‘Honored and Blessed’ – Peyton Hendershot Finding His Way
9/22/2021 9:32:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sometimes a guy has to cry. He just does. It means that he cares, that he's committed, that he's connected to something bigger than himself.
So here is Peyton Hendershot, all 6-4 and 254 pounds of him, Indiana's record-setting tight end suddenly in touch with his sensitive side.
Yes, he teared up. Being named a team co-captain, just thinking about being named a captain, means that much to him.
"It was the biggest thing ever," Hendershot says. "I cried when they told me."
So many people talk about making a difference -- for themselves, for others. Doing so requires effort and passion and selflessness.
Hendershot has learned to do all three. Cliché or not, it is the journey of a boy becoming a man.
"Growing up, I never thought I'd be a captain for a Big Ten football team. I am very honored and blessed. I'll do anything I can for this team."
Hendershot is a leader as he wasn't before. He sets examples as he couldn't before. Sometimes you have to get knocked down to find yourself, to have teammates see you as someone to follow and not to ignore, to understand that it's relationships, and not records, that really matter.
"I didn't feel invested in the team last year," he says. "It was hard to go out there on Saturdays and give my all.
"I feel very invested in the team. I've built a lot of relationships with the guys. I've done a lot of hanging out with the guys and getting to know them. That's a big part to what led into me being a captain."
So was a work ethic to inspire rather than frustrate.
"Last year I felt I let the team down," he says. "I didn't play to the standard that I should have. I told myself every opportunity I get in the offseason, I'm going to (take advantage), make myself work and become a better player.
"I wasn't going to let what happened last year happen again. I did everything I could,"
Head coach Tom Allen saw it in the offseason and, with Saturday's Cincinnati game, when Hendershot caught six passes for 60 yards with a brute-force touchdown, saw it on the field.
"He's transformed his body and his work ethic. Our strength staff said they'd never had a young man have a better eight-month period than he had in the off-season. He's worked extremely hard to get better. He looks faster and he's just in great shape. He's worked hard on improving his blocking."
Last year was great for the program (6-2 record, No. 12 final national ranking), miserable for Hendershot. Shoulder surgery, ankle surgery, pandemic-caused separation from IU's state-of-the-art training facilities, an unwanted 25-pound weight loss, a suspension for an off-field incident, it all combined to strip away his production.
In 2019, he caught a school-tight-end-record 52 passes for 622 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2020, down to 240 pounds from the 265 he was the year before, he caught 23 passes for 151 yards and no TDs.
After three games this season, he has nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Flashback to that touchdown. It was IU's first score on Saturday. Hendershot caught a pass from Michael Penix Jr. off a play-action rollout and out-ran and out-powered three Cincinnati defenders for 16 yards into the end zone.
"Peyton is a weapon with the ball in his hand," Allen says. "He's big and physical and can get the ball in the end zone."
Adds Hendershot: "I feel the most explosive I ever have. When the ball is in my hands, I feel I can do more things than I have in the past. I can make moves on guys and make them miss.
"I feel very good this year and continue to grow and get better. It's been a good start so far."
The same cannot be said for IU. Its 1-2 record is a huge disappointment for a team that began the season with title expectations.
There are nine remaining games to get it right.
The Hoosiers play at Western Kentucky (1-1) Saturday night. It is an offensive juggernaut with a passing attack that averages 429.5 yards a game. Defensively, however, it has shown vulnerability, allowing 29.5 points, including 38 in a three-point loss to Army.
The Hoosiers haven't clicked offensively, yet. A key, Hendershot says, "Is all 11 guys doing their jobs."
"When we do that, we execute and when we execute we do great things. That's the big emphasis for all 11 men to do their jobs at the same time."
The same, he adds, is true for the receivers. Florida State transfer D.J. Matthews Jr. has emerged as the biggest threat with 11 catches for 153 yards. Ty Fryfogle, struggling to return to last season's Big Ten-receiver-of-the-year form, has 11 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.
"A good thing for Mike is that he has other guys who can help him out. He can have other options to go to.
"Me and D.J. did a good job (against Cincinnati), but it's all 11 guys at the same time. If one person messes up it can mess up the whole play. Our emphasis this week is for all 11 to do their jobs."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sometimes a guy has to cry. He just does. It means that he cares, that he's committed, that he's connected to something bigger than himself.
So here is Peyton Hendershot, all 6-4 and 254 pounds of him, Indiana's record-setting tight end suddenly in touch with his sensitive side.
Yes, he teared up. Being named a team co-captain, just thinking about being named a captain, means that much to him.
"It was the biggest thing ever," Hendershot says. "I cried when they told me."
So many people talk about making a difference -- for themselves, for others. Doing so requires effort and passion and selflessness.
Hendershot has learned to do all three. Cliché or not, it is the journey of a boy becoming a man.
"Growing up, I never thought I'd be a captain for a Big Ten football team. I am very honored and blessed. I'll do anything I can for this team."
Hendershot is a leader as he wasn't before. He sets examples as he couldn't before. Sometimes you have to get knocked down to find yourself, to have teammates see you as someone to follow and not to ignore, to understand that it's relationships, and not records, that really matter.
"I didn't feel invested in the team last year," he says. "It was hard to go out there on Saturdays and give my all.
"I feel very invested in the team. I've built a lot of relationships with the guys. I've done a lot of hanging out with the guys and getting to know them. That's a big part to what led into me being a captain."
So was a work ethic to inspire rather than frustrate.
"Last year I felt I let the team down," he says. "I didn't play to the standard that I should have. I told myself every opportunity I get in the offseason, I'm going to (take advantage), make myself work and become a better player.
"I wasn't going to let what happened last year happen again. I did everything I could,"
Head coach Tom Allen saw it in the offseason and, with Saturday's Cincinnati game, when Hendershot caught six passes for 60 yards with a brute-force touchdown, saw it on the field.
"He's transformed his body and his work ethic. Our strength staff said they'd never had a young man have a better eight-month period than he had in the off-season. He's worked extremely hard to get better. He looks faster and he's just in great shape. He's worked hard on improving his blocking."
Last year was great for the program (6-2 record, No. 12 final national ranking), miserable for Hendershot. Shoulder surgery, ankle surgery, pandemic-caused separation from IU's state-of-the-art training facilities, an unwanted 25-pound weight loss, a suspension for an off-field incident, it all combined to strip away his production.
In 2019, he caught a school-tight-end-record 52 passes for 622 yards and four touchdowns.
In 2020, down to 240 pounds from the 265 he was the year before, he caught 23 passes for 151 yards and no TDs.
After three games this season, he has nine catches for 86 yards and a touchdown.
Flashback to that touchdown. It was IU's first score on Saturday. Hendershot caught a pass from Michael Penix Jr. off a play-action rollout and out-ran and out-powered three Cincinnati defenders for 16 yards into the end zone.
"Peyton is a weapon with the ball in his hand," Allen says. "He's big and physical and can get the ball in the end zone."
Adds Hendershot: "I feel the most explosive I ever have. When the ball is in my hands, I feel I can do more things than I have in the past. I can make moves on guys and make them miss.
"I feel very good this year and continue to grow and get better. It's been a good start so far."
The same cannot be said for IU. Its 1-2 record is a huge disappointment for a team that began the season with title expectations.
There are nine remaining games to get it right.
The Hoosiers play at Western Kentucky (1-1) Saturday night. It is an offensive juggernaut with a passing attack that averages 429.5 yards a game. Defensively, however, it has shown vulnerability, allowing 29.5 points, including 38 in a three-point loss to Army.
The Hoosiers haven't clicked offensively, yet. A key, Hendershot says, "Is all 11 guys doing their jobs."
"When we do that, we execute and when we execute we do great things. That's the big emphasis for all 11 men to do their jobs at the same time."
The same, he adds, is true for the receivers. Florida State transfer D.J. Matthews Jr. has emerged as the biggest threat with 11 catches for 153 yards. Ty Fryfogle, struggling to return to last season's Big Ten-receiver-of-the-year form, has 11 catches for 126 yards and a touchdown.
"A good thing for Mike is that he has other guys who can help him out. He can have other options to go to.
"Me and D.J. did a good job (against Cincinnati), but it's all 11 guys at the same time. If one person messes up it can mess up the whole play. Our emphasis this week is for all 11 to do their jobs."
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