Looking in the Mirror -- Matthew Bedford’s Quest for Excellence
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Looking in the mirror isn’t for the faint of heart. Not everyone can do it and see the bigger-picture truth.
At 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, Matthew Bedford has no problem with truth, big or otherwise. Indiana’s senior offensive lineman strives for excellence, knows when it’s achieved, and measures himself accordingly.
A resume that includes honorable-mention All-Big Ten accolades confirms his hard-earned wisdom.
What Bedford has done so far this season at right guard, he insists, doesn’t meet his expectations.
“I don’t think I’ve played my best game yet,” he says. “Quite frankly, I don’t feel I’m where I need to be.”
Head coach Tom Allen disagrees. He sees Bedford’s performance against Michigan as his best of the season, impressive given the quality of the Wolverines’ defense, and the fact Bedford is only now rounding into form after basically missing all of last season with a knee injury.
Again, Bedford expects more, starting with Saturday’s Homecoming Game against Rutgers (5-2) at Memorial Stadium.
“I’m trying to get back to where I feel I’m the type of player I should be,” Bedford says.
“I want to be the best offensive lineman in the country. I approach it on the field, with film study, in the weight room. I try to be as strong as possible. I take (the Michigan) loss personally. I’m going to get better.”
Statistics aren’t the ultimate measure of quality offensive line play. Numbers such as sacks allowed, quarterback hits given up or rushing yards gained can suggest excellence, but don’t compare to say, a quarterback’s passing yards, a receiver’s receiving yards or a running back’s rushing total.
What does better mean for Bedford?
“Just execution. Honing my tools. Getting everything perfect.”
That push for perfection includes the entire offensive line, which has improved under coach Bob Bostad, but not yet peaked.
“It’s focusing on finishing,” Bedford says. “It’s focusing on the preparation during the week. The way I’ve been training, it’s focusing on the opponent early in the week. Instead of seeing (a teammate in) the opposite jersey, you see a guy of the school you’re playing. Approach every rep like it’s a game rep.
“That’s what we’re facing in this part of the season. You prepare to get to the postseason. You prepare every day leading up to the game as if it was the game, so when the game gets there, you’re playing free. You’re not thinking as hard and trying to make things happen, because they’ve been happening all week.”
As for postseason prospects, the Hoosiers (2-4) haven’t lost the faith. They have to win four of their final six games, with only one ranked opponent (No. 7 Penn State) left on the schedule, to become bowl eligible.
“We understand the seriousness, the heaviness of what we want with these next few games,” Bedford says.
“One of our team goals is to make the postseason. These next few games will be the decider of that. We understand our preparation and the heaviness of the assignments we’re given and what we need to do to get to the postseason.”
Bedford played in bowl games following the 2019 and ’20 seasons. He was a key contributor to offenses that averaged 31.8 points in 2019 and 28.9 in 2020. He wants one more bowl opportunity.
“I’ve been a part of postseason teams. Every game adds a notch to where you want to be. These next few games are the deciders of whether or not we’ll make it. I’m of the opinion we’ll get there.
“I’ll do anything I have to do, whether it’s stay up more hours studying to get the game plan down, or help somebody on the field or stay after practice to work on this drill or sharpen this technique. If that’s what needs to get done, I’ll do it.”
Better quarterback play is key in IU’s postseason hopes. Coaches have rotated quarterbacks this season while trying to determine whether Tayven Jackson or Brendan Sorsby can best run the offense. Neither has shown the consistency needed to win and hold onto the job. Allen indicated a decision would be made this week.
“Both guys want to be part of that winning solution,” Bedford says. “You keep lifting them up with whatever mistakes or problems they have during the week.
“Both have a great mindset in terms of the quarterback competition. They help each other. I do what I can to help them.”
Bedford says the offense won’t change no matter who runs it.
“The game plan is the game plan. Both guys execute it essentially the same way.”
Regardless of who’s the quarterback, more scoring is needed. The Hoosiers’ 18.5-point average ranks last in the Big Ten.
Just a couple of weeks into the job, offensive coordinator Rod Carey can’t dramatically change the offense, but can and does push for better execution.
“In the beginning of the week, we focus on the game plan and what we’ll do in certain situations,” Bedford says. “At the end of the week, we get to sharpening the execution. Make sure we’re executing at the highest level on every play so we can move down the field efficiently.”
One drill to achieve that is called, “30 Perfect Plays.”
“Every play is in our game plan,” Bedford says, “and if anyone on offense messes up, we start from scratch. If we’re at the 29-yard line and mess up, we bring it back to the 1-yard line. We’ll do it over until we get those 30 perfect plays and get that execution down before we get to game time.”