Indiana University Athletics
Hoosiers Veterans Use Clutch Plays to Close Out Victory
11/11/2017 7:02:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On Veterans Day, the veteran team prevailed.
Indiana's Hoosiers took care of very necessary business Saturday with a workman-like 24-14 win at Illinois.
Tom Allen notched his first Big Ten coaching victory, one which kept IU's bowl hopes alive, and rightly relished the manner in which it was finalized.
The Hoosiers vanquished the youthful Illini – who started nine freshmen – the way a veteran team does, with offense, defense and special teams combining for clutch plays to close the game out.
"You've got to execute and play 60 minutes," Allen said afterward. "I thought our kids finished well, getting those (3 straight) takeaways at the end was big … we ran the football for 140 yards and threw the football for close to 300.
"It's called a team mentality. It's all three phases working together and complementing one another."
Indiana had a 14-0 halftime cushion but with 12:59 to play, Illinois had closed within 17-14. The Hoosiers, who had lost four straight and had come out on the short end of many close games in recent campaigns, responded.
IU's ensuing drive reached Illini territory and Haydon Whitehead then pinned Illinois at its own 1 with a precise, well-covered punt.
The Indiana defense kept the Illini pinned and the Hoosiers got the ball back as Rashard Fant's punt return set the IU offense up at the Illinois 41 at the 8:37 mark.
"As a special-teams guy, you pin an offense back like that, it changes their play calling … it really helps," Allen said of Whitehead's boot. "And then you get your offense playing 'downhill' (with good field position)."
So it was time for the Hoosier offense to do its bit. IU wanted seven points, not three. It wanted to put the game out of reach.
"Yeah, just how crucial it was just to get seven points out of that drive, that's kind of what I was preaching down the sideline," fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow recalled. '"We get seven points there, we get a good handle on the game. If we get three, it's still a one-possession game and anything can happen.
"That's something we definitely stressed. At that point in the game, one or more key plays can end it. You just have to really stay focused."
IU made its intentions clear by eschewing a field goal when facing a 4th-and-1 at the Illini 20. The Hoosiers sent Morgan Ellison right up the gut and he powered for 10 yards.
"When you're up by three – and here's my mindset – going up by six doesn't really help you," Allen said. "As a matter of fact, it helps the other team.
They say, 'Hey, we're only down six, let's go score.' I think that helps them.
"We've talked a lot about it as a staff, talked about it ahead of time, and on the headsets. When we started that drive we said, 'Hey, we are not going to kick a field goal.' We might have to punt, but we're either going to punt or go score a touchdown."
Turned out it was the desired touchdown.
On a 3rd-down snap from the Illini 5, Lagow then found Simmie Cobbs Jr. wide-open for a slant and the sought-after seven points at the 5:45 mark.
Cobbs crucially got great separation at the line of scrimmage.
"I practiced that play all week," said Cobbs, who had a happy return to his home state. "We knew the coverage they'd come out in … I worked him, crossed his face, and was wide open because he was over-playing the fade. That left the slant wide open."
Lagow deserves considerable credit. After starting as a junior and opening the first four games this season, he saw redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey handed the Hoosier helm, but handled the change with class. And when Ramsey sustained an injury at Maryland, Lagow stepped right back in and stepped up. His play has been sharp.
Saturday, Lagow hit 32-of-48 passes for 289 yards and two TDs.
"When the situation happened with the change, Richard kept his head high," Cobbs, Lagow's roommate, said. "He still stayed a leader. He still did all the things he normally does in practice.
"We always emphasize 'next man up' and, when Peyton went down, Richard stepped up like we expected him to. His confidence always stayed the same. He's just out there being himself."
Allen is among the appreciative.
"You know what, I love it for him," Allen said of Lagow. "Because, as I've said way back, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do was sit him down and make the switch. It's awesome to see him respond. He had a great attitude throughout and then, when Peyton goes down, he responds and rises to the occasion. Really, really happy for him.
"He's got to keep studying and working … but really encouraged. He gives us different dimensions in what we're able to do in the throw game. He allows us to do that. And it couldn't happen to a better young man."
A lot of Hoosiers came through in a variety of ways Saturday.
Every IU touchdown drive featured a fourth-down conversion. The Hoosiers were able to pound it when needed.
"We were able to run the ball at critical times … and we knew we had to stop the run," Allen said. "They've run the ball well against some folks, and we wanted to get them in passing situations … holding them to 33 yards on the ground puts a lot of pressure on an offense."
Thanks largely to 10 Indiana tackles for loss, including eight sacks, the Illini finished with just 33 rushing yards and a 1.1-yard average per carry. Illinois managed just two third-down conversions in 14 tries. The Hoosier defenders marked seven 3-and-outs while limiting Illinois to just 294 total yards (compared to IU's 428).
Allen believes in his defense so much he used all three of his timeouts to force an Illinois punt with 25 seconds left in the first half and try for a punt block.
After the Illini stunned the Hoosiers with a 77-yard TD pass on the first snap from scrimmage after halftime, the IU defense still stayed mainly stout.
And the Hoosiers ended three straight Illinois drives with takeaways down the stretch. Jacob Robinson forced a fumble recovered by Tegray Scales.
Rashard Fant, who hadn't held onto a potential pick-6 on the Illini's first possession of the game, then came up with a leaping interception. And Scales dived for an interception in the final minute.
"Today, we showed we could finish as a defense," Fant said. "Glad we put that on film."
From the time it became 17-14, Indiana did what it needed to do as a team.
"We had to respond and that's what we did," Allen said. "And that's what you have to do, home or away. The kids were able to buckle down.
"So just really encouraged by our kids … we stayed the course and the kids were rewarded (today) for being very resilient. Everybody's been asking about how the guys are doing. And you know what? They believe. They believe in themselves and believe in what we're doing.
"But you need to win. That makes you feel different, when all that hard work comes to fruition and has you feeling like you're moving in the right direction."
The direction a veteran, maturing team often can take.
IUHoosiers.com
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – On Veterans Day, the veteran team prevailed.
Indiana's Hoosiers took care of very necessary business Saturday with a workman-like 24-14 win at Illinois.
Tom Allen notched his first Big Ten coaching victory, one which kept IU's bowl hopes alive, and rightly relished the manner in which it was finalized.
The Hoosiers vanquished the youthful Illini – who started nine freshmen – the way a veteran team does, with offense, defense and special teams combining for clutch plays to close the game out.
"You've got to execute and play 60 minutes," Allen said afterward. "I thought our kids finished well, getting those (3 straight) takeaways at the end was big … we ran the football for 140 yards and threw the football for close to 300.
"It's called a team mentality. It's all three phases working together and complementing one another."
Indiana had a 14-0 halftime cushion but with 12:59 to play, Illinois had closed within 17-14. The Hoosiers, who had lost four straight and had come out on the short end of many close games in recent campaigns, responded.
IU's ensuing drive reached Illini territory and Haydon Whitehead then pinned Illinois at its own 1 with a precise, well-covered punt.
The Indiana defense kept the Illini pinned and the Hoosiers got the ball back as Rashard Fant's punt return set the IU offense up at the Illinois 41 at the 8:37 mark.
"As a special-teams guy, you pin an offense back like that, it changes their play calling … it really helps," Allen said of Whitehead's boot. "And then you get your offense playing 'downhill' (with good field position)."
So it was time for the Hoosier offense to do its bit. IU wanted seven points, not three. It wanted to put the game out of reach.
"Yeah, just how crucial it was just to get seven points out of that drive, that's kind of what I was preaching down the sideline," fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow recalled. '"We get seven points there, we get a good handle on the game. If we get three, it's still a one-possession game and anything can happen.
"That's something we definitely stressed. At that point in the game, one or more key plays can end it. You just have to really stay focused."
IU made its intentions clear by eschewing a field goal when facing a 4th-and-1 at the Illini 20. The Hoosiers sent Morgan Ellison right up the gut and he powered for 10 yards.
"When you're up by three – and here's my mindset – going up by six doesn't really help you," Allen said. "As a matter of fact, it helps the other team.
They say, 'Hey, we're only down six, let's go score.' I think that helps them.
"We've talked a lot about it as a staff, talked about it ahead of time, and on the headsets. When we started that drive we said, 'Hey, we are not going to kick a field goal.' We might have to punt, but we're either going to punt or go score a touchdown."
Turned out it was the desired touchdown.
On a 3rd-down snap from the Illini 5, Lagow then found Simmie Cobbs Jr. wide-open for a slant and the sought-after seven points at the 5:45 mark.
Cobbs crucially got great separation at the line of scrimmage.
"I practiced that play all week," said Cobbs, who had a happy return to his home state. "We knew the coverage they'd come out in … I worked him, crossed his face, and was wide open because he was over-playing the fade. That left the slant wide open."
Lagow deserves considerable credit. After starting as a junior and opening the first four games this season, he saw redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey handed the Hoosier helm, but handled the change with class. And when Ramsey sustained an injury at Maryland, Lagow stepped right back in and stepped up. His play has been sharp.
Saturday, Lagow hit 32-of-48 passes for 289 yards and two TDs.
"When the situation happened with the change, Richard kept his head high," Cobbs, Lagow's roommate, said. "He still stayed a leader. He still did all the things he normally does in practice.
"We always emphasize 'next man up' and, when Peyton went down, Richard stepped up like we expected him to. His confidence always stayed the same. He's just out there being himself."
Allen is among the appreciative.
"You know what, I love it for him," Allen said of Lagow. "Because, as I've said way back, one of the hardest things I've ever had to do was sit him down and make the switch. It's awesome to see him respond. He had a great attitude throughout and then, when Peyton goes down, he responds and rises to the occasion. Really, really happy for him.
"He's got to keep studying and working … but really encouraged. He gives us different dimensions in what we're able to do in the throw game. He allows us to do that. And it couldn't happen to a better young man."
A lot of Hoosiers came through in a variety of ways Saturday.
Every IU touchdown drive featured a fourth-down conversion. The Hoosiers were able to pound it when needed.
"We were able to run the ball at critical times … and we knew we had to stop the run," Allen said. "They've run the ball well against some folks, and we wanted to get them in passing situations … holding them to 33 yards on the ground puts a lot of pressure on an offense."
Thanks largely to 10 Indiana tackles for loss, including eight sacks, the Illini finished with just 33 rushing yards and a 1.1-yard average per carry. Illinois managed just two third-down conversions in 14 tries. The Hoosier defenders marked seven 3-and-outs while limiting Illinois to just 294 total yards (compared to IU's 428).
Allen believes in his defense so much he used all three of his timeouts to force an Illinois punt with 25 seconds left in the first half and try for a punt block.
After the Illini stunned the Hoosiers with a 77-yard TD pass on the first snap from scrimmage after halftime, the IU defense still stayed mainly stout.
And the Hoosiers ended three straight Illinois drives with takeaways down the stretch. Jacob Robinson forced a fumble recovered by Tegray Scales.
Rashard Fant, who hadn't held onto a potential pick-6 on the Illini's first possession of the game, then came up with a leaping interception. And Scales dived for an interception in the final minute.
"Today, we showed we could finish as a defense," Fant said. "Glad we put that on film."
From the time it became 17-14, Indiana did what it needed to do as a team.
"We had to respond and that's what we did," Allen said. "And that's what you have to do, home or away. The kids were able to buckle down.
"So just really encouraged by our kids … we stayed the course and the kids were rewarded (today) for being very resilient. Everybody's been asking about how the guys are doing. And you know what? They believe. They believe in themselves and believe in what we're doing.
"But you need to win. That makes you feel different, when all that hard work comes to fruition and has you feeling like you're moving in the right direction."
The direction a veteran, maturing team often can take.
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