Thursday Takeaways: Cincinnati
9/16/2021 2:33:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With No. 8 Cincinnati on deck this weekend, Indiana head football coach Tom Allen met with the media for a final preview of the Saturday (Sept. 18) matchup at noon on ESPN.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences from Thursday, September 16. Video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On the sellout crowd...
TA: Obviously we are very excited about it and very excited about the response of our fans. Selling the stadium out is an awesome thing and I know it is a big deal to our players. They are looking forward to it and it definitely adds to the energy in the stadium. You can definitely feel it, our players can feel it, and at critical times in the game it is going to be huge - critical third downs when our defense is on the field and their offense is on the field and being able to gain an advantage there. Just the energy pushes you through adversity and allows you to gain momentum. Football is a game of momentum and crowds can be a huge part of that. We are very excited to have a home field advantage on Saturday.
On Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder...
TA: First of all, his poise sticks out to me on film. You can tell he has played a whole lot of football and won a lot of games. He is comfortable in their system, and you can tell he knows it well. His ability creates challenges because he can run it and throw it equally effectively. He is very durable for a guy that runs the ball a lot and takes a lot of hits and he just keeps coming back every single time. That is an impressive quality to have. It is not easy to do. His passing sticks out to me. He is very accurate and can [throw] on the run. When he scrambles his eyes are downfield. He just understands the game really well. He is an elite player, and he has done a great job for them. They have done a great job of developing him throughout his career. He is a good one and we have a lot of respect for him.
On if preparation this week changes with the magnitude of the game...
TA: The good news is that we have played in a lot of big games here at Indiana. We play a really difficult schedule [every year]. I do feel that to have the opportunity to play a team like this at home is special and those are opportunities that don't come along every single week. I feel like you have to continue to focus on the process you go through to play your best and that doesn't change. We mention this, talk about this, and emphasis this: if you want to play your best in the biggest moments you fall back to your habits, you fall back on the things you have trained yourself to do on a consistent basis. That is the execution piece, all the preparation and all the film study. It is not some emotional high that you are going to get off of to win a game like that, in those moments. When those critical plays occur, usually it is later in the game and fatigue has set in and you have to be able to rely totally on the preparation you have done to get in that moment and just play your best. Then, you have to allow yourself to have surrendered the outcome and play in the present. Those are the things we have focused on as a football team throughout this whole season and even in fall camp. That is how we need to be able to be in this moment on Saturday. It is a great opportunity. After the emotion wears off and the rah-rah wears off after the first series or so, it is about rolling up your sleeves and playing football for 60 minutes or beyond, whatever it takes to win.
On why D.J. Matthews Jr. was an important addition in the offseason...
TA: When he made the decision to put himself in the portal, he is a guy we have known before, and I have a strong relationship with his high school coach. Being able to know the kind of young man he was, even though we had not coached him here before, we knew a lot of that information. Then, just talking to him throughout that process, we thought he was a really good fit for us and the things he was looking for and the things that it presented to him as far as position and what we needed offensively. We were excited once he made that decision and ever since he has been here he has been great. He has worked extremely hard, has a tremendous attitude, and has a great smile. We are really excited he chose to become an Indiana Hoosier and are excited about the way he has developed so far. I believe his best football is ahead of him within our program. I am excited to see us get him the football and see him make plays like you saw this past Saturday. He is a special guy. A special person and a special player. I am looking forward to him being able to get a groove with Michael [Penix Jr.] and our offense and see him make plays.
On the Cincinnati defense...
TA: They have a lot of experienced players, a lot of juniors and seniors ... the defensive end is special, they have two cornerbacks that both I think are really elite and very talented. When you think about the defensive end position and the cornerback position, those are two positions that you put a lot of value on because those affect your quarterback. They make it challenging. They put a lot of pressure on you and do a lot of different things. They have an excellent defense and are well coached. [Head] Coach [Luke] Fickell is a defensive guy, and it shows in how hard they play, how physical they play, and the fundamentals and technique and how well they tackle. You are going to have to be on point. They have impressive personnel. I know they are not in a Power 5 conference yet, but they have Power 5 personnel. We feel like it is just like playing a Big Ten football team.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conferences from Thursday, September 16. Video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On the sellout crowd...
TA: Obviously we are very excited about it and very excited about the response of our fans. Selling the stadium out is an awesome thing and I know it is a big deal to our players. They are looking forward to it and it definitely adds to the energy in the stadium. You can definitely feel it, our players can feel it, and at critical times in the game it is going to be huge - critical third downs when our defense is on the field and their offense is on the field and being able to gain an advantage there. Just the energy pushes you through adversity and allows you to gain momentum. Football is a game of momentum and crowds can be a huge part of that. We are very excited to have a home field advantage on Saturday.
On Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder...
TA: First of all, his poise sticks out to me on film. You can tell he has played a whole lot of football and won a lot of games. He is comfortable in their system, and you can tell he knows it well. His ability creates challenges because he can run it and throw it equally effectively. He is very durable for a guy that runs the ball a lot and takes a lot of hits and he just keeps coming back every single time. That is an impressive quality to have. It is not easy to do. His passing sticks out to me. He is very accurate and can [throw] on the run. When he scrambles his eyes are downfield. He just understands the game really well. He is an elite player, and he has done a great job for them. They have done a great job of developing him throughout his career. He is a good one and we have a lot of respect for him.
On if preparation this week changes with the magnitude of the game...
TA: The good news is that we have played in a lot of big games here at Indiana. We play a really difficult schedule [every year]. I do feel that to have the opportunity to play a team like this at home is special and those are opportunities that don't come along every single week. I feel like you have to continue to focus on the process you go through to play your best and that doesn't change. We mention this, talk about this, and emphasis this: if you want to play your best in the biggest moments you fall back to your habits, you fall back on the things you have trained yourself to do on a consistent basis. That is the execution piece, all the preparation and all the film study. It is not some emotional high that you are going to get off of to win a game like that, in those moments. When those critical plays occur, usually it is later in the game and fatigue has set in and you have to be able to rely totally on the preparation you have done to get in that moment and just play your best. Then, you have to allow yourself to have surrendered the outcome and play in the present. Those are the things we have focused on as a football team throughout this whole season and even in fall camp. That is how we need to be able to be in this moment on Saturday. It is a great opportunity. After the emotion wears off and the rah-rah wears off after the first series or so, it is about rolling up your sleeves and playing football for 60 minutes or beyond, whatever it takes to win.
On why D.J. Matthews Jr. was an important addition in the offseason...
TA: When he made the decision to put himself in the portal, he is a guy we have known before, and I have a strong relationship with his high school coach. Being able to know the kind of young man he was, even though we had not coached him here before, we knew a lot of that information. Then, just talking to him throughout that process, we thought he was a really good fit for us and the things he was looking for and the things that it presented to him as far as position and what we needed offensively. We were excited once he made that decision and ever since he has been here he has been great. He has worked extremely hard, has a tremendous attitude, and has a great smile. We are really excited he chose to become an Indiana Hoosier and are excited about the way he has developed so far. I believe his best football is ahead of him within our program. I am excited to see us get him the football and see him make plays like you saw this past Saturday. He is a special guy. A special person and a special player. I am looking forward to him being able to get a groove with Michael [Penix Jr.] and our offense and see him make plays.
On the Cincinnati defense...
TA: They have a lot of experienced players, a lot of juniors and seniors ... the defensive end is special, they have two cornerbacks that both I think are really elite and very talented. When you think about the defensive end position and the cornerback position, those are two positions that you put a lot of value on because those affect your quarterback. They make it challenging. They put a lot of pressure on you and do a lot of different things. They have an excellent defense and are well coached. [Head] Coach [Luke] Fickell is a defensive guy, and it shows in how hard they play, how physical they play, and the fundamentals and technique and how well they tackle. You are going to have to be on point. They have impressive personnel. I know they are not in a Power 5 conference yet, but they have Power 5 personnel. We feel like it is just like playing a Big Ten football team.
Players Mentioned
WR/RS
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