Indiana University Athletics
Quoted: at Cincinnati
9/21/2022 4:00:00 PM | Football
WATCH: Connor Bazelak Press ConferenceWATCH: Charles Campbell InterviewWATCH: James Evans InterviewWATCH: Bryant Fitzgerald InterviewWATCH: Emery Simmons InterviewWATCH: Jaylin Williams InterviewMEDIA MONDAY: at CincinnatiPETE: Jones Takes Leadership to Elite LevelGAME NOTES: at CincinnatiPETE: When It Matters Most, IU’s Campbell At His Best
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – After three staright win at home to start the season, the Indiana football program will head to Cincinnati for its first road test and offensive coordinator Walt Bell and defensive coordinator Chad Wilt, along with selected student-athletes spoke to the media ahead of the Saturday (Sept. 24) meeting at Nippert Stadium.
Check out Austin Render's one-on-one interviews with Charles Campbell, James Evans, Bryant Fitzgerald, Emery Simmons and Jaylin Williams at the links near the top of this story or at IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Below is a partial transcript of the coordinators press conferences, while video of the full media sessions found near the top of this story or at IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Walt Bell | Offensive Coordinator
On what IU's wide receivers call a very catchable ball that Connor Bazelak throws…
WB: Before you get to the appropriateness of the ball, he's a spot hitter. There's a couple throws in the game that every quarterback that ever played in a football game wishes he had back but he's going to have the ball in the area more often than not.
I think he's got a really special gift to throw the appropriate ball. I think that's a ball that's on time, with about the right pacing so the guy can run through it and create [yards after catch]. We had a couple of those that he did miss but I think he throws a very appropriate ball. To me there's a lesson in that and there's an art to it. So many young quarterbacks throw the ball through somebody's soul all the time, but there's an art to that. I think that's one of his best skills, he throws a very appropriate ball.
On what has allowed Cam Camper to be successful early in the season…
WB: The biggest thing I like about him is he's just a great kid. He's got a great mom, comes from great people. He's a worker, he's a high achiever. Anything and everything you ask him to do on and off the football field he does it at a high level: how he takes care of himself, almost to a fault, when he feels like he let the team down, it hurst him.
How important the team is, his performance is to him, and the main thing outside of those white lines how everything is done the right way. To me, when your life outside the white lines, you have a grasp and great control of that, all the football stuff gets a lot easier. It's great to see really great things happen to a really great kid.
Chad Wilt | Defensive Coordinator
On what he has seen from Cincinnati on tape…
CW: Well, when you look at it, they have a lot of returning offensive linemen, guys who have played a lot for them. Ben Bryant has been in the system for a while now. Had a stint at Eastern Michigan but brought Ben back for a reason. He knows the system he's a guy they're comfortable with, they know what they're going to get out of him.
You look at the tight ends, Leonard [Taylor] and Josh [Whyle], those are two really good players. There's a lot of guys playing in this system for multiple years, you see a lot of consistency. They know what they're doing, they know how to operate. [Head] Coach [Luke] Fickell and Geno [Guidugli] know what they want to do and be offensively for sure.
On Tom Allen calling Myles Jackson a pleasant surprise…
CW: You're always waiting for the production, so I know why coach says that, but even when you go back to what we saw out of Myles in spring ball we knew he would help out football team this year. It was in leadership, production in practices, in how hard he plays.
The interception but also the fumble recovery, the fumble recovery is a result of playing hard. We talk about the ball finding energy and he's a guy who always has energy. He always has that effort and strain. He's always working and it's also no surprise. I'm not trying to undercut Coach Allen, but it's no surprise. We've seen evidence and proof of that, but you're still waiting to go see it in the games.
He does the right things. He handles his business, works, fights, competes, strains. Shocker that you see the young man producing on the field.
Check out Austin Render's one-on-one interviews with Charles Campbell, James Evans, Bryant Fitzgerald, Emery Simmons and Jaylin Williams at the links near the top of this story or at IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Below is a partial transcript of the coordinators press conferences, while video of the full media sessions found near the top of this story or at IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Walt Bell | Offensive Coordinator
On what IU's wide receivers call a very catchable ball that Connor Bazelak throws…
WB: Before you get to the appropriateness of the ball, he's a spot hitter. There's a couple throws in the game that every quarterback that ever played in a football game wishes he had back but he's going to have the ball in the area more often than not.
I think he's got a really special gift to throw the appropriate ball. I think that's a ball that's on time, with about the right pacing so the guy can run through it and create [yards after catch]. We had a couple of those that he did miss but I think he throws a very appropriate ball. To me there's a lesson in that and there's an art to it. So many young quarterbacks throw the ball through somebody's soul all the time, but there's an art to that. I think that's one of his best skills, he throws a very appropriate ball.
On what has allowed Cam Camper to be successful early in the season…
WB: The biggest thing I like about him is he's just a great kid. He's got a great mom, comes from great people. He's a worker, he's a high achiever. Anything and everything you ask him to do on and off the football field he does it at a high level: how he takes care of himself, almost to a fault, when he feels like he let the team down, it hurst him.
How important the team is, his performance is to him, and the main thing outside of those white lines how everything is done the right way. To me, when your life outside the white lines, you have a grasp and great control of that, all the football stuff gets a lot easier. It's great to see really great things happen to a really great kid.
Chad Wilt | Defensive Coordinator
On what he has seen from Cincinnati on tape…
CW: Well, when you look at it, they have a lot of returning offensive linemen, guys who have played a lot for them. Ben Bryant has been in the system for a while now. Had a stint at Eastern Michigan but brought Ben back for a reason. He knows the system he's a guy they're comfortable with, they know what they're going to get out of him.
You look at the tight ends, Leonard [Taylor] and Josh [Whyle], those are two really good players. There's a lot of guys playing in this system for multiple years, you see a lot of consistency. They know what they're doing, they know how to operate. [Head] Coach [Luke] Fickell and Geno [Guidugli] know what they want to do and be offensively for sure.
On Tom Allen calling Myles Jackson a pleasant surprise…
CW: You're always waiting for the production, so I know why coach says that, but even when you go back to what we saw out of Myles in spring ball we knew he would help out football team this year. It was in leadership, production in practices, in how hard he plays.
The interception but also the fumble recovery, the fumble recovery is a result of playing hard. We talk about the ball finding energy and he's a guy who always has energy. He always has that effort and strain. He's always working and it's also no surprise. I'm not trying to undercut Coach Allen, but it's no surprise. We've seen evidence and proof of that, but you're still waiting to go see it in the games.
He does the right things. He handles his business, works, fights, competes, strains. Shocker that you see the young man producing on the field.
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