One-on-One with Cody Latimer

Cody Latimer is not looking back in the past this season as he and the Hoosiers focus on the game at hand this week.

By Dan Mogollon (@sportsmasterdan) 

In Indiana's 42-10 win over Bowling Green last Saturday, junior wide receiver Cody Latimer caught six passes for a career-high 137 yards and a TD. The talented pass catcher was a second-team All-Big Ten performer in 2012 and finished second in the conference in receiving yards per game. (Audio for the interview at the end)

Make sure you check out the audio version of the interview as part of "The B1G Show" Podcast

 Through three games Indiana has been up and down. Tell those of us who want to believe in the Hoosiers this year, why we should believe…

We were down against Navy and kept fighting. Every game we’re fighting to the end. I notice a big difference. I don’t know if everyone else can see it. We’re playing much harder, our defense is stepping up and our offense is doing a good job of capitalizing when our defense makes stops.

How different was your Saturday night and Sunday this week coming off a big win?

We take it as a good win (but) we put it in the past and come out and get ready for next week’s game. We take it game by game.

What do you like best about catching the ball from Nate Sudfeld?

Nate does a good job of putting the ball on point. He does a good job in leading us, he has a strong arm and he’s confident in us.

With 150 points through three games Indiana leads the Big Ten in scoring. What are the goals for the offense this season?

Just to continue to grow. We know we can be so much better. We had a couple of slow starts. We need to continue to grow as an offense, continue to put up numbers and stay No. 1.

Can Indiana’s offense be the best offense in the Big Ten?

Of course! If we come out and play everyday as we’ve been doing and start faster yes we can.

Is that the key? Starting out faster, being more consistent from the get go?

Consistency is everything.

You’re big, physical, fast and have good hands. What do you believe is your best attribute as a receiver?

Playing hard. Doing a good job of blocking and catching the ball when it comes to me and making plays whenever I can.

What do you need to work on the most?

Route running (is something) you can always work on, coming out of breaks and getting past defenders. Perimeter blocking, that’s major, because our run game is doing a good job so I need to continue to work on my perimeter blocking.

Do you believe you’re doing a better job doing those things this year?

Oh, much better.

You’re still a bit raw as a football player…

(Laughs) Yes sir…

You didn’t start playing until your junior year of high school. How did that come about?

That’s my mother and my high school football coach. I was a basketball player at heart and then the coach at the high school I transferred to, during my sophomore year kept asking me to join and I would say ‘no, no, no.’ My mom said, ‘I think you should go out and try’ and so I went out and tried it and it happened to be a good thing.

I guess momma does know best.

Yeah, she knows best.

How much football do you still have to learn and how much better can you get?

I think I’m, like you said, raw. I have a lot more to learn. I have to become a better route runner, learn how to read defenses better. There’s so much stuff I need to work on still.

I’ve heard you sometimes scrimmage with the basketball players…

I’ve played with some of them…messed around at the rec center.

Are you able to hang with Victor Oladipo?

(Laughs) I never got to go up against him but I’d like to give it a try.

Do you think you could handle him in a game of one-on-one?

I think I could do a good job.

Indiana has several new helmets this season. Do you have a favorite?

Oh, of course, the chrome! The chrome helmets…they are nice…

Favorite follow on Twitter?

Isaiah Roundtree, my teammate. He’s the comedian. Keeps me going everyday.

What do you like to listen to before a game? Do you pump yourself up or calm yourself down?

I’m just a calm mellow person so I like to listen to 90s slow jams before games.

90s slow jams…we talking R. Kelly? Jodeci?

Exactly…Jodeci…

To read more of Dan Mogollon go to allmediany.com and be sure to download his  along with our co-founder Lloyd Ribner III's podcast The B1G Show on iTunes.