Postgame Quotes: Indiana vs. No. 25 Michigan State
9/28/2019 11:11:00 PM | Football
Indiana vs. No. 25 Michigan State
Sept. 28, 2019
Postgame Quotes
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen
TOM ALLEN: Tough way to lose. Proud of our team; I thought our kids fought. It's hard to face them in the locker room, knowing how hard they played. I looked at them in the eyes and saw a lot of tears, and there should be. When invest where our guys invest and you work the way our guys work, it ought to hurt, and it does. But, proud of this football team, we came on the road against a top 25 team and had our chances. So we just got to find a way to make one more play. But you start a true freshman at left tackle; probably the hardest position on offense to play in a hostile environment against a great defensive line. I thought Matthew Bedford did an outstanding job in his first start. Then we start a freshman quarterback in his first road game in conference play, and you saw how Michael Penix played. I thought Coach (Kalen) DeBoer had a great game plan in order to maximize the things we could do against them, and they were effective in that regard. Disappointing to not get that stop at the end of the half and the stop at the end of the game. To me, those were the two things that sealed our fate. But, a lot of positive things, and we'll continue to focus on those things which is what we need to do to keep growing as a football team. I love that football team in that locker room, period.
Q. On if how well Michael Penix Jr. was able to play reaffirmed what Tom Allen is trying to do at IU…
TOM ALLEN: No question. We're for real. We ain't going nowhere. We're young, the third-youngest team in the Big Ten, period. You just saw how we competed, we didn't just show up to compete, we came to win and we were one play away from winning. I'm proud of this team. Proud of how we've recruited, that won't stop. Proud of what we're building. Disappointing.
Q. On his decision to start Michael Penix Jr.…
TOM ALLEN: Yeah, you know the most important thing is the welfare of our players. We don't want to put a guy out there who's not ready to play. It was a very systematic process to decide if he was ready. He didn't practice every day, but he practiced enough to where we were comfortable playing and starting him. We didn't know if he'd be able to go the whole game, to be honest with you. We had Peyton (Ramsey) ready to go just in case. So you just go through with our medical staff, and they did a phenomenal job of rehabbing him and getting him to the point where he could play. We just kind of gauged it one day at a time and saw how he'd feel the next day. We got to Thursday and even as recently as yesterday to see where he was at. That was just the process to see where he was at, and he felt ready to go. To me, the biggest thing is being able to do what he did in this environment, with just a couple of games under his belt and nothing similar to this opponent. He played a little bit in the Penn State game, but nothing like this. I'm just impressed with the way he performed. We felt like he was ready. It was a team effort with everybody involved. We tried to communicate as best as we could with everybody and make the best decision for our team.
Q. On if he wants his players to "wipe" away the bad plays and focus on next week…
TOM ALLEN: Well, you always go back and evaluate. There are things and calls you make as a coach that you wish you had back. There are situations where you don't execute, but still, we got to continue to execute in those key moments at the end of the half and at the end of the game and just keep finding ways. The gaps getting smaller and smaller to being able to have those young guys. To me, it's about getting those one on one catches and defending the ball. We're getting better every week. We ran the football for 70 yards, but those were tough yards. Part of our game plan was the perimeter game. To me, those count as runs, but in the stats, they don't. Just getting the ball out to our receivers and having them block for each other. So I look at all of that stuff, but there's a lot to build off of. It's just so disappointing because we were so stinking close. But, we won't get discouraged. Disappointed but not discouraged.
Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback
On getting ready to play this week…
"It took a lot of trusting in my rehab and everything and making sure that my body was good. I just had to protect myself. It took a lot of encouragement from my teammates as well. Both of those things played a big factor."
On the offensive line and getting into such a good rhythm…
"We didn't get the win, but Matt Bedford he really had to step up. He is a true freshman, and he did real good. The offensive line they helped and they communicated with each other and the coaches put us in the right situation, to make sure that we were all in the right place in the right time. The coaches put us in the right situation with play calls. Catch and throw. Catch and throw. Playing our hearts out and protecting each other and making sure we were on the same page."
On getting prepared for the game despite not practicing…
"I didn't practice every day, but pre-game I felt pretty good, so coach made the decision to let me play. I prepared by keeping my head in the game. I knew all the plays, knew all the reads. All the times I wasn't in practice I was mentally prepared, and I made sure I was always on top of the game."
On what the team showed despite the loss…
"We showed a lot. Don't doubt us; we are pushing every single day. Make sure everybody knows what they are doing executing as a team. We never let ourselves get down, we always make sure that we keep each other up. Just make sure we stay positive throughout the process."
Donavan Hale, Wide Receiver
On the offensive performance today…
"We had some explosive plays. We just need to continue doing that throughout the season."
On being part of many close games, but not being able to win…
"There is no pressure. Obviously, we are disappointed, but not discouraged. It is all about finishing. Coach Allen has always been all about finishing. I think that we are getting close, we just have to close out."
What is key for you to building on a performance like today…
"Like I said before, it is all about finishing. There are couple plays here and there that we have to make or a stop on the defensive end."
Tiawan Mullen, Defensive Back
On playing his first Big Ten road game…
"Coming here, I had great preparation, and I was ready to come out here and compete in my first road game."
On improving confidence after making big plays…
"I am just doing whatever to help our team. They put us in the right spot to execute on the big plays. I want to show everyone that we can in here to compete. We aren't going to back down to nobody. Even though we lost, we are disappointed, but never discouraged. We are just going to go back to practice, get back into the play book and get back in the film room and be ready for the next game."
On feeling comfortable in this environment as a freshman…
"Football is football. I never get nervous or scared; I just came here to play. They put on their pads, just like I put on my pads."
On disappointment on not getting the win…
"They were disappointed but not discouraged; it meant a lot to those guys. It is my first year here, and I wanted to play for those guys. It meant more to them than me because they have been here for a few years."
Sept. 28, 2019
Postgame Quotes
Indiana Head Coach Tom Allen
TOM ALLEN: Tough way to lose. Proud of our team; I thought our kids fought. It's hard to face them in the locker room, knowing how hard they played. I looked at them in the eyes and saw a lot of tears, and there should be. When invest where our guys invest and you work the way our guys work, it ought to hurt, and it does. But, proud of this football team, we came on the road against a top 25 team and had our chances. So we just got to find a way to make one more play. But you start a true freshman at left tackle; probably the hardest position on offense to play in a hostile environment against a great defensive line. I thought Matthew Bedford did an outstanding job in his first start. Then we start a freshman quarterback in his first road game in conference play, and you saw how Michael Penix played. I thought Coach (Kalen) DeBoer had a great game plan in order to maximize the things we could do against them, and they were effective in that regard. Disappointing to not get that stop at the end of the half and the stop at the end of the game. To me, those were the two things that sealed our fate. But, a lot of positive things, and we'll continue to focus on those things which is what we need to do to keep growing as a football team. I love that football team in that locker room, period.
Q. On if how well Michael Penix Jr. was able to play reaffirmed what Tom Allen is trying to do at IU…
TOM ALLEN: No question. We're for real. We ain't going nowhere. We're young, the third-youngest team in the Big Ten, period. You just saw how we competed, we didn't just show up to compete, we came to win and we were one play away from winning. I'm proud of this team. Proud of how we've recruited, that won't stop. Proud of what we're building. Disappointing.
Q. On his decision to start Michael Penix Jr.…
TOM ALLEN: Yeah, you know the most important thing is the welfare of our players. We don't want to put a guy out there who's not ready to play. It was a very systematic process to decide if he was ready. He didn't practice every day, but he practiced enough to where we were comfortable playing and starting him. We didn't know if he'd be able to go the whole game, to be honest with you. We had Peyton (Ramsey) ready to go just in case. So you just go through with our medical staff, and they did a phenomenal job of rehabbing him and getting him to the point where he could play. We just kind of gauged it one day at a time and saw how he'd feel the next day. We got to Thursday and even as recently as yesterday to see where he was at. That was just the process to see where he was at, and he felt ready to go. To me, the biggest thing is being able to do what he did in this environment, with just a couple of games under his belt and nothing similar to this opponent. He played a little bit in the Penn State game, but nothing like this. I'm just impressed with the way he performed. We felt like he was ready. It was a team effort with everybody involved. We tried to communicate as best as we could with everybody and make the best decision for our team.
Q. On if he wants his players to "wipe" away the bad plays and focus on next week…
TOM ALLEN: Well, you always go back and evaluate. There are things and calls you make as a coach that you wish you had back. There are situations where you don't execute, but still, we got to continue to execute in those key moments at the end of the half and at the end of the game and just keep finding ways. The gaps getting smaller and smaller to being able to have those young guys. To me, it's about getting those one on one catches and defending the ball. We're getting better every week. We ran the football for 70 yards, but those were tough yards. Part of our game plan was the perimeter game. To me, those count as runs, but in the stats, they don't. Just getting the ball out to our receivers and having them block for each other. So I look at all of that stuff, but there's a lot to build off of. It's just so disappointing because we were so stinking close. But, we won't get discouraged. Disappointed but not discouraged.
Michael Penix Jr., Quarterback
On getting ready to play this week…
"It took a lot of trusting in my rehab and everything and making sure that my body was good. I just had to protect myself. It took a lot of encouragement from my teammates as well. Both of those things played a big factor."
On the offensive line and getting into such a good rhythm…
"We didn't get the win, but Matt Bedford he really had to step up. He is a true freshman, and he did real good. The offensive line they helped and they communicated with each other and the coaches put us in the right situation, to make sure that we were all in the right place in the right time. The coaches put us in the right situation with play calls. Catch and throw. Catch and throw. Playing our hearts out and protecting each other and making sure we were on the same page."
On getting prepared for the game despite not practicing…
"I didn't practice every day, but pre-game I felt pretty good, so coach made the decision to let me play. I prepared by keeping my head in the game. I knew all the plays, knew all the reads. All the times I wasn't in practice I was mentally prepared, and I made sure I was always on top of the game."
On what the team showed despite the loss…
"We showed a lot. Don't doubt us; we are pushing every single day. Make sure everybody knows what they are doing executing as a team. We never let ourselves get down, we always make sure that we keep each other up. Just make sure we stay positive throughout the process."
Donavan Hale, Wide Receiver
On the offensive performance today…
"We had some explosive plays. We just need to continue doing that throughout the season."
On being part of many close games, but not being able to win…
"There is no pressure. Obviously, we are disappointed, but not discouraged. It is all about finishing. Coach Allen has always been all about finishing. I think that we are getting close, we just have to close out."
What is key for you to building on a performance like today…
"Like I said before, it is all about finishing. There are couple plays here and there that we have to make or a stop on the defensive end."
Tiawan Mullen, Defensive Back
On playing his first Big Ten road game…
"Coming here, I had great preparation, and I was ready to come out here and compete in my first road game."
On improving confidence after making big plays…
"I am just doing whatever to help our team. They put us in the right spot to execute on the big plays. I want to show everyone that we can in here to compete. We aren't going to back down to nobody. Even though we lost, we are disappointed, but never discouraged. We are just going to go back to practice, get back into the play book and get back in the film room and be ready for the next game."
On feeling comfortable in this environment as a freshman…
"Football is football. I never get nervous or scared; I just came here to play. They put on their pads, just like I put on my pads."
On disappointment on not getting the win…
"They were disappointed but not discouraged; it meant a lot to those guys. It is my first year here, and I wanted to play for those guys. It meant more to them than me because they have been here for a few years."
Players Mentioned
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