Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: Fall Camp Edition - August 20 Update
8/20/2021 2:01:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The offensive line closed out the media sessions for the third week of camp inside Memorial Stadium on Friday (Aug. 20), as run game coordinator/offensive line coach Darren Hiller and student-athletes Matthew Bedford and Caleb Jones.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences from Friday, Aug. 20. Video of each full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Darren Hiller | Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
On working with Deland McCullough…
DH: Whenever you have an opportunity to look at things through different lenses, it's always great. I've never thought I know everything. Coaching the offensive line and the run game, there's really three types of schemes – there's zone schemes, gap schemes, and man schemes. It just sometimes when you are going through it, and you are installing it and its really not specifically what we are doing offensively; it's how the defense is attacking us and how can we be better to get our stuff pointed in the right direction in the run game. Having Deland come in and some of the stuff they were doing at [the NFL] level – even when he was at USC and prior to that when he was here at Indiana. It's awesome because we've got a great staff on offense, and we've got a lot of different ideas and we've all come from different backgrounds. You can go out there and get a playbook [four-inches thick] and have a lot of really fancy plays in it, but if the kids can't do it, it doesn't matter. The best way to get it across to our players is to make it easy as possible to be able to adjust to whatever the defense is doing or throwing at us.
On Caleb Jones offseason conditioning…
DH: It's been tremendous. He and I have had these conversations since 2017 and I think he finally in January really committed to it. He's a guy who when he has been in the building has always been great. He always worked – whether it would be in the weight room or on the practice field – it was always just a matter of what was he doing when he was outside of the building and the weight room. He battled that. [His fitness] it's showing up from a quickness standpoint. He just looks better running, changing direction, and all of the movement that he's doing out there. It just shows up. Now there's always football things from an offensive lineman perspective that he's got to get cleaned up and take from the drill work to the team work and all those things. He's moving a lot better, and I can tell you he looks a lot better. I'm watching the film and you know how it is; when you're around the guys every single day and you see him on a consistent basis you kind of forget what they used to look like. We were throwing on some film of 2019 and 2020, going back and looking at some things, and it was drastic when you looked out there and you see No. 77 in those two years compared to right now. I look forward to him having a great football season.
On being a better run/blocking offensive line…
DH: I just think that we are always trying to run the football. There were times where we did run the football well, but there were games that I don't want to rehash last year because last year is last year. But there were games where we didn't run the football very well. We are always trying to establish the run game and there's times that defenses are going to put more dudes in there than we can block and when they do that what we have to do is be able to block the ones that we feel like schematically are more important and if we do hand the ball off to the running back he's got to make a guy miss or run through a tackle if there's an extra dude in the box. He's got to do that and it's a mentality and it's got to be a mentality of just because they stacked the box doesn't mean we have to throw the football. There are answers to that, but we also have to be able to say you know what, we don't care how many dudes are in there. I think there were sometimes last year during the season that we had to closeout a game and we were able to run the football, generate some first downs in late game situations against heavy boxes, and I think we proved that we can do it. But the consistency wasn't there. It's just a grind. It's always getting through the details and being as best as we can in there and being tough enough and strong enough.
Matthew Bedford | Jr. | OL
On how fall camp has been going for the offensive line…
MB: I feel like we have grown as far as our fundamentals and our technique. Personally, I have grown in pass protection. Last year that was my Achilles heel but this year I think I am going to be a lot stronger in that area. We are improving our fundamentals in the game and the things that you are going to fall back on during the season in tough situations.
On the difference between this season and last year…
MB: It has been good not being in the cohorts like we were last year. Now that we are all allowed in the Team Room as an offensive line, we can form a better bond because we are all allowed to be together in one area. We can talk and communicate after practice about how we messed up a play or 'let me go talk this person.' Being able to have a face-to-face interaction has been great for us.
On the increased communication among the group…
MB: The communication has been tremendous. For the offensive line to be able to communicate, talk with each other on a consistent basis during plays and when we are off the field has been great. It has been great being able to call plays during practice and communicate off the field. Also, it has been great to communicate our mistakes, correct those mistakes, and come out on the next play and make great things happen. That is all we care about.
Caleb Jones | R-Sr. | OL
On the difference in fall camp this year compared to last season…
CJ: It is almost night and day compared to last fall. Having the offseason helped in order for me to be successful. I am in better shape, make the most out of our practices, go hard, and make the most of everyday.
On his outlook for the team entering the season…
CJ: The sky is the limit for this team. I truly believe we can go as far as we want to go as a unit, as far as we are willing to work, and prepare to go is how far we will go. I do not think there is a limit for this team. A big thing for the offensive line is the run game. It has been our focus for most of this fall camp. We are making sure that we can open gaps for our running backs and making our offense as balanced as it should be. We are working on getting to the level we need to get to be successful.
On what he focused on during the offseason…
CJ: The number one focus I had was getting my weight under control. Last season I did not perform the way that I should have and did not reach the goal I had in mind. I am sure a lot of people saw that in the way that I played, so this offseason was all about getting my weight under control, working as hard as I can so I can maximize the talents that I have this final season. I am making sure that I am working hard and leading my teammates.
#GoIU
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences from Friday, Aug. 20. Video of each full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Darren Hiller | Run Game Coordinator/Offensive Line
On working with Deland McCullough…
DH: Whenever you have an opportunity to look at things through different lenses, it's always great. I've never thought I know everything. Coaching the offensive line and the run game, there's really three types of schemes – there's zone schemes, gap schemes, and man schemes. It just sometimes when you are going through it, and you are installing it and its really not specifically what we are doing offensively; it's how the defense is attacking us and how can we be better to get our stuff pointed in the right direction in the run game. Having Deland come in and some of the stuff they were doing at [the NFL] level – even when he was at USC and prior to that when he was here at Indiana. It's awesome because we've got a great staff on offense, and we've got a lot of different ideas and we've all come from different backgrounds. You can go out there and get a playbook [four-inches thick] and have a lot of really fancy plays in it, but if the kids can't do it, it doesn't matter. The best way to get it across to our players is to make it easy as possible to be able to adjust to whatever the defense is doing or throwing at us.
On Caleb Jones offseason conditioning…
DH: It's been tremendous. He and I have had these conversations since 2017 and I think he finally in January really committed to it. He's a guy who when he has been in the building has always been great. He always worked – whether it would be in the weight room or on the practice field – it was always just a matter of what was he doing when he was outside of the building and the weight room. He battled that. [His fitness] it's showing up from a quickness standpoint. He just looks better running, changing direction, and all of the movement that he's doing out there. It just shows up. Now there's always football things from an offensive lineman perspective that he's got to get cleaned up and take from the drill work to the team work and all those things. He's moving a lot better, and I can tell you he looks a lot better. I'm watching the film and you know how it is; when you're around the guys every single day and you see him on a consistent basis you kind of forget what they used to look like. We were throwing on some film of 2019 and 2020, going back and looking at some things, and it was drastic when you looked out there and you see No. 77 in those two years compared to right now. I look forward to him having a great football season.
On being a better run/blocking offensive line…
DH: I just think that we are always trying to run the football. There were times where we did run the football well, but there were games that I don't want to rehash last year because last year is last year. But there were games where we didn't run the football very well. We are always trying to establish the run game and there's times that defenses are going to put more dudes in there than we can block and when they do that what we have to do is be able to block the ones that we feel like schematically are more important and if we do hand the ball off to the running back he's got to make a guy miss or run through a tackle if there's an extra dude in the box. He's got to do that and it's a mentality and it's got to be a mentality of just because they stacked the box doesn't mean we have to throw the football. There are answers to that, but we also have to be able to say you know what, we don't care how many dudes are in there. I think there were sometimes last year during the season that we had to closeout a game and we were able to run the football, generate some first downs in late game situations against heavy boxes, and I think we proved that we can do it. But the consistency wasn't there. It's just a grind. It's always getting through the details and being as best as we can in there and being tough enough and strong enough.
Matthew Bedford | Jr. | OL
On how fall camp has been going for the offensive line…
MB: I feel like we have grown as far as our fundamentals and our technique. Personally, I have grown in pass protection. Last year that was my Achilles heel but this year I think I am going to be a lot stronger in that area. We are improving our fundamentals in the game and the things that you are going to fall back on during the season in tough situations.
On the difference between this season and last year…
MB: It has been good not being in the cohorts like we were last year. Now that we are all allowed in the Team Room as an offensive line, we can form a better bond because we are all allowed to be together in one area. We can talk and communicate after practice about how we messed up a play or 'let me go talk this person.' Being able to have a face-to-face interaction has been great for us.
On the increased communication among the group…
MB: The communication has been tremendous. For the offensive line to be able to communicate, talk with each other on a consistent basis during plays and when we are off the field has been great. It has been great being able to call plays during practice and communicate off the field. Also, it has been great to communicate our mistakes, correct those mistakes, and come out on the next play and make great things happen. That is all we care about.
Caleb Jones | R-Sr. | OL
On the difference in fall camp this year compared to last season…
CJ: It is almost night and day compared to last fall. Having the offseason helped in order for me to be successful. I am in better shape, make the most out of our practices, go hard, and make the most of everyday.
On his outlook for the team entering the season…
CJ: The sky is the limit for this team. I truly believe we can go as far as we want to go as a unit, as far as we are willing to work, and prepare to go is how far we will go. I do not think there is a limit for this team. A big thing for the offensive line is the run game. It has been our focus for most of this fall camp. We are making sure that we can open gaps for our running backs and making our offense as balanced as it should be. We are working on getting to the level we need to get to be successful.
On what he focused on during the offseason…
CJ: The number one focus I had was getting my weight under control. Last season I did not perform the way that I should have and did not reach the goal I had in mind. I am sure a lot of people saw that in the way that I played, so this offseason was all about getting my weight under control, working as hard as I can so I can maximize the talents that I have this final season. I am making sure that I am working hard and leading my teammates.
#GoIU
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