Indiana football begins spring practice
Posted: Mon March 29, 1999 at 6:36 p.m. EST
Indiana Daily Student (Indiana U.)
BLOOMINGTON, Indiana (U-WIRE) -- Two down, 13 to go.
The Hoosiers won more games in 1998 than any other IU football
team since 1994. Now it's time to make an even better team, and
coach Cam Cameron began with the first official spring practice
Saturday.
Changes have already been made.
Sophomores Justin Smith, who played safety last season, and
Devin Schaffer, a former whip, have both moved to inside
linebacker. Cameron told sophomore wide receiver Levron Williams
that if he pushed his weight from 195 to 215, he'd move from
wide receiver to running back. Williams decided to enter 1999 a
little bigger. Sophomore Brandon Rodgers will move from free
safety to strong safety and sophomore Ron Bethel will go from
wide receiver to corner.
"We were so light at receiver last year we thought we'd start
(Bethel) there, but this year we were light at corner," Cameron
said. "We think he's going to be a heck of a special teams
player, too. These moves are going to help us."
The wide receiver position was held by underclassmen for the
last two seasons, but this year juniors Tyrone Browning, O.J.
Conner and Versie Gaddis are expected to step up, along with
sophomores Derin Graham and Williams.
One of Cameron's top priorities during the spring is to improve
the Hoosiers' kicking game. Junior kicker Andy Payne and senior
punter Drew Hagan will return this season. Payne connected 10 of
12 field goal attempts and 27 of 29 extra point attempts in
1998. Hagan punted in 11 games last season and averaged 36.2
yards per punt.
"We really want to focus on punts and punt return," Cameron
said. "We're going to work it in every day. We've got to develop
a holder and we can't wait for the fall to do that."
Cameron said the two areas the team needs to improve the most
are getting open and catching the ball. Sophomore quarterback
Antwaan Randle El said he thought those two areas looked better
as early as Saturday.
"Our receivers were catching better today," Randle El said. "My
biggest concern is about our team staying focused and as long as
we stick together, we'll go a long way. Those games we lost last
year were in the fourth, and that's where we want to get better.
I think everyone knows that."
The one area Cameron is confident in is the defensive line.
Senior Adewale Ogunleye, one of the nation's most productive
defensive linemen, is IU's career leader in sacks with 26.5 and
tackles for loss with 53. He decided to bypass the NFL draft to
return to another year and another season.
"It's kind of like now I know this is my last one and I have a
different attitude," Ogunleye said. "If I had individual goals I
wouldn't have stayed. I want to help us get to a bowl game and
with the Big Ten. I've accomplished a lot and now I'm ready to
take this program to the top."
Returning with Ogunleye is senior Damian Gregory. Gregory
tallied 54 tackles in 1998, including eight for loss and five
sacks. He didn't practice, though, because of his knee surgery
in February. Senior Jason Czap is also expected to be a major
contributor, despite a recurring wrist injury he sustained
during the 1997 season.
With the loss of graduate Jabar Robinson, the one position
that's still fairly open is linebacker. Robinson, a two-time
All-Big Ten honorable mention, needs to be replaced. Senior Brad
Gecina and juniors Tony Brown and Joslin Goodman will battle for
starting positions.
"Right now we're trying to find a guy to replace (Jabar), but
it's real hard to replace a guy like that," Ogunleye said.
"We're not that young anymore, though, so we're looking for a
guy to step up."
Meanwhile, Cameron is looking for the whole team to step up. And
there are only 13 spring practices left to do it.
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