Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio Notebook – Hoosier Secondary Has Allen Feeling the Love
11/3/2020 2:00:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Is it time to fear Indiana's secondary?
You be the judge.
For one thing, Hoosier defensive backs include a guy called "Monster."
For another, they grab interceptions, force fumbles, shut down receivers and help head coach Tom Allen run the kind of seek-and-destroy defense he loves.
The result -- a 2-0 record and plenty of momentum heading into Saturday's home game against Michigan (1-1).
"That is really important for us," Allen says about trusting the secondary. "You want to be multiple schematically."
IU has cornerbacks and safeties that can play man to man or zone, and blitz when necessary. That wasn't always the case, and reflects dramatically improved recruiting and player development.
"That is a super positive thing for us," Allen says, "and I just love the way they are tackling."
It starts with safety Devon Matthews, also known as "Monster" for his punishing approach.
"He played really well (against Rutgers)," Allen says. "He can cover. He's a big, physical guy. He has great range."
Then there's safety Jamar Johnson. His interception streak ended at three games against Rutgers, but he does so much more than that, Allen says.
"I know he has gotten a lot of notoriety for his interceptions, but I thought he played his best game yet since he has been here (against Rutgers). He is doing everything that he is asked to do, like the (eye) discipline."
In other words, stay focused even when teams throw misdirection and trick plays at you.
"You can get your eyes in the wrong place really fast if you aren't careful and not locked in," Allen says.
Allen and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack can blitz aggressively because they know the secondary can handle the pass coverage responsibility that comes with it.
"That is just what we do," Allen says. "We are an aggressive defense and those guys give us that confidence to make those calls. Their play is allowing us to become a better defense every time we take the field."
*****
IU is ranked No. 13 in the AP and coaches polls. That's its highest ranking since reaching No. 11 in 1987.
For the record, Indiana's highest ranking ever is No. 4, which happened after the 1945 (9-0-1) and '67 (9-2) seasons.
The Hoosiers have won three-straight Big Ten games and seven of their last nine.
They can beat their second Top-25 team of the season on Saturday.
The Wolverines, coached by Jim Harbaugh, are coming off a 27-24 home loss to rival Michigan State that dropped them 10 spots to No. 23 in the AP poll, and No. 25 in the coaches' poll.
Harbaugh is 48-19 in his sixth season at Michigan.
"I have a ton of respect for Jim Harbaugh and the kind of coach that he is, the kind of talent that they have," Allen says. "They are one of the top programs in this country.
"We have to keep getting better every time we take the field. This is a big challenge for us."
*****
Charles Campbell is thriving in his new role of starting kicker.
The Big Ten has noticed.
Campbell earned his first conference special-teams-player-of-the-week award after making a career best three field goals in IU's win over Rutgers. He connected on 28, 31 and 42 yards. He also made all four extra points to total 13 points.
He is 5-for-5 for the season and 7-for-7 for his career.
"Congratulations to him," Allen says. "He's done a great job."
****
IU is 12-for-12 in scoring in the red zone, with eight touchdowns.
Why the success?
"It comes down to (offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan) setting us up for success and simple execution," quarterback Michael Penix Jr. says.
"On most of those, the defense gave us great field position. It is a team effort. The defense caused turnovers whenever the opponent was backed up, and that gave us a short field. We took advantage of it.
"The offensive line is blocking extremely hard to make sure that we get into the end zone. That is something that we emphasize every week. When we get into the red zone, we are trying to score. We try to score every time, but especially when we are in the red zone. We really want to make sure we are putting points on the board."
*****
Michigan quarterback Joe Milton has thrown for 525 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He's also rushed for 111 yards.
"You are talking about a big body that has the dual-threat ability," Wommack says. "He can make all the throws on the field, and he is getting better as a decision maker.
"To me, the name of the game, nowadays, is quarterbacks that can extend plays with their feet. We have one of the perfect examples of that in Michael Penix over the last couple of weeks.
"I think Joe Milton is a player that can extend plays with his feet and can get the first down when he needs to. That will be a challenge that we have grown accustomed to. Seems like every quarterback nowadays can do something with his feet."
****
Michigan's domination over IU (24 straight wins) hasn't come without drama. Two of the last three meetings have gone to overtime. The Wolverines won 27-20 in overtime in 2017 and 48-41 in double overtime in 2015.
If you think past failure will lead to present defeat, think again, Allen says.
"Even in fall camp, we've been challenging our guys about the way they think. We talk about that all the time. More specifically, talking about the past not being predictive. … It's not predictive unless you don't do something to change it."
The Hoosiers changed it against Penn State, which had won 22-of-23 meetings until last month.
"The bottom line is it's about us playing our best football," Allen says. "That's the focus. We haven't done that yet.
"We've had opportunities since I've been here against Michigan and haven't been able to finish those opportunities. Much like with Penn State in the past.
"I told our team, it doesn't matter what I believe. I've told them what I believe. It's what they believe, and how are they going to prepare, and, ultimately, how are they going to perform on game day."
*****
IU has scored 36 and 37 points in its first two games -- its 36.5-point average ties Michigan for third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Wisconsin (tied at 45.0 points) -- but has yet to get the running game going.
The Hoosiers rank last in the conference in rushing, at 75 yards a game.
While some of that is due to the solid defenses of Penn State and Rutgers, Indiana aims to do better, Sheridan says.
"It is always an emphasis and it is always something that is important to us. It is easy when you evaluate the run game to say that it's an offensive line issue, but that is not always the case. It is a collective effort.
"It's coaches making sure that the plays are putting our players in the best chance to be successful. It starts with us."
Running back Stevie Scott III has rushed for 138 yards so far.
"Obviously, the offensive line has a large part to do with it on how they are blocking and executing," Sheridan says. "The running backs have to make sure they are making the right cuts and right reads. The tight ends making sure they are blocking their guys. The quarterback making sure that he is making the right checks or the right read, so it is a full unit task and job.
"We made some improvements in the second game compared to the first, but we have more work to do.
"In this league, especially this year, you are going to have to be able to run the football because the weather is starting to turn. It will be important and we will continue to emphasize it."
*****
Allen is 20-20 in his fourth season as Hoosier head coach. He's the fourth fastest to 20 wins in program history, trailing James Horne (32 games), James Sheldon (34 games) and Ewald Stiehm (39 games).
Those three all coached before 1922.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Is it time to fear Indiana's secondary?
You be the judge.
For one thing, Hoosier defensive backs include a guy called "Monster."
For another, they grab interceptions, force fumbles, shut down receivers and help head coach Tom Allen run the kind of seek-and-destroy defense he loves.
The result -- a 2-0 record and plenty of momentum heading into Saturday's home game against Michigan (1-1).
"That is really important for us," Allen says about trusting the secondary. "You want to be multiple schematically."
IU has cornerbacks and safeties that can play man to man or zone, and blitz when necessary. That wasn't always the case, and reflects dramatically improved recruiting and player development.
"That is a super positive thing for us," Allen says, "and I just love the way they are tackling."
It starts with safety Devon Matthews, also known as "Monster" for his punishing approach.
"He played really well (against Rutgers)," Allen says. "He can cover. He's a big, physical guy. He has great range."
Then there's safety Jamar Johnson. His interception streak ended at three games against Rutgers, but he does so much more than that, Allen says.
"I know he has gotten a lot of notoriety for his interceptions, but I thought he played his best game yet since he has been here (against Rutgers). He is doing everything that he is asked to do, like the (eye) discipline."
In other words, stay focused even when teams throw misdirection and trick plays at you.
"You can get your eyes in the wrong place really fast if you aren't careful and not locked in," Allen says.
Allen and defensive coordinator Kane Wommack can blitz aggressively because they know the secondary can handle the pass coverage responsibility that comes with it.
"That is just what we do," Allen says. "We are an aggressive defense and those guys give us that confidence to make those calls. Their play is allowing us to become a better defense every time we take the field."
*****
IU is ranked No. 13 in the AP and coaches polls. That's its highest ranking since reaching No. 11 in 1987.
For the record, Indiana's highest ranking ever is No. 4, which happened after the 1945 (9-0-1) and '67 (9-2) seasons.
The Hoosiers have won three-straight Big Ten games and seven of their last nine.
They can beat their second Top-25 team of the season on Saturday.
The Wolverines, coached by Jim Harbaugh, are coming off a 27-24 home loss to rival Michigan State that dropped them 10 spots to No. 23 in the AP poll, and No. 25 in the coaches' poll.
Harbaugh is 48-19 in his sixth season at Michigan.
"I have a ton of respect for Jim Harbaugh and the kind of coach that he is, the kind of talent that they have," Allen says. "They are one of the top programs in this country.
"We have to keep getting better every time we take the field. This is a big challenge for us."
*****
Charles Campbell is thriving in his new role of starting kicker.
The Big Ten has noticed.
Campbell earned his first conference special-teams-player-of-the-week award after making a career best three field goals in IU's win over Rutgers. He connected on 28, 31 and 42 yards. He also made all four extra points to total 13 points.
He is 5-for-5 for the season and 7-for-7 for his career.
"Congratulations to him," Allen says. "He's done a great job."
****
IU is 12-for-12 in scoring in the red zone, with eight touchdowns.
Why the success?
"It comes down to (offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan) setting us up for success and simple execution," quarterback Michael Penix Jr. says.
"On most of those, the defense gave us great field position. It is a team effort. The defense caused turnovers whenever the opponent was backed up, and that gave us a short field. We took advantage of it.
"The offensive line is blocking extremely hard to make sure that we get into the end zone. That is something that we emphasize every week. When we get into the red zone, we are trying to score. We try to score every time, but especially when we are in the red zone. We really want to make sure we are putting points on the board."
*****
Michigan quarterback Joe Milton has thrown for 525 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He's also rushed for 111 yards.
"You are talking about a big body that has the dual-threat ability," Wommack says. "He can make all the throws on the field, and he is getting better as a decision maker.
"To me, the name of the game, nowadays, is quarterbacks that can extend plays with their feet. We have one of the perfect examples of that in Michael Penix over the last couple of weeks.
"I think Joe Milton is a player that can extend plays with his feet and can get the first down when he needs to. That will be a challenge that we have grown accustomed to. Seems like every quarterback nowadays can do something with his feet."
****
Michigan's domination over IU (24 straight wins) hasn't come without drama. Two of the last three meetings have gone to overtime. The Wolverines won 27-20 in overtime in 2017 and 48-41 in double overtime in 2015.
If you think past failure will lead to present defeat, think again, Allen says.
"Even in fall camp, we've been challenging our guys about the way they think. We talk about that all the time. More specifically, talking about the past not being predictive. … It's not predictive unless you don't do something to change it."
The Hoosiers changed it against Penn State, which had won 22-of-23 meetings until last month.
"The bottom line is it's about us playing our best football," Allen says. "That's the focus. We haven't done that yet.
"We've had opportunities since I've been here against Michigan and haven't been able to finish those opportunities. Much like with Penn State in the past.
"I told our team, it doesn't matter what I believe. I've told them what I believe. It's what they believe, and how are they going to prepare, and, ultimately, how are they going to perform on game day."
*****
IU has scored 36 and 37 points in its first two games -- its 36.5-point average ties Michigan for third in the Big Ten behind Ohio State and Wisconsin (tied at 45.0 points) -- but has yet to get the running game going.
The Hoosiers rank last in the conference in rushing, at 75 yards a game.
While some of that is due to the solid defenses of Penn State and Rutgers, Indiana aims to do better, Sheridan says.
"It is always an emphasis and it is always something that is important to us. It is easy when you evaluate the run game to say that it's an offensive line issue, but that is not always the case. It is a collective effort.
"It's coaches making sure that the plays are putting our players in the best chance to be successful. It starts with us."
Running back Stevie Scott III has rushed for 138 yards so far.
"Obviously, the offensive line has a large part to do with it on how they are blocking and executing," Sheridan says. "The running backs have to make sure they are making the right cuts and right reads. The tight ends making sure they are blocking their guys. The quarterback making sure that he is making the right checks or the right read, so it is a full unit task and job.
"We made some improvements in the second game compared to the first, but we have more work to do.
"In this league, especially this year, you are going to have to be able to run the football because the weather is starting to turn. It will be important and we will continue to emphasize it."
*****
Allen is 20-20 in his fourth season as Hoosier head coach. He's the fourth fastest to 20 wins in program history, trailing James Horne (32 games), James Sheldon (34 games) and Ewald Stiehm (39 games).
Those three all coached before 1922.
Players Mentioned
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