‘Great Effort’ -- Evans’ Return Big Boost for Indiana, O-line
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - For this, Drew Evans gives thanks -- playing time, blocking somebody into tomorrow, blasting open a hole that allowed running back Kaelon Black to score a Saturday touchdown against Old Dominion.
Evans, a 6-foot-4, 309-pound redshirt junior offensive lineman, had missed what he couldn’t do, what he didn’t have, what a torn Achilles had cost him -- last season’s final three regular season games, plus the playoff shot at eventual national runner-up Notre Dame.
“I had never gone through something like that -- being out for eight to nine months,” he says. “It was a long time not playing football. You realize how much you miss it. I missed it a lot.”
Now, after surgery, grueling rehabilitation and lots of work, what was lost is found -- good health, difference making play, joining his offensive line teammates to punish defensive linemen and anyone else getting in the way.
Saturday’s return was a sign of what’s to come.
“He was solid,” head coach Curt Cignetti says. “He's going to give you a great effort. He's going to finish and give you everything he's got. He's a really smart player. Having him back is a real plus.”
The plus continues this Saturday, when No. 23/21 Indiana (1-0) hosts Kennesaw State (0-1) on Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium.
Last season, Evans had started IU’s first nine games -- Pro Football Focus ranked him as the team’s top pass blocker -- until getting hurt in practice days before the Hoosiers hosted Michigan.
“That was really a devastating moment,” he says. “I was excited, because the Michigan D-line was really tough. It was a good opportunity to prove myself against some of the top guys. It was heartbreaking, but a good opportunity to face some adversity.”
The injury occurred, he adds, while working on a blocking sled.
“All of a sudden, it felt like someone kicked me in the back of my leg. I was like, 'Who kicked me?’”
The answer -- no one. His right Achilles had given way.
“That’s when I realized it was pretty serious.”
Evans could only watch as IU, its pass protection struggling, beat Michigan, lost at Ohio State, routed rival Purdue, and lost at Notre Dame. During it all, he was heavy into rehabilitation.
“I was completely out of everything and not doing much for six weeks,” he says. “Then, I start to work in walking, then getting on a lighter treadmill, like the (AlterG Anti-Gravity Treadmill), so it was a very slow process.
“Once I got back to lifting, I started to see some strides in my calf strength. That was more uplifting, but it was still just a very gradual, slow process. It's hard to sit out and watch your friends play without you.”
As he watched, frustration grew.
“It was really hard mentally,” he says. “I've never been in that situation before. Especially the first few weeks when my friends were playing really good teams without me and I cannot be out there with them. That was tough, but you have to focus one day at a time and know it is going to be done eventually.”
Evans sat out spring practice and was limited over the summer before returning to full status for fall camp. When did he realize he was good to go?
“I wouldn’t say there was one moment. I still don’t have equal strength in my right calf as my left calf. It was a very slow process to develop that confidence.
“When I got back to running in the first practice, it was like, ‘Alright. I’m here. I’m back.’”
Now that he is, Evans says he’s determined to prove himself, to be the best version of himself every day, to learn from his mistakes every day. He used fall camp to shake off the rust, work on his fundamentals and improve.
Fellow offensive lineman Carter Smith is impressed.
“He's playing really hard. His effort is showing well in film. It's always nice to have a piece back that was missing.”
Don’t let Evans’ overpowering size fool you. He was athletic enough to letter in basketball and track in addition to football at Wisconsin’s Fort Atkinson High School. He qualified for state in the discus and shot put, breaking a 55-year-old school shot put record (54-foot, 10.5 inches) along the way.
That led to scholarship at Wisconsin, a redshirt freshman year and then a transfer to Indiana, which led to another year of not playing before cracking the starting lineup under Cignetti.
Evans’ return against Old Dominion helped the Hoosiers rush for 309 yards, but the overall offensive inefficiency in the 27-14 victory leaves Cignetti pushing for more.
Still, there were plenty of positives.
“I thought our offensive line and tight ends did a nice job. Our running backs, our receivers, most of the day they blocked well.
“Overall, I thought we did a great job penalty-wise. I think we had three.
“So turnover ratio and penalties, two things you talk a lot about in an opener, we did a great job. And all of our special teams goals, we accomplished. Other than two plays on defense, you hold them to 160 yards.
“It's a win. It's a two-score win. But we left a lot out there. It's good that we've gotten to the point where people's expectations are such that they're not happy with just wins.”