Indiana

Darren Hiller Looking For More Physicality From Indiana Offensive Line in 2022

Published

2 years ago

August 18, 2022

Darren Hiller Looking For More Physicality From Indiana Offensive Line in 2022

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Darren Hiller did not draw back from addressing Indiana’s offensive line struggles in 2021.

“Final 12 months I simply assume we had been a bit bit smooth in our safety,” Hiller, Indiana’s offensive line coach, stated on Thursday.

Indiana allowed 29 sacks in 12 video games final season, which was the third most within the Massive Ten and tied for second on a per-game foundation. The Hoosiers’ passing assault gained 175.5 yards per sport – tenth within the Massive Ten – and their run sport generated 3.2 yards per carry, which tied for thirteenth within the convention.

When Hiller evaluated the offensive line’s areas of weak point from final season, he stated it began with physicality.

“Now we have to be bodily and it is not simply within the run sport,” Hiller stated. “I at all times attempt to inform these guys that cross safety, the phrase is passive, however the mentality cannot be that means.”

For Hiller, enhancements from his place group begin with embracing the boredom of consistency and repetition. Hiller stated offensive line is a developmental place and one the place strides can solely be made via fixed work.

“They’ve to know that they should do issues time and again,” Hiller stated. “At present, we’ll go up and watch movie and I will be in conferences with them this afternoon and there shall be guys that also aren’t taking the right step and so they know what the step is, however once more, it is the muscle reminiscence.”

All through the spring, summer season and now into fall camp, Hiller has been preaching three pillars of each run-blocking and pass-blocking. Within the run sport, Hiller desires his linemen to give attention to leverage, base and steadiness. In pass-blocking it is set, punch and play basketball.

Hiller makes use of the basketball analogy along with his linemen to depict the pass-protection strategy of mirroring the pass-rusher with their toes like a basketball defender would.

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“We’re not taking part in basketball, we’re defending in basketball,” Hiller stated. “And we get limitless fouls.”

“You may smack ’em, you possibly can throw each palms on ’em, you possibly can snatch ’em,” Senior offensive lineman Matthew Bedford stated. “All these various things you are able to do to defeat a defender in cross safety … It is simply mirroring the man together with your toes, after which the fouling half is simply being aggressive together with your palms and throwing them on em.”

Indiana misplaced two offensive line starters to commencement, together with Caleb Jones, who began all 12 video games at proper sort out and Dylan Powell, the group’s beginning heart. Bedford is again for his senior season, and he’ll kick outdoors to proper sort out to interchange Jones after making 12 begins at proper guard in 2021. Bedford began seven video games at proper sort out in 2020, eight video games at left sort out as a freshman in 2019 and stated on Thursday that taking part in sort out was his ‘past love.’

With Bedford transferring again to sort out, the beginning proper guard place is up for grabs. Redshirt junior Tim Weaver performed this function in Indiana’s season opener at Iowa in 2021, nevertheless it was his solely begin of the season regardless of showing in all 12 video games. Khalil Benson – a 6-foot-6, 313-pound three-star recruit from Southaven, Miss. – is listed behind Weaver in Indiana’s first depth chart, and will make the case for enjoying time as a redshirt sophomore.

Redshirt junior Zach Carpenter is a candidate to take over for Powell at heart. Carpenter transferred from Michigan to Indiana earlier than the 2021 season, making three begins at proper guard for the Hoosiers. He began the Wolverines’ last two video games at heart in 2020.

Redshirt junior Luke Haggard returns with 11 begins at left sort out underneath his belt from final season when he received Indiana’s Chris Dal Sasso Award, given to the group’s most excellent lineman. The left facet of Indiana’s offensive line seems to be secured, as redshirt junior Mike Katic returns after making 9 begins at left guard and lacking three video games with an damage. Katic received IU’s Offensive Newcomer of the Yr Award in 2020, showing in six video games.

Indiana coach Tom Allen additionally dipped into the switch portal to assist the depth of the offensive line room with Parker Hanna. After redshirting as a freshman in 2017, Hanna began 33 video games for West Texas A&M. He was an honorable point out for All-Lone Star Convention honors in 2021, serving to an offense that averaged 34.3 factors and 205.1 dashing yards per sport. Hanna and the West Texas A&M offensive line allowed 1.3 sacks per sport in 2021.

However irrespective of how the taking part in time shakes out, Indiana will want its offensive line to be way more dependable in 2022 in an effort to bounce again from a 2-10 season final 12 months. Underneath new offensive coordinator Walt Bell, that definitely appears to be the plan.

“[Bell] harped tremendously when he first received right here that massive males cleared the path,” Bedford stated. “This offense goes nowhere with out the o-line.”

‘COACH CAM’ CAMPER’S JOURNEY FROM JUCO TO INDIANA: Cam Camper graduated Lancaster Excessive College with zero scholarship provides, and he almost stepped away from the sport after getting used as a ‘particular groups dummy’ at Sam Houston State. However after grinding via junior school, ‘Coach Cam’ Camper is impressing his teammates and coaches at Indiana. CLICK HERE
DONAVEN MCCULLEY EMBRACING SWITCH TO RECEIVER: Donaven McCulley was the highest-ranked quarterback to ever decide to Indiana, however after one season, he is making the change to receiver. Indiana huge receivers coach Adam Henry stated McCulley has a powerful catch radius, and he is working to refine his footwork and study the intricacies of the place. CLICK HERE
CONNOR BAZELAK’S FRESH START Indiana coach Tom Allen stated he wish to select a beginning quarterback after the group’s second scrimmage, nevertheless it will not be introduced to the general public till kickoff towards Illinois on Sept. 2. Connor Bazelak spoke to the media for the primary time this season on Friday, providing his potential on the competitors. CLICK HERE

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Indiana

Bucks vs. Pacers: Giannis immolates Indiana (again)

Published

3 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

Bucks vs. Pacers: Giannis immolates Indiana (again)

It took all four quarters of play, but the Milwaukee Bucks eventually found their groove on the road against the Indiana Pacers for a 120-112 victory in Giannis Antetokounmpo’s return from illness. Giannis would lead all scorers with 30 points (26 in the second half) and added 12 rebounds and five assists for good measure. Brook Lopez, Khris Middleton, Bobby Portis, and Gary Trent Jr. would contribute 16, 15, 14, and 14 points, respectively in what wound up being a relatively complete team performance. Even Damian Lillard’s nine points arrived at a crucial time to help break Milwaukee’s three-point deadlock. The Bucks would be good for a 19 point comeback and they now lead the season series between these teams at 2-0.

Read our full summary of the game here and catch a six-minute audio recap on the Bucks+ podcast Bucks In Six Minutes below.

What Did We Learn?

There is plausibly just enough depth of scoring and defensive versatility on this roster to grind out victories even when Milwaukee’s big three are off their games for stretches at a go. Giannis, Dame, and Khris combined for a whopping 14 points and seven turnovers in the first half, yet the Bucks held a slight lead after one frame thanks in part to timely interior scoring from the likes of Lopez and a quick trigger jumper from GTJ. Once Giannis found his rhythm in the second half the team was able to ride his dominance (26 points on 10-16 from the floor, 6-11 from the line, and eight rebounds) and continuing contributions from the rotation to a massive turnaround.

The most interesting defensive fold was the amount of zone run by head coach Doc Rivers in the second half. Rather than continue trying to stick with Indiana’s quicker players in the team’s base zone-drop scheme—which struggled mightily in the second quarter and start of the third—the Bucks went into a zone with Bobby and Giannis anchoring the interior. Indiana struggled to find the room to generate open looks and their quick offense began to sputter, often settling for tough contested midrange attempts with two Bucks draped all over the driver. Good opposing offenses can normally unlock a zone in somewhat short order, but Milwaukee’s personnel did well to avoid any serious breakdowns.

Three Giannis Midrange Jumpers

If you are the type to go back and watch the game in its entirety again, it’d be hard to miss just how much Giannis was laboring in the first half. There were a few moments when he got a chance to stand still (with or without the ball) and was heaving for breath—obviously the lingering aftereffects of whatever respiratory bug he and Lillard had battled this past week. The result? A lot of blown shots close to the basket, turnovers, and substandard effort.

Should that trend have held in the second half it’d have been equal parts understandable and a leading reason why a loss felt in the offing. Instead, Giannis ginned up just enough execution to claw his way back into things before firing on all cylinders to close the game. A notable component that got him on track was his jumper. It is a tool that has come and gone over the past few seasons on an almost game-to-game basis, but last night it was effective enough to lift his scoring and pay off isolation looks. Here are three of those makes, two of which came with a hefty deficit to keep Milwaukee moving and the last being a very tough baseline fader which drew the Bucks within two:

Ah hell, let’s just break convention and look at his other two jumpers with the game on the line because they’re that fun to watch:

There is a reason why we salivate over the possibility of Giannis ever happening upon a jumpshot that has any level of replicability: it’d instantly transform the depth of his offensive game from dominance to possible transcendence. About 22% of his two point looks have been pull-ups this season which is his highest mark since 2021-2022 and he’s making them at a 43.6% rate. Definitely something to keep an eye on heading forward.

Bonus Bucks Bits

How about Gary Trent Jr.? His scoring punch at the end of the first quarter (a personal 8-0 run helped push Milwaukee to a small lead) and a pair of threes in the fourth were beautifully timed when the team needed it most. The past week has seen him cement a spot in Doc’s closing lineup and gets the mind wondering whether another stint as a starter could be in the offing.
Brook Lopez went 7-8 from inside the arc, a leading reason why the Bucks maintained touching distance with Indiana with a quiet first half from the stars.
Damian Lillard had a quiet night in part because the Pacers were relentless in trying to pick him up over 3/4ths of the court and constant trapping. Andrew Nembhard did a very solid job robbing Lillard of any space on-ball and Dame’s teammates weren’t super quick to react and move to give Dame a bailout passing lane or screen to free him up. A 3-14 mark from the floor isn’t ideal, but he did hit those three second-half threes. That’ll do.
Shoutout to Ryan Rollins for his 90 second cameo to start the fourth quarter. It is obvious that he’s going to drop like a rock out of the rotation if everyone is healthy, but there are worse jobs in the world than “guy who gives Lillard a small breather” in the NBA.
The in-arena mics are getting better at picking up Bobby Portis dropping “ball don’t lie” on opponents after missed free throws. We’ve heard him hit that line with an expletive thrown in for good measure two games in a row. If he’s right, he’s right.
Andre Jackson Jr. registered a mere 12 minutes of play. Now that the rotation is coming back into place I’ve a feeling he’ll be given far less margin for error by the coaching staff heading forward. Either he responds and finds a new level or risks seeing his spot in the rotation at risk.

Up Next

It is back to home sweet home for the Bucks when they play host to the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday, January 2nd. With Brooklyn wandering ever more into full-on fire sale mode, can Milwaukee find the gumption to even the season series up at 2-2? You can find out at 7:00 PM (CST) on FanDuel Sports Network Wisconsin, and our Playback channel!

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Indiana

Family still searching for missing woman in Gary, Indiana, two months later

Published

11 hours ago

January 1, 2025

Press Room

Family still searching for missing woman in Gary, Indiana, two months later – CBS Chicago

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The new year brings renewed hope for the family of a missing woman from Gary, Indiana, as her family continues to search for clues into her disappearance more than two months ago.

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Indiana

Man wanted for terroristic threats in Georgia arrested after high-speed chase in Indiana

Published

20 hours ago

December 31, 2024

Press Room

Man wanted for terroristic threats in Georgia arrested after high-speed chase in Indiana

CBS News Chicago

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CHICAGO (CBS) — A man wanted for making terroristic threats in Georgia was arrested in northwest Indiana on Monday, after leading police on a high-speed chase that reached speeds of more than 130 mph.

A Porter County Sheriff’s officer spotted a vehicle making a turn without using a turn signal around 10:15 p.m. Monday in Portage, Indiana. When the officer tried to make a traffic stop, the driver – later identified as Montel Hayes, 31, of Markham, Illinois – sped off on U.S. Highway 6, and steered into oncoming traffic.

After nearly hitting several cars and running multiple red lights and stop signs, at times speeding at more than 130 mph, Hayes cut through a gas station, nearly hitting several more vehicles and the gas pumps.

Indiana State Police used stop sticks to puncture the vehicle’s tires on Ripley Street near Interstate 94 in Lake County, Indiana. Hayes continued onto Interstate 94, where the car began to lose one of its tires, and after the vehicle came to a stop a short time later, police were able to arrest Hayes.

After taking Hayes into custody, police learned he had an active arrest warrant in Georgia on charges of making terroristic threats, obstruction of justice, and hindering law enforcement. A search of his car also turned up marijuana.

Hayes also has been charged with a felony count of resisting police, and misdemeanor counts of marijuana possession and reckless driving as a result of the chase. He is being held in the Porter County Jail, awaiting extradition to Georgia.

Todd Feurer

Todd Feurer is a web producer for CBS Chicago. He has previously written for WBBM Newsradio, WUIS-FM and the New City News Service.

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