Graham Notebook: IU Prepares for Purdue
11/21/2017 8:33:00 PM | Football
By: Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tegray Scales was walking through the Indiana football facilities Monday, a scheduled off day with no coaches around.
Then he saw the IU defensive linemen. All of them.
"And they had," he said, "about 12 boxes of pizza."
But the linemen weren't just chowing down.
"They were all in there watching film together," Scales said Tuesday. "They were all in their on their off day, prepping. And I think that's huge. We have an experienced defense. So the leadership is there."
And all the leaders know full well what is at stake this week.
Purdue week.
Bucket week.
Probably the most meaningful Old Oaken Bucket matchup since at least 2007, and perhaps beyond, with bowl bids at stake for both 5-6 clubs when Saturday's 12 p.m. kickoff in West Lafayette arrives.
"It's always a rivalry game but, since I've been here, they've never had to win to go to a bowl game," IU fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant said of the Boilermakers. "So it'll be fun. We've always gotten their best shot, but now that's taken to an even higher level, and we've got to be prepared.
"Their team is that good. They're that much better. There were a lot of games that they let go, just like we did. We have the same mindset. We've got one game. One game for a bowl and the Bucket. We'll give it our best shot and we know they will."
Georgia native Fant had to learn about the rivalry when he got to Bloomington. That wasn't necessary for classmate and Brownsburg product Chase Dutra.
"Obviously, being an Indy kid, you know about the Bucket, and the history of it," Dutra said. "It's the biggest game of the year. It's the rival. Everyone thinks that way.
"I just kind of try to spread the knowledge, the way Coach (Mark) Deal does, or any Indy kid does – letting the younger kids know how much this means. They might say, 'Aw, it's just a trophy.' But it's a big trophy – a big deal to both programs."
HERE'S THE DEAL
Mark Deal, past IU player and coach, is now officially labeled as Assistant Athletic Director for Alumni Relations. But after helping orchestrate a reunion of Indiana's Rose Bowl team last weekend, he did his relating to current IU students this week.
Deal donned his old Hoosier jersey and told the football Hoosiers exactly what they need to know about what the Old Oaken Bucket is and what it means.
And Deal knows full well. His father, Russ "Mutt" Deal, captained IU's 1945 unbeaten Big Ten champs. His brother, Mike, played on IU's 1967 team that earned a co-championship and a Rose Bowl bid. Deal himself played for Lee Corso in several memorable Purdue games.
"Coach Deal gave us a 30-minute speech this morning," Scales said with a smile. "But it was good! Just talking about the history. His father played here. He played here. A lot of great moments … he even had his game jersey on. It was awesome.
"Guys such as Coach Deal, who know a lot of the history, just explaining it – juicing you up … it helps you prep throughout the week."
Tony Fields, a Floridian now sufficiently Hoosierized for rivalry purposes, appreciates Deal's delivery.
"That's probably my favorite part of the year," Fields said of Deal's annual Bucket-week harangue. "He's so excited. He knows every fact, every date, every year, down to a T. It's kind of impressive. I could sit and listen to him talk about it for hours.
"It's very, very important. A lot of people take it very seriously. I've learned to take it very seriously. When you first get here, it's like, 'Yeah, it's a rivalry game,' but now that I'm older, I know how much this game means to a lot of people. And, as seniors, we take a lot of pride in it. We'll be ready."
Fant has seen Deal's talk five times, one more even than Fields' four, but said it never gets old.
"I always look forward to it," Fant said. "I'm always excited. I think I've heard all the (stories). The biggest one, I think is about the running back (Mike Harkrader) who broke both legs and played (helping IU to a 20-14 win at Purdue in 1976). It was back in the day, but I look at that and say, 'Wow. That's a different dude.'
"Coach Deal is just so passionate about it. His family's been here for so long and he's been through it all. And that has helped me understand what this rivalry is all about."
NO. 22 AND COUNTING
Indiana enters the week ranked 22nd nationally in total defense, thus far fulfilling a season-long goal to attain Top 25 status in that category.
The Hoosier defenders are proud of that. But still hungry.
"Sometimes we do (check the defensive rankings) but the main focus for us is to just keep getting better," Fields said. "I think we're 22nd, and that's good, but we have to finish. We have a chance to go up even further.
"So we take great pride in that, because it was a goal for us, and we're on track toward getting it, but we're never satisfied.}
Indiana's defense also ranks 10th nationally in sacks (35 total), 13th in opponent's third-down conversion percentage (just .300) and 17th in tackles for loss (81). That continues a trend from last season, when IU posted 24 sacks and 70 TFL in just its last seven games.
That coincided with the arrival of Allen as defensive coordinator, before this year's elevation to the head coaching job, and just after the return of defensive line coach Mark Hagen from a sojourn at Texas A&M.
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Nate Hoff, asked about the IU defensive line's ability to play a lot of downs in the opposing backfield, said:
"I'd have to say Coach Hagen, and Coach Allen, with the way they present their defense and how they want it to run. They taught us how it is to be done and, from that, we grabbed hold of it and it shows on the field."
Overall, Indiana went from 121st in total defense two years ago to 45th last year – the largest such statistical jump in the nation – and continued its improvement this fall. And Purdue's jump to No. 35 this year from No. 91 last year marks the current biggest jump for 2017.
"I guess things never stay the same," Hagen said. "I know when Tom came here, he had to change a mindset, change a culture, and our guys bought-in. Not having been up there, but I'm sure the same thing has happened up at their place."
DEFENSIVE DAY?
Allen appreciates the transformation Purdue defensive coordinator Nick Holt has worked in one season under the auspices of head coach Jeff Brohm.
Purdue gives up just 18.9 points per game, better than IU's 24.8.
"As you go through and prepare each week, you watch opponents' offenses, so we see their defense a lot," Allen said Monday. "We play all the same teams pretty much, and so have noticed from the very beginning of the season that their defense was vastly improved.
"They've got a lot of the upperclassmen on that side of the ball. Very mature group of players. They just got a new system and coaching staff. I kind of liken it back to a year ago. We were the most improved defense in the country. I think they're probably going to have that award at the end of the year this year statistically. But whether it's No. 1 or whatever it is, they're way improved. You've just got to tip your hat to them and say, 'Hey, they're doing a heck of a job.' Coach Holt does a great job."
Hagen, the former All-Big Ten linebacker at IU who also spent a decade coaching at Purdue, agreed.
"Those guys are playing hard," Hagen said of Purdue's defenders. "They're playing physical. They're opportunistic. They're taking the ball away. It's all the same things we talk about on our side.
"They're not only playing hard, they're playing well. They're executing. Their defense is playing championship football. So, yeah, it very well could be a defensive struggle (Saturday)."
But Hagen is also aware of Brohm's reputation as an offensive guru, and of what IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord brings to any matchup.
"At the same time, I know what Mike DeBord is capable of and what Coach Brohm is capable of, too. Just when you think you've got the game figured out, you can chuck that to the side. Who knows what's going to happen?
"Coach Brohm is going to force you to play disciplined football on the defensive side. And if not, he's going to exploit that. We'll have our hands full."
TRICKS NOT ALWAYS TREATS
Brohm is known to have a very deep bag of tricks, and doubtless will have some dialed up for Saturday. Dutra said he's grateful the Hoosier defenders have a week free of classes, due to Thanksgiving break, to prepare.
"You kind of prepare this week like a pro," Dutra said. "We don't have school. We have the whole week off (classes). It's an opportunity to really learn, really break (the opponent) down. You simply have more time to do it. Who wants to prepare the best? Who's going to be most ready on Saturday?
"You just have to be on your toes … you never know when it's going to happen, but if you do your job and read your keys, you should be able to shut it down."
Scales noted that the ability of Indiana's defensive line to disrupt and penetrate opposing fronts might help render some Purdue plays untenable.
"Usually, if we stick with our keys in our defense, we'll just fall into the right spots (to handle trick plays)," Scales said. "We just go back to our rules every time. We had a lot of people back on defense, a lot of seniors, and I know that I don't talk a lot about our D-line, but they do a great job of penetrating.
"You've got (Nate) Hoff, the strongest guy I've ever seen in my life, taking up two blocks every time and allowing the linebackers to play free. You've got Jake Robinson and Greg Gooch and Robert McCray – you've got a great D-line that allows the safeties and linebackers to play fast, downhill, and we all play together."
MY JIB TO YOUR JAB
Hoff wryly noted that both sides are unlikely to simply let their play speak for itself Saturday.
"Without a doubt, yeah," Hoff said with a grin, when asked if Bucket games tend to be a bit talkative. "There is more 'jibber-jabber' during that game than any other game I play."
SENIOR BOWL-BOUND
IU senior tight end Ian Thomas, who hauled in a 54-yard pass from Richard Lagow for the second touchdown in Saturday's 41-0 romp over Rutgers, learned last week he'd earned an invitation to the prestigious Senior Bowl.
That postseason all-star game attracts more NFL scouts than any other such event.
"I've never had a chance for something like that, so for me to get picked for something like that is a big thing, for me and my teammates," Thomas said. "My teammates and my coaches helped me get here, so I have to thank them, as well.
"It's a big opportunity. This year, I haven't gotten to play throughout the year because of my little injuries, but to get out there and do what I have to do is a big thing."
Thomas enjoyed posting Saturday's score, which came off a play-fake that left him wide-open up the seam.
"It'd been a while," Thomas said. "It felt great. Just going through the motions of a (run) play, thanks to the line for selling the run-blocks so well."
After the Scarlet Knights' safety bit on the run fake, did Thomas know how wide- open he was?
"Not really," Thomas said, "till I looked up at the big screen and saw he was about 10 yards behind me."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tegray Scales was walking through the Indiana football facilities Monday, a scheduled off day with no coaches around.
Then he saw the IU defensive linemen. All of them.
"And they had," he said, "about 12 boxes of pizza."
But the linemen weren't just chowing down.
"They were all in there watching film together," Scales said Tuesday. "They were all in their on their off day, prepping. And I think that's huge. We have an experienced defense. So the leadership is there."
And all the leaders know full well what is at stake this week.
Purdue week.
Bucket week.
Probably the most meaningful Old Oaken Bucket matchup since at least 2007, and perhaps beyond, with bowl bids at stake for both 5-6 clubs when Saturday's 12 p.m. kickoff in West Lafayette arrives.
"It's always a rivalry game but, since I've been here, they've never had to win to go to a bowl game," IU fifth-year senior cornerback Rashard Fant said of the Boilermakers. "So it'll be fun. We've always gotten their best shot, but now that's taken to an even higher level, and we've got to be prepared.
"Their team is that good. They're that much better. There were a lot of games that they let go, just like we did. We have the same mindset. We've got one game. One game for a bowl and the Bucket. We'll give it our best shot and we know they will."
Georgia native Fant had to learn about the rivalry when he got to Bloomington. That wasn't necessary for classmate and Brownsburg product Chase Dutra.
"Obviously, being an Indy kid, you know about the Bucket, and the history of it," Dutra said. "It's the biggest game of the year. It's the rival. Everyone thinks that way.
"I just kind of try to spread the knowledge, the way Coach (Mark) Deal does, or any Indy kid does – letting the younger kids know how much this means. They might say, 'Aw, it's just a trophy.' But it's a big trophy – a big deal to both programs."
HERE'S THE DEAL
Mark Deal, past IU player and coach, is now officially labeled as Assistant Athletic Director for Alumni Relations. But after helping orchestrate a reunion of Indiana's Rose Bowl team last weekend, he did his relating to current IU students this week.
Deal donned his old Hoosier jersey and told the football Hoosiers exactly what they need to know about what the Old Oaken Bucket is and what it means.
And Deal knows full well. His father, Russ "Mutt" Deal, captained IU's 1945 unbeaten Big Ten champs. His brother, Mike, played on IU's 1967 team that earned a co-championship and a Rose Bowl bid. Deal himself played for Lee Corso in several memorable Purdue games.
"Coach Deal gave us a 30-minute speech this morning," Scales said with a smile. "But it was good! Just talking about the history. His father played here. He played here. A lot of great moments … he even had his game jersey on. It was awesome.
"Guys such as Coach Deal, who know a lot of the history, just explaining it – juicing you up … it helps you prep throughout the week."
Tony Fields, a Floridian now sufficiently Hoosierized for rivalry purposes, appreciates Deal's delivery.
"That's probably my favorite part of the year," Fields said of Deal's annual Bucket-week harangue. "He's so excited. He knows every fact, every date, every year, down to a T. It's kind of impressive. I could sit and listen to him talk about it for hours.
"It's very, very important. A lot of people take it very seriously. I've learned to take it very seriously. When you first get here, it's like, 'Yeah, it's a rivalry game,' but now that I'm older, I know how much this game means to a lot of people. And, as seniors, we take a lot of pride in it. We'll be ready."
Fant has seen Deal's talk five times, one more even than Fields' four, but said it never gets old.
"I always look forward to it," Fant said. "I'm always excited. I think I've heard all the (stories). The biggest one, I think is about the running back (Mike Harkrader) who broke both legs and played (helping IU to a 20-14 win at Purdue in 1976). It was back in the day, but I look at that and say, 'Wow. That's a different dude.'
"Coach Deal is just so passionate about it. His family's been here for so long and he's been through it all. And that has helped me understand what this rivalry is all about."
NO. 22 AND COUNTING
Indiana enters the week ranked 22nd nationally in total defense, thus far fulfilling a season-long goal to attain Top 25 status in that category.
The Hoosier defenders are proud of that. But still hungry.
"Sometimes we do (check the defensive rankings) but the main focus for us is to just keep getting better," Fields said. "I think we're 22nd, and that's good, but we have to finish. We have a chance to go up even further.
"So we take great pride in that, because it was a goal for us, and we're on track toward getting it, but we're never satisfied.}
Indiana's defense also ranks 10th nationally in sacks (35 total), 13th in opponent's third-down conversion percentage (just .300) and 17th in tackles for loss (81). That continues a trend from last season, when IU posted 24 sacks and 70 TFL in just its last seven games.
That coincided with the arrival of Allen as defensive coordinator, before this year's elevation to the head coaching job, and just after the return of defensive line coach Mark Hagen from a sojourn at Texas A&M.
Fifth-year senior defensive tackle Nate Hoff, asked about the IU defensive line's ability to play a lot of downs in the opposing backfield, said:
"I'd have to say Coach Hagen, and Coach Allen, with the way they present their defense and how they want it to run. They taught us how it is to be done and, from that, we grabbed hold of it and it shows on the field."
Overall, Indiana went from 121st in total defense two years ago to 45th last year – the largest such statistical jump in the nation – and continued its improvement this fall. And Purdue's jump to No. 35 this year from No. 91 last year marks the current biggest jump for 2017.
"I guess things never stay the same," Hagen said. "I know when Tom came here, he had to change a mindset, change a culture, and our guys bought-in. Not having been up there, but I'm sure the same thing has happened up at their place."
DEFENSIVE DAY?
Allen appreciates the transformation Purdue defensive coordinator Nick Holt has worked in one season under the auspices of head coach Jeff Brohm.
Purdue gives up just 18.9 points per game, better than IU's 24.8.
"As you go through and prepare each week, you watch opponents' offenses, so we see their defense a lot," Allen said Monday. "We play all the same teams pretty much, and so have noticed from the very beginning of the season that their defense was vastly improved.
"They've got a lot of the upperclassmen on that side of the ball. Very mature group of players. They just got a new system and coaching staff. I kind of liken it back to a year ago. We were the most improved defense in the country. I think they're probably going to have that award at the end of the year this year statistically. But whether it's No. 1 or whatever it is, they're way improved. You've just got to tip your hat to them and say, 'Hey, they're doing a heck of a job.' Coach Holt does a great job."
Hagen, the former All-Big Ten linebacker at IU who also spent a decade coaching at Purdue, agreed.
"Those guys are playing hard," Hagen said of Purdue's defenders. "They're playing physical. They're opportunistic. They're taking the ball away. It's all the same things we talk about on our side.
"They're not only playing hard, they're playing well. They're executing. Their defense is playing championship football. So, yeah, it very well could be a defensive struggle (Saturday)."
But Hagen is also aware of Brohm's reputation as an offensive guru, and of what IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord brings to any matchup.
"At the same time, I know what Mike DeBord is capable of and what Coach Brohm is capable of, too. Just when you think you've got the game figured out, you can chuck that to the side. Who knows what's going to happen?
"Coach Brohm is going to force you to play disciplined football on the defensive side. And if not, he's going to exploit that. We'll have our hands full."
TRICKS NOT ALWAYS TREATS
Brohm is known to have a very deep bag of tricks, and doubtless will have some dialed up for Saturday. Dutra said he's grateful the Hoosier defenders have a week free of classes, due to Thanksgiving break, to prepare.
"You kind of prepare this week like a pro," Dutra said. "We don't have school. We have the whole week off (classes). It's an opportunity to really learn, really break (the opponent) down. You simply have more time to do it. Who wants to prepare the best? Who's going to be most ready on Saturday?
"You just have to be on your toes … you never know when it's going to happen, but if you do your job and read your keys, you should be able to shut it down."
Scales noted that the ability of Indiana's defensive line to disrupt and penetrate opposing fronts might help render some Purdue plays untenable.
"Usually, if we stick with our keys in our defense, we'll just fall into the right spots (to handle trick plays)," Scales said. "We just go back to our rules every time. We had a lot of people back on defense, a lot of seniors, and I know that I don't talk a lot about our D-line, but they do a great job of penetrating.
"You've got (Nate) Hoff, the strongest guy I've ever seen in my life, taking up two blocks every time and allowing the linebackers to play free. You've got Jake Robinson and Greg Gooch and Robert McCray – you've got a great D-line that allows the safeties and linebackers to play fast, downhill, and we all play together."
MY JIB TO YOUR JAB
Hoff wryly noted that both sides are unlikely to simply let their play speak for itself Saturday.
"Without a doubt, yeah," Hoff said with a grin, when asked if Bucket games tend to be a bit talkative. "There is more 'jibber-jabber' during that game than any other game I play."
SENIOR BOWL-BOUND
IU senior tight end Ian Thomas, who hauled in a 54-yard pass from Richard Lagow for the second touchdown in Saturday's 41-0 romp over Rutgers, learned last week he'd earned an invitation to the prestigious Senior Bowl.
That postseason all-star game attracts more NFL scouts than any other such event.
"I've never had a chance for something like that, so for me to get picked for something like that is a big thing, for me and my teammates," Thomas said. "My teammates and my coaches helped me get here, so I have to thank them, as well.
"It's a big opportunity. This year, I haven't gotten to play throughout the year because of my little injuries, but to get out there and do what I have to do is a big thing."
Thomas enjoyed posting Saturday's score, which came off a play-fake that left him wide-open up the seam.
"It'd been a while," Thomas said. "It felt great. Just going through the motions of a (run) play, thanks to the line for selling the run-blocks so well."
After the Scarlet Knights' safety bit on the run fake, did Thomas know how wide- open he was?
"Not really," Thomas said, "till I looked up at the big screen and saw he was about 10 yards behind me."
Players Mentioned
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