.
" … Katic's done a great job. Mike's a big strong guy that's still trying to figure it out as well. But those two guys, when you throw them into the line of scrimmage -- when (they're otherwise) still in the spring of (their) senior year of high school – that's a big jump for sure. Those guys have caught my eye. I appreciate the way they've worked every single day."
Allen is routinely asked which players seem to be surfacing in practice, and he answers as best he can off the top of his head. And he's talked about a slew of players over the course of the spring. But here are players he happened to specify Thursday, in addition to Bedford and Katic:
"Madison (Norris, the redshirt freshman defensive end and former state hurdles champ from Hamilton Southeastern), he's a guy that came here and I think he weighed 189 pounds when he got here coming off winning the state championship in track and from all that running that spring. It's just been a slow process to get him to gain good weight. So we have a good plan for that for the rest of the summer.
"He really gives us a lot of speed off the edge and he's going to be involved in special teams. We have a redshirt year under his belt now, and really saw him make some good burst to the football, whether it's when the quarterbacks start to flush, pursuit, chasing the ball down from the back side. He just plays with tremendous effort. I just love his toughness. He's long. He's 6-foot-4. He's got a big ol' frame. You just got to get some weight on him. And we will. We brought him here for that purpose, to rush the passer. That's a big thing for us.
"I think (redshirt freshman defensive back) Noah Pierre is another guy that really has impressed me. You come into the spring time. It's his first spring here after redshirting and you never know. Some guys really take to it and take off, and he's just played with a lot of confidence. He plays really fast and I'm really anxious to see him. He's one of those guys that we took in that class that we felt was very deep in the secondary. He's proven to be another guy that continues to get better.
"Micah McFadden (the sophomore linebacker who played in all 12 games as a true freshman last fall), I haven't mentioned him in a little bit, but the growth from last fall to right now is pretty intense in a good way. Even (redshirt freshman linebacker) James Miller. I feel the same way with him. Just the fact that he's now been here and seeing him really blossom.
"I think (redshirt freshman wideout) Miles Marshall, I feel the same way about him and the way that he's making plays. He's just much more confident in and out of his breaks.
Just getting lined up right is sometimes hard because we're going with tempo at times, and the way we signal everything and coaches getting on him. Everything's happening in a hurry.
"I'll tell you what, (fellow redshirt freshman wideout) Jacolby Hewitt is another one that I thought, today, really shined. He's a guy that I've been on because I think he's got a lot of talent. He would show up in certain weeks during the fall on the scout team and just be dominant. So I know he has that in him. Just guys like that have really.... this is an important time for them. I could go on and on.
"(Redshirt sophomore offensive tackle) Caleb Jones is really starting to come on. I'm really, really pleased with his maturity and the way he's gone about his business this spring.
Coy (Cronk has) taken him under his wing and challenged him. Simon (Stepaniak has) done a good job, and Hunter (Littlejohn, the fifth-year senior center). Those three seniors
have really done a great job of leading all these young linemen.
"I stopped the film yesterday and every single lineman was either a freshman or redshirt freshman in the group that was on the field. That's a group that has to get a lot of reps and take its time.
"(Redshirt freshman tackle) Aidan Rafferty has worked extremely hard. He's gained 50 pounds since he's been here. Well, you got to get used to playing with those 50 pounds that you have now on your body. Those are things that happen.
"(Fellow redshirt freshman tackle) Nick Marozas is the same way. He's gotten a lot bigger, and those are guys that we're counting on to develop. They're not quite ready yet, but they will be. I just think that's the kind of growth we're looking for. I think that when you look at even tomorrow night, I expect those guys to get a lot of reps. That's one reason why we're playing a lot of those guys on the offensive line more."
Those are just some of the young players IU fans have a chance to see, some for the first time, Friday night.
"I want our fans to see our guys," Allen said. "They've worked extremely hard. We'll keep the schemes on both sides of the ball pretty vanilla, but it is based on what you do. You can't get away from that.
"Trying to make it as (entertaining and) equitable as we can. I've used this (scoring) system in the past at other places I've been, and when we go offense versus defense it's been very effective. It will be a fun night, for sure, and it looks like the weather is going to be great. Looking forward to it. Should be a good crowd and some great things going on."
And whatever else happens, the head coach intends to eat well.
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