By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It was 'Breakthrough" time, a practice segment bearing the watchword for this 2017 Indiana football season.
And junior safety Jonathan Crawford was particularly primed for a drill pitting him against, in part, wideout Donavan Hale.
"It was a 'get-off-the-block' drill, and we were talking a little smack before that, just smiling at each other," Crawford recalled Monday. "But once we got ready, neither of us wanted to lose."
So who won?
Crawford was diplomatic but definite.
"Uh … we won," Crawford said softly, eyes lowered. "The defense won that drill."
Crawford wasn't into crowing about it because Hale, a talented member of a gifted receiving corps, is not only his teammate and classmate. He's his cousin.
"He's my No. 1 boy," Crawford said of Hale. "We grew up together. Even though he's on the other side of the ball and we might not speak for a couple of days, when we see each other, we know it's all love."
"Love Each Other" is IU head coach Tom Allen's summary philosophical phrase and Crawford has clearly bought in. And not just regarding his cousin.
"I play for my family -- I want to make them proud at all times -- and also my teammates," Crawford said. "I want to come out here every day and show what I can do, do it for them, and make something happen out of it."
And Crawford has been a can-do, make-something-happen guy since he stepped onto the field for IU.
Crawford was a true freshman starter and has now opened all 26 games of his college career. He led Indiana in interceptions both as a freshman (4) and as a sophomore (tied alongside Rashard Fant with 3).
By just the third game of his debut season, Crawford was already earning Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week honors with a pair of interceptions in a thrilling 38-35 win over a Western Kentucky team that would finish 12-2.
Crawford made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team that fall and was a Campus Insiders Freshmen All-American. As a sophomore, he was honorable mention All-Big Ten.
One of Allen's prime objectives for the defense is takeaways and the last time Hoosiers fans saw Crawford perform at Memorial Stadium, he was accounting for all three of his team's takeaways – two interceptions
and a fumble recovery – to help salt away a 26-24 Old Oaken Bucket victory over Purdue.
Crawford led the Big Ten in fumble recoveries last fall with four. His 71 tackles were fourth on the team.
Now, as a 6-foot-2 and 203-pound veteran with a sculpted body and plenty of experience, Crawford helps lead perhaps IU's deepest and most talented secondary since the Bill Mallory era.
Crawford has seen that develop quickly over his two years in Bloomington, especially during the defense's turn-around 2016 season.
"We didn't have a good season that year as a defense," he said of his freshman 2015 campaign. "But coming up from the bottom, being able to come up with the same guys, helps a lot.
"We've grown up together. We know what each other can do and we trust each other."
Tony Fields emerged as a starter at the other safety spot last fall and fellow senior Chase Dutra, a former starter then beset by injuries, is back as a fifth-year senior.
Asked what he liked best about Fields' play, Crawford said:
"Watching him tackle. Tony is a great tackler. Every time I see him, it gets me hyped, just watching one of your boys making hits like that. Makes you want to do the same."
And Crawford is happy to have Dutra back fully healthy – for special teams, too, not just defense.
"A guy like Dutra wants everything – every special team, he wants to be on it," Crawford said with a grin. "He wants the tackle on every play. He doesn't want anybody else making the tackle.
"I'm on punt (coverage) with Dutra. Me and him always have a competition – me, him and (All-American senior linebacker) Tegray Scales are all on punt and all compete, trying to get the tackle."
There are plenty of other guys vying to get into the action in the safety rotation, too.
Khalil Bryant, a sophomore, and redshirt junior Zeke Walker have also seen the field and redshirt sophomore Jameel Cook Jr., who missed last season with injury after earning some starts as a true freshman, are all back as safeties.
And then there are newcomers already turning heads in practice at safety, such as Juwan Burgess and Bryant Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald is probably ticketed for the hybrid safety-linebacker "Husky" spot featuring a returning starter in freshman All-American Marcelino Ball and a fifth-year senior back from injury in Jayme Thompson.
"Burgess? He's fast," Crawford said. "He flies around a lot. Today, too, he showed he can come down and hit. Those two, Burgess and Fitzgerald, have come along fast."
IU safeties coach Noah Joseph has noticed.
"(Burgess) and Bryant Fitzgerald are natural football players," Joseph said. "They might be totally wrong – they should be in deep third and they're covering the flat – but they just have the natural ability to have their feet in the ground, tracking the near hip and just making football plays.
"Any time you have that natural ability, we can get the mental part and scheme-wise fixed easily."
Crawford said he always recommends that freshmen become studious quickly, on and off the field.
"Knowing the playbook," Crawford said when asked about the biggest key for freshmen players. "Knowing it without having to think about it. Knowing it by heart. Not having to hesitate, so that you can play full speed.
"Without that, you can't really make plays. You'll look timid out there. So that's the first thing I'd tell the freshmen. When you know what you're doing, and playing with confidence, you'll make plays. You'll take the risk."
Burgess joined Crawford at IU as a fellow Floridian, one of three new Hoosiers from the powerhouse Tampa Plant High School program, including receiver Whop Philyor and linebacker Thomas Allen.
Also from the Tampa area are Clearwater products Tyler Knight and Tramar Reece and, about 50 miles up the road, Grayson Stover. They are among 20 Floridians on the current Hoosier roster.
"All of us coming from the same place, and coming all the way up here, we have a tight bond," Crawford said. "I'm from Largo. I want my city on the map."
Crawford and cohorts have a chance to make sure the college football world knows exactly where Bloomington, Ind., is, come Aug. 31.
That's when the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked No. 2 nationally in the preseason coaches' poll, come calling for the season opener.
And the Hoosiers wouldn't at all mind if that constituted the biggest "Breakthrough" drill of all.
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/8/7/football-crawford-looks-to-lead-deep-safety-group.aspx
Go Hoosiers!
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - It was 'Breakthrough" time, a practice segment bearing the watchword for this 2017 Indiana football season.
And junior safety Jonathan Crawford was particularly primed for a drill pitting him against, in part, wideout Donavan Hale.
"It was a 'get-off-the-block' drill, and we were talking a little smack before that, just smiling at each other," Crawford recalled Monday. "But once we got ready, neither of us wanted to lose."
So who won?
Crawford was diplomatic but definite.
"Uh … we won," Crawford said softly, eyes lowered. "The defense won that drill."
Crawford wasn't into crowing about it because Hale, a talented member of a gifted receiving corps, is not only his teammate and classmate. He's his cousin.
"He's my No. 1 boy," Crawford said of Hale. "We grew up together. Even though he's on the other side of the ball and we might not speak for a couple of days, when we see each other, we know it's all love."
"Love Each Other" is IU head coach Tom Allen's summary philosophical phrase and Crawford has clearly bought in. And not just regarding his cousin.
"I play for my family -- I want to make them proud at all times -- and also my teammates," Crawford said. "I want to come out here every day and show what I can do, do it for them, and make something happen out of it."
And Crawford has been a can-do, make-something-happen guy since he stepped onto the field for IU.
Crawford was a true freshman starter and has now opened all 26 games of his college career. He led Indiana in interceptions both as a freshman (4) and as a sophomore (tied alongside Rashard Fant with 3).
By just the third game of his debut season, Crawford was already earning Big Ten co-Freshman of the Week honors with a pair of interceptions in a thrilling 38-35 win over a Western Kentucky team that would finish 12-2.
Crawford made the Big Ten All-Freshman Team that fall and was a Campus Insiders Freshmen All-American. As a sophomore, he was honorable mention All-Big Ten.
One of Allen's prime objectives for the defense is takeaways and the last time Hoosiers fans saw Crawford perform at Memorial Stadium, he was accounting for all three of his team's takeaways – two interceptions
and a fumble recovery – to help salt away a 26-24 Old Oaken Bucket victory over Purdue.
Crawford led the Big Ten in fumble recoveries last fall with four. His 71 tackles were fourth on the team.
Now, as a 6-foot-2 and 203-pound veteran with a sculpted body and plenty of experience, Crawford helps lead perhaps IU's deepest and most talented secondary since the Bill Mallory era.
Crawford has seen that develop quickly over his two years in Bloomington, especially during the defense's turn-around 2016 season.
"We didn't have a good season that year as a defense," he said of his freshman 2015 campaign. "But coming up from the bottom, being able to come up with the same guys, helps a lot.
"We've grown up together. We know what each other can do and we trust each other."
Tony Fields emerged as a starter at the other safety spot last fall and fellow senior Chase Dutra, a former starter then beset by injuries, is back as a fifth-year senior.
Asked what he liked best about Fields' play, Crawford said:
"Watching him tackle. Tony is a great tackler. Every time I see him, it gets me hyped, just watching one of your boys making hits like that. Makes you want to do the same."
And Crawford is happy to have Dutra back fully healthy – for special teams, too, not just defense.
"A guy like Dutra wants everything – every special team, he wants to be on it," Crawford said with a grin. "He wants the tackle on every play. He doesn't want anybody else making the tackle.
"I'm on punt (coverage) with Dutra. Me and him always have a competition – me, him and (All-American senior linebacker) Tegray Scales are all on punt and all compete, trying to get the tackle."
There are plenty of other guys vying to get into the action in the safety rotation, too.
Khalil Bryant, a sophomore, and redshirt junior Zeke Walker have also seen the field and redshirt sophomore Jameel Cook Jr., who missed last season with injury after earning some starts as a true freshman, are all back as safeties.
And then there are newcomers already turning heads in practice at safety, such as Juwan Burgess and Bryant Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald is probably ticketed for the hybrid safety-linebacker "Husky" spot featuring a returning starter in freshman All-American Marcelino Ball and a fifth-year senior back from injury in Jayme Thompson.
"Burgess? He's fast," Crawford said. "He flies around a lot. Today, too, he showed he can come down and hit. Those two, Burgess and Fitzgerald, have come along fast."
IU safeties coach Noah Joseph has noticed.
"(Burgess) and Bryant Fitzgerald are natural football players," Joseph said. "They might be totally wrong – they should be in deep third and they're covering the flat – but they just have the natural ability to have their feet in the ground, tracking the near hip and just making football plays.
"Any time you have that natural ability, we can get the mental part and scheme-wise fixed easily."
Crawford said he always recommends that freshmen become studious quickly, on and off the field.
"Knowing the playbook," Crawford said when asked about the biggest key for freshmen players. "Knowing it without having to think about it. Knowing it by heart. Not having to hesitate, so that you can play full speed.
"Without that, you can't really make plays. You'll look timid out there. So that's the first thing I'd tell the freshmen. When you know what you're doing, and playing with confidence, you'll make plays. You'll take the risk."
Burgess joined Crawford at IU as a fellow Floridian, one of three new Hoosiers from the powerhouse Tampa Plant High School program, including receiver Whop Philyor and linebacker Thomas Allen.
Also from the Tampa area are Clearwater products Tyler Knight and Tramar Reece and, about 50 miles up the road, Grayson Stover. They are among 20 Floridians on the current Hoosier roster.
"All of us coming from the same place, and coming all the way up here, we have a tight bond," Crawford said. "I'm from Largo. I want my city on the map."
Crawford and cohorts have a chance to make sure the college football world knows exactly where Bloomington, Ind., is, come Aug. 31.
That's when the Ohio State Buckeyes, ranked No. 2 nationally in the preseason coaches' poll, come calling for the season opener.
And the Hoosiers wouldn't at all mind if that constituted the biggest "Breakthrough" drill of all.
http://iuhoosiers.com/news/2017/8/7/football-crawford-looks-to-lead-deep-safety-group.aspx
Go Hoosiers!
