FOX’s Gus Johnson saw an 8 on the uniform and assumed Josh Hoover’s overtime pass at Michigan went to his favorite target, Charlie Becker.
That was an understandable mistake.
Becker leads Indiana with 65 targets and 42 receptions this season.
The tight end group?
They’ve got eight targets and six receptions all season — combined.
Going back to the spring, IU coach Curt Cignetti warned his young tight end room was the biggest unknown on his third Hoosier football team. And that sentiment made sense. After all, all five of the tight ends on the roster had freshman in their class — either true or redshirt — and none could claim any meaningful experience at the college level.
The uncertainty crept into the regular season as three players gradually began to emerge. They’re all from the northern half of the state of Indiana.
Trevor Gibbs leads all tight ends with 231 offensive snaps this season. But that’s not even half of the 491 the IU offense has played thus far. The Crown Point, Indiana product caught Cignetti’s eye in fall camp, but a hamstring injury delayed his readiness for this season. He didn’t play until week three.
“He’s been coming on, really a smart player,” Cignetti said of Gibbs Thursday on his radio show.
As an indicator of just how fluid things have been, Andrew Barker (Kokomo, Indiana) and Brock Schott (Fort Wayne, Indiana) have 151 and 144 snaps, respectively. The distribution has been very even — for a number of reasons.
Barker has played five games on offense. At one point he appeared to be taking a leading role, but an injury appears to have disrupted that, at least for now.
The latest to emerge a bit is Schott — the player many expected might end up being a full-time starter when the season began. He was a consensus 4-star recruit and a top-25 tight end in his class. But after his lone season at Miami, Schott missed spring practice, and like all of his fellow tight ends, was inconsistent early in the season.
It was Schott who was on the receiving end of that Hoover overtime seam route. His 21-yard catch set up Hoover’s touchdown run on the very next play.
Schott’s sudden rise to prominence Saturday at Michigan might have caught Gus Johnson off guard, but Cignetti has seen it coming.
It probably wasn’t a coincidence the head coach was willing to look Schott’s direction the first play of overtime.
“The other guy that’s playing out there and getting better every week I think is Brock Schott,” Cignetti said. “I think he’s got a nice upside as well. There’s no doubt.”
Indiana’s offense has been sputtering of late. They’ve averaged just 16 points over the last three contests.
Part of that has been the fact that they’re facing good defenses. Nebraska, Ohio State and Michigan certainly all fall in that category. And Minnesota will provide another stiff challenge Saturday.
But part of the solution might be looking beyond Becker, Nick Marsh and the running game, at least more often.
If teams continue to focus on taking those options away from IU, will passes to the tight ends and slot receivers, and quarterback runs be emphasized more?
It’s worth noting that’s where IU looked in Ann Arbor with the game on the line.
“Those are things that have a chance, yeah,” Cignetti said.
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