CHICAGO - When the media asked about the quarterback competition Monday in at the Big Ten Media Days, IU coach Kevin Wilson responded in an unexpected way.
Wilson said the quarterback doesn’t need to be the sole leader of the offense — that other groups on offense can handle that for him.
Inevitably, that leadership role falls upon the most experienced group — the offensive line. And senior guard Dimitric Camiel said he and his teammates are prepared for the opportunity.
“I wouldn’t say it’s pressure,” Camiel said. “Whatever we have to do to win, we’re down for. Whatever it takes to fly the red flag and represent our school.”
In 2015, the line was led by two potential pro offensive linemen in Jason Spriggs — who was drafted by the Green Bay Packers — and senior guard Dan Feeney.
Spriggs graduated from the program, and even though Feeney had several NFL scouts projecting him to be drafted, he decided to stay with the program in order to work on the minor aspects of his game.
“I had more things to improve on — a lot of minor things that I can 100-percent improve on,” Feeney said. “It’s just a mental and repetition kind of thing.”
Working on his game wasn’t the only reason Feeney stayed in the program though. The guard said that another year with his old teammates in seniors Camiel, Wes Rogers and company was an integral part in making his decision.
Last season certainly provided some incentive for the experienced guard though, as the IU offense was one of the best in the nation and the best in the conference, recording two 1,000-yard rushers, a 1,000-yard receiver and a 3,500-yard passer.
The offense produced numbers never before seen in program history.
But that’s not good enough, Camiel said.
“We want to win, man,”the senior tackle said. “It’s not about just entertaining and keeping everybody on the edge of their seat. We want to win. We want our crowd to storm the field.”
IU Coach Kevin Wilson concurred with Camiel when he said that putting stats on paper and moving the ball down the field doesn’t mean anything unless the team is scoring points and winning games.
Last season, the Hoosiers had a difficult time with finishing close ball games, losing to top-ranked Ohio State by seven, to top-25 Michigan by seven in overtime and to Iowa, Rutgers and Duke — all games that were decided in the fourth quarter.
Camiel said that the offensive line is using those losses, particularly the Duke loss in the Pinstripe Bowl, as motivation to stay hungry and focused going into the 2016 season.
The senior tackle said that not only is the offensive line ready to establish a new Hoosier standard, but the entire team is prepared to build off of its first bowl season since 2007.
“I don’t know exactly what we’re gonna do offensively yet,” Camiel said. “I just know we’re going to run the ball, throw the ball and get touchdowns.”
