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The Indiana Daily Student

sports football

COLUMN: Ricky Jones' emergence is critical for IU's offense

Running back Devine Redding (34) celebrates with wide receiver Ricky Jones (4) after Redding scored during the Pinstripe Bowl against Duke on Dec. 26 at Yankee Stadium.

Senior wide receiver Ricky Jones Jr.’s image is plastered on billboards up and down Indiana State Route 37.

Through the first two games of the season, those billboards were the only place you could find him.

Against FIU and Ball State, he only had had three receptions for 18 yards. He was all but completely missing in 
action.

The tide turned quickly for Jones against Wake Forest as he put up one of the best wide receiver stat lines in program history with eight receptions and 208 yards. That yardage was good for fifth-most on IU’s all-time list.

The performance shows what Jones is capable of and why his disappearing act the first two games was so surprising.

“It was good because he had the hot hand,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “When you’re a senior, fifth-year guy, I just appreciate his team spirit. Last night, I said ‘a couple of (Nick) Westbrook’s touchdowns, if you’re on the other hash, that ball is coming 
your way.’”

With the entire right side of the offensive line — seniors Dimitric Camiel and Dan Feeney — out of the Wake Forest contest due to injuries, the Hoosiers needed someone on the offense to step up.

That’s what Jones did.

“It was just the way the defense was set up,” Jones said. “Like coach said, no matter what hash the ball was on, the ball came my way and my team needed me to make a play and I did.”

Echoing coach Wilson’s thoughts, Jones said he wasn’t absent because of anything he did but because that’s what the offense needed.

Against a stout run 
defense, IU turned to the air to try to beat Wake Forest. The Hoosiers needed more than Westbrook to have any chance of winning.

“It’s obviously awesome for Ricky, but we’re used to seeing that,” senior wide receiver Mitchell Paige said. “We know that Ricky any game — anyone of the receivers can break out like Ricky did ... We are dynamic at receiver, and we know we are dynamic at receiver.”

Jones did his part — his yards weren’t empty calories but a glimpse of what this offense is capable of. With Jones finally clicking after having 950 yards receiving last year and sophomore Nick Westbrook brilliantly taking the place of injured junior wide receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr., the current group could be one of the nation’s best.

Now is the perfect time for Jones to materialize within the offense as IU enters conference play. The defenses cannot key in on Westbrook and Paige as much, which will free up all three of them to get more open.

Like Wilson says, the flow of the game determines who gets the ball. All three of those receivers are adept, but getting Jones going can put more fear into opposing defenses.

The rushing game has been underwhelming the last two games, with the Hoosiers averaging just less than four yards per carry. Jones’ and Westbrook’s deep-threat potential can force defenses to take the safeties out of the box to cover the deep ball and open up running lanes. That would help the Hoosiers offensive balance.

The defenses in the Big Ten are better than those IU has faced so far. They’ll need Jones to build on his performance and keep the passing attack balanced for IU to have a chance to beat some of the marquee Big Ten opponents.

He’s more than capable.

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