Hoosiers Continue Stepping in the Right Direction

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For those seeking resolution to Indiana's quarterback battle, take a deep breath.

Nothing is sure except the competition continues.

Peyton Ramsey, Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle remain starting options.

Not even the Hoosiers' final live-hitting scrimmage -- which came last Saturday at Memorial Stadium -- settled things.

"I thought all three quarterbacks did some good stuff and that's what makes it continue to be a challenge," head coach Tom Allen says. "We'll get closer to make that final decision. I'm not there yet, but I think it was a positive step in the right direction for all three of those guys as they keep working and continue to develop and compete to run the offense."

With nearly two weeks remaining until the Aug. 31 season opener against Ball State, Allen won't rush to judgment about the quarterbacks, or anything else.

"I feel like the team is starting to figure things out," he says, "and this week we've got to keep working fundamentally and then it's Ball State prep."

Up next on Saturday is what Allen calls, "Preseason Game No. 3," which is basically a walk through with the Hoosiers mimicking what happens during an entire game without the hitting. Players will wear helmets only. There will be a pre-game, a halftime and four quarters.

"It will be a whole game-like situation," Allen says. "We'll put our whole team on one sideline and put all the (scout) team guys on the other sideline and it's all against scouts."

Last Saturday's scrimmage was cut short by a storm. Still, Allen says, "We got it all in in terms of the time. We got all the offensive and defensive work that we wanted.

"It was good, very physical."

Allen was impressed with the performance of running backs Cole Gest, Ronnie Walker Jr. and Sampson James. Last year's starter, Stevie Scott III, was limited to just a few carries because, "I know what he can do, so we backed off with him," Allen says. "On the running reps, he just did some protection."

Overall Allen adds, "I really liked how our running backs performed. I thought Cole Gest did some good things in both the throw game and running the football. We're getting him sharpened up.

"Ronnie Walker was another one that really (stood out). I'm just really encouraged by his continued progress. I think he does so many great things off the field, in the weight room, the way he handles himself and the way he works. He's a guy I think a lot of and think he is running with confidence.

"Sampson continues to do some good things."

Veteran receivers Nick Westbrook, Donavan Hale and Whop Philyor weren't in the scrimmage receiving mix, but promising young players such as Jordan Jakes and Cam Wilson were. So was tight end Matt Bjorson.

"I thought that Matt made a lot of good plays and did some good things for us," Allen says. "He's playing hard and well, and I thought that was really positive. Cam keeps doing some good things and Jordan made some good plays. It was good to see him get some confidence."

The defense also continues to progress.

"I thought we had a really good finish in the (scrimmage) situations," Allen says. "I think our run fits are getting better and better, and that's a big deal for me and how we study those."

Redshirt sophomore defensive lineman Alfred Bryant has Allen's attention.

"I am encouraged. He's had a good camp all the way through and I thought he really shined at times in both the run game and pass pressure. He is blossoming into the guy I thought he could be since he's been here."

Allen also likes what he's getting from defensive linemen James Head Jr., Jerome Johnson and Juan Harris.

"James Head continues to be consistent. I want him to continue to elevate his game.

"I thought Jerome Johnson did some good stuff and Juan continued to have a very good camp. We need those guys to continue to come along."

Linebackers Thomas Allen and Reakwon Jones also impressed.

"I really love where Reakwon is at," Allen says. "Leading the defense and playing with confidence. He's just doing some good things."

The same is true for redshirt freshman defensive back Noah Pierre.

"He's a young guy we don't talk about a lot," Allen says, "but he really flashed to me and is really consistent."

The Hoosiers committed too many scrimmage penalties for Allen, who says, "We have to get that fixed."

Still, "There were a lot of positives. I like what we're doing in the red zone, offense-wise. It creates a lot of challenges for the defense. That was encouraging. We're making progress."

Indiana University Athletics

Hoosiers Continue Stepping in the Right Direction

Related News

Players Mentioned

Thomas Allen

Matt Bjorson

Alfred Bryant

Donavan Hale

James Head Jr.

Jordan Jakes

Sampson James

Jerome Johnson

Reakwon Jones

Michael Penix Jr.

Whop Philyor

Noah Pierre

Peyton Ramsey

Stevie Scott III

Jack Tuttle

Ronnie Walker Jr.

Nick Westbrook

Cam Wilson

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