Video, Quotes: Charlie Becker recaps Week 1 win, looks ahead to Howard on Under the Hood

IU football wide receiver Charlie Becker joined host Rhett Lewis to preview this Saturday’s matchup against Howard on the Under the Hood podcast.

Watch the full interview below or read what Becker had to say below:

On getting back in front of the fans at Memorial Stadium:

“Well, thank you for having me on. And it was, it’s so amazing. It’s been so awesome to be back and have the fans out there. We have the best fans in the world. I mean, it was, it was a burner out there. It was so hot, but I mean, Hoosier Nation, they stood out there the whole time. They were supporting us. The stadium was packed. I don’t think there was a seat that was empty. And they’re just the best fans in the world. Man, it’s awesome.”

On if he’s played in a warmer game than the one against North Texas:

“I don’t think so. I mean, I don’t think it was as bad on the field. We had those fans that were blowing the mist, which kind of cooled us down a little bit. Our training staff was going around with water. So they’re the best for that. But no, it was a burner for sure.”

On how IU played offensively in the opener against North Texas:

“I thought it was good, pass game wise. I thought, it starts with the O-line. They did a great job with protecting Josh (Hoover). They didn’t record a sack. And then it starts with the running backs, making blocks and getting out for quick dumps. And Josh, he did a great job with, with his decision-making and making sure not to put the ball in jeopardy and get the ball to his playmakers, which, our receivers did a good job of getting open.

“Was it perfect? Absolutely not. There’s many spots where we can get better and improve for next game.”

On the feeling of getting his first touchdown of the season:

“Yeah, it felt good starting off the season with one. I’m blessed that, I was put in the position, God put me in the position to be able to make the catch and just relying on Josh and all the passing that we’ve done and all the connecting and hard work that we’ve put in, in preparation for the season and for that game specifically. And, just to see it all come together, it felt pretty good.”

On the second touchdown and making a contested catch:

“Yeah, I love it. You know, my mindset going into contested catches is it’s either my ball or nobody’s and my plan is to come down with it 100 percent of the time. And I’m happy that I’ve built a strong enough connection with Josh that he trusts me to make these contested catches.”

On physically asserting his will as a blocker in the run game:

“Yeah, I mean, it feels really good. All fall camp, we’ve been harping on the running and the blocking and Coach Shanahan, that’s his philosophy, is we need to establish the run and it starts, you know, great O-line blocking leads to first downs and great receiver blocking leads to touchdowns.

“So I think, just with Coach Shanahan prefacing that and making sure that all the receivers know that we’re not just ball catchers. We’re also, we’re here to help our teammates because our running backs during pass protection, they’re protecting the quarterback to get us open. So we need to do everything we can to help those guys out.”

On Shazz Preston’s block on the opening kickoff that helped lead to a big return from Lee Beebe Jr. and if they watched it back on tape:

“Yeah, we watch every special teams rep as a team and we kind of highlighted that Shazz took two players out on that play and that’s just kind of a selfless play. He’s doing everything he can to help his teammates and that’s just kind of person that Shazz is.”

On the depth of the receiver room and the young players in the room:

“Yeah, they had a great fall camp, the young guys. They’ve done a great job of learning the whole playbook in every single position, whether that’s the outside receivers or the tight ends or the slots. Like they’ve just been doing a great job of learning everything and taking everything they can and taking all the learning from Coach Shanahan and putting that into play.”

On where they go next to build on the performance from Week 1 and take it into Week 2 against Howard:

“On all areas, we’re looking to improve and we’re never going to be perfect. And I think just chasing that, that perfection, that goal, you’re never going to get it. But I think if you’re always chasing it, you’re always getting one percent better.”

On whether coach Cignetti’s mantra of hunting down complacency drives them in the early part of the schedule:

“Yeah, absolutely. I mean, last year is last year. I know a lot of people like to talk about it, but at the end of the day, that means nothing to us anymore.

“And last game is last game. I mean, we don’t really care about that one, in fact, anymore. We’re really just looking at Howard and just seeing how we can improve in our game.

“And each week, we’re never looking back. It’s always, we’re in the present, looking at right here, right now, and how we can improve.”

(Photo credit: IU Athletics)

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