Believe It -- Opportunity Is There

Saturday, October 24

Bloomington, Ind.

3:30 p.m.

Indiana University

Penn State

10/23/2020 12:00:00 PM | Football

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Indiana braces for its season-opening, college-football collision with powerhouse Penn State with this starting priority:

Belief.

How will it end? We'll know Saturday night, but this much is certain after pandemic-fueled uncertainty:

Head coach Tom Allen is convinced this team will make program history.

"We believe in the young men that we have here," he says via Zoom. "We know that we are playing one of the best teams in the country. We are going to have to play our best football to get the result we want."

Allen believes in his players, his coaches, his program and himself. Belief isn't enough, of course, not against a tradition-rich program that will arrive at Memorial Stadium with a No. 8 ranking and visions of national title contention.

The Hoosiers can't match that, but that's not the point.

Performance, effort, will and focus are.

"You have to believe in your heart that when you get to where you want to be as a program," Allen says, "that is going to be enough to get the results that you are looking for."

Allen and his wife, Tracy, sacrificed plenty to reach this opportunity. They stepped backward to move forward, gave up a big-time Indiana high school coaching job (Ben Davis) for small college (Wabash College) assistant coaching opportunity and it paid off, with this understanding:

It's time to win the biggest games, starting Saturday.

It starts, Allen says, with preparation.

"The biggest thing that, as a head coach, you want to see is a locked in, focused group," he says.

"(The Hoosiers) are going to do a great job of being prepared and playing at a high level, so you know that part of it. I want our kids to play their tails off and execute at a high level."

This is the chance to show the Hoosiers are ready for elite status as they weren't in Allen's head-coaching debut season of 2017, when a third-quarter lead against Ohio State faded to a 28-point defeat.

In fact, a rearranged Big Ten schedule gives IU the opportunity knock off a couple of Top-10 teams (also No. 5 Ohio State), and a pair of Top-20 squads (No. 14 Wisconsin and No. 18 Michigan).

Three years of recruiting, coaching and developing suggest the Hoosiers are ready to handle that as never before.

"I love the energy and the focus has been really good," Allen says. "It has not been perfect, but we coach until kickoff. That is our philosophy here and we just got done talking about our mindset as a program. That does not change.

"I think it has been a good preparation. I feel good about where we are. We have to prove it on game day. That's really what it comes down to."

A veteran offense is led by quarterback Michael Penix Jr., running back Stevie Scott III, receiver Whop Philyor, tight end Peyton Hendershot and a high-potential line led by center Harry Crider, and tackles Caleb Jones and Matthew Bedford.

An even more veteran defense, even without injured standout husky Marcelino McCrary-Ball, is rich in promise with cornerbacks Tiawan Mullen and Reese Taylor, defensive linemen Michael Ziemba, James Head Jr. and Demarcus Elliott, linebackers Micah McFadden and Cam Jones, and husky Bryant Fitzgerald

It's the best, most experienced team Allen has had.

"We have a lot of players back and a lot of guys that have been in these positions. There will be a few out there that have not been out there as much, but when you have a large group coming back, you have high expectations for how they are going to handle the situation."

Expectations don't mean guarantees. Allen drives that point hard.

"We have guys that are on this current team that have done it in the past, but they have to go do it again. Just because we have a lot of guys back from last year's team, and I shared this with the team, that does not mean anything. Just because we are a year older does not mean we are going to be better, unless we prepare at a certain level."

Whether they do or don't, the coach in Allen comes through.

"I am not one that feels great about everything. Everything makes me on edge. That is okay. That is what creates who I am.

"I will keep that edge, but also have a collective confidence that I believe in this football team."

Belief means that, despite the Hoosiers' 1-22 record against Penn State, they will find a way no matter how long it takes.

"It is going to be a very physical, tough, 60-minute, or beyond battle," Allen says. "We are prepared for it. We have to prove to the country that Indiana is in position to change the trajectory of this program. That is our goal. We just have to prove it."

Proving won't just happen.

It has to be taken.

But first, you have to believe.