Peyton Hendershot Shows What the Possibilities are at Tight End

Image: IUHoosiers.com

Written by Amanda Pavelka

There were both hiccups and flashes of good things in Indiana’s season-opener on Saturday, one of the most remarkable performances in their 34-24 victory coming from tight end Peyton Hendershot. 

Kalen DeBoer came to Bloomington to develop a competitive Big Ten offense, and the first look at his newly-implemented system at IU was displayed in their first matchup against Ball State. Part of his game plan he explained in fall camp was to include tight ends more in a mission to stretch the field. As a starter at tight end, Hendershot was a key component in that.

Hendershot carried through on his offensive duties and picked up offensive player of the game honors on four big catches for 69 yards.

“He played the best I have seen him through the spring and the fall on Saturday,” DeBoer said in Monday’s press conference, “I was super excited the way he played. He played a lot of plays and just kept coming back for more.”

A nice catch on a vertical seam goes to show how great Hendershot is capable of contributing on offense as a second-year starter at tight end. 

“We watched the play over and over this morning as an offensive staff to just show what tough football players do, not just physically but mentally because you know you’re going to get hit. I thought he was solid in the blocking game up front. He had to run block and really did a nice job,” DeBoer said. 

Hendershot’s previous role as tight end minimized opportunity to get his hands on the ball— in 2018 he had 15 catches for 163 yards in 11 games played. But with nearly half the yardage in one game than his entire last season, potential for Hendershot to be a key contributor on offense is there. He recognized the importance of his role after game one, and demands more of himself after his performance on Saturday.

“(DeBoer) got us way more involved in the passing game but I feel like as a whole group as tight ends we should have blocked better, especially myself. I had bad technique and I felt like first game of the year I wanted to come out with a better start block.”

The mindset of progressing everyday is Tom Allen’s theme, and it sounds like Hendershot has taken it on as his too, as he prepares to meet expectations and contribute what he did not know was possible until DeBoer came along.

"My hope is that we keep getting better and better and week-by-week we keep getting W's, because it's a good feeling when you win. It's a lot better than losing football games."