Matchup To Watch: Indiana's Danny Friend vs. Maryland's Jermaine Carter Jr.

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Written By Alex Compton

Indiana is in the midst of a free-fall, and is desperately in need of a win. A loss against Maryland on Saturday brings IU’s bowl eligibility in to question, but a win keeps IU on track. Indiana has had some slow starts lately, and a major key to getting a win will be to get the offense in some sort of a rhythm early in order to avoid the defense being out on the field a ton in the first quarter. 


Danny Friend vs. Jermaine Carter Jr.


Where has the tight end gone? After praising the position group during the offseason, the start of this season has seen the tight end get involved very little during games. You could argue that once Jordan Fuchs went down in the first quarter of the season opener at Florida International that the game plans shifted, and the tight end was sort of pushed out of what the offense is looking to do. Whether or not that is actually the case, I believe that Kevin Johns needs to figure out a way to get the healthy tight ends the ball. Danny Friend is a well-rounded, solid starter. Ian Thomas has proven to be a good athlete for his size, and his blocking is much better than advertised. Austin Dorris is the most athletic of the group, and has definite field-stretching potential. I have no idea why the tight ends haven’t been getting any looks, and those that follow the program closely are puzzled as well. 

This offense is just not looking anything like the ones Indiana fans have seen over the past few seasons. Granted, those offenses were historically good, but it isn’t crazy to think that there are actually more weapons on offense this year. Richard Lagow has had trouble getting in rhythm out of the gate, which has certainly been a major factor in IU falling behind early. Once the Hoosiers fall behind, Lagow opens it up and starts forcing throws to try and get back in the game. This is when he has been at his worst, and it obviously ends up hurting the team. Lagow has been good this year when he has time to go through his reads, and then hit a safe throw underneath if need be. He panics when he doesn’t have a safe throw, and oftentimes forces it downfield instead of throwing it away or taking off on foot. Danny Friend especially has offered a nice target for Lagow so far, and I would like to see more of him and the other TE’s moving forward.

This matchup is different than the ones in the previous weeks for a few reasons. First off, I have no idea if it will appear much in the game at all. Like I said, IU’s tight ends haven’t had many chances to make plays, and have been in the game to block instead. If that stays true on Saturday, then obviously it won’t be much of a matchup. Next, I’m not sure just how much of an impact this matchup would have on the game. IU has used the tight end so sparingly over the season that I’m uncertain of just how much it would help to open up the offense. You would expect it to do wonders of course, but we will have to just see the results down the road if the position group emerges.   

As far as the matchup itself goes, I do like what I see here. Maryland likes to load up in the box and leave defensive backs with little help on the outside. This leaves the linebackers to cover tight ends and running backs, and this could lead to some easy throws. Jermaine Carter Jr. is the Terps’ second-leading tackler, but he will be the linebacker most likely to end up in coverage on someone like Danny Friend. Carter Jr. is a good one, but the size of our tight ends should give him some trouble in the passing game. Drags, curls, and outs in the flat would force Carter Jr. to make quick reads on the ball, and Richard Lagow would be able to see them easily. With some of these quick hitters to Danny Friend and others, Lagow could get in a rhythm and feel comfortable in the pocket instead of just forcing balls down the field. 

Again, I’m not sure that Kevin Wilson and Johns will try and get the tight ends the ball on Saturday. Should they choose to, I think they will find great success in getting some quick and easy throws for 5-10 yards a piece. Maryland’s scheme and Jermaine Carter Jr’s unwillingness to gamble on shorter routes could give 21 some “freebies” out of the gate, which would help his confidence greatly. There is potential for the tight ends to have a nice game on Saturday, but only time will tell if that actually happens. Stay tuned. 


Jermaine Carter Jr. 2016 Stats (7 Games):

  • 47 tackles
  • 29 solo tackles
  • 4 tackles for loss
  • 3 sacks
  • 1 interception


Danny Friend 2016 Stats (7 Games):

  • 7 catches
  • 65 yards
  • 2 touchdowns

*Danny Friend is the only Indiana tight end with a reception on the season.