2019 Indiana Football Fall Camp Report: August 16th
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Image: Andrew Walker Hoosier Huddle
Written by Andrew Walker
Indiana Football took to the practice fields on a gloomy day in Bloomington, one day closer to gameday. Energy was high on Friday, with Peyton Ramsey and Mike Penix taking a majority of the snaps. It seemed like the QB’s were incapable of making bad plays, until the defense made better ones. A bat down and interception capped off an intense team drill at the end and cemented the defense as the winners of the day.
Observations
Defense was dominant on the day
Ramsey and Penix were both making great plays all day
Tuttle struggles early but made good plays in the end
Coaches are pleased all around with the communication and effort from the entire team
There’s been some real, genuine excitement among players and coaches about how good this team will be
Quotes
Kane Wommack
On if they've determined who will start and the rotation of the defensive line
"We're going to play by committee for sure. But the nice thing now is some of these young guys that have improved in the last year have taken their game to another level. It's really encouraging to see. There's a difference between third-down pass rush and first and second down transition pass rush, where we have to think run first and then transition to getting in to the backfield, from a run mentality to a pass mentality. That has been really encouraging, just the urgency those guys can transition from one to flip their hips and go attack the quarterback. It's been really encouraging."
On what he's seen from LB Cam Jones and LB Thomas Allen that has stuck out…
"Cam's athleticism just shows out wherever he's out on the field. Make no bones about it, he's a great football player, a great athlete. It's our job to make sure we get him in the right matchups to maximize his full skillset. Thomas is the guy who can do everything right. He's a great communicator on the field. He's not as talented as Cam Jones, but he makes plays in a very different way. For him, he's the one who's a great communicator, he knows exactly where to go and put his eyes. Again, that's where you have a great linebacking corps is when you have different types of playmakers and guys who study the defense. We've got a nice blend of guys right now."
On how LB Reakwon Jones has evolved as a leader…
"His football play has continued to get better and better and better. He is executing at a very high level right now, but where you've seen a transformation, from really anything I've seen in the past from him, is his leadership. His vocal leadership on the field. And when you had Tegray Scales and guys like that in the past, that was not required of him. He just had to go out there and do his job. Now he's doing it at a very high level, where he feels confident about those things. I think he sees that growth within himself and he sees that growth in the younger players, so he's trying to help them along."
Reakwon Jones
On what has impressed him in the linebacker group…
"Just the overall depth and athleticism of the linebackers. They've come out to play, ready to get better every day. We might make mistakes one day, but they've corrected those the very next day at practice. And just the attention to detail, listening to coach, listening to what he's stressing and just fixing it. That's really encouraging. We have a lot of depth, a lot of athletes who can make plays. It's been competitive and everyone just brings it every day. That's been really encouraging to see."
Cam Jones
On how communication in the group has gone so far in camp…
"Playing for this defense, a swarm D, communication and confidence. We emphasize that, we emphasize it every single day. Practice, walk-throughs, no matter what. As long as you communicate and are confident in what you do, we are going to get to the ball and execute."