Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Leaving No “Stone” Unturned With Iowa Looming
8/24/2021 9:18:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - "Stone" is a serious name for serious people.
Jaren Handy, it seems, has become very serious for Indiana football in general, the defense in particular.
Yes, they call him "Stone," first in high school, now for the Hoosiers.
"I would say throughout camp," coach Tom Allen says, "Stone Handy is the guy that has stuck out (at creating pressure), especially as camp has come to a close."
Handy transferred from Auburn this past offseason as a defensive end with one sack on his resume, and it was a big one, coming last season against No. 1 Alabama.
The 6-6, 255-pounder joined the Hoosiers with a goal of boosting the pass rush. Once a middle school receiver, he grew into a dominant high school player, then an Auburn reserve (14 games over 2 seasons) and now, perhaps, an Indiana difference maker.
After a slow start to August camp, he's become a pass-rushing force, this time at the bull position, which is a hybrid defensive end-linebacker in IU's attack system.
Allen has noticed the impact.
"He's learned the system more. He really flashed the last week in practice. Had multiple sacks for multiple days. Then again (during last Saturday's scrimmage), same thing."
Handy is one of three defensive line transfers brought in to ratchet up the quarterback heat. The others are Weston Kramer from Northern Illinois and Ryder Anderson from Ole Miss.
All of them have made their mark in camp, and almost certainly will during the season.
Kramer has been a disruptive inside force -- as much for his effort and intensity as his physical skill.
Anderson excelled in the spring -- "He was our MVP for the defense," Allen says -- and hasn't slowed down in August.
"He's a big, strong, steady, smart, tough, physical guy," Allen adds.
"We expect (Kramer and Anderson) to really give us a lift (on the defensive line) and really generate pressure. And we're going to do what we do. We bring pressure. That's how we play."
As far as offensive transfers, running back Stephen Carr has emerged as the likely starter.
"He continues to pop to me," Allen says.
IU hopes for a big season -- it is ranked No. 17 in preseason polls -- with more than transfers. Seventeen starters return. During last Saturday's scrimmage, it was the defensive veterans who excelled.
"I would say the guys that stuck out were the guys on defense," Allen says. "I thought our secondary played extremely well, not giving up a lot of things and making things really difficult. There were a lot of contested balls and a lot of good pressure up front.
"We do a lot of (different things defensively). We are not trying to scheme against each other. The offense made some plays, too."
One of those was receiver Ty Fryfogle, the reigning Big Ten Receiver of the Year, whose biggest scrimmage play came didn't show up on the stat sheet.
"I thought Ty, as good as we know he is, the thing that really stuck out to me is that you get young men at certain points in their careers, and he made the decision to come back when he could have gone on and been playing in the NFL right now," Allen says."
"He had his reasons and we agreed with him. I really appreciate his approach."
That includes his toughness in bouncing back from a big scrimmage hit.
"You never want to see him get laid out," Allen says, "but he got hit on Saturday in the scrimmage and just popped back up.
"You are trying to avoid some of those things obviously, for guys like him, but it is tackle football. It happens. He just doesn't complain.
"Some guys when you get to that point (in their careers), they can kind of worry about this or worry about that. He just goes all out. He is tough. He doesn't say anything. He just plays football.
"I appreciate his attitude and his leadership. For a guy that has been here a long time, he came back for the additional year, and he has elevated himself. He has his body in great condition and he has worked his tail off in the weight room and I just love his mindset. He stuck out to me.
"He catches a lot of balls. He and (quarterback Michael Penix Jr.) have a great chemistry."
Chemistry was everywhere you looked in the scrimmage, Allen adds.
"I thought our tight ends played really well and continue to play really well. Linebackers played well and took control of the team and ran the defense. I thought that was the best they had done with all of those things."
This was exactly what Allen was looking for from the second scrimmage, which he and his staff treated like an exhibition game. Now preparations really start honing in on the Sept. 4 season opener at Iowa.
"It was a good day for our program," Allen says. "It allowed you to work on things and is that one last chance to get into that. It was like 125 snaps, so a lot of snaps, a little pressure, the heat, some long drives, and trying to get your body mentally and physically ready to play.
"Now, you get into a little more into Iowa mode here this week."
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