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Monday Press Conference: Wilson talks about offensive balance


IndyHutch
  • Kevin Wilson met with the Indiana media Monday afternoon in the Henke Hall of Champions in the north end zone of Memorial Stadium for his weekly press conference. Terry Hutchens was there and filed this report.

Kevin Wilson talked at his first weekly press conference Monday about the balance he is seeing on the offensive side of the football in particular.

 

“Hopefully we can spread it around and get that ball not to just one guy,’’ Wilson said. “We’d like to get back to the way it used to be getting five, six, seven or eight guys getting three, four or five touches a game. That would be ideal if we could get to that point and I think we have a chance to do that.’’

 

Indiana lost its top three wide receivers from a year ago – two to graduation and one (J-Shun Harris) to a season-ending knee injury this summer – and there has been plenty of competition in preseason camp.

 

Wilson said among the wide receivers Simmie Cobbs and Ricky Jones have emerged as “the top two outside guys” but he was quick to add that the competition in camp has been very strong at that position. Wilson said he hopes to play as many as nine wide receivers in 2015. He also believes the Hoosiers may have their best depth ever at the tight end position and could play as many as four tight ends, too.

 

He also singled out running backs Jordan Howard and Devine Redding as players who can catch the ball well and contribute in the short passing attack as well.

 

Sudfeld, who enters the season on the watch lists for the Maxwell Award and the Unitas Award, said Monday he has a much higher comfort level with this year’s group of receivers.

 

“Last year I thought we were talented and things like that but I think we were a little bit complacent knowing that the year before we were very good offensively with the quarterbacks and receivers all on the same page,’’ Sudfeld said. “I think a lot of people just kind of believed that it would just happen again because we were the Indiana offense.

 

“There has definitely been a little more attention to detail and focus on the little things with these guys. Guys like Mitchell Paige and Ricky Jones, we’ll text each other after a scrimmage when we’re watching film on our own and say ‘Hey what did you think on this play, should I have taken it high or come out of it?’, things like that. We all understand that if we want to be good we have to focus on those little things.’’

 

Wilson said the offense has been strong throughout preseason camp but he said the defense started making strides last week, too.

 

“I thought last week our defensive front really got going with getting some pressure and really starting to make the quarterback throw a little bit more uncomfortable,’’ Wilson said. “I thought the first two weeks our offense was real good, but I thought last week the defense made a huge jump and really challenged the offense.’’

 

UPDATES FROM THE HEAD COACH

 

At the very beginning of his press conference Monday, Wilson got all of the housekeeping items out of the way. Some of these had been reported previously.

 

Wilson said three players have now been ruled out for the season: wide receiver J-Shun Harris, defensive back Donovan Clark and walk-on defensive back Garrett Welch. Harris had a knee injury, Clark has had a nagging back injury that hasn’t allowed him to practice yet during preseason camp and Welch had an undisclosed injury. Welch is a redshirt junior from Noblesville (Ind.) High School.

 

Wilson said that running back Tommy Mister has left the program. He actually announced this on Thursday night at the tailgate tour stop in Indianapolis at Lucas Oil Stadium. He said that Mister had announced his intentions just prior to the start of classes as he was looking for a place where he might be able to get on the field quicker. Wilson said Thursday that if Mister transferred to an FCS program that he could play immediately, but if he transfers to an FBS program he would have to sit out a season.

 

Wilson also repeated what he had said last week on that Camion Patrick situation that the wide receiver transfer will receive an academic redshirt this season and not be able to play. He will be able to continue to practice with the Hoosiers though.

 

"We went through a process where he needed to have a credit pass, that, quite honestly with our academic schedule and with his enrollment, he was only allowed a four-week window for the summer class," Wilson said at the event. "It was offered over two six-week classes. So we were appealing based on time. Didn't get what we needed... We presented our material (Thursday) to the NCAA and they denied that."

 

Wilson also said that IU has now picked up two transfers who will both have to sit out this season before being eligible in 2016. One of them is Wesley Green, a defensive back from the University of South Carolina, and the other is Ja’Merez Bowen, an offensive lineman from the University of Cincinnati.

 

NO DEPTH CHART RELEASED

 

Generally, the Indiana football weekly press release includes a depth chart and media people are quick to scour that upon arriving at the weekly press conference. The first depth chart heading into the opener is generally particularly popular.

 

Monday, however, there was no depth chart released. Hopefully that situation will be remedied with the second game of the season Sept. 12 against Florida International.

 

BTOWNBANNERS IS CREDENTIALED

 

Just a note to all of you that BtownBanners will have a game day presence with Indiana football this fall.

 

I submitted requests not only to get a season credential for myself but also for contributors Ryan Palencer and Larry Small and both were approved. In the games where either of those two cannot attend I’ll be able to give their credentials to someone else on our staff. So hopefully, we’ll have three people, myself included, at every home game this season and provide a little extra game coverage.

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