Face the Facts – Peyton Hendershot Playing it Tough

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Peyton Hendershot isn't buying it, the praise, the kind words, the pats on the back. Indiana's redshirt sophomore tight end has big plans and bigger dreams, and sometimes it means being hard on himself.

Did he have a good game against Ball State? Sure if you count receiving stats -- a career-high four catches for a career-high 69 yards, plus a two-point conversion reception.

These are monster numbers when compared to what he did all of last season -- 15 catches for163 yards.

But Hendershot sees past that. Even the accolades of his head coach, who named him offensive player of the game along with running back Ronnie Walker Jr., couldn't shake his inner critic.

"A lot of people came up to me and said it was my best game," he says, "but it wasn't. I did some of the glamorous stuff, but I didn't block as well as I wanted to. I wanted to be a dominant blocker and I didn't do that."

You heard that right -- an offensive skill player pushing blocking over the spotlight.

"I need to put more emphasis on my blocking technique, my footwork," Hendershot says. "I was too high with my pad level. That got me out of position. I could have done some good things."

If you listen to head coach Tom Allen, Hendershot was a good-thing machine against Ball State.

"He had four big catches. Boy, that one across the middle when he took a big lick, and just did some really good things and run blocking, as well, and just running his routes and all that."

Add it all up and the 6-4, 255-pound Hendershot has a chance to make this the norm. He is big enough, tough enough and athletic enough to have his way with just about any defensive player. Give him your best shot and he comes back for more.

Case in point, that over-the-middle catch Allen referenced. Hendershot extended to make the catch, got drilled, ran to the sideline, collected himself and ran back onto to field to make a difference.

Offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer noticed, and made sure all the offensive coaches did, too.

"He played the best I've seen him." DeBoer says. "He made a lot of plays, and kept coming back for more.

"Specifically, what I remember, he made a catch on a vertical seam. He knew he was going to get hit. The ball was where it needed to be, but it was over a linebacker, so he had to go up to get it. He caught it.

"We watched that play over and over (Monday) morning as an offensive staff to just show what tough football players do, not just physically, but mentally, because you know you're going to get hit."

Hendershot knew the route could put him in harm's way.

"I knew if I got led (into the middle of the field) a little more, I'd be taking a hit."

Hendershot got led that way because that was the opening in Ball State's Cover 3 defense. He saw it. So did quarterback Michael Penix Jr. They combined to make the play, and once it was made, Hendershot wasn't about to blow it by either dropping the ball, or fumbling it.

"I've been training so much, I had to make that nice catch."

That he did reflects tight ends coach Nick Sheridan's everything-matters approach.

"It was all split-second training," Hendershot says. "Coach Sheridan is big on little details. He makes such an emphasis on tucking the ball. I did it so fast, that when I took the hit, the ball was already secure. If I would have tucked it slow, the ball would have popped up into the air."

As you might expect, Sheridan is well aware of Hendershot's potential.

"The sky's the limit for Peyton," he says. "He has no limitations physically or athletically."

That goes well beyond just catching passes.

"I don't see why he can't be as dominant as a blocker in the Big Ten as any tight end out there," Sheridan adds.

Hendershot is all for that, starting with Saturday's home opener against Eastern Illinois (0-1).

"I need to have more focus on my fundamentals," he says. "If my fundamentals are correct, I'm big and strong enough to do what I'm supposed to do.

"I want to be a dominant blocker against Eastern Illinois. We should have run a lot better last week. A few plays we would have had big runs, but I messed up. That was really disappointing. I want to take a big step in the running game."

Still, it is as a receiver that Hendershot figures to generate the most attention. DeBoer has built a reputation for making full use of his tight ends. When he was at Fresno State, tight end Jared Rice caught 55 passes for 664 yards and three TDs.

Hendershot could put up similar numbers this season, but he's not pushing for it.

"I'm happy with whatever I do. I want to play my best in whatever role I have. Help the team any way I can."

As for why he wasn't much of a receiving threat last season, he says, "Last year my being a freshman they were scared to have me out there. I don't know if they trusted me. I had a few dropped balls.

"This year I made such an emphasis on coaching balls. I don't want to let the team down. When they throw you the ball, you need to catch it. With time and more experience, the coaches trust me more."

Trust was on full display during Saturday's two-point conversion catch that wasn't supposed to be his moment.

"I was supposed to be a decoy and run across the end zone," he says. "I saw the dude (a Ball State defender) stop, so I stopped and saw I was open, so I started waving. It somehow worked out."

IU had practiced the play with athlete David Ellis having the option to run or pass, but never to Hendershot.

Both athletes improvised.

"It's like Coach Sheridan says -- there are two kinds of players you don't want to coach, the one who does everything you say and the one who doesn't do anything you say," Hendershot says. "It was me reacting, I saw I was open, I stayed there and made a play."

Hendershot has always made plenty of plays. He put up big wide receiver numbers for a powerhouse Tri-West High School program from the Indianapolis area.

As a senior he caught 67 passes for 896 yards and nine touchdowns. As a junior it was 51 catches for 685 yards and eight TDs. For his career he averaged 13.8 yards a catch and scored 22 touchdowns.

Beyond that, Hendershot helped Tri-West win the 2014 Class 3A state championship, was rated as the nation's No. 19 tight end prospect by Scout.com, and earned all-state recognition.

He also thrived as a basketball player. As a junior he averaged 12.9 points, 10.5 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 1.3 steals and 0.9 blocks. He helped Tri-West win sectional and regional titles in 2016.

All this made Hendershot a top recruiting priority for IU, and his potential should be maximized with DeBoer running the show.

"You watch Kalen's offense a year ago," Allen says, "and (tight ends playing a large receiving role) was consistent with that. Even with the guys we're recruiting, we talk about that.

"I've always been a big believer in the tight ends. I think they create so many issues for defenses and we've got so many weapons in both the running game and on the perimeter that both those guys (Hendershot and Matt Bjorson) can be very, very valuable.

"I want to see us really do a great job at that position. I want guys to come here knowing they are going to be able to get a chance to catch the football."

Hendershot is making the most of his chance. That's not praise. It's fact.

Face the Facts – Peyton Hendershot Playing it Tough

Players Mentioned

Matt Bjorson

David Ellis

Peyton Hendershot

Michael Penix Jr.

Ronnie Walker Jr.

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