Postgame Quotes: vs. No. 4 Michigan

Postgame Quotes
No. 4 Michigan at Indiana
October 8, 2022

Tom Allen | Head Coach
Opening Statement
TA: Just thought the kids fought their tails off, played their hearts out. Obviously, we have some guys out, but other guys stepped up. Just didn't finish.
Had a chance in the fourth quarter against a fourth ranked team in the country. Really good football team. You get a chance to be able to be in the fourth quarter to go find a way to win, and we didn't finish.
So, that's highly disappointed.

Obviously, offensively not scoring any points the second half, just two weeks in a row of that, and it's got to change. It's got to change.

Questions.

On what is not working in the offense during the fourth quarters…
TA: You can see the opposite from first half to the second half the ability to move the football today, and then obviously, the second half not to be able to on.
Obviously, it starts up front. Got to protect. Not getting the job done there, and got to look that the really hard.

On the discussion of bringing in a new quarterback…
TA: We'll look at everything as we go through and evaluate where we're at and what we've got to do to be able to have a strong finish to our season.

We've got six big games left. It's the halfway point right now. And, obviously, right now not playing the kind of football in the second half we have to play. Not protecting the quarterback, not being consistent up front, not getting the job done.
We'll look at everything, every position, evaluate. Everybody has to be held accountable for their play and the way they're performing both as coaches and players.

On seeing a response from the current offensive line…
TA: Not the last three weeks. Not last week. Not this week. Very disappointed. Very disappointing.

On what Michigan did different in the second half that couldn't be stopped…
TA: Honestly, I think just a couple of adjustments there in regards to -- I thought we had a couple of communication errors on a key third downs. The first long drive that they had where they had the ball inside the 2 that I was very frustrated with. Our kids fought hard.

I think other than that first -- the first drive to me was our guys not executing on some critical second and longs and third and longs where we had a chance to get them on the second and longs to get into the third and longer.

On the third down we have to get off the field. I know we had a couple of communication mistakes as we brought the guys off the field and talked through all that.

But, I felt like our defense fought hard. I really do. I think they got wore down in the fourth quarter.

Bottom line is that there's just some things that they try to do to you, and they do a good job of being a big personnel and creating some lighter pictures, and they have athletic tight ends to be able to do that, which makes it tough as you're trying to get the matchups you want and maybe have a chance to expose some of our younger guys that had to play due to injuries.

On resetting yourself mentally for the rest of the season…
TA: Yeah, and that's what we'll do. A variety of ways to do that, and it's not an easy task, without question, but the bottom line is, as I told our players a few minutes ago, there's a lot of football ahead of us.

We've got a lot of great opportunities on our schedule. Every single week is a big opportunity for us, and we take it one at a time. Obviously, yes, our guys' mindset is critical, but it is every time you play in this league.

You're going to have your ups and downs, and you have to find a way to fight through them. I think this team has learned how do that, but at the same time we have to finish because it's all about finishing.

On the status of Cam Jones and Bradley Jennings Jr. stepping up…
TA: He got hurt during the game last week, so we found out probably on Sunday afternoon. It's going to be several weeks at minimum.

Just, yeah, you lose your best player. He is not just our leader of our team, he is the leader of our defense. He is playing at a high level. I would consider him playing at an All-American level. Statistically it backs that up.

It's a big blow any time you lose a guy like that, and he gives us a presence as well.
For us to be able to respond losing a guy like that with a team that runs the football so effectively, especially I would give us three and a half quarters, didn't finish.

I thought Bradley stepped up. Did some good things, but I think it's a great chance for him to grow and learn. He is playing the position. We moved Aaron Casey to the stinger position to replace Cam.

But, yeah, Cam is a special player. To just plug another guy in there and not have a drop-off due to his level of play that he has been playing at. At the same time we have to adjust. We have to figure it out.

On what the dialogue in the locker room when making halftime adjustments…
TA: You go through and meet as a staff. You have your notes. You go through every single thing, and you go through the issues and go through the positives and try to be able to address the issues and make adjustments for those issues and be able to still continue to take advantage of the positive.

We do that both defensively and offensively. Obviously, I'm calling defense, so I'm doing that with the defense during halftime and making those adjustments.

Obviously, the last two weeks our offensive staff hasn't done a good job of making those adjustments. Proof is in the pudding. We haven't scored points in the second half.

It is what it is. You can call it what you want. The adjustments have to be made in a way that allows us to be successful in the second half. That hasn't happened the last two weeks.

That's something that we have to address, and that's on our offensive staff. That's their responsibility. At the end of the day I'm the head coach, so I have to make sure it happens.

On what happened to Mike Hart and your relationship with him today…
TA: I didn't say that, and I'm sorry. I should have. Just prayers for Mike Hart. I don't know the situation. I did talk to Coach Harbaugh at the end of the game. Very close with Mike. Talked to him even this week via text before we played him. It sounds like he is going to be okay, but obviously, a concern when he went down.

Our hearts for him are heavy and his family. Prayers for them. Thoughts for them. We're praying that he is going to have a full recovery. Appreciate you asking. Thank you.

Indiana Student-Athletes
Connor Bazelak | QB | R-Jr.
On team performance in the second half…
CB: It's definitely tough but in the same way we did the first three games. We just have to find a way no matter what's going on, no matter the circumstance. We were in the starting of the fourth quarter, we were down seven right where we wanted to be. If you'd have asked any of us coming into the game, down seven going into the fourth, we're going to win the game. Just have to be better in the fourth quarter and second half in general.

On difference Michigan brought in the second half…
CB: I think a lot of it was they were taking away the short throws, short perimeter throws that we were getting eight, nine yards on in the first half and they were just giving pressure and making it hard on me. We've got to find a way, and nobody really cares.

On the conversations at halftime…
CB: We were tied 10-10 at half so really, we scored two touchdowns in the first half and one of them got called back. But Michigan, their defense, they do so much coverage in the back and that you don't really know what they're going to play. We weren't getting a lot of man and we expected a lot of man and had some man-beaters that we called in the second half, but we just couldn't get them off, couldn't get the ball out of our hands soon enough.

Emery Simmons | WR | Sr.
On Michigan defense in the second half…
ES: Absolutely, Michigan you could tell they went in at half and made adjustments, and we also had our adjustments too. We just fell short of our execution, that was it. We just have to be better in the second half, better in the fourth quarter. We have done it in the past and just have to continue doing it in the big game.

On what worked in the first…
ES: Space, pace, race. What Coach (Walt) Bell preaches every day. Space, pace, race. We understood we had to move fast, faster than usual and I think now that we've seen that we can do. Michigan is the number four team in the country. We have the utmost respect for them. So, proving ourselves that we could do it against them, I knew we can do it against everybody else. From now on, you should expect a faster paced offense like you saw today.

On if he will see in film that IU was pushing the pace…
ES: You saw it on the field. Just from hearing those guys on the field, talking and communicating on Michigan's defense, you could tell they haven't seen anything like it. Their whole D-line was tired. Their DB's couldn't get their calls out to each other, so you see it actually works. It's just a matter of lining up and doing it every play. That's it.

Aaron Casey | LB | R-Sr.
On the defense without Cam Jones…
AC: The only thing that's really different is his physical presence and everything else. He really encouraged the guys still, even though he's not out there on the field with us. It just takes a little different role when we're out there on the field because he's our leader and he's that sort of guy that takes control of everything. Without, other guys like me, and BJ (Bradley Jennings) set up a lot.

On the adjustment to playing stinger…
AC: It was just a different mindset. A few different things in the coverages, but it wasn't too much different between the backers.

On what to do to prevent snowball effects after bad performances…
AC: I feel like we just have to keep applying pressure and go into practice knowing that we just have to keep going and keep the intensity up. Keep the focus up and no joking around throughout the week. Not saying that we do already, but just have an emphasis on focus and keep it like that.

Devon Matthews | DB | Sr.+
On not having Cam Jones…
DM: It was very tough, but you know people got to step up. Whoever is behind just has to step up. Other than that, it still hurts, in regards if Cam (Jones) is playing or not. It still hurts.

On the performance of guys like Bradley Jennings having to step up…
DM: I feel like they did pretty decent, actually. I felt they did pretty good. But other than that, we just got to come out with ability at the end of the day.

On Bradley Jennings Jr. making a play to force a pick…
DM: Oh, that was a good play. Shoot, I credit him, that isn't any of my play. I credit him all the way. So, if it weren't for him, I wouldn't have gotten the pick, so I credit him for sure. He was underneath, so he got a tip, and I was over the top, so I was able to make the play.

On the second half struggles…
DM: We just got to work on finishing. That's really it. We've been in close games ever since I got here since my freshman year, we've been having games like this. So, we've just got to come out and finally win, that's it.

Bradley Jennings Jr.| LB | R-Sr.+
On making the adjustment to playing with Aaron Casey…
BJ: This week we were just communicating more. We just had to talk because we haven't been getting reps with each other. The communication was there, so when we came out it was good.

On having a strong mindset when the team is struggling…
BJ: We just got to keep pushing forward and working hard. We have to do better with execution on offense and defense, special teams too especially. Just keep pushing forward. Learn from this game, watch the film, and get better each week.

On defending the Michigan run game…
BJ: We were executing very good in the first half. I feel like in the second half, we just kind of let something slip technique wise, so that's what happened. We had a lot of blitzes, a lot of stunts with the D-line that confused (Michigan's) O-line. That affected their O-line and forced them to make plays in the back end.

Jim Harbaugh | Michigan Head Coach
Update on Mike Hart...
JH: Mike had a medical emergency during the game. He's in stable condition. He's going to stay overnight here in Bloomington to continue observation. Mike's a strong guy, prayers go his way. It puts things in perspective.

On how you keep the team focused after the incident...
JH: In the moment everybody's thoughts are with Mike. Mind work. Everybody around us has to carry that and give what they got. Before they took him off, it looked like he was back. Most important thing is his health at that point.

On how effective the team was with the unscripted plays...
JH: Indiana did a really good job of taking away the run game, trying to limit it as much as possible. Blake (Corum) is such a great back that he's rushed for 125 - 130 yards again. He's just so good. I thought we were doing a good job coming off the ball, we just had to adjust some of the perimeter plays in the run game. Some of them were being taken away. I thought we did a good job at making some of those adjustments. Other adjustments were to put the ball in J.J. McCarthy's hands, throw the ball. The receivers responded, Ronnie Bell had a big day, 11 catches, (Luke) Schoonmaker had nine, CJ (Corenlius Johnson), the two touchdowns, real fine catch. The one-time J.J. got hit, good job by the offensive line in pass protection. It felt good getting off the script to. It produced some big plays, coming off our own two-yard line. A 98-yard drive that was off-script. That was a huge, huge drive. I love the way J.J. responded, he was cool and calm back there, pretty much on the money, 28 of 36, that's pretty darn good, and 300 yards. I think that's kind of cool. A lot of quarterbacks have been around and he hit that first 300-yard game, like he can do this now. There are times we just weren't, three quarters we are, playing Michigan football. Solid and assignment sound, maybe more, but some of the time things weren't characteristic. Giving up yardage, false starts, miscues that we had on offense. It'll keep us humble. We'll move on with this one with humble hearts going into a big game against Penn State. Also, got to talk about the defense. It was a shutout in the second half, at halftime I said, "We got to have the best half of football of the season, got to come right now and get locked in." I thought our defense did a tremendous job of that with a total of seven sacks, all by different guys, and ten tackles for loss. The pressure really came. Guys understand they are good enough too. They don't have to grab, They don't have to interfere to get the coverage. Coaches made some great adjustments. Coach (Steve) Clinkscale was coaching it hard, a lot of coaching going on, but it felt like the coverage tightened and the pass rush started to get on. All in all, move on, happy for the win. 6-0 sets us up for a big showdown with Penn State.

Indiana University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Connor Bazelak

Aaron Casey

Bradley Jennings Jr.

Cam Jones

Devon Matthews

Emery Simmons

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