NOTEBOOK: Strong Leaders, No Surprise Starters, Vaughn Dunbar Returns
8/31/2021 6:00:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The past doesn't haunt Indiana football.
Not anymore.
Now it shows up to help celebrate past success and future victories.
As the No. 17 Hoosiers prepared for Saturday's season opener at No. 18 Iowa, a ghost from Cream & Crimson glory past emerged. Vaughn Dunbar, one of the greatest tailbacks in IU history, swung by last weekend.
He hadn't been to campus in years. His return reflects how head coach Tom Allen and Hoosier officials strive to sustain and grow the connection between players past and present.
"I knew who he was," Allen says. "He's a year older than me. I knew him out of high school (Dunbar starred at Fort Wayne Snider while Allen was at New Castle), but never met him before. He was just a great, great player here, without question."
Dunbar was an All-American under former head coach Bill Mallory. His school-record 1,805 rushing yards from 1991 lasted 23 years until Tevin Coleman broke it in 2014 with 2,038.
Dunbar only played two seasons for the Hoosiers. He also rushed for 1,224 yards in 1990 in what was then a run-dominated attack.
Let's just say Memorial Stadium and the football facilities were not what they are now.
"To hear him talk about the program and how excited he is," Allen says. "He got a chance to see the facilities. He hadn't been back in a while, and just talked about, 'Man, would I love to be able to be here at this time and be a part of what's going on.'
"Then even the locker room and the way it looks, it's so different than when he played and even the way the stadium looks and feels. So, hats off to our administration for what they have invested in football."
****
IU's lofty prospects -- it returns 17 starters from a 6-2 team that finished No. 12 in the national polls -- demand strong player leadership. The Hoosiers have it with six co-captains: receiver Ty Fryfogle, quarterback Michael Penix Jr., husky Marcelino McCrary-Ball, linebackers Micah McFadden and Cam Jones, and tight end Peyton Hendershot.
"It's the most we've had since I've been here," says Allen, who is starting his fifth season as head coach, and sixth in the program (he was the defensive coordinator the first year).
"That speaks to the depth of our leadership. We have a lot of guys that are respected."
Captains were determined by a team vote.
"(Before the vote)," Allen says, "I gave them three things that we were looking for: guys that you trust, guys that live out LEO (Love Each Other), not perfect, nobody is, and guys that hold themselves accountable and hold their teammates accountable.
"Obviously, it is a strong group."
*****
To the surprise of no one, Penix will start against Iowa.
He is, Allen says, fully recovered from last season's torn ACL.
"There was the expectation that he would be ready, but he had to get ready, and he's done that."
Penix will bring a 10-2 record as a starter with a strong arm and impressive ability to make plays (see the final two drives of last year's overtime win against No. 8 Penn State as the prime example).
"(Starting against Iowa) was the expectation from the beginning if he did what he was supposed to do," Allen says. "There's no doubt it could have not been the case based if things didn't go the way you wanted them to or whatever happens along the process. There's no guarantees with that."
While Penix got the majority of reps with the first-team offense, back-up quarterback Jack Tuttle and third-string (and true freshman) Donaven McCulley also got plenty of meaningful work in the last month.
"We have had opportunities for Jack to take reps with the 1's, which he's done consistently throughout camp and to make sure both guys are ready," Allen says.
"Then obviously getting Donaven ready, as well. You have three guys there that I believe all have special skill sets. So, bottom line is that Michael's been doing a great job with the things we have asked."
*****
Stephen Carr made it a no-brainer – he's IU's starting tailback,
"It became pretty obvious," Allen says.
Carr entered August camp No. 3 on the depth chart after transferring from USC. He would have to earn the starting job.
He did – decisively.
"He knew he had to earn that, and I believe that he has," Allen says. "We're going to play a lot of guys at that position, always have, always will. But he will be the starter for Game One.
"From Day One he came here with zero entitlement at all, knowing he had to earn the spot, be ready to work, be a total team guy.
"That's what I look for -- how hard does he practice, how hard does he work on special teams? I love how he practices. He's going full speed and finishing runs out. That's the standard (associate head coach/running backs coach) Deland McCullough has set."
******
For Allen, meeting high expectations starts with the word for the season:
"Chase."
"You don't get better because you have a lot of guys back and have a lot of guys that are supposed to be playing at a (high) level," he says. "'Chase' is what are you doing every day?
"It's the people; it's leading a team; it's building a team. It's the discipline to be true to who you are every day, and not fall victim to listening to the outside noises.
"You stay true to the process and how you get your team to perform at a high level. It's consistent performance and how do you get that? It's how do you block out the distractions?
"In the past, those distractions were negative. Now you have to block out the positives.
"How do you address that with your guys? You don't shy away from it. You address it and talk about it as a team, and allow ourselves to consistently prepare at a high level."
Allen became head coach at IU in 2016 talking championship, and few outside the program believed.
Now, some give the Hoosiers a chance to get past powerhouse Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy.
"The expectations are what they are," Allen says. "Like we said in the beginning, we came here with a vision to be able to change the expectations and create belief. That process is ongoing and so we're embracing it.
"You have to have those earmuffs and blinders, that part doesn't change, and create the focus that you want to be able to be an elite performer on game day."
*****
Iowa presents a formidable challenge. It ended last season on a six-game winning streak while averaging 35.7 points and allowing 13.8.
Quarterback Spencer Petras, an honorable-mention all-conference selection, was the catalyst for that strong finish. He threw for 1,088 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions in the last six games.
Running back Tyler Goodson was first-team all-Big Ten after rushing for 762 yards to rank third in the conference.
Also back is All-America center Tyler Linderbaum.
"Offensively, it starts up front for them," Allen says, "They have an excellent running game and quarterback.
"(Petras) is a highly-talented individual that has a big-time arm and a lot of weapons around him."
Iowa has held 22 straight opponents to less than 25 points, the longest streak among Power 5 Conference teams. Last year, it led the nation in defensive yards per play (4.3) and was second in the conference in scoring defense (16.0 points) and total defense (313.8 yards).
"Defensively, they're just so sound," Allen says. "They do such a great job up front and with how just disciplined they are.
"Physicality at the linebacker position and athleticism there. And then the secondary is really where their most experience lies with so many different guys having played a lot of football. They don't make a lot of mistakes. They make you really have to execute at a high level."
Allen adds that Iowa had the Big Ten's top-ranked special teams unit, with IU at No. 2.
"That's going to play a big role."
After IU, the Hawkeyes play No. 7 Iowa State in a brutal opening of the season.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is the school's winningest coach with a 168-106 record in 23 seasons. That total ranks fourth in Big Ten history.
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The past doesn't haunt Indiana football.
Not anymore.
Now it shows up to help celebrate past success and future victories.
As the No. 17 Hoosiers prepared for Saturday's season opener at No. 18 Iowa, a ghost from Cream & Crimson glory past emerged. Vaughn Dunbar, one of the greatest tailbacks in IU history, swung by last weekend.
He hadn't been to campus in years. His return reflects how head coach Tom Allen and Hoosier officials strive to sustain and grow the connection between players past and present.
"I knew who he was," Allen says. "He's a year older than me. I knew him out of high school (Dunbar starred at Fort Wayne Snider while Allen was at New Castle), but never met him before. He was just a great, great player here, without question."
Dunbar was an All-American under former head coach Bill Mallory. His school-record 1,805 rushing yards from 1991 lasted 23 years until Tevin Coleman broke it in 2014 with 2,038.
Dunbar only played two seasons for the Hoosiers. He also rushed for 1,224 yards in 1990 in what was then a run-dominated attack.
Let's just say Memorial Stadium and the football facilities were not what they are now.
"To hear him talk about the program and how excited he is," Allen says. "He got a chance to see the facilities. He hadn't been back in a while, and just talked about, 'Man, would I love to be able to be here at this time and be a part of what's going on.'
"Then even the locker room and the way it looks, it's so different than when he played and even the way the stadium looks and feels. So, hats off to our administration for what they have invested in football."
****
IU's lofty prospects -- it returns 17 starters from a 6-2 team that finished No. 12 in the national polls -- demand strong player leadership. The Hoosiers have it with six co-captains: receiver Ty Fryfogle, quarterback Michael Penix Jr., husky Marcelino McCrary-Ball, linebackers Micah McFadden and Cam Jones, and tight end Peyton Hendershot.
"It's the most we've had since I've been here," says Allen, who is starting his fifth season as head coach, and sixth in the program (he was the defensive coordinator the first year).
"That speaks to the depth of our leadership. We have a lot of guys that are respected."
Captains were determined by a team vote.
"(Before the vote)," Allen says, "I gave them three things that we were looking for: guys that you trust, guys that live out LEO (Love Each Other), not perfect, nobody is, and guys that hold themselves accountable and hold their teammates accountable.
"Obviously, it is a strong group."
*****
To the surprise of no one, Penix will start against Iowa.
He is, Allen says, fully recovered from last season's torn ACL.
"There was the expectation that he would be ready, but he had to get ready, and he's done that."
Penix will bring a 10-2 record as a starter with a strong arm and impressive ability to make plays (see the final two drives of last year's overtime win against No. 8 Penn State as the prime example).
"(Starting against Iowa) was the expectation from the beginning if he did what he was supposed to do," Allen says. "There's no doubt it could have not been the case based if things didn't go the way you wanted them to or whatever happens along the process. There's no guarantees with that."
While Penix got the majority of reps with the first-team offense, back-up quarterback Jack Tuttle and third-string (and true freshman) Donaven McCulley also got plenty of meaningful work in the last month.
"We have had opportunities for Jack to take reps with the 1's, which he's done consistently throughout camp and to make sure both guys are ready," Allen says.
"Then obviously getting Donaven ready, as well. You have three guys there that I believe all have special skill sets. So, bottom line is that Michael's been doing a great job with the things we have asked."
*****
Stephen Carr made it a no-brainer – he's IU's starting tailback,
"It became pretty obvious," Allen says.
Carr entered August camp No. 3 on the depth chart after transferring from USC. He would have to earn the starting job.
He did – decisively.
"He knew he had to earn that, and I believe that he has," Allen says. "We're going to play a lot of guys at that position, always have, always will. But he will be the starter for Game One.
"From Day One he came here with zero entitlement at all, knowing he had to earn the spot, be ready to work, be a total team guy.
"That's what I look for -- how hard does he practice, how hard does he work on special teams? I love how he practices. He's going full speed and finishing runs out. That's the standard (associate head coach/running backs coach) Deland McCullough has set."
******
For Allen, meeting high expectations starts with the word for the season:
"Chase."
"You don't get better because you have a lot of guys back and have a lot of guys that are supposed to be playing at a (high) level," he says. "'Chase' is what are you doing every day?
"It's the people; it's leading a team; it's building a team. It's the discipline to be true to who you are every day, and not fall victim to listening to the outside noises.
"You stay true to the process and how you get your team to perform at a high level. It's consistent performance and how do you get that? It's how do you block out the distractions?
"In the past, those distractions were negative. Now you have to block out the positives.
"How do you address that with your guys? You don't shy away from it. You address it and talk about it as a team, and allow ourselves to consistently prepare at a high level."
Allen became head coach at IU in 2016 talking championship, and few outside the program believed.
Now, some give the Hoosiers a chance to get past powerhouse Ohio State for Big Ten supremacy.
"The expectations are what they are," Allen says. "Like we said in the beginning, we came here with a vision to be able to change the expectations and create belief. That process is ongoing and so we're embracing it.
"You have to have those earmuffs and blinders, that part doesn't change, and create the focus that you want to be able to be an elite performer on game day."
*****
Iowa presents a formidable challenge. It ended last season on a six-game winning streak while averaging 35.7 points and allowing 13.8.
Quarterback Spencer Petras, an honorable-mention all-conference selection, was the catalyst for that strong finish. He threw for 1,088 yards, eight touchdowns, and two interceptions in the last six games.
Running back Tyler Goodson was first-team all-Big Ten after rushing for 762 yards to rank third in the conference.
Also back is All-America center Tyler Linderbaum.
"Offensively, it starts up front for them," Allen says, "They have an excellent running game and quarterback.
"(Petras) is a highly-talented individual that has a big-time arm and a lot of weapons around him."
Iowa has held 22 straight opponents to less than 25 points, the longest streak among Power 5 Conference teams. Last year, it led the nation in defensive yards per play (4.3) and was second in the conference in scoring defense (16.0 points) and total defense (313.8 yards).
"Defensively, they're just so sound," Allen says. "They do such a great job up front and with how just disciplined they are.
"Physicality at the linebacker position and athleticism there. And then the secondary is really where their most experience lies with so many different guys having played a lot of football. They don't make a lot of mistakes. They make you really have to execute at a high level."
Allen adds that Iowa had the Big Ten's top-ranked special teams unit, with IU at No. 2.
"That's going to play a big role."
After IU, the Hawkeyes play No. 7 Iowa State in a brutal opening of the season.
Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz is the school's winningest coach with a 168-106 record in 23 seasons. That total ranks fourth in Big Ten history.
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