Indiana University Athletics
Media Wednesday: Purdue Week
11/27/2019 1:16:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana's game at Purdue for the Old Oaken Bucket on Saturday, Nov. 30, will kick off at noon EST and be televised on ESPN2.
Head coach Tom Allen met with the media on Wednesday. Below is a partial transcript:
Opening Statement…
"Preparation week continues. Very big week for us for obvious reasons. Want to congratulate Doug Schlereth on his award from the Big Ten, leadership award, awesome honor for him and our program. And also with Kalen (DeBoer) being a semifinalist for the Broyles Award. Really happy for him and congratulations to him for the work he's done and our offensive staff. The week of work continues and just trying to get better everyday."
On what he's learned in his first two Bucket games…
"I think every time you get a chance to go through something it helps. A lot of the times, there is so much that goes into it and you put so much into this game and it means so much for a lot of reasons. The last two years have been for a bowl game, which added pressure as well as importance of the game. You have to get your guys to understand the rivalry, especially you get guys from out of state that weren't born and raised here and around it as much so you want to do a great job of educating those guys. I think that's one thing we really try and do with our young guys and then just being able to be very process-driven in what we do. As we always say, it's the biggest game of the season because it's the next game and just to get our guys to prepare at a high level, but it's just the same way you prepare every single week. I think you have to temper those emotions a little bit in regards to that and at the end of the day, you just have to go out and compete, execute and play at the highest level. I think for us too, the last couple years, we always felt we were kind of tired going into the game and it was a long stretch both those years. We're just trying to modify things for that purpose to make sure we are fresh with our legs and our minds for the game. I think those things you kind of learn through late-season opportunities like this that you want to be at your best and I've not felt like we've played our best football in this game the last couple years. We're trying to address that and have both a schedule and a plan to do so."
On having senior leadership in a rivalry game…
"I think it helps when you have that perspective when you have been through and seen both sides of it, when you feel what it feels like to win it and when you have the experience of the pain of losing it. That gives you a great sense of urgency from those guys that you really like and want from your team. Those guys can play a huge role and I have challenged them to do so. That has to continue this week."
On the play of the secondary…
"It has been good. They are locked in. I think they have to respond by how they play, but before that is how they prepare. We stayed after today's practice to continue to do extra things with that group of guys. We are continuing to challenge them, motivate them, lead them, and get them to where they own this. There is no question, they have something to prove this week."
On getting young guys more game reps…
"You do and that is part of it. We have guys in a spot now where we know that we can play them in this game and then the bowl game, which is huge for their preparation. To me, C.J. Person is a guy we really tried to maximize here at the end and get him a lot more reps. Gary Cooper is another one that I think you see doing some really good things and being able to play in these last couple games to maximize this thing. It is good to be able to still redshirt them, but it is still a great experience. Also, we think he is just ready to play more. There are other guys as well, Beau Robbins is one that we have gotten a lot of good reps with the ones and the twos. He had been on the scout team most of the time before, but the last several weeks we have brought him up and get him ready to play and compete. We need some guys for special teams as well. Those are a few that come to mind. Da'Shaun Brown is one that has not played, but he is a guy that has a special talent. He has never really played the position at receiver, but he is a guy that has a chance to be really special."
On Thanksgiving plans for the team…
"A couple of things, first, we will practice in the morning. That is different than what we have done in the past. We will have players either in the coach's home or a teammate's home. I want them in somebody's home. We have been working through this the last couple weeks. Either parents are going to come with them here and have time with them. If they cannot do that, they will be in a coach's home. We just want to make sure that everyone is in somebody's home for a Thanksgiving meal. That is what we do."
Head coach Tom Allen met with the media on Wednesday. Below is a partial transcript:
Opening Statement…
"Preparation week continues. Very big week for us for obvious reasons. Want to congratulate Doug Schlereth on his award from the Big Ten, leadership award, awesome honor for him and our program. And also with Kalen (DeBoer) being a semifinalist for the Broyles Award. Really happy for him and congratulations to him for the work he's done and our offensive staff. The week of work continues and just trying to get better everyday."
On what he's learned in his first two Bucket games…
"I think every time you get a chance to go through something it helps. A lot of the times, there is so much that goes into it and you put so much into this game and it means so much for a lot of reasons. The last two years have been for a bowl game, which added pressure as well as importance of the game. You have to get your guys to understand the rivalry, especially you get guys from out of state that weren't born and raised here and around it as much so you want to do a great job of educating those guys. I think that's one thing we really try and do with our young guys and then just being able to be very process-driven in what we do. As we always say, it's the biggest game of the season because it's the next game and just to get our guys to prepare at a high level, but it's just the same way you prepare every single week. I think you have to temper those emotions a little bit in regards to that and at the end of the day, you just have to go out and compete, execute and play at the highest level. I think for us too, the last couple years, we always felt we were kind of tired going into the game and it was a long stretch both those years. We're just trying to modify things for that purpose to make sure we are fresh with our legs and our minds for the game. I think those things you kind of learn through late-season opportunities like this that you want to be at your best and I've not felt like we've played our best football in this game the last couple years. We're trying to address that and have both a schedule and a plan to do so."
On having senior leadership in a rivalry game…
"I think it helps when you have that perspective when you have been through and seen both sides of it, when you feel what it feels like to win it and when you have the experience of the pain of losing it. That gives you a great sense of urgency from those guys that you really like and want from your team. Those guys can play a huge role and I have challenged them to do so. That has to continue this week."
On the play of the secondary…
"It has been good. They are locked in. I think they have to respond by how they play, but before that is how they prepare. We stayed after today's practice to continue to do extra things with that group of guys. We are continuing to challenge them, motivate them, lead them, and get them to where they own this. There is no question, they have something to prove this week."
On getting young guys more game reps…
"You do and that is part of it. We have guys in a spot now where we know that we can play them in this game and then the bowl game, which is huge for their preparation. To me, C.J. Person is a guy we really tried to maximize here at the end and get him a lot more reps. Gary Cooper is another one that I think you see doing some really good things and being able to play in these last couple games to maximize this thing. It is good to be able to still redshirt them, but it is still a great experience. Also, we think he is just ready to play more. There are other guys as well, Beau Robbins is one that we have gotten a lot of good reps with the ones and the twos. He had been on the scout team most of the time before, but the last several weeks we have brought him up and get him ready to play and compete. We need some guys for special teams as well. Those are a few that come to mind. Da'Shaun Brown is one that has not played, but he is a guy that has a special talent. He has never really played the position at receiver, but he is a guy that has a chance to be really special."
On Thanksgiving plans for the team…
"A couple of things, first, we will practice in the morning. That is different than what we have done in the past. We will have players either in the coach's home or a teammate's home. I want them in somebody's home. We have been working through this the last couple weeks. Either parents are going to come with them here and have time with them. If they cannot do that, they will be in a coach's home. We just want to make sure that everyone is in somebody's home for a Thanksgiving meal. That is what we do."
Players Mentioned
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