From ‘Tough Coaching’ to ‘Beast,’ IU’s O-line Rocks
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Numbers don’t lie. Indiana’s offense is defense-smashing good.
What are those numbers? We’ll get to that but understand they don’t tell the whole story entering Saturday’s game at Maryland (4-3, 1-3 Big Ten). To get the big picture, consider the No. 2/2 Hoosiers’ among-the-best-in-the-nation offensive line, chemistry, and teamwork.
Lots of chemistry and teamwork.
“We have great camaraderie in the (offensive line) room,” senior left tackle Carter Smith says. “Everyone's super tight. When we're out on the field, we know what our jobs are. We know what we need to do.”
They do it well.
Under the direction of Bob Bostad, one of the nation’s best offensive line coaches, IU (8-0, 5-0) has made the Joe Moore Award midseason honor roll after becoming a Joe Moore Award semifinalist last season.
Why is that a big deal?
The Joe Moore Award is the only award in the country that honors an entire unit. It recognizes consistency, toughness, teamwork, technique, effort, and finishing.
Only two Big Ten teams have won the award since it began in 2015 -- Iowa in 2016 and Michigan in 2021 and ’22.
Talent is crucial, and the Hoosiers have plenty.
Smith rates among the nation’s top-three tackles according to Pro Football Focus. He was the Outland Trophy National Player of the Week after the Oregon victory (he didn’t allow a pressure and helped IU rush for 111 yards and two touchdowns, and throw for 215 yards and a TD against a powerhouse defense), and made The Athletic’s midseason All-America first team. He’s started 33 straight games.
Center Pat Coogan, a transfer from Notre Dame, also rates among the best in the country at his position and made the Rimington Trophy preseason watch list. Right guard Bray Lynch made the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Preseason Watch List. Right tackles Kahlil Benson and Zen Michalski, and left guard Drew Evans round out an imposing group in which no one is shorter than 6-foot-4 or lighter than 309 pounds.
Smith calls Coogan a “beast.”
“He has good leadership,” Smith says. “He speaks up. He knows what to say and when to say it. He commands the O-line really well. Wherever he goes, he will be able to command that group really well.”
Camaraderie, Smith adds, comes from get togethers outside of the offensive line room.
“It’s not always about football,” Smith says, “and it shouldn’t always be about football. We had a dinner during the Oregon week at Mother Bear’s. That was a great team bonding experience. It’s helped us to be closer together.”
You can’t overstate the importance of Bostad, who coached 11 All-Americans during two stops at Wisconsin. He also coached four years in the NFL at Tampa Bay and Tennessee.
Bostad was the only coach Curt Cignetti retained from Tom Allen’s staff. Cignetti said he received a lot of positive feedback about the job Bobstad had done in his first season at IU.
“Everybody sang his praises about the improvement of the offensive line in 2023,” Cignetti says. “I felt so fortunate to be able to retain him. I was fired up when I saw he was on the roster the year before. I had been aware of his name but had never met him.
“Bob's an excellent line coach. He's a football guy. He's a great fundamental teacher. He makes his guys tough. They respond to him.”
Response comes in the wake of Bostad’s tough coaching. Smith calls him a “great coach” who “can be quiet sometimes, but in the meeting room, it’s all business.
“Evey week he comes in and we watch film. Maybe the O-line had a great game. He says, ‘When I get in here, I’ll be critical about our reps, and we need to take the coaching the way I coach.’ Everyone takes it well. It’s worked out very well.”
Then there’s the presence of quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who has emerged as a dynamic leader as well as player. Smith says Mendoza is a big part of the offensive line’s success.
“His confidence really rubs off on us. Whenever we have something -- maybe he gets hit on a play -- (the offensive line) is like ‘Oh, Fernando are you all good?’ And he's like, ‘Dude, go do your job. It's ok.’”
How ok is it? Consider IU ranks No. 3 nationally in scoring (45.5 points), No. 6 in total offense (494.5 yards), No. 11 in rushing (230.5), and No. 38 in passing (240.4 yards). The Hoosiers also lead the nation in third-down conversion (58.2 percent) and first downs gained (214). PFF gives IU a No. 1 offensive grade.
Mendoza leads the nation with 24 touchdown passes under the direction of offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan and quarterbacks coach Chandler Whitmer. He completes 72.9 percent of his passes for 1,923 yards.
Smith says he saw big things in Mendoza, a University of California transfer, right away.
“He popped in the spring. He was making a lot of great plays. You could tell he was really comfortable with Shanahan’s offense. Whitmer has done a great job with him, too.”
Cignetti has called Mendoza’s preparation the best he’s ever been around. What does that look like?
“He really pours himself into his playbook,” Smith says. “Every moment I see him when we’re traveling, he’s not watching a movie, he’s digging into his (scouting) sheets. He’s making sure he has all of his reads and knows what he’s supposed to do, the coverages he’ll face. He pours himself into his preparation and the way he does it is another level.”