Special teams are a point of emphasis for IU Coach Tom Allen.
After a 2016 season in which IU ranked 102nd nationally in net punting and 94th nationally in kick return yardage, Allen is attempting to bolster the IU special teams unit.
This means Allen is playing his best players on special teams.
"If you want to be a great football player, you'd better be able to play on special teams," he said.
Allen hasn't shied away from this philosophy, using big-name players like senior linebacker Tegray Scales and junior wide receiver Nick Westbrook in special teams coverage during IU's opening loss to No. 2 Ohio State.
Of course, the use of Westbrook backfired as the Florida native tore his ACL on the opening kickoff against the Buckeyes, which ruled him out for the rest of the season.
However, this doesn't mean Allen will stop putting experienced players on the field for special teams, even if those players sit atop the IU depth chart.
"If you say it's a third of the game and you don't put your best players on that, that doesn't really make a lot of sense," Allen said about the way IU approaches special teams.
Senior defensive back Chase Dutra is a prime example.
Dutra was expected to compete with senior Tony Fields for one of the two starting safety positions. Fields picked up the start last Thursday and played the majority of the game against Ohio State, while Dutra contributed on special teams with five tackles.
Allen announced Monday that Dutra was the IU special teams player of the week from the Ohio State game.
"I had a lot of reps between all four special teams," Dutra said. "In my opinion, I gave 100 percent on every play."
Dutra's special teams prowess isn't new, either.
He twice earned IU special teams player of the week distinctions in 2016 and also blocked a punt while on the punt coverage team.
"His role on special teams is huge for us," Allen said. "His energy and his focus and his execution was what it needs to be."
As a fifth-year senior, Dutra brings 31 games of experience to both the IU secondary and the IU coverage teams.
Being with the program for five years has also taught Dutra about the emotional side of the game and how to recover after showcase games, as IU will have to do this week against Virginia.
"You have to learn how to play the big games and then flush it out of your system," Dutra said. "You have whole new schemes, whole new checks and defenses you gotta run. It's not very hard for me, but some of the younger guys, you have to teach them along the way."
