Media Thursday: Michigan Week

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Indiana Hoosiers will host the Michigan Wolverines on Senior Day on Saturday, Nov. 23, at 3:35 p.m. EST. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Head coach Tom Allen met with the media on Thursday. Below is a partial transcript:

Opening statement…
"Good week of preparation getting ready for Michigan. Have a special day on Saturday with the recognition of our seniors and what they've given to our program. Just really looking forward to seeing our guys get out there and compete at a high level and play our best football."

On how Coach Allen will remember this group of seniors…
"Like you said, I didn't recruit any of them to come here, but they were obviously here my first year and I've been here a long time with them, so you get a chance to get to know them better. What they mean to me is they are the group that turned this thing and to me, the two classes previous to this were a huge part of it and they will always be a part of the process of us creating the breakthrough that we wanted to begin to have happen, but this group is the one that changed it on the field. That's just a special, special thing. I noticed it in the beginning and I talked about it for quite a while now, the way they embraced their leadership role. There are so many of the guys that are going to be recognized on Saturday that were the catalysts for the change. We had our leadership council, and many of those guys were a part of that and they brought guys with them. They created a change in themselves, they wanted something different for themselves, and they brought guys in their position groups with them. That to me is ultimately I think what started to really create what we wanted to get to on the field and then it just started to snowball in a positive way. This group is the one that really created that."

On how important it was this group of seniors were such good leaders with a young team…
"We were at a critical time. You have a window of opportunity to create change, especially at this level with how it all works. I think that with the youth of our team, it was critical that those guys were great role models, great mentors, great examples and like we said, leadership had to move beyond just being a guy that did his job and led by quote unquote example. It had to be verbal leadership. It had to be take this guy and bring him with me, which affects other guys as well. Then these younger guys get a chance to see how it's done and to me that's an awesome thing to see. It was a critical thing because of the youth of our team and these guys being able to develop those habits and see it modeled by an older guy that they respected."

On the importance of the home crowd…
"Yeah, it is huge. Number one, as a player, when you run out there and you see the place packed, there is just something different. The feeling that you get, the support, during the game, the noise level is critical. On third downs when their offense is on the field, the communication, you can create mistakes for your opponent when they cannot hear. Everyone has their way of handling it, but it is still change and it is different, it is harder. That is a positive thing. It is not only encouragement and motivation for our players, and the energy they bring throughout the whole game, but it is also a strategic advantage from a football perspective. It can help you on special teams as well. If you get a team pinned back there, they have to punt, they cannot hear, and they have to do different things. It is those situations in which it matters. That is why I think being on the road is a big deal. Our stadium is a loud stadium, the way it is structured now, especially being closed in on both sides. We need everybody there."

On playing Michigan tight…
"There is no question. We have talked about that. I think it is very appropriate, especially since we know how we play these guys here and the expectation we have for that. The bottom line is, you have goals that you go through during the season and opportunities like this is one of our goals. We want to be able to play our best football. It has to be consistent, it has to be from start to finish, and it has to be at a high level of execution. That is what we have emphasized and that is going to be what it comes down to."

On being a semifinalist for George Munger College Coach of the Year Award…
"I did not expect it, but I have a great staff. It is a recognition of the people you have in your program. I get it, the leader is the one that gets all the blame, and he should, when things do not go right, and then when things go well, you get some things like that. Man, we have a great group of coaches. It is everybody. It is our players. It is how they are performing. That is why I say, it is not about what I believe, it is about what you (the team) believe how we are going to play. I say that to them all the time. I have a certain set of beliefs here, and you know what they are. It is about what you, as a player, believe about how we are going to play. Once again, it is kind of like the ranking, it is a confirmation for things, being recognized and acknowledged for creating change. We are excited about the change we are creating, but we are definitely not where we want to be."

On the wide receiver depth…
"It is a great group. [Ty] Fryfogle has the flexibility, he is probably our most versatile guy. David Ellis is a guy we can plug in there and he can do some great things. It is a very good room. It is a deep room right now. We would obviously love to have Whop, but if not, next man up."

Indiana University Athletics

Players Mentioned

David Ellis

Related Videos