Hoosiers Head to Jacksonville
12/27/2019 9:30:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This is what Tom Allen saw when he took the Indiana head coaching job:
Bowl bound without limits.
Allen wanted no doubters or naysayers or anyone who didn't have the belief, the commitment, the drive to deliver a Cream & Crimson football return to glory.
If you weren't fully bought in, leave.
It took three years and plenty of frustration and heartbreak, but nothing worthwhile comes easily.
Allen was committed to building a winner the right way, recognizing it takes time, not shortcuts. You play in perhaps the toughest division in college -- the Big Ten East with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, and more -- as Indiana does, and you will get rocked.
But now, at last, the Hoosiers are doing some knocking of their own.
They went 5-4 in Big Ten play (their first winning conference record since 1993), and are 8-4 entering their Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl matchup with red-hot Tennessee (7-5 with 5 straight wins). They are a victory away from tying the school record for most wins in a season and earning their first bowl title since the 1991 Copper Bowl.
Satisfied?
Not even close.
"Our desire and passion is that we build off the successes we've had this year and keep growing and getting better, realizing we have a lot of hard work ahead of us," Allen says.
"We're not where we want to be, but we don't discount the journey and process that you go through. You don't want to lose sight of the fact that you're with a special group of guys, a special group of coaches that I love and respect. I truly enjoy being with them."
This success was always part of the plan. After landing the two best recruiting classes in school history, after securing a strong group of assistants and speed-stretching strength coaches, after seeing the facilities upgraded to elite status, everything was in place except for the winning.
This season IU won as it hasn't in a generation.
"We've lived though some of the growing pains," quarterback Peyton Ramsey says. "By getting eight wins, we now have the opportunity to get nine. That's very special."
"Special" came with pre-season questions given consecutive 5-7 records under Allen.
A big one was at quarterback. Would Ramsey retain his starting job, or would redshirt freshman Michael Penix Jr. replace him? Hoosier coaches chose the strong-armed Penix, and he responded with some impressive performances (1,394 yards, 10 touchdowns, 4 interceptions).
But when Penix couldn't stay healthy, Ramsey took over with season-saving results (2,227 yards, 13 touchdowns, 4 interceptions).
Almost as important, could new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer jump start an offense that had stagnated last year?
The quick answer -- yes.
The longer answer -- IU set a program record with six-straight games of at least 30 points, and nine overall.
Receiver Whop Philyor, limited by injuries his first two seasons, emerged as a game-changing force (69 catches, 1,001 yards, 5 TDs). An offensive line in transition suffered a huge loss -- the season-ending injury to senior standout Coy Cronk -- but thanks to offensive line coach Darren Hiller and strong development by true freshman Matthew Bedford, there wasn't much of a drop off.
The defense registered two shutouts, and held two other teams to just three points.
Kicker Logan Justus flirted with perfection. Punter Haydon Whitehead had a knack for nailing kicks inside the 10-yard line.
As for the specifics:
IU opened the season determined to return to the postseason. Victories over Ball State in Indianapolis and Eastern Illinois at Memorial Stadium showed promise.
Enter Ohio State, which had a new coach and renewed resolved. The Buckeyes dominated both sides of the ball in a 51-10 victory. At the time, it seemed like a poor Hoosier performance. As the season went on, with Ohio State crushing every team it played, it reflected Buckeye excellence.
Ramsey started that game because of a Penix injury, and the next one against Connecticut in a 38-3 win. The Huskies managed just 145 total yards.
A huge opportunity loomed at Michigan State. Penix returned and rocked the Spartans with a series of key passes. He threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.
But the Spartans scored nine points in the final five seconds to win 40-31.
Indiana responded with a four-game winning streak. It steamrolled Rutgers 35-0 behind Penix's 282 passing yards and three touchdowns. It won at Maryland 34-28, but lost Penix to another injury. He was 9-for-14 for 141 yards and a touchdown. Ramsey took over and threw for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Then came a dramatic victory at Nebraska. The Hoosiers trailed after the first quarter and at halftime, before rallying with a 15-3 third-quarter edge en route to a 38-31 victory that clinched bowl eligibility. Philyor had a monster game with 14 catches for 178 yards. Ramsey threw for a career-high 351 yards.
Next came a 34-3 win over Northwestern behind Stevie Scott's 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a TD pass. Penix returned to throw for 162 yards, but got hurt again. Ramsey finished the game.
The Hoosiers were 7-2 and ranked for the first time since 1994.
Losses to Penn State (Ramsey set a new career-high with 371 passing yards) and Michigan dulled that momentum, but set up a big regular-season finale:
A trip to Purdue.
Drama was everywhere you looked in the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game. IU bolted to leads of 14-0 and 28-10. Ramsey was connecting for big pass plays all over the field, many to Philyor.
But the previously perfect Justus (he entered the game 14-for-14 on field goals for the season) began missing kicks in the wet, slick conditions. He missed three before Allen pulled him in favor of Charles Campbell.
Purdue capitalized via the run and the pass to tie the score at 31-31 and force overtime.
Ramsey threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nick Westbrook in the first overtime period. The Boilers tied it with their own TD pass, then added a field goal in the second overtime period.
A clutch third-and-10 pass to tight end Peyton Hendershot was good for 14 yards and gave IU the ball on the Purdue 1-yard line. Ramsey sneaked it in for the victory, which was no surprise. The quarterback sneak has been a Hoosier goldmine all season.
"We've executed it really well," Ramsey says. "First, the guys up front have gotten a good push. Then, the guys behind me are pushing me in.
"It's about putting your nose down and trust a hole will be there. If not, they'll push you in. You keep driving your feet. It's been working for us."
Ramsey threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns. True freshman Sampson James, in his first career start, ran for 118 yards and a TD. Philyor caught eight passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
Winning in double overtime, true freshman cornerback Taiwan Mullen said, "Showed we know how to finish. In the past, we couldn't. We can play overtime, extra minutes, and beyond. Whatever it takes."
The aftermath left a tearful Allen thanking director of athletics Fred Glass and university president Michael McRobbie for the opportunity. A few days later, they reciprocated with a new seven-year contract paying an average of $3.9 million a year.
"It wasn't that long in the making," Glass says. "We're thrilled to get that done.
"It reflects a huge commitment to Tom, a huge commitment to the university and to football. It reflects engagement and support from the president and the board of trustees, which bodes well for the future of IU football."
As for that future, Allen says, "We have to understand where we are, enjoy the moment, but also have zero level of satisfaction that we have accomplished anything yet."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This is what Tom Allen saw when he took the Indiana head coaching job:
Bowl bound without limits.
Allen wanted no doubters or naysayers or anyone who didn't have the belief, the commitment, the drive to deliver a Cream & Crimson football return to glory.
If you weren't fully bought in, leave.
It took three years and plenty of frustration and heartbreak, but nothing worthwhile comes easily.
Allen was committed to building a winner the right way, recognizing it takes time, not shortcuts. You play in perhaps the toughest division in college -- the Big Ten East with Ohio State, Penn State, Michigan, Michigan State, and more -- as Indiana does, and you will get rocked.
But now, at last, the Hoosiers are doing some knocking of their own.
They went 5-4 in Big Ten play (their first winning conference record since 1993), and are 8-4 entering their Jan. 2 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl matchup with red-hot Tennessee (7-5 with 5 straight wins). They are a victory away from tying the school record for most wins in a season and earning their first bowl title since the 1991 Copper Bowl.
Satisfied?
Not even close.
"Our desire and passion is that we build off the successes we've had this year and keep growing and getting better, realizing we have a lot of hard work ahead of us," Allen says.
"We're not where we want to be, but we don't discount the journey and process that you go through. You don't want to lose sight of the fact that you're with a special group of guys, a special group of coaches that I love and respect. I truly enjoy being with them."
This success was always part of the plan. After landing the two best recruiting classes in school history, after securing a strong group of assistants and speed-stretching strength coaches, after seeing the facilities upgraded to elite status, everything was in place except for the winning.
This season IU won as it hasn't in a generation.
"We've lived though some of the growing pains," quarterback Peyton Ramsey says. "By getting eight wins, we now have the opportunity to get nine. That's very special."
"Special" came with pre-season questions given consecutive 5-7 records under Allen.
A big one was at quarterback. Would Ramsey retain his starting job, or would redshirt freshman Michael Penix Jr. replace him? Hoosier coaches chose the strong-armed Penix, and he responded with some impressive performances (1,394 yards, 10 touchdowns, 4 interceptions).
But when Penix couldn't stay healthy, Ramsey took over with season-saving results (2,227 yards, 13 touchdowns, 4 interceptions).
Almost as important, could new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer jump start an offense that had stagnated last year?
The quick answer -- yes.
The longer answer -- IU set a program record with six-straight games of at least 30 points, and nine overall.
Receiver Whop Philyor, limited by injuries his first two seasons, emerged as a game-changing force (69 catches, 1,001 yards, 5 TDs). An offensive line in transition suffered a huge loss -- the season-ending injury to senior standout Coy Cronk -- but thanks to offensive line coach Darren Hiller and strong development by true freshman Matthew Bedford, there wasn't much of a drop off.
The defense registered two shutouts, and held two other teams to just three points.
Kicker Logan Justus flirted with perfection. Punter Haydon Whitehead had a knack for nailing kicks inside the 10-yard line.
As for the specifics:
IU opened the season determined to return to the postseason. Victories over Ball State in Indianapolis and Eastern Illinois at Memorial Stadium showed promise.
Enter Ohio State, which had a new coach and renewed resolved. The Buckeyes dominated both sides of the ball in a 51-10 victory. At the time, it seemed like a poor Hoosier performance. As the season went on, with Ohio State crushing every team it played, it reflected Buckeye excellence.
Ramsey started that game because of a Penix injury, and the next one against Connecticut in a 38-3 win. The Huskies managed just 145 total yards.
A huge opportunity loomed at Michigan State. Penix returned and rocked the Spartans with a series of key passes. He threw for 286 yards and three touchdowns. He also ran for a touchdown.
But the Spartans scored nine points in the final five seconds to win 40-31.
Indiana responded with a four-game winning streak. It steamrolled Rutgers 35-0 behind Penix's 282 passing yards and three touchdowns. It won at Maryland 34-28, but lost Penix to another injury. He was 9-for-14 for 141 yards and a touchdown. Ramsey took over and threw for 193 yards and a touchdown.
Then came a dramatic victory at Nebraska. The Hoosiers trailed after the first quarter and at halftime, before rallying with a 15-3 third-quarter edge en route to a 38-31 victory that clinched bowl eligibility. Philyor had a monster game with 14 catches for 178 yards. Ramsey threw for a career-high 351 yards.
Next came a 34-3 win over Northwestern behind Stevie Scott's 116 rushing yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a TD pass. Penix returned to throw for 162 yards, but got hurt again. Ramsey finished the game.
The Hoosiers were 7-2 and ranked for the first time since 1994.
Losses to Penn State (Ramsey set a new career-high with 371 passing yards) and Michigan dulled that momentum, but set up a big regular-season finale:
A trip to Purdue.
Drama was everywhere you looked in the Old Oaken Bucket rivalry game. IU bolted to leads of 14-0 and 28-10. Ramsey was connecting for big pass plays all over the field, many to Philyor.
But the previously perfect Justus (he entered the game 14-for-14 on field goals for the season) began missing kicks in the wet, slick conditions. He missed three before Allen pulled him in favor of Charles Campbell.
Purdue capitalized via the run and the pass to tie the score at 31-31 and force overtime.
Ramsey threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nick Westbrook in the first overtime period. The Boilers tied it with their own TD pass, then added a field goal in the second overtime period.
A clutch third-and-10 pass to tight end Peyton Hendershot was good for 14 yards and gave IU the ball on the Purdue 1-yard line. Ramsey sneaked it in for the victory, which was no surprise. The quarterback sneak has been a Hoosier goldmine all season.
"We've executed it really well," Ramsey says. "First, the guys up front have gotten a good push. Then, the guys behind me are pushing me in.
"It's about putting your nose down and trust a hole will be there. If not, they'll push you in. You keep driving your feet. It's been working for us."
Ramsey threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns, ran for 40 yards and two touchdowns. True freshman Sampson James, in his first career start, ran for 118 yards and a TD. Philyor caught eight passes for 138 yards and two TDs.
Winning in double overtime, true freshman cornerback Taiwan Mullen said, "Showed we know how to finish. In the past, we couldn't. We can play overtime, extra minutes, and beyond. Whatever it takes."
The aftermath left a tearful Allen thanking director of athletics Fred Glass and university president Michael McRobbie for the opportunity. A few days later, they reciprocated with a new seven-year contract paying an average of $3.9 million a year.
"It wasn't that long in the making," Glass says. "We're thrilled to get that done.
"It reflects a huge commitment to Tom, a huge commitment to the university and to football. It reflects engagement and support from the president and the board of trustees, which bodes well for the future of IU football."
As for that future, Allen says, "We have to understand where we are, enjoy the moment, but also have zero level of satisfaction that we have accomplished anything yet."
Players Mentioned
OL
/ Football
K
/ Football
TE
/ Football
RB
/ Football
K
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
P
/ FootballFB: Mikail Kamara Media Availability (9/16/25)
Tuesday, September 16
FB: Kellan Wyatt Media Availability (9/16/25)
Tuesday, September 16
FB: Curt Cignetti Media Availability (9/15/25)
Monday, September 15
FB: Omar Cooper - ISU Postgame Press Conference (09/12/25))
Friday, September 12