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There was no sugarcoating from IU offensive line coach Darren Hiller during Thursday's post-practice press conference.

"I don't like talking too much about last year, but last year, I just think we were a little bit soft in our protection," he said.

Following a year in 2020 where Indiana's offensive line was among the elite with regards to fewest sacks allowed and flourished in creating time for the offense to develop, 2021 saw almost a complete 180-degree turnaround. Regardless of whatever number you might pull, even the eye test will tell you that Indiana's offensive output was lackluster a season ago.

As for the plans of a turnaround, those didn't take long to materialize. Yet, it isn't just the coaching staff looking to leave last year in the rearview mirror, but it's the position group themselves. Characterized by a veteran group of returning names, an offseason of soul-searching and reconsideration means that they too know that a replicate performance from a season ago is not an option.

"Me, [Matthew] Bedford, all the older senior leaders on the O-line came together before we started in January and just kind of went over everything," said redshirt-junior guard Mike Katic on Thursday. "From a leadership, fundamental, physical standpoint, we kind of laid everything out there. We said what we had to do and I think we're working towards that right now."

Although he missed three games in 2021 with an injury, Katic started all nine contests he was healthy for at left guard. Armed with the experience of both the highs of '20 and lows of '21, he's now taken a role of leadership amongst the group, a nod to the former Hoosiers he looked up to when he was younger.

"Caleb Jones, guys like that that were leading the O-line and I kind of want to step up, especially having the young guys come in," Katic said. That goes for everything, too, not just football. From getting used to the campus and all the intricacies of being a college student to adjusting to the necessities of college football, i.e. weight lighting, practice routines, or what have you, Katic wants to be a source of trust.

"Kind of in a leadership sense of keeping the young guys up and keeping their heads and chins up, because it's hard," Katic said.

While most of the skill positions may feel the most outward shine from a new scheme such as the one being installed by offensive coordinator Walt Bell, the O-line has felt the love all the same. With Bell's work, in conjunction with the improvements being made by Hiller and the position group, the seemingly small gains could turn out to be massive.

"Oh, [the minor improvements] make a huge difference," Katic said. Mike would go on to list his improvements from just his freshman year to now, whether it be preventing his hands from being too far outside, cleaning up his footwork, and maintaining a good first punch. Like most things, it gets better with time, and it's Katic's turn to feel the improvements.

"I think as you get older, you start to pick up on things," Katic said. "That's what makes O-line easier. Not easier, but you can move a lot faster and more confidently, and that makes you a much better o-lineman."

"Playing offensive line is obviously a position that [the players] have to embrace the boredom of consistency," Hiller said Thursday. The constant repetitions the O-line endures while receivers run routes, defenses learn to disguise sets, and running backs work their feet are just as crucial as anything else going on. Without time to pass or any holes to run through, all of the other work is meaningless.

As previously mentioned, Bell is as involved with the offensive line as he is with the wideouts, running backs, and QBs during his first year in the role. According to the linemen themselves, it's been a welcome change.

"Just from a standpoint of how much he cares for the O-line," said Katic when asked about what's been different about working with Bell. "I'm not saying coach Sheridan didn't care for the O-line a lot, he really did, he loved the o-linemen. But coach Bell has that same kind of mindset of, you know, big men lead the way and we only go as far as the O-line takes us -- I think he puts us in a spot where we can be successful. He's got us going in the right direction right now."

Among those expressing the same sentiment about coach Bell and coach Hiller is tackle Luke Haggard. Recruited to JUCO out of high school as a defensive lineman, Haggard has since flipped to the other side of the trenches since he's started playing college football.

Described by Hiller as a "big baby giraffe", he too is excited by the progress he and his guys are making and the opportunity to reboot from last year heading into his third season at IU.

"We're very happy with the way our offense is now," Haggard said of Bell's offensive scheme. "I feel like he's making our offense able to have a lot more successful situations and move the ball."

Bell and Hiller's work also has the approval of versatile lineman Matthew Bedford, the All-Big Ten honorable mention from a season ago who enters his senior year in Bloomington this fall.

"It's just been more about us," Bedford said Thursday. "It's been more about knowing yourself and knowing who we are as an offense, and knowing each other because on game day, you need to be connected."

While other position groups have the ability to focus on an individual aspect of their game, the O-line is absent of that luxury. Bedford says that increased emphasis has been the biggest thing that's stood out to him so far.

"As a defense, you can have your own responsibilities and do what you need to do, but offense, you need to move as one, and that's what [Bell] has really been harping on," Bedford said. "Everybody's responsibility is of equal importance."

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