Five Things IU has to Work on in Bowl Practices

Devine Redding and the Indiana offense have a lot to clean up as they prepare to face Utah in the Foster Farms Bowl Image:NCAA.com

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Earlier this week we covered which players would benefit most from the extra bowl practices, now we would like to dive into what the Hoosiers need to work on during these practices as a team. As we all know the 2016 season was for from a perfect performance for the Hoosiers on the football field and now they will have to play the Foster Farms Bowl with a new head coach in Tom Allen.

1. Red Zone Offense

The biggest bugaboo for the Indiana offense this year was their ineffectiveness in the red zone. The Hoosiers only scored 32 times (22 TDs 10 FGs) in 45 trips inside their opponent’s 20-yard line. The lack of execution held the Hoosiers back from winning another game or two this season. The offense got bogged down at times by seemly going too fast for their own good or by questionable play calling.

The offense may look a little different now that Kevin Wilson is no longer on the sidelines for the Hoosiers and Kevin Johns will be calling the plays. I would like to see IU target their bigger receivers in the end zone. Tight ends Danny Friend and Ian Thomas have been used sparingly and Austin Dorris has been a ghost in the red zone. The Hoosiers are missing Jordan Fuchs, a player who would be a perfect target in the end zone when the offense is close to the goal line, but there is no reason that this position cannot become a factor down the road.

The Hoosier offense could also benefit from using the ‘Bacon-n-Legs’ package in the red zone more often. Having any combination of Tyler Natee, Zander Diamont, and Camion Patrick has proven to be more successful running the ball than having Richard Lagow and Devine Redding line up in the red zone. Having a month of extra practices to perfect and add wrinkles to that package could help spark this dormant red zone offense against a really stout Utah defense.

If the Hoosiers cannot punch it in the end zone, then they have to figure out how to straighten out Griffin Oakes’ field goal issues, especially with the game being on grass. We’ll get into Oakes and the special teams more later on.

2. Richard Lagow’s Erratic Passing Game

One of the few thorns in the side of Indiana Football fans this fall was the erratic nature of the passing game with Richard Lagow at quarterback. Lagow has shown the ability to be really, really good. He has a great arm, can make throws into tight windows, and can run the entire offense. However, Lagow has the tendency to try and fit passes into windows that aren’t there or just heave the ball into double or triple coverage. These throws resulted in 16 interceptions, most of which cost Indiana points or at least a chance at a game tying or winning drive.

Lagow has only been on campus for about a year as a junior college transfer, so the more practice time he has the better he should get. The hope is that Lagow can hone his knowledge of the offense and really work on his reads and looking to his second and third options on some plays. He has the tools to be really good. He did throw for 3,174 yards and 18 touchdowns, but he has to cut down on the interceptions and 15 extra practices should help him get even more comfortable with the offense.

3. Special Teams Blunders

This was the one part of the team that was an issue week in and week out. I don’t think there was a week that went by where there was not a critical mistake on special teams that cost IU points.

When Tom Allen took over for Kevin Wilson last week he emphasized an improved performance on special teams. Allen served as special teams coordinator during his tenure at Ole Miss.

Let’s start with kicker Griffin Oakes, who was dreadful after winning the Big Ten Kicker of the Year in 2015. Oakes was just 15-of-24 on field goals. He did come on to hit his last four attempts at the end of the season, however he was lost for most of the season. Oakes even struggled on kickoffs as he only had 59.8 percent of his kicks go for touchbacks and he booted four of them out of bounds Kevin Wilson said that Oakes had been dealing with a quad injury most of the year and that is why he struggled. Hopefully, Oakes was allowed to rest and heal and be back to 100-percent. When Oakes is healthy, the Hoosiers have to build up his confidence by giving him lots of chances to be successful in practice.

After a good start to the season, IU punter Joseph Gedeon has been wildly inconsistent and finished 86th in the nation with a 40-yard per punt average. Gedeon has a big leg, but has had three punts blocked this year and rarely gets two great punts off in a row. He needs to pick a style of kicking and stick to it, because way too often he has tried different techniques and has failed. He needs to work on his speed getting punts off as well. With a month to prepare, you can bet Utah will come after a punt or two in the bowl game.

Finally, the kick return game needs to get a spark, heck a spark could be considered a wild fire the way the return game has been going the last two seasons. Devonte Williams looked solid returning the ball, but never could break loose before missing the last couple of games. The hope is that he is back in the mix and can use his speed to set the offense up with good to great field position. Williams and the rest of the returners don’t have to bring one back to the house every game, but just occasionally get it past the 40-yard line, maybe?

4. Revamping the Rushing Attack

After losing tackle Jason Spriggs and running back Jordan Howard to the NFL and center Jake Reed to graduation (He did get picked up as a UDFA by the Atlanta Falcons), I figured that the Indiana rushing attack would take a step back. However, injuries all along the offensive line and to several running backs turned that step back into a leap back. The Hoosiers finished 10th in the conference in rushing with 155 yards per game and 12th with 3.75 yards per carry.
With about a month to heal and get fresh, the Hoosier running attack needs to get back to where it was in 2015. Younger lineman who have filled in for Dan Feeney and Brandon Knight should be getting more repetitions and more comfortable at their positions to be used as depth, while there is speculation that Knight could be back for the game against Utah. The hope is that Mike Majette and Devonte Williams will be back as well for the bowl. The return of those two would boost the running back depth that was decimated over the last few weeks of the regular season. Against Purdue, IU dressed only two scholarship backs if we count Patrick as a running back.
The extra practice will also give Kevin Johns and the offensive staff to correct blocking schemes and get back to fundamentals. Additionally, it will give the ‘Bacon-n=Legs’ package more time to develop as a weapon for the Hoosiers.

5. Continue to Build the Defensive Culture

The offensive side of the ball has dominated this article and rightfully so, since they were the unit that probably needs to improve more. However, that doesn’t mean the IU defense is without their blemishes or needs. With Tom Allen now steering the ship it will be intriguing on how much time he spends with the defense. As the head coach, he cannot just ignore the offense, so there will have to be an adjustment to what he does at practice and how he delegates to his defensive staff.

From personnel stand point the biggest concern for the defense is resting players who have played a ton of snaps without them becoming rusty. Veterans like Tegray Scales, Marcus Oliver, and Rashard Fant could all use some recovery time and have played enough football that they can jump right back into the mix. Resting the veterans is logical as it gives players like Omari Stringer, Jerome Johnson, Allen Stallings, and Reakwon Jones all an opportunity to get better. It’s the freshman like A’shonn Riggins and Marcelino Ball who have not played this deep into the year before that will need their rest, but they also need their reps.

The most important thing however, is that Tom Allen and the defensive staff continues to hold their players to the same standard they have all year and to instill that standard into the younger players which will build that winning culture on defense.