Indiana's Offensive Linemen Hurt Most by Missing Spring Practice

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — When it comes to timing and execution and working together as one, no position group in football relies on that dynamic more than offensive linemen.

And at Indiana, no group has been harmed more by missing out on spring football practices than the Hoosiers' offensive linemen.

Getting that cohesiveness and versatility in order has always been a critical part of spring football, and it was going to be especially true this year with veterans Simon Stepaniak, Hunter Littlejohn and Coy Cronk all gone. There are position battles to be won, and leaders to emerge in the one and only group on Indiana's entire team where attrition is an issue.

But then COVID-19 took control and everyone was sent home after just four spring practices. Whatever progress was going to be made over several weeks of practice is now being parched together through conference calls.

That's all very different. And the communication between coach and player can be a real challenge.

"That's the biggest issue with our guys,'' Indiana offensive line coach Darren Hiller said. "The frustration from them, they're telling me that they're going out and they're doing things, but having a guy next to you and the communication from the time a play is called and the togetherness of the unit, it's not there right now.

"I'm telling them to pretend that they're Peyton Manning calling an audible at the line of scrimmage, but get in their stance and imagine a play is called and then make a communication to the guy next to you, just have an imagination and play a game of football by yourself, but it's hard. It's frustrating for these guys.''

Hiller has been around football long enough to know how important offensive line play is to a smooth-running offense, and that's certainly the goal with Indiana, too. However it needs to be done, when that first game finally rolls around, they'll need to be ready.

Somehow and someway.

"I always compare the offensive line to the engine of a car,'' said Hiller, who's in his fourth year as Indiana's offensive line coach and run game coordinator. "You can have a nice paint job, rims and tires, but if you don't have a good motor, that car is not going to get from point A to point B.

"It's hard now for these guys. They're itching to get back, but I told them we are where we are and everybody's in the same situation, we've all been dealt the same hand and we have to be smart, continue to work and be as prepared as possible for when we do get the opportunity to come back.''

Indiana's offensive line has lost a lot, but the young guys who had to step in a year ago proved a lot, too. When Cronk went down at left tackle with an ankle injury in late September, Bedford, a true freshman, stepped in and played well. He's got star written all over him. And at right tackle, Caleb Jones is back for more.

It's inside where there's going to be a battle for starting jobs and playing time. Harry Crider, who started at left tackle a year ago, did start one game at center when Littlejohn was hurt, and he played center in high school. Mackenzie Nworah got some time at guard a year ago, Stanford grad Dylan Powell is ready to go and young guys Matt Katic and Cameron Knight came to Bloomington with impressive resumes.

"There's a lot of position flexibility in the interior. We just have to get back here to work so we know what the best way to go about it is,'' Hiller said. "When we do get back, are we going to be able to hit the ground running, or are we going to be playing catch up trying to get you back functional from a conditioning and skill-set standpoint? We're telling them this is what we want you to do, and I think for the most part the guys are answering the questions and saying the right things.

"But when we're here and we get the 15 days of spring ball, to miss 11 of those, those are 11 missed opportunities. That's the challenge that we've issued, I would imagine for every position group, but that's the challenge we have with the offensive line group. We just have to keep stressing to them the importance of what they're doing right now is going to be a tell-tale sign for when we do get the opportunity to come back.''

In the meantime, Hiller has his guys doing all they can at home to stay ready. Even the little things matter, like footwork and technique.

"That's the challenge. At the end of the day, to answer the question, we have a certain grid of footwork that we use in our run game that are the schemes that we run. Our guys know that, they're trained in that throughout the offseason,'' Hiller said. They know the footwork they're supposed to use, same from a pass protection standpoint, the different protections that we use and the sets, we have a set system that I teach.

"I just keep challenging them, that's the hard part. When you wake up in the morning and brush your teeth and look at yourself in the mirror, are you to a man getting out and doing the best you can do from a preparation standpoint?''

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