‘Bright Future’ -- Ferrell Playing Beyond His Years
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Amare Ferrell was ready for the moment.
That was big against Rutgers.
The goal is to ensure, now that senior safety Noah Pierre is sidelined indefinitely with a leg injury, that this 6-foot-2, 210-pound true freshman safety is ready for all the moments to come, starting Saturday at No. 10 Penn State (6-1).
That will be bigger.
“I’m really excited about his future,” head coach Tom Allen says.
Ferrell had seven tackles against Rutgers. He entered the game with just one career tackle in limited playing time.
“When we started practicing (in August) and asked our older players, they’d say, ‘This guy has something different about him,’” Allen says.
“He’s a physical player. He understands the game. He’s played a lot of football being from Florida where you have spring football. He brought that edge and confidence.
“When he had a chance to play an extended period of time on Saturday, he was ready when called upon. He’s going to have to continue to grow in that role.”
Before last Saturday, Ferrell was mostly a special teams player. He’d already played in five games, which meant IU coaches had decided not to redshirt him.
“We made that decision several weeks ago because he was too valuable,” Allen says.
Co-defensive coordinator Matt Guierrieri sees the value in this four-star prospect out of Florida.
“He’s a talented guy. He doesn’t act like a freshman. He does a lot of special teams. I’m pleased with the way he comes to work. He has a bright future.”
Ferrell didn’t have long to adjust against a run-heavy Rutgers team.
“When I first got out there, it was a little fast for me. It took a play or two to settle in. That first play went by real fast. Then everything calmed down. It slowed down. I did my job and made a lot of plays. I went on from there.”
Veteran defensive players helped.
“I had a lot of older guys embrace me and tell me to stay the course, and do what I do,” Ferrell says. “They said, it’s no different than practice, just on a bigger stage. I did my job and made plays.”
Against Rutgers, the secondary also lost safety Louis Moore to a targeting call and safety Phillip Dunnam to an injury. That sent backup Jordan Grier into action.
“That’s the game of football,” Ferrell says. “Louis’s targeting was very emotional. He was very emotional. We made sure we stayed the course. When Jordan came in, we kept talking. We wanted to make sure we didn’t make any mistakes.”
Minimizing mistakes will be crucial on Saturday. IU (2-5) faces a Penn State offense that averages 39.7 points, 213.7 passing yards, and 181.3 rushing yards. Losing Pierre, a sixth-year player with 22 tackles, one sack, and two pass breakups this season, is a big blow.
“He’s been important to me since I got here,” Ferrell says. “He helped with things like the playbook, the way you see things on the field, mental things. He knows the defense in and out. I can ask him for anything, on the field, in the film room, outside the film room, and he’s there.”
Adds Guerrieri: “My heart breaks for him. He’s been a leader. The first thing I did after the game, and everything settled was make sure he was okay. Did he want me to get him some food?
“Just because he’s not the health he was before doesn’t mean his impact goes away. He’s a guy who is the heart and soul of what we do.”
Ferrell says Pierre will inspire him the rest of the season.
“I know it’s Noah’s last year. Nobody wanted it to happen to him, but everything happens for a reason. I’m going to play for him. He’s helped me a lot. I want to take care of what he’s done."