Heart Over Size – Jaylin Lucas Keeps Proving Doubters Wrong
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For Jaylin Lucas, a heart-over-size guy, motivation comes from a look, a word, a comment.
Indiana’s freshman running back has experienced it so many times before -- that sense of being overlooked, doubted, disrespected.
“I always have a chip on my shoulder with something to prove,” he says.
Lucas is listed at 5-9 and 170 pounds, which is fine for, say, a soccer player. But he plays the other football, the one that features very large guys who hit with bone-crunching force.
That assumes, of course, that they hit what they seek.
For Lucas, as swift and elusive as any Hoosier in recent memory, good luck hitting him at anything close to full force.
“I always take advantage of my speed,” he says. “Always. Whenever my number is called, it’s on.”
It was on during an all-state high school career in Louisiana, which included 1,883 all-purpose yards as a senior, plus a sixth-place finish in the state 100-meter dash.
Still, most Power 5 teams saw his size and moved on.
Lucas noticed.
“That always gives me motivation. Not too many college teams wanted to take me because of my size.”
What those teams saw as a negative, Lucas sees as a plus. He makes plays others can’t, fits through holes larger backs can’t.
“I use my small size to get through big defenders.”
Getting Lucas touches, especially in space, remains an IU priority. He’s rushed 37 times for 147 yards (with a long of 39 yards against Nebraska) and a touchdown. He’s caught 11 passes for 83 yards. He’s returned 15 kickoffs for a 26.1-yard average, highlighted by a 93-yard touchdown return against Rutgers.
As head coach Tom Allen puts it, “With his skill set, you’d love to get him the ball more.”
At times, Lucas is asked to run between the tackles.
“I’m definitely fine with that,” he says with a smile, “but I’d rather get the ball in space.”
Lucas’s size creates pass-protection challenges given the size and speed of defenders coming after the quarterback.
“What I do is chip, and cut them,” Lucas says. “That’s probably not the right way to do it. I should block head up.
“I keep working on that. There’s always something new to learn every day in practice. I keep progressing, I’m getting better.”
One thought is to play Lucas more at slot receiver. Allen is all for it, although it comes with a learning curve.
“That’s something we’d like to grow him into,” Allen says. “There are a lot of variables with that.
“When you say, let’s find creative ways to get him the ball, (receiver) is the next step outside of him being a return guy, which is what he’s currently doing.”
Adds Lucas: “A lot of teams want small, twitchy guys on offense. My size is a big advantage.”
For a while, Lucas led the nation in kickoff returns. He hopes to get back to that.
“I’ve been doing (well) on kickoff returns,” he says, “but I expect more from myself. I should be leading in touchdowns on kickoff returns.”
Besides good blocking, what’s the key to a big kickoff return?
“The first thing I look for is the angles (defenders) take,” Lucas says. “If they’re running down hard, I know the first defender is going to miss. All I have to do is stick my foot in the ground and get around him.”
Then his speed kicks in. It’s not all raw ability, he insists.
“My speed comes from all the hard work I put in when people are not looking.”
IU plays Saturday at Michigan State (5-5) and looks to regain the Old Brass Spittoon.
“The plan is to come out strong, execute, and take every play one by one,” Lucas says. “We have to do the little things. That will matter in this game. If we do, hopefully we’ll come out with a victory.”