Logan Justus Feels No Pressure, Just Does His Job

Written by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)

Kickers are some of the most underappreciated players amongst football teams. It is the expectation that college-level kickers kick the football in between the field goal posts, and more often than not, fans do not seem to pay attention until the team misses out on points for their team. The game-winning points often lie in the power and accuracy of the kicker’s leg— a pressure Indiana’s Logan Justus volunteered himself for when he joined the Indiana football squad as a walk-on in 2015.

Justus redshirted in 2015, and sat out for the 2016 and 2017 seasons while Griffin Oakes completed his four-year role as Indiana’s chosen kicker. 

“Really of all the positions, that's the one guy that better be your quality,” Tom Allen told the media Monday, “You can be a great kicker. If you struggle to make the ones when it really matters, you're not going to be a very successful kicker. Other positions you can make mistakes and it gets hidden a little bit. Not that guy.”

It was in 2018 that Justus was called to kick, and he has proven himself Mister Dependable since then. 

“I knew the path would be a lot of work,” Justus said, “I know a lot of kickers don’t really get scholarships coming out of high school, so I knew I just had to put the work in.”

In his debut season as a junior, Justus was one of 20 on the semifinalists for the Lou Groza walk-on award with his 15-of-18 field goals, a long of 44, and 32-of-33 for extra pointers. 

“He's improved so much since I've been here,” Allen said, “when I first got here, the ball hooked quite a bit. (He) just really worked hard to get more of a vertical launch as well as extension to stay through, be more accurate. I think these last couple years, he's obviously kicked his very, very best. It was just through a lot of hard work, training.”

Going into his senior year, he had new competition to beat out—Charles Campbell, who was set to be his replacement. He succeeded himself and Allen’s expectations in fall camp. 

“He's shown the last two years here the ability to really lock in and focus and do a great job of hitting those clutch field goals. I just think there's a consistency in how he prepares. He trains really hard,” Allen said. 

Allen’s decision to choose Justus as first man up to kick was only validated with his perfect performance in Indiana’s 2019 season opener against Ball State. Justus set a program-tying record with his 4-4 field goals kicked a single game. It was a 48-yard field goal, a 49-yarder, and then a 50-yarder that gave him a career-high day three times over. Justus was named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week in week one and has once again been named a Lou Groza award semifinalist. 

“I think certain guys have that ability to be able to be really, really good when the pressure is on. Causes some guys to hesitate a little bit, second guess themselves.”

Pressure does not seem to be a word in Justus’ vocabulary as he has almost flawlessly kicked Indiana through nine games this season. So far the senior is one of only five kickers in FBS that have yet to miss a field goal— he is 12-for-12. As for extra points, he is 34-for-35, only having missed one in a tough road environment at Nebraska. 

“I don’t feel any pressure. The team trusts me, and I trust them,” Justus said.

His responses every time he is asked are plain and simple, straight to the point. He puts in the work all week, and it translates to the field on Saturdays. 

“Sometimes guys are clutch and some guys are not. He's been able to prove it,” Allen said, “We're going to need him these last few games. I guarantee you he's going to have to come up and win a game for us.”

With Penn State, Michigan, and the Old Oaken Bucket game lurking, one thing is certain for Indiana—Justus’ left leg is capable of kicking the Hoosiers through. 

Indiana’s Keys to Defeating No.6 Ohio State

Written by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)

While the odds are against Indiana going into Saturday’s home game, it is not to say defeating Ohio State is impossible. Breaking the 26-game losing streak to the Buckeyes is hands down the Hoosiers’ toughest task of the 2019 season. A few key things will have to be in order for Hoosiers to be successful.

Create turnovers and take them to the bank

Saturday’s turnover-less matchup ended the country’s longest streak Indiana boasted, recording at least one takeaway in 19 consecutive games until last Saturday’s matchup against Eastern Illinois. In a game where every possession counts, the Hoosiers are going to have to find a way to create turnovers— and capitalize off them.

Play 60 minutes of hard football with no mental mistakes

I’ve heard this goal from many mouths of IU players and coaching staff throughout the year, and Indiana has no choice but to achieve just that if they want to come out on top Saturday. Ohio State’s depth and talent is far too great for Indiana to let up on. 

Indiana can look back at last year’s matchup against Ohio State to learn what went wrong against a squad that will mostly be returning for Saturday’s matchup. Going into halftime last year, Indiana was trailing No. 3 Ohio State 28-20. They came out lifeless in the second half and the Buckeyes ran them out of the Horseshoe 49-26. 

Special teams continue to take care of business

Special teams has been stunning so far this season— especially Logan Justus. The Indiana-native kicker continues to be a crucial key in IU’s offense, and with a perfect 4-4 for field goals and 8-8 for extra point kicks, the Hoosiers feel like they can rely on him to get the job done. 

A failed two-point conversion and missed field goal not only failed to get points on the board, but slowed momentum in last year’s matchup. Overall, special teams continues to be a strong position group for the Hoosiers, so they just have to continue to take care of business on that end. 

Target OSU’s playmakers 

Shutting down junior running back J.K. Dobbins and sophomore quarterback Justin Fields is at the top of the Hoosiers’ defensive to-do list Saturday. Indiana can’t afford to enable OSU’s playmakers to do what they do best— disappear into the end zone. 

Defensively the Hoosiers struggled with missed tackles, posting 25 against Ball State. Last Saturday they cut missed tackles down to nine, but with much faster and stronger players coming to town this week, IU defense needs to be on their A-game. Consider Saturday IU defense’s truest test. 

Feed the fans 

The Memorial Stadium crowd will be electric without a doubt and it’s things like interceptions, missed field goals and extra points that can be a real downer. Minimizing mistakes is more than missed points on the scoreboard— it is energy out the door. 

They need to take advantage of thousands of Hoosier fans expected to pack the Rock on Saturday and fight the hard fight for a full 60 minutes. If the Hoosiers play intense, the crowd should be intense. The crowd and the team will need each other Saturday.