Indiana University Athletics
On Defensive Competition, Quarterback Decision, and What’s Next
8/25/2022 10:00:00 AM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana’s starting quarterback battle is over. Head coach Tom Allen confirms it.
Who won the job -- Jack Tuttle or Connor Bazelak?
Hold that thought.
The competitive pressure stays. Assistant coach Kasey Teegardin insists on it.
What does that mean for Lance Bryant and Myles Jackson?
Let’s get to it.
Bryant and Jackson are good players, but more is possible. For the Hoosiers to be really good on defense, and Allen is adamant about that, Fitzgerald and Jackson must play at elite levels, whether it’s at their Bull position, or linebacker or defensive end or, well, anywhere they’re needed.
For Teegardin, who coaches the Bull position as well as special teams, that means ratcheting up the competition between the two.
“We partner up in drills, so they're going against each other; they're challenging each other in the meeting rooms; they're challenging each other off the field,” Teegardin says. “We have to have that.”
Every year coaches talk about wanting competition, about needing fierce battles to mold good players into, perhaps, great ones.
Teegardin thinks he has it with Bryant and Jackson.
“When you have better players that are twos and threes, it elevates the ones,” Teegardin says. “It pushes everyone to be better.
“We haven't had this kind of depth since I've been coaching the position and I think that's the most exciting part. I think (Bryant) will tell you the same thing …
“Myles makes him bring his A game every day. (Bryant) makes Myles bring his A game every day. Those guys rally to the charge. They're doing an awesome job. It makes coaching fun to see these guys compete at a high level. It's what this profession is all about.”
The 6-2, 255-pound Jackson has never played a game for IU. He transferred from UCLA last January. He totaled six tackles with one sack and one fumble recovery in his one Bruin season.
“Bryant is a coach on the field,” Teegardin says. “He knows the defense. He knows where he's supposed to be, how he's supposed to fit, and I think that's allowing him to play faster.
“I have not seen him move this fast. Just in generality, I think he has a better feeling and understanding.”
Understanding comes with simplicity. IU coaches dialed back the complexity of the defensive calls for the Bull, and it’s paid off.
“I think that has allowed those guys to play fast,” Teegardin says. “Simplicity, for us, is going to allow us to dictate a little bit more of what we want to do at that position.
“Myles brings the physicality factor, and his energy level is off the charts. That hasn't changed one bit. He's got a great base knowledge of what we're trying to do.
“He can watch (Bryant) go and see how his post will look and react off of that, so that's been great. Both of those guys are doing a tremendous job and it's going to be a great season for them.”
Allen and defensive coordinator Chad Wilt push versatility. They want flexibility at defensive line, linebacker, and the Bull. It enables them to do more and, ideally, offenses to do less.
It requires players fully in tune to what needs to be done.
Players, it seems, such as Bryant and Jackson.
“We're always going to have one of those guys in the game,” Teegardin says. “Third down, goal line, no matter what it is, one of those guys is going to be in there.
“You'll see both of those guys on the field at the same time, too, in some packages. That's what we've done in the past.
“To us, getting our best 11 on the field, in those money-down situations, or crunch time, which you’ve got to do, we feel like those guys help us in those situations.”
Ultimately, Teegardin adds, it comes down to pressuring the quarterback, sacking him if possible, disrupting him at all times.
“The biggest thing for me is the pass rush,” he says. “We've got to generate pass rush in this (Bull) position.
“Both of those guys are a lot better pass rushers. They're better every day, better than what we've been working with, so having that in our arsenal with those two guys is going to be a weapon for us, for sure.”
As for the 6-2, 250-pound Bryant, who has 68 tackles in 40 career games, Allen says, “His confidence is something that really sticks out to me.
“He really understands what we're trying to do with that spot and the different skillsets that position requires is multiple. He has a great grasp of that.
“I think because of that, he looks a step quicker and maybe he is. Physically, he's worked really hard in the weight room …
“He just has a little more twitch. He's playing with a higher level of confidence and belief in what he's doing. He’s moving with more suddenness, which is huge in the role he has, and I think he's just playing harder.
“There's just a finality probably to being a senior and this being your last year. I think that has a way of really motivating you and allowing you to realize there's no next time. I think all those combined have allowed him to play at a high level. It seems like he loves what he's doing. That’s infectious with the guys around him which is awesome.”
That leads us to IU’s quarterback competition. To get the answer to who will start in the Sept. 2 season opener against Illinois means recognizing that Allen will keep the Illini guessing to the final second.
“We have made a decision as we said we would following the second scrimmage,” Allen says. “We have talked to the individuals involved. It's not going to be made public (at this time). At the same time, those guys know, and it will be reflected in our practice reps.”
In other words, hold that thought.