When your position room features guys like Whop Philyor and Ty Fryfogle, it can be hard to stand out.
But for freshman receiver Javon Swinton and redshirt sophomore receiver Jacolby Hewitt, they are rapidly making a name for themselves for the Indiana Hoosiers.
The two combined for three key catches on Indiana’s final drive in the fourth quarter, and were an integral part in Indiana picking up a 36-35 win over Penn State.
The two met with the media this week and both told the media last Saturday was “a dream come true.”
For Hewitt, who was playing in his first college game, his moment came on first down with under a minute to go as he reeled in a pass from quarterback Michael Penix, giving the Hoosiers a new set of downs at the Penn State 6-yard line.
It may have been only one catch, but for the Tennessee native who redshirted as a freshman in 2018 and then tore his ACL heading into the 2019 season, it truly was magical for Hewitt.
“As a freshman, I thought I’d get in and play, but God had other plans for me. When I did get in, I capitalized on the time I was in,” said Hewitt, who tore his ACL during player workouts while trying to execute a double move route.
Head coach Tom Allen was impressed, stating Hewitt made the “biggest catch.”
“This was his first college football game and he made the biggest catch. You watch that throw from Michael Penix on film, he got hit, it is a tiny, tiny window and it was an amazing catch by a young man, Jacolby, that has overcome so much,” Allen said.
Hewitt told the media the day after the game, he had to find Penix and talk to him about the throw.
“I had to go kiss him," Hewitt said. "I told him man, you a bad man for throwing that ball like that. You’re a bad man. He’s the one. He’s Heisman. That’s Heisman man right there."
Two plays before that, Swinton got his chance to show what he could do, reeling in two passes from Penix.
“It definitely was a dream come true, especially being on that big of a stage. Make or break moment,” Swinton said.
As a freshman, Swinton has been a player Allen has mentioned many times as being impressed with during fall camp.
Swinton says one reason why he has been able to thrive is because he is a student of the game, spending time with his playbook outside of practice.
“For me, honestly, it was going home and studying it, even after practice. I felt like coming in I didn’t want to be one who just sat on the bench and I know that the quicker you learn the playbook, the better chance you have to get on the field. It was a determination and grind to get better,” Swinton said.
Both players have said they are at a point where the game is starting to slow down and come to them.
“I definitely think game has slowed down," Swinton added. "Just getting in there first time and getting feet wet has helped a lot."
There were times against Penn State the offense struggled to get on any rhythm going, but both Swinton and Hewitt told the media they have been working hard at practice and then after practice with Penix on building chemistry and cleaning up errors.
“We have been running full speed, trying not to be lazy and after practice, we get extra balls to make sure our timing is on point,” Hewitt said.
Swinton echoed those sentiments.
“After practice, we get more throws. The chemistry is the biggest thing right now," Swinton said. "We ramped up the intensity, trying not to live off one big win and just go harder. We know we didn’t play our best football against Penn State, so we are trying to clean up all the errors so we can be the best possible team we can be."
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