'Big Men Lead the Way': Matthew Bedford Taking Responsibility for Offensive Line in 2022

Matthew Bedford started eight games as a freshman in 2019, relying on brute force to hold his own. But after 27 starts across three seasons, he has a stronger knowledge of the intricacies of the positions, and he's taking responsibility to lead the way in 2022.

Offensive line coach Darren Hiller couldn’t sleep the night before Indiana’s roadtrip to East Lansing, Mich. in 2019.

Hiller’s unit was about to take on the No. 25 Spartans without team captain Coy Cronk, who started 40 of the last 41 games at left tackle. A week before, the entire team huddled around Cronk at midfield as he was carted off with a season-ending ankle injury.

Enter Matthew Bedford, the 6-foot-6, 307-pound freshman who was more size than smarts at the time.

“[Bedford] really didn’t know a whole lot about football in general, forget college football,” Hiller said. “He was very green.”

But Indiana had no choice. Bedford’s No. 76 was called to start at left tackle in a crucial road contest. The 3-1 Hoosiers traded touchdowns with the Spartans throughout the afternoon, tying the game with two minutes left on an 11-yard touchdown from Michael Penix Jr. to Whop Philyor.

But Matt Coghlin kicked a game-winning 21-yard field goal with five seconds left, and Michigan State emerged with a 40-31 win, adding a touchdown as time expired when Penix fumbled the ball on a desperation lateral play. Bedford’s first start ended in a loss, but perhaps Hiller slept more easily after seeing the true freshman hold his own in a tough road environment.

Indiana first planned to use a redshirt on Bedford in 2019, but instead, he went on to start eight of the final nine games of Indiana’s 8-5 season, winning the team’s Offensive Newcomer of the Year award.

“It’s hard to play left tackle in this conference as a true freshman,” Tom Allen said after Indiana’s 38-31 win at Nebraska on Oct. 26, 2019. “And [Bedford] looks like a seasoned lineman.”

Bedford has since started 27 games on the line, and during that time, he’s gone from relying on his size and brute force to learning the intricacies of the position and taking on a leadership role as a senior in 2022.

“The growth from a mental aspect,” Hiller said. “He still brings a physicalness and he has good feet and good hip explosion and he does a lot of good things from that perspective, but the biggest thing for Matt has been a growth of his knowledge of the game of football. It's been fun to watch."

Matthew Bedford stands on the sideline in deep focus as he prepares to take the field / Indiana Athletics

Bedford’s football career began in Cordova, Tenn., an eastern suburb of Memphis, where his coaches imparted the mentality of 'Nobody is going to stop you. Nobody is going to get in your way.’ He lacked a deep knowledge of the details required to succeed on the offensive line, but he knew how to move people against their will.

When he arrived at Indiana before the 2019 season, Bedford’s development was centered on understanding the holistic responsibility of an offensive lineman. From pre-snap reads to dissecting defensive formations, Bedford started to realize what it takes to play in the trenches in the Big Ten.

“At the time I was 310 [pounds] of just straight fat,” Bedford said. “Now it's a lot more muscle, and a lot more technique has developed a lot in that time and knowledge of the game.”

Before the 2021 season, Bedford was nominated for the Outland Trophy, an award given to the nation’s top interior lineman. He’s played every offensive line position besides center across three years at Indiana, but after the graduation of Caleb Jones, Bedford will kick outside to right tackle – his ‘first love’ – for his senior campaign in 2022. 

He made eight starts at right guard and three at left guard – the ‘trash,' Bedford calls it – in 2021, but he’s excited for the move back to tackle where he can play in space and make important decisions for the offense.

Indiana’s offensive line struggles were no secret in 2021. The Hoosiers allowed 29 sacks in 12 games last season, which was the third most in the Big Ten and tied for second on a per-game basis. Indiana’s passing attack gained 175.5 yards per game – 10th in the Big Ten – and its run game generated 3.2 yards per carry, which tied for 13th in the conference.

“We need to be better. It wasn't our standard of the way we play,” Bedford said. “[Last season] hit a little different, it hurt, and when you get hurt, it's time to brace up and get ready for what's coming.”

Matthew Bedford gets set at right tackle during fall camp / Indiana Athletics

Under new offensive coordinator Walt Bell, Bedford has noticed an increased level of accountability at his position. Bedford said when Bell arrived on campus, one of the first things he said to the offense was, ‘Big men lead the way.’ The message continued that no matter what style of offense a team plays, the offensive line is the focal point.

“O-line this is your offense,” Bedford remembers Bell saying to the group. “We're not going nowhere without you, and if you don't take pride in that, we're not going to do much this season.”

Bedford took that personally, and he’s taking on the responsibility of being a leader for the Hoosiers in 2022. When he was a young player in Indiana’s program, Bedford remembers Hiller correcting him, and at times, he wouldn't fully understand how to fix his mistakes. He would turn to the group’s veterans, who would explain things from a player’s perspective, which allowed Bedford to approach the next rep with a better understanding.

Bedford is hoping to be the guy his teammates can turn to this season.

“Last year, we don't like to talk about last year a lot, but it wasn't there,” Bedford said. “I feel like now that I'm in this position where I'm able to have more of an impact on the younger guys. I'm having the guys ready that need to be ready on game day. I feel like I need to take a giant responsibility in that.”

Matthew Bedford kneels alongside his teammates after practice / Indiana Athletics

With an ongoing quarterback competition, a completely revamped running back room, a handful of new receivers and three new offensive coaches, there’s a lot of unknown heading into week one against Illinois. Much of Indiana’s success as an offense in this season will rely on the protection provided by the offensive line, which turns out to be the most experienced position group throughout the offense.

With the return of Bedford, Luke Haggard, Mike Katic and Zach Carpenter, Hiller’s hope is that with more experience comes improved play. Hiller said it is important for his group to embrace the boredom of consistency, noting that offensive line is a developmental position where players have to continue to grind every day.

Hiller didn’t shy away from the group’s struggles last year, either, saying he thought the offensive line was a bit soft in pass protection in 2021.

Starting as the freshman who relied on brute force to the senior leader with greater knowledge of the game, Bedford heard this challenge from Hiller, and it’s another responsibility he’s addressing head on.

“If you're on the field and you're not moving somebody against their will, what are you out there for?” Bedford said. “That's the name of the position. It's big men lead the way, not little guys, not quarterbacks, us. We're up front. It starts with us.”

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• DONAVEN MCCULLEY EMBRACING SWITCH TO RECEIVER: Donaven McCulley was the highest-ranked quarterback to ever commit to Indiana, but after one season, he's making the switch to receiver. Indiana wide receivers coach Adam Henry said McCulley has an impressive catch radius, and he's working to refine his footwork and learn the intricacies of the position. CLICK HERE