Indiana Tight End Peyton Hendershot Keeps Catching Passes — And Breaking Records

Tom Allen knows all the cliches about tight ends. When you have a good one — and Indiana does in senior Peyton Hendershot — they can be a great security blanket in the passing game for a quarterback.

That's especially true for a young quarterback. When true freshman Donaven McCulley made his first career start for the Hoosiers on Saturday, he looked Hendershot's way often. They hooked up for six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. Hendershot is now the all-time leader in both catches (125) and receiving yards (1,383) for a tight end at Indiana.  

Hendershot was Indiana's leading receiver on the day Saturday, and Allen said that was by design. He knew he could count on the former Tri-West High School standout to come through. 

"We feel like he's one of our best football players and we need to get him the football," Allen said. "That was definitely by design, that's what we want to be able to do, and Peyton's been phenomenal. You think of how hard he's worked and what he's overcome and what he's become as both a leader and as a player."

Hendershot's talent was essential against Maryland, and McCulley was comfortable looking his way. That will continue on Saturrday against Michigan, because the freshman right-hander said Hendershot is his guy — and in more brotherly, athletic terms, a dog.

Indiana offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said Hendershot has played great all season, and it almost seems like he achieves a new record for a tight end every week. That's two in two weeks — and he's also now just one touchdown behind Ted Bolser, who's records have all been falling this year. 

"His production has been outstanding," Sheridan said of Hendershot. "His leadership has been even better, and I'm just really proud of him."

Sheridan complimented his pass catchers for the way they played on Saturday. McCully was 14-for-25 passing for 242 yards, the most yards ever for a true freshman at Indiana. Ty Fryfogle had four catches for 78 yards, and Stephen Carr, Miles Marshall and Jacolby Hewitt all had catches as well.

Dealing with injuries and cycling through four different quarterbacks in one season can be jarring and unfamiliar on an offense, and the Hoosiers have certainly had their struggles this season. But itt helps when there are experienced guys like Hendershot downfield waiting to make a dynamic play for the score.

Allen said the offense is working quickly to adjust to each quarterback and have taken as many reps as possible to get prepared for the way each guy throws. McCulley will get most of the first-team reps this week too as Michael Penix Jr. (shoulder) and Jack Tuttle (foot) continue to rehab their week-to-week injuries

"That's really become a major part of our pre-group work, running routes on air with both the tight ends as a group, the running backs as a group, and then the wide receivers as a group,'' Allen said. "(McCulley) doesn't have that rep base over the summer, even though he threw with them some but very little, and there was no spring football for him.

Quarterback shuffle or not, Hendershot's grit and leadership shows on the field and in the locker room. No matter who's throwing the ball, he's got a great chance of making a memorable play — and continue to rewrite the Indiana record book in the process.

"Does it help to have someone else that they have to recognize and honor and leverage defensively? Yes," Allen said. "Without question, he's a talented football player. You can sometimes take a receiver (out of a game with coverage). You can do things to make it hard on that guy, so that's where others have got to step up."