One of IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s favorite sayings is “gaining on it.”
For junior quarterback Richard Lagow, that has been the story of his season. The junior college transfer has had an up-and-down first season in Bloomington, but he has been gaining confidence in recent weeks.
Currently, the most impressive part of his game is his ability to shake off errors. Mixed in with his moments of brilliance are mind-numbing interceptions that can sink the offense.
In the Rutgers game Saturday, he was able to bounce back quickly after he threw two interceptions and in turn had a strong second half. Lagow said it's about having the mental strength to forget about those mistakes.
“Move on," Lagow said. "There’s a lot of football left to play at that point ... No matter what happens in the game, you just got to keep playing because anything can happen.”
His teammates trust him fully and see how he’s progressing as the season continues.
“I think he’s getting a lot more confident,” senior offensive lineman Dan Feeney said. “Obviously, he’s human, he’s going to make mistakes, but he responded well. He got his confidence back as quick as possible and sat back in the pocket and kept delivering third-down conversions. I think he’s developing very well as a quarterback.”
Lagow’s been able to maintain his composure even when plays break down.
During one play against the Scarlet Knights, he dropped the snap but was able to still make a play. He’s developed a knack for figuring things out when they are going wrong.
“Since the first game of the year, I’d say I’ve come a long, long way, probably night and day,” Lagow said. “If I’d drop the snap in the FIU game, I don’t know what I would have done. I probably would have just tried to pick it up and run with it or make a play that wasn’t there. Being able to pick it up and stay calm.”
In the midst of stretches in which he isn’t as effective, he still has the ability to make the important throws.
Against Maryland and Rutgers, when he was asked to make throws to win the game, he delivered.
“I think some of those fourth-quarter throws, standing in there and going through a couple critical third downs, which I think in a two-point game or whatever it was,” Wilson said. “Making those plays was great to see because he’s been in there before, gotten a little rattled, flushed, eyes off target, didn’t go through the progression, and the first guy wasn’t there.”
He’s done his job as well as could have been expected from a quarterback playing his first season at the Division I level. Per Football Study Hall, IU’s passing game ranks 22nd in the nation based on S&P, which combines efficiency and explosion. This is down from 14th in 2015, but that’s not a huge drop off.
As much as Lagow has struggled at times to score points by no means is the passing game broken.
Lagow hasn’t been perfect in recent weeks, but he is continuing to grow in composure and confidence. His interceptions at times are crippling, yet his ability to make plays is remarkable.
That’s the enigma that is Lagow.
In the next two weeks, the Hoosiers will face some of the best defenses in the country in Penn State and Michigan. Per Football Study Hall’s S&P+ metric, the Nittany Lions have the 15th best defense in the nation, while the Wolverines have the first.
While Lagow doesn’t have to be flawless, he has to play the best games of his career to pull off the upset.
We are about to find out exactly what Lagow is made of.
