DiPrimio: Just Do It – IU’s Football Postseason Begins Now
11/4/2017 5:38:00 PM | Football
By: Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Reality has hit Hoosiers with uncompromising force.
Postseason hopes are on the brink.
Indiana's bid for a third straight bowl comes down to this -- beat Illinois, Rutgers and Purdue.
Given those teams are a combined 10-17, there is hope.
Which path will they take?
Fifth-year senior free safety Chase Dutra offers a clue.
"These next three weeks, I only want dogs (fighters) by my side," he says. "If you're not coming in every day to get better, I don't want you to come in the facilities. I need people who will give it all they got.
He pauses.
"I know I already have those dudes right now. But if you're not coming in to make this team better, I don't want you coming in the facilities, period."
Saturday's 45-17 loss to No. 4 Wisconsin ripped away the season's last chance for a rock-the-Big Ten victory and left the Hoosiers searching for answers that refuse to come.
Actually, they do come -- force turnovers (takeaways in coach Tom Allen's world) and don't turn the ball over.
"It's a simple game," Allen says.
Except it's not simple for the Hoosiers. They don't do enough, certainly not against a brutal schedule (5 losses came against top-20 teams with top-10 defenses).
The Hoosiers can reach the six victories necessary for bowl eligibility -- certainly against their remaining opponents -- if they're tough enough.
"It's all on us," redshirt junior receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr. says. "The coaches can only do so much.
"As players, we recognize what's going on. We need to change it to accomplish this."
For change to come, fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow says, "It starts with the seniors. We have three games that are guaranteed. We have to get everybody rallied up and ready to make the run."
IU has the talent and experience to make such a run.
Repeat until you believe it.
"It's going to take a lot of leadership, both from coaches and players," Allen says. "I like the leadership on the team. I love the coaches.
"I feel good about us getting our guys in the right mindset. We've got to get ourselves physically healed up to have a strong finish."
Some might blame the latest loss on bad breaks.
Don't.
On Saturday, IU had two interceptions and a fumble to Wisconsin's one interception. The Badgers fumbled three times and recovered all of them. They also scored 21 points off Hoosier turnovers.
"(This) is about looking in the mirror," Lagow says. "It's costly penalties and turnovers. It's not what (Wisconsin was) doing on defense, but what we were doing to shoot ourselves in the foot."
Lagow played because starter Peyton Ramsey couldn't due to an undisclosed injury. In his first start in five weeks, he was 20-for-34 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
"Football is a hard game," he says. "Stuff happens. Everybody is trying their absolute hardest to win every Saturday. You try to learn from it."
Against a potential playoff team, IU led 10-7 deep into the second quarter, and began the second half trailing just 14-10. The bottom line -- play a good final 30 minutes and win.
Neither happened.
Down by seven and on the cusp of an upset, as they were against Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State, the Hoosiers were blitzed 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
And so Allen burned.
"When you're minus in the takeaway ratio, you're not going to win. That's what it came down to.
"We didn't run the ball well enough. That's for sure. We didn't stop the run well enough, for sure. But it's all about takeaways."
That's the past. The future is about leaving a legacy that could last long after the seniors are gone.
"Sometimes life is not fair," Allen says. "Sometimes things happen. You've got to learn to fight through it as a man, as a leader.
"It's a great precursor to their future. We're going to teach them about life.
"I believe they're going to finish well. I believe this team will be remembered as one that played a very difficult schedule, but finished well."
Believing is one thing. Doing is another.
It's time to do.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Reality has hit Hoosiers with uncompromising force.
Postseason hopes are on the brink.
Indiana's bid for a third straight bowl comes down to this -- beat Illinois, Rutgers and Purdue.
Given those teams are a combined 10-17, there is hope.
Which path will they take?
Fifth-year senior free safety Chase Dutra offers a clue.
"These next three weeks, I only want dogs (fighters) by my side," he says. "If you're not coming in every day to get better, I don't want you to come in the facilities. I need people who will give it all they got.
He pauses.
"I know I already have those dudes right now. But if you're not coming in to make this team better, I don't want you coming in the facilities, period."
Saturday's 45-17 loss to No. 4 Wisconsin ripped away the season's last chance for a rock-the-Big Ten victory and left the Hoosiers searching for answers that refuse to come.
Actually, they do come -- force turnovers (takeaways in coach Tom Allen's world) and don't turn the ball over.
"It's a simple game," Allen says.
Except it's not simple for the Hoosiers. They don't do enough, certainly not against a brutal schedule (5 losses came against top-20 teams with top-10 defenses).
The Hoosiers can reach the six victories necessary for bowl eligibility -- certainly against their remaining opponents -- if they're tough enough.
"It's all on us," redshirt junior receiver Simmie Cobbs Jr. says. "The coaches can only do so much.
"As players, we recognize what's going on. We need to change it to accomplish this."
For change to come, fifth-year senior quarterback Richard Lagow says, "It starts with the seniors. We have three games that are guaranteed. We have to get everybody rallied up and ready to make the run."
IU has the talent and experience to make such a run.
Repeat until you believe it.
"It's going to take a lot of leadership, both from coaches and players," Allen says. "I like the leadership on the team. I love the coaches.
"I feel good about us getting our guys in the right mindset. We've got to get ourselves physically healed up to have a strong finish."
Some might blame the latest loss on bad breaks.
Don't.
On Saturday, IU had two interceptions and a fumble to Wisconsin's one interception. The Badgers fumbled three times and recovered all of them. They also scored 21 points off Hoosier turnovers.
"(This) is about looking in the mirror," Lagow says. "It's costly penalties and turnovers. It's not what (Wisconsin was) doing on defense, but what we were doing to shoot ourselves in the foot."
Lagow played because starter Peyton Ramsey couldn't due to an undisclosed injury. In his first start in five weeks, he was 20-for-34 for 226 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.
"Football is a hard game," he says. "Stuff happens. Everybody is trying their absolute hardest to win every Saturday. You try to learn from it."
Against a potential playoff team, IU led 10-7 deep into the second quarter, and began the second half trailing just 14-10. The bottom line -- play a good final 30 minutes and win.
Neither happened.
Down by seven and on the cusp of an upset, as they were against Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State, the Hoosiers were blitzed 21-0 in the fourth quarter.
And so Allen burned.
"When you're minus in the takeaway ratio, you're not going to win. That's what it came down to.
"We didn't run the ball well enough. That's for sure. We didn't stop the run well enough, for sure. But it's all about takeaways."
That's the past. The future is about leaving a legacy that could last long after the seniors are gone.
"Sometimes life is not fair," Allen says. "Sometimes things happen. You've got to learn to fight through it as a man, as a leader.
"It's a great precursor to their future. We're going to teach them about life.
"I believe they're going to finish well. I believe this team will be remembered as one that played a very difficult schedule, but finished well."
Believing is one thing. Doing is another.
It's time to do.
Players Mentioned
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