The Quest for Indiana University Football Glory - Virginia Challenge
9/13/2019 8:00:00 AM | Football
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Quest for Indiana University Football Glory, written by Hall of Fame sports writer Pete DiPrimio, takes an unprecedented look at the Hoosier program thanks to exclusive access to practices, meetings, players, coaches and more. In this chapter, coach Tom Allen faces the challenge of his father's open heart surgery and a trip to Virginia in a 2017 non-conference opener that resulted in a quarterback surprise and an inspirational finish.
VIRGINIA CHALLENGE
Tom Allen Sr. wasn't there and it hurt.
The father was always there, at games, at many of the practices. He was a voice of encouragement and wisdom and love.
It had been that way since the son had begun coaching two decades earlier.
Indiana was preparing for a trip to up-and-coming Virginia, and Tom Sr. was preparing for quadruple bypass heart surgery in Indianapolis. A family history of heart trouble, and 80 percent blockage in four heart arteries, made surgery necessary.
The son would coach against Virginia. There was no doubt about that. The elder Allen insisted on it.
Four days before kickoff, the younger Allen was in the War Room for a defensive staff meeting. In a few minutes, he would head to Indianapolis to visit his father in the hospital ahead of surgery. For now, he was watching video of that morning's practice. He saw a linebacker playing tentative. That couldn't happen.
"I don't know if he's injured," Allen said. "This isn't personal, but if this is how you practice, you can't play. This is a huge thing to me. He looks like an old man out there."
Cornerbacks coach Brandon Shelby saw, via Twitter, that Maryland has lost its starting quarterback to injury. He mentioned it to the group.
"That's the third starting quarterback to get lost for the season in the first weekend," Allen said.
Video images of practice flashed fast. They showed the scout offensive team giving the defense plays and looks of what to expect from Virginia.
"He needs to understand the fits," Allen said about a linebacker. Then he turned to defensive line coach Mark Hagen about the way the line had attacked a Virginia play.
"Talk me through this, Mark. Do you like it?"
Then Allen started and stopped the video multiple times.
"I don't understand what we're trying to do here," he said. "It's a total lack of awareness."
More video flashed. A cornerback hesitated when aggression was needed.
"Attack. Oh, Lord, help me," Shelby said and shifted his hat as if to shield his eyes from what he'd seen.
Then the Hoosiers began getting it right.
"That's good, good, good, good," Allen said. "That's encouraging. It means they understand what we're trying to accomplish."
For the first time since the meeting had begun, Allen smiled.
A few minutes later, it was time to head to the hospital.
*****
Indiana coaches worried about the Virginia game from the moment they saw it on the schedule. Traveling to play a Power 5 conference team is always a challenge, especially a traditionally struggling program such as Indiana.
Add the fact it came days after such an emotional season opener against Ohio State, and only the most mature of teams could respond positively.
The Hoosiers did -- and got some quarterback intrigue in the process.
Backup freshman quarterback Peyton Ramsey made his first big impression. He showed why he, rather than senior Richard Lagow, might be the guy to run the offense. Why? Because his dual-threat ability moved the chains in ways Lagow could not.
Against Virginia, Ramsey threw for two touchdowns, ran 26 yards for another score, and sparked the Hoosiers to a 34-17 victory.
"They had zero success in running," Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall said, "and then (Ramsey) came in."
The quarterback change wasn't surprising given Tom Allen and Mike DeBord had said they would coach to what worked, especially when it included what they most wanted from their quarterback -- the ability to run, throw and stress defenses to the breaking point.
Ramsey broke Virginia.
That made a huge difference.
Ramsey, the son of a successful Cincinnati high school coach (Doug), was an off-the-bench catalyst. He went 16-for-20 for 173 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions. He also ran for 42 yards and that touchdown.
Compare that to Lagow's 3-for-10 for 24 yards and an interception.
In other words, the quarterback change was a no-brainer.
"We planned on playing (Ramsey), and he came in and was moving the team," Allen said. "There was no reason to make a switch. It's not about me or the individual. It's about the team. It's L-E-O."
Ramsey completed his first 11 passes for 118 yards before finally missing. That's hard to do against any team, let alone one from a Power 5 Conference, which Virginia was as a member of the ACC.
Early Hoosier offensive mistakes were everywhere – dropped passes, a Lagow interception, J-Shun Harris catching a punt at the 2-yard line rather than letting it go into the end zone for a touchback.
Enter Ramsey, who delivered a huge second quarter boost -- 6-for-6 passing for 68 yards with a 29-yard touchdown to Simmie Cobbs; six runs for 39 yards, including a touchdown.
Combine Griffin Oakes' 51-yard, half-ending field goal (making him IU's all-time field goal leader, with 54) with a dominant defense that turned Virginia's offense into first-half mush (six Cavalier punts, four first downs and 111 total yards), Harris bouncing back from his earlier mistake to return a punt 44 yards for a touchdown, and you had plenty of reasons for optimism.
The Hoosiers came in angry about their virtually non-existent running game against Ohio State that produced just 17 yards on 27 carries.
Yes, much of that reflected a Buckeye front seven that rated among America's best, while IU had three new offensive line starters.
Still, the Hoosiers expected better.
Left tackle Coy Cronk blamed the line, not the running backs. Offensive line coach Darren Hiller basically said the same thing.
"It doesn't matter what we're trying to do," Hiller said, "whether we're throwing it, running it, whatever. It starts up front. I think we had two winning grades out of the five (offensive line) spots. If we're not winning all five, it's not going to be a good situation for us."
Meanwhile, Virginia showed run defense vulnerability in its season opening win against William & Mary, allowing 168 yards.
In other words, IU seemed poised for a strong running day.
It delivered to a point (121 yards on 41 carries), especially in the fourth quarter, when it ran off crucial time and yards, although not a score.
Harris's punt return for a touchdown clinched the victory and, a few days later, earned him Big Ten special teams player of the week honors.
As a result, Allen earned his first victory as a college head coach.
The first thing he thought about was his father.
"He's my hero," he said.
In the emotional post-game locker room, IU athletic director Fred Glass presented two game balls. The first went to the entire team for the way everyone responded after the tough Ohio State loss.
The second game ball went to Allen for his first victory, which he gave to his father.
"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for him," the younger Allen said.
EDITOR'S NOTE: To purchase a copy of The Quest for Indiana University Football Glory, go to this link via Indiana University Press: https://bit.ly/2kvZXjH
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