‘Take the Initiative’ -- On Flipping Pages, Studying Film, and Preparing for Oregon
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Pat Coogan contemplates from a chair at the Don Croftcheck Team Room at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. How soon, the senior center is asked, did he start watching tape on Oregon?
“The day after Iowa,” he says.
That would be Sept. 28. Indiana had a bye following its hard-earned 20-15 victory over the Hawkeyes and Coogan took full film-watching advantage in preparation for this Saturday afternoon, when the No. 7/7 Hoosiers (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) play at No. 3/2 Oregon (5-0, 2-0).
“It’s how you learn,” Coogan says about the intense film study crucial to elite success. “It’s part of the profession. You have to flip the page as fast as possible. When you get a bye week, you take advantage of it. That’s what I try my best to do.”
That best means trying to find advantages against one of the nation’s best defenses, an Oregon unit that has recorded 22.0 tackles for loss and nine sacks while holding opponents to 12.2 points and 238.2 total yards.
“It’s a routine each player builds, starting with normal down and distance, or base pressures,” Coogan says. “You look at who are they, what do they present, what personnel are they.
“Then you move into third down and more exotic pressures. Maybe watch a two-minute.”
Coaches and staff go through all the game film and give players specific tape to watch depending on their position.
“The coaches do a good job of making all the cutups,” Coogan says. “Credit to them. They put their best foot forward so we can do the same.”
Coogan and his offensive-line teammates will face an imposing defensive line that features 6-foot-6, 336-pound Tionne Gray, 6-foot-3, 330-pound A’Mauri Washington and two others topping 330 pounds.
How do you deal with that?
“Leverage is key,” says the 6-foot-5, 311-pound Coogan. “Low man wins. I feel like I’ve been hearing that since fourth grade, and it’s true.
“We have to be prepared. We have to watch the film. Put in the time and work. They’re big bodies, but they’re uber athletic as well. There are no slugs in there. They can move. They are long and twitchy and athletic. They have good players. We have to be ready for them.”
Linebacker Aiden Fisher knows all about readiness. As the leader of a powerhouse defense (IU holds opponents to 9.8 points and 221.4 total yards), he has to be dialed into what the Hoosiers want to do and what the Ducks are likely to do.
Given Oregon averages 46.6 points and 503 total yards per game, given it has a Heisman Trophy candidate in quarterback Dante Moore along with big-play receivers and running backs, that also requires intense film study. Like Coogan, Fisher began the day after the Iowa victory.
“When I'm watching teams,” Fisher says, “I like to see what they like to do in certain situations, what their bread and butter plays are, what type of plays do they go back to, what do they do in key situations.”
“We talked about this all summer when we were working out and dog tired, that we’ve got to push through it because in the big games, that’s what you have to do.”
Oregon’s double-overtime win at Penn State, Fisher says, was a must-watch.
“They did a lot of good things that you have to prepare for,” Fisher says. “Obviously, they have really good players. So, studying their players, how they play, how they move, and then, the biggest thing for me, to see what they like to do scheme-wise.”
Under head coach Curt Cignetti, IU has won 16 of 18 games, with both losses coming on the road to powerhouse programs Ohio State and Notre Dame.
Winning at perennial power Oregon means learning lessons from those games. Fisher says he’s already talked to defensive backs Amare Ferrell and Devan Boykin and all the defensive Hoosiers about the necessary focus and preparation.
“We’re taking the initiative to be ahead of that,” Fisher says. “We have to win on the small things. Any time the (starters) are out there (in practice), we’ve got to stay on it. It’s angles to the football. Our communication has to be at an all-time high. Make sure we take the initiative and take command now, make sure we’re keen on them now, so those won’t play a factor in the game. Hammer those details out.”
Hammering comes with an expected sell-out crowd and one of the top atmospheres in all of college football.
“We know it’s a big moment,” receiver Elijah Sarratt says, “but it’s just another game.
“We’re not trying to prove anything to anyone. We’re just trying to prove it to ourselves in the locker room.
“We talked about this all summer when we were working out and dog tired, that we’ve got to push through it because in the big games, that’s what you have to do.”