NOTEBOOK: ‘Pushed’ Evans Responds
9/27/2022 3:38:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Sometimes, if you're Indiana head football coach Tom Allen, you have to make guys uncomfortable.
Yes, there's the Love-Each-Other approach that's been the cornerstone of the Hoosier program, but that doesn't mean you can't crank up the heat.
Allen did with punter James Evans, and the result is a big-time sophomore season.
In 19 punts as IU (3-1) enters its Saturday night game at Nebraska (1-3), Evans averages 43.8 yards. That ranks fourth in program history, with plenty of time to surpass record holder Drew Hagan, who averaged 44.8 yards in 1999.
That's a big jump from last season, when Evans averaged 41.9 yards. A native of New Zealand, it was his first shot at American football, and it showed. After playing rugby and squash in high school, he was raw and inconsistent.
Not anymore. Why the improvement? Work ethic and competition created when IU coaches brought in Alejandro Quintero to challenge him.
"We found somebody to pressure him and stress him, push him and give him some competition," Allen says. "Alex has done a great job doing that. We brought him here to say, compete for the spot. The best guy's going to punt, whoever that might be.
"I think that's helped (Evans). I think everybody responds better when you got competition behind you to push you."
Evans has found the consistency he lacked last season. He has seven punts of at least 50 yards, with a long of 53. He's had seven punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
"We brought him here because of his leg talent," Allen says. "It was obvious early, but he wasn't consistent. That was his whole goal, off-season focus, consistent. That's the one word he picked for this 2022 season.
"It's very critical for that position. You've seen that. His performance has been at a higher level. He's done a great job. He needs to get to the point where it's automatic every time he punts. That's the ultimate goal."
Consistency comes in part from a rigorous summer training schedule.
"I'm proud of his work ethic," Allen says. "He cares a whole bunch. He is high character, trustworthy, always does what he's supposed to do. He goes to class. He's an excellent student.
"I'm proud of the way he's progressed, and it has to continue. We're counting on him to flip the field, pin teams down or get us out of a bad situation."
*****
IU gets a second shot at a road victory, and hopes to do at Nebraska what it couldn't at Cincinnati last Saturday.
"We have to be at our very best, no question," Allen says. "We've got to grow as a team. Our first road game last week, we didn't handle the situation the way we needed to early for sure."
The Hoosiers will likely have to do it in front of a sell-out crowd. The Cornhuskers have a NCAA-record 385 straight home sellouts, a streak that began in 1962.
"They play really well at home," Allen says. "They've got a lot of pride in that program."
*****
IU is focused on fixing its slow-start problem. It has trailed at halftime in every game.
"We're going to change up things we do this week with our guys to try to be able to create a faster start for our team," Allen says. "That is going to be happening on a daily basis."
Nebraska's only win came against North Dakota, 38-17. Its losses have been to Northwestern (31-28), Georgia Southern (45-42) and Oklahoma (49-14).
Still, talent is there with tailback Anthony Grant (464 yards, five touchdowns) and quarterback Casey Thompson (995 yards, five TDs, three interceptions, 64.9 completion percentage). Receiver Trey Palmer has 28 catches, the most ever by a Nebraska receiver after four games.
Nebraska averages 30.5 points and allows 35.5.
IU won in its last appearance in Lincoln, 38-31, in 2019. It leads the series 10-8-3.
"They're a really good team," Allen says. "Their offense is extremely talented. They have one of the best running backs we will play the entire season. They have a talented quarterback, talented receivers and big offensive linemen.
"Obviously, they've had changes on the defensive side and at the head coach position.
"I know we're going to get their very best shot."
****
Receiver D.J. Matthews Jr. got banged up early at Cincinnati. His status for the Nebraska game is uncertain.
"It's not a long-term injury," Allen says, "but he will be day-to-day this week. We don't know yet about Saturday. We've just got to get him healthy."
Matthews has 17 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He's also returned two punts and one kickoff.
"We've just got to get him healthy," Allen says.
*****
If IU can sustain its defensive effort from last Saturday's second half, when it limited a potent Cincinnati attack to just 71 yards, look out.
"I think they had 70-some yards of total offense the second half," Allen says. "Nine possessions, six punts, interception, a fourth-down stop.
"Proud of our guys to respond. We definitely made some changes and adjustments, made some different calls based on what we were seeing.
"They had three big plays in the first half (for touchdowns), that negated all that. You've got to respond. You can't just let it continue to happen. Our guys did respond. We just dug a hole for ourselves. It's unfortunate, but that's on us."
******
Standout true freshman outside linebacker Dasan McCullough saw limited action against Cincinnati, but did manage to get one quarterback hit.
Limited practice time heading into the game was the reason for reduced playing time, defensive coordinator Chad Wilt says.
"There were some things that prevented him from preparing," Wilt says. "He's back at full strength.
"As a young player, you need practice. We expect him to show up and get after it in Lincoln."
*****
Allen has used the word, "build," as his key to the season.
With a 3-1 record, one more victory than all of last season, progress has come, with more to do, the coach says.
"When you build, it starts with a great foundation. It's about building on top of that. It's being able to ultimately build men. That's a huge objective for us because of what they become as their part of this program. It matters a lot to me.
"You also are building a program that you want to be competing for conference championships and a chance to play in the post-season. That's the whole process you're going through.
"That's the expectation here and our guys understand that. But every team's a little different. Every team's unique. Every team has its own responsibilities, characters, and qualities.
"We have been able to win three out of our first four. We got to be able to find a way to win the next one. We have to continue to build our team to perform consistently for 60 minutes and beyond, whatever it takes."
Yes, there's the Love-Each-Other approach that's been the cornerstone of the Hoosier program, but that doesn't mean you can't crank up the heat.
Allen did with punter James Evans, and the result is a big-time sophomore season.
In 19 punts as IU (3-1) enters its Saturday night game at Nebraska (1-3), Evans averages 43.8 yards. That ranks fourth in program history, with plenty of time to surpass record holder Drew Hagan, who averaged 44.8 yards in 1999.
That's a big jump from last season, when Evans averaged 41.9 yards. A native of New Zealand, it was his first shot at American football, and it showed. After playing rugby and squash in high school, he was raw and inconsistent.
Not anymore. Why the improvement? Work ethic and competition created when IU coaches brought in Alejandro Quintero to challenge him.
"We found somebody to pressure him and stress him, push him and give him some competition," Allen says. "Alex has done a great job doing that. We brought him here to say, compete for the spot. The best guy's going to punt, whoever that might be.
"I think that's helped (Evans). I think everybody responds better when you got competition behind you to push you."
Evans has found the consistency he lacked last season. He has seven punts of at least 50 yards, with a long of 53. He's had seven punts downed inside the 20-yard line.
"We brought him here because of his leg talent," Allen says. "It was obvious early, but he wasn't consistent. That was his whole goal, off-season focus, consistent. That's the one word he picked for this 2022 season.
"It's very critical for that position. You've seen that. His performance has been at a higher level. He's done a great job. He needs to get to the point where it's automatic every time he punts. That's the ultimate goal."
Consistency comes in part from a rigorous summer training schedule.
"I'm proud of his work ethic," Allen says. "He cares a whole bunch. He is high character, trustworthy, always does what he's supposed to do. He goes to class. He's an excellent student.
"I'm proud of the way he's progressed, and it has to continue. We're counting on him to flip the field, pin teams down or get us out of a bad situation."
*****
IU gets a second shot at a road victory, and hopes to do at Nebraska what it couldn't at Cincinnati last Saturday.
"We have to be at our very best, no question," Allen says. "We've got to grow as a team. Our first road game last week, we didn't handle the situation the way we needed to early for sure."
The Hoosiers will likely have to do it in front of a sell-out crowd. The Cornhuskers have a NCAA-record 385 straight home sellouts, a streak that began in 1962.
"They play really well at home," Allen says. "They've got a lot of pride in that program."
*****
IU is focused on fixing its slow-start problem. It has trailed at halftime in every game.
"We're going to change up things we do this week with our guys to try to be able to create a faster start for our team," Allen says. "That is going to be happening on a daily basis."
Nebraska's only win came against North Dakota, 38-17. Its losses have been to Northwestern (31-28), Georgia Southern (45-42) and Oklahoma (49-14).
Still, talent is there with tailback Anthony Grant (464 yards, five touchdowns) and quarterback Casey Thompson (995 yards, five TDs, three interceptions, 64.9 completion percentage). Receiver Trey Palmer has 28 catches, the most ever by a Nebraska receiver after four games.
Nebraska averages 30.5 points and allows 35.5.
IU won in its last appearance in Lincoln, 38-31, in 2019. It leads the series 10-8-3.
"They're a really good team," Allen says. "Their offense is extremely talented. They have one of the best running backs we will play the entire season. They have a talented quarterback, talented receivers and big offensive linemen.
"Obviously, they've had changes on the defensive side and at the head coach position.
"I know we're going to get their very best shot."
****
Receiver D.J. Matthews Jr. got banged up early at Cincinnati. His status for the Nebraska game is uncertain.
"It's not a long-term injury," Allen says, "but he will be day-to-day this week. We don't know yet about Saturday. We've just got to get him healthy."
Matthews has 17 catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns. He's also returned two punts and one kickoff.
"We've just got to get him healthy," Allen says.
*****
If IU can sustain its defensive effort from last Saturday's second half, when it limited a potent Cincinnati attack to just 71 yards, look out.
"I think they had 70-some yards of total offense the second half," Allen says. "Nine possessions, six punts, interception, a fourth-down stop.
"Proud of our guys to respond. We definitely made some changes and adjustments, made some different calls based on what we were seeing.
"They had three big plays in the first half (for touchdowns), that negated all that. You've got to respond. You can't just let it continue to happen. Our guys did respond. We just dug a hole for ourselves. It's unfortunate, but that's on us."
******
Standout true freshman outside linebacker Dasan McCullough saw limited action against Cincinnati, but did manage to get one quarterback hit.
Limited practice time heading into the game was the reason for reduced playing time, defensive coordinator Chad Wilt says.
"There were some things that prevented him from preparing," Wilt says. "He's back at full strength.
"As a young player, you need practice. We expect him to show up and get after it in Lincoln."
*****
Allen has used the word, "build," as his key to the season.
With a 3-1 record, one more victory than all of last season, progress has come, with more to do, the coach says.
"When you build, it starts with a great foundation. It's about building on top of that. It's being able to ultimately build men. That's a huge objective for us because of what they become as their part of this program. It matters a lot to me.
"You also are building a program that you want to be competing for conference championships and a chance to play in the post-season. That's the whole process you're going through.
"That's the expectation here and our guys understand that. But every team's a little different. Every team's unique. Every team has its own responsibilities, characters, and qualities.
"We have been able to win three out of our first four. We got to be able to find a way to win the next one. We have to continue to build our team to perform consistently for 60 minutes and beyond, whatever it takes."
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