Freshmen stepping up for Hoosiers

It was 2nd and 16 from the Hoosier 20 yard line as Indiana State freshman quarterback Jake Schiff stood at the line looking for a hole in IU's defense to cut into the Hoosier's 16-3 lead. Freshman safety Will Meyers crept closer to the line of scrimmage as Schiff got ready to take the snap.\nAs Schiff dropped back, Meyers blitzed through a wide-open hole in the left side of the ISU line. Schiff never saw Meyers coming as the Chesterfield, Mo., native blind-sided Schiff, forcing a fumble.\nMeyers said his eyes got real big when he saw his opportunity of a clean shot on the quarterback, a dream hit for defensive players.\n"I was like 'Wow,'" Meyers said. "I couldn't believe it."\nThis was one of the many big plays the freshman has been making for IU's defense. Meyers has been given the opportunity to play because of a defensive secondary riddled with injuries. Senior Joe Gonzalez has been out, but may play this weekend. Sophomore Will Lumpkin is gone for the season.\nBut Meyers has made the most of his shot as he is IU's second leading tackler with 28, ranks fifth in the Big Ten in total tackles, second in forced fumbles and fifth in fumbles recovered.\n"That stuff really doesn't mean much to me," Meyers said. "Tell me that at the end of the season, and I'll feel good. Right now, I've only played three games."\nDuring those three games, Meyers has been a bright spot for a Hoosier defense. He is one of three freshmen who has seen action in the secondary, joining Ryan Skelton and Cedric Henry, prompting head coach Gerry DiNardo to remark that safeties coach Curt Mallory should be getting extra day care money.\nMeyers has also been one of the most energized defensive players. He is frequently running around and congratulating his defensive teammates on a big play. He said that's the way it should be.\n"I love to play football," Meyers said. "We should be out there having fun and flyin' around, patting everybody on the back when they make a good play and feeding off each other."\nTwo players that have helped Meyers make his own big plays are junior Herana-Daze Jones and Gonzalez. Gonzalez is a fifth-year safety, and Jones moved back to the secondary this year after two years at linebacker.\nMeyers said Gonzalez and Jones have really helped him out a lot. Jones said Meyers is doing his part.\n"He's been playing terrific," Jones said. "A lot of teams have been trying to run at him, and he's been holding up pretty well. He's been in position, and he's doing a great job. He's a play maker."\nMeyers and the rest of the defensive secondary need to be ready to make plays this Saturday against Kentucky seniors Jared Lorenzen and Derek Abney, a potent pass and catch combination.\nCompeting shouldn't be a problem for Meyers, who is a competition junkie as he wants to win in whatever he does, releasing some of his competitive fire on the chess board.\n"It's kind of dorky," Meyers said. "I'm in an Internet chess club. Me and my dad play chess. It's somewhat similar in the X's and O's standpoint."\nDiNardo knows about X's and O's, but said Meyers needs to keep it up the entire season.\n"He has a long way to go," DiNardo said. "He had an energy level the first game, but this is an endurance game, so we will see if he does it this week and then the following weeks." \nMeyers said he hopes to keep his performance up and relate his style on the chess floor to the field.\n"I'm pretty aggressive," Meyers said. "I like the aggressive type of style."\n-- Contact staff writer John Rodgers at jprodger@indiana.edu.