Indiana University Athletics
Thursday Takeaways: Penn State
9/30/2021 1:32:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana head football coach Tom Allen addressed the media on Thursday (September 30) in front of the Hoosiers trip to No. 4/6 Penn State this weekend. The two teams will meet inside Beaver Stadium at 7:30 p.m. on ABC this Saturday (October 2).
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On how they have tried to simulate the crowd noise...
TA: It is definitely, I think, to answer your question, [playing at] Iowa definitely will help. Any time you have a chance to experience something that gives you something to draw from and that experience. It won't be quite like it will be [Saturday at Penn State]. It's going to be a night game this Saturday and more fans in the stands and be louder. That helps for sure. You pump in the noise, and you do all of that for practice. You just have to fall back on the habits and the fundamentals and the technique that you have built upon and the foundation that you have to be able to handle that environment so you can play your best.
On what the recruiting process was like with Charles Campbell...
TA: We did a national search, to be honest with you, and we have different kicking services that we reach out to, and we talk to those guys about the guys that they train and were able to get a lot of information from that. Then, we invited a whole pool of guys to come to camp over the summer - the summer before we made the decision to offer him. He was one of those guys [we invited].
Part of that process is what we always talk about: it's the fit for your program. There was a connection with us. He was from the same town when I was at Lambuth University. I knew his dad from way back then, oddly enough. That wasn't necessarily why we took him, so it gave us an ability to know his family and the kind of character we are going to get in regard to a young man and how he was raised and how he would fit with us. Bottom line was, he came to our camp, and he performed at a very high level. It came down to a couple guys that you had to make a decision on and there are just some things that we talked about with those that have trained him and have worked with him about accuracy, and that was a big thing for me, obviously you want leg strength, but the accuracy is really big. Being able to make, in the range where the field goals usually happen, to be able to get those points and be a guy that you can trust to perform. You never know, it is like every position, you go through and I thought we did a very thorough job, Coach McInerney - both Ryan and Jeff - were involved in that back then. More heavily Jeff, for sure. Those guys played a huge role in that process to locate the best kickers in the country, get them to campus, and then make the decision from there.
On Cam Jones journey from high school wideout to college linebacker...
TA: I'd say in the beginning we knew he was a really good athlete; we just weren't really sure where he was going to end up. He was committed to us as a receiver. At first, he played wildcat quarterback, he played running back, obviously receiver, he played defensive end - he didn't play linebacker, though, which is crazy.
He was just always around the ball and was a great athlete from a small school. So, you just kind of saw the potential. You go back to finding guys that fit with you. He had length, he had athleticism, we started him at husky once he got here. He had that defensive mentality. The more you are around him and the more you watch him practice, he had that burst, that strike to him that you didn't necessarily see all of that in high school because he played more offense than he did defense in high school. Even just playing defensive end and chasing the quarterback and his burst to the ball, you could see all of those things.
I kind of always felt like he would be a stinger for us as he grew, got stronger, and bigger, and faster. That is exactly what happened. He hadn't played a lot of linebacker before he got here, so that has been something that really has helped him the last couple of seasons to get a lot of reps in the box. It is one thing to run and hit and tackle guys in space, but it is having a feel for the box. To me, he is just a great kid. He has ended up being everything we hoped he would be as a man, in regard to his character, his leadership and caring about school, and doing things the right way off the field. His work ethic in the weight room is phenomenal and his leadership has gone to a whole other level.
You recruit guys to your standard of fit for your culture and have the athletic ability to make plays and then you get them in the right spots once you get them here.
On how Marcelino McCrary-Ball has come back after his injury last season...
TA: He has progressed quite a bit. His first game back was probably challenging, being out for an entire year, even the psychological confidence of being able to play after that type of injury and coming back. We didn't do a lot of live with him [during fall camp], he's obviously not a quarterback, but we were very careful with him. I think he only tackled in one scrimmage.
That was something we knew we were going to king of build through and, even per the style that Iowa played, we thought he would probably be more involved as the season progressed because of being a little more base defense against that type of personnel. I feel like every week he has grown in that confidence and there was definitely some rust from [the injury]. Bottom line is he continues to get better and even understanding some of the adjustments we have made in our system - things we have added - to be able to make us better. He has really picked those things up and continues to grow. It is just about trusting that he is 100 percent healthy, which he is, and the ability to get out there and just read and react to make plays. He obviously has a tremendous amount of physical talent, of strength, and speed to get to the football, and that way he can just trust his reads and keys and not have to think too much. I think every week he gets a little bit better.
On Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford...
TA: He is a great quarterback. A tough, hard-nosed kid and a great competitor and we have a lot of respect for him. Love how he plays the game. He has a toughness to him that you want to see at that position. I would say, commenting on watching the film, last year we played him in the first game of the season, so you didn't have any film to watch, but he is throwing the ball with a lot of confidence and a lot of higher percentage completions and doing a great job of protecting the football. You have seen his growth. He continues to be effective with his legs and he has hurt us in the past with that. Obviously, he has hurt us throwing the ball, as well. You can just tell he is a great leader and a great player. He is a big reason why they are as good as they are and in the position that they are in. So, great quarterback.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the full media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On how they have tried to simulate the crowd noise...
TA: It is definitely, I think, to answer your question, [playing at] Iowa definitely will help. Any time you have a chance to experience something that gives you something to draw from and that experience. It won't be quite like it will be [Saturday at Penn State]. It's going to be a night game this Saturday and more fans in the stands and be louder. That helps for sure. You pump in the noise, and you do all of that for practice. You just have to fall back on the habits and the fundamentals and the technique that you have built upon and the foundation that you have to be able to handle that environment so you can play your best.
On what the recruiting process was like with Charles Campbell...
TA: We did a national search, to be honest with you, and we have different kicking services that we reach out to, and we talk to those guys about the guys that they train and were able to get a lot of information from that. Then, we invited a whole pool of guys to come to camp over the summer - the summer before we made the decision to offer him. He was one of those guys [we invited].
Part of that process is what we always talk about: it's the fit for your program. There was a connection with us. He was from the same town when I was at Lambuth University. I knew his dad from way back then, oddly enough. That wasn't necessarily why we took him, so it gave us an ability to know his family and the kind of character we are going to get in regard to a young man and how he was raised and how he would fit with us. Bottom line was, he came to our camp, and he performed at a very high level. It came down to a couple guys that you had to make a decision on and there are just some things that we talked about with those that have trained him and have worked with him about accuracy, and that was a big thing for me, obviously you want leg strength, but the accuracy is really big. Being able to make, in the range where the field goals usually happen, to be able to get those points and be a guy that you can trust to perform. You never know, it is like every position, you go through and I thought we did a very thorough job, Coach McInerney - both Ryan and Jeff - were involved in that back then. More heavily Jeff, for sure. Those guys played a huge role in that process to locate the best kickers in the country, get them to campus, and then make the decision from there.
On Cam Jones journey from high school wideout to college linebacker...
TA: I'd say in the beginning we knew he was a really good athlete; we just weren't really sure where he was going to end up. He was committed to us as a receiver. At first, he played wildcat quarterback, he played running back, obviously receiver, he played defensive end - he didn't play linebacker, though, which is crazy.
He was just always around the ball and was a great athlete from a small school. So, you just kind of saw the potential. You go back to finding guys that fit with you. He had length, he had athleticism, we started him at husky once he got here. He had that defensive mentality. The more you are around him and the more you watch him practice, he had that burst, that strike to him that you didn't necessarily see all of that in high school because he played more offense than he did defense in high school. Even just playing defensive end and chasing the quarterback and his burst to the ball, you could see all of those things.
I kind of always felt like he would be a stinger for us as he grew, got stronger, and bigger, and faster. That is exactly what happened. He hadn't played a lot of linebacker before he got here, so that has been something that really has helped him the last couple of seasons to get a lot of reps in the box. It is one thing to run and hit and tackle guys in space, but it is having a feel for the box. To me, he is just a great kid. He has ended up being everything we hoped he would be as a man, in regard to his character, his leadership and caring about school, and doing things the right way off the field. His work ethic in the weight room is phenomenal and his leadership has gone to a whole other level.
You recruit guys to your standard of fit for your culture and have the athletic ability to make plays and then you get them in the right spots once you get them here.
On how Marcelino McCrary-Ball has come back after his injury last season...
TA: He has progressed quite a bit. His first game back was probably challenging, being out for an entire year, even the psychological confidence of being able to play after that type of injury and coming back. We didn't do a lot of live with him [during fall camp], he's obviously not a quarterback, but we were very careful with him. I think he only tackled in one scrimmage.
That was something we knew we were going to king of build through and, even per the style that Iowa played, we thought he would probably be more involved as the season progressed because of being a little more base defense against that type of personnel. I feel like every week he has grown in that confidence and there was definitely some rust from [the injury]. Bottom line is he continues to get better and even understanding some of the adjustments we have made in our system - things we have added - to be able to make us better. He has really picked those things up and continues to grow. It is just about trusting that he is 100 percent healthy, which he is, and the ability to get out there and just read and react to make plays. He obviously has a tremendous amount of physical talent, of strength, and speed to get to the football, and that way he can just trust his reads and keys and not have to think too much. I think every week he gets a little bit better.
On Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford...
TA: He is a great quarterback. A tough, hard-nosed kid and a great competitor and we have a lot of respect for him. Love how he plays the game. He has a toughness to him that you want to see at that position. I would say, commenting on watching the film, last year we played him in the first game of the season, so you didn't have any film to watch, but he is throwing the ball with a lot of confidence and a lot of higher percentage completions and doing a great job of protecting the football. You have seen his growth. He continues to be effective with his legs and he has hurt us in the past with that. Obviously, he has hurt us throwing the ball, as well. You can just tell he is a great leader and a great player. He is a big reason why they are as good as they are and in the position that they are in. So, great quarterback.
Players Mentioned
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FB: #HeisMendoza
Monday, November 17
FB: Charlie Becker - Wisconsin Postgame Press Conference (11/15/25)
Saturday, November 15