Indiana University Athletics
QUOTED: Old Oaken Bucket
11/23/2022 2:20:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana football head coach Tom Allen updated to the media on Wednesday (Nov. 23) prior Indiana hosting Purdue at 3:30 p.m. on Big Ten Network in the battle for the Old Oaken Bucket.
Below is a partial transcript of the Tom Allen press conference, while video of the full media sessions can be found near the top of this story at IUHoosiers.com or via IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On the new recruiting window after the season…
TA: I am kind of torn. There's parts of it [I like]. We'll get a chance to be with our owns guys, right away, and spend some time with them. But I don't like the fact that we can't get out and go recruit. There is just such a small window of time before the December signing [period]. It takes a whole week away from you. So, that is tough.
It is one of those things that there is benefits and negatives to it. The plan is really to maximize time with our guys and being able to go meet with some players and their families, as well, whether it is here or at their place. We always had to kind of do that within being on the road the recruiting.
It definitely makes you have a change in your plans. What happens is you have to decide, when you have a guy that is signing in December, I personally get one visit to them during this contact period, which is from now until the second signing period. We have to decide when we use that one. Each coach can have one per week during the contact period with each recruit. So, that just creates a lot of compressed time with one less week to do it. It is going to be a really intense dash to signing day.
It definitely makes it a little more challenging, but once the rules are made you adapt to them and find the best way to maximize your time.
On Tiawan and Trevell Mullen…
TA: I would say, first of all, they are entertaining. They sit beside each other in meetings, which is pretty cool. Tiawan definitely looks out for Trevell. He is tough on him and is the typical big brother. I have a big brother, too, and actually played with my big brother in college.
You kind of have that special bond. You can get at each other in ways that others can't, you know. And, they do that. I think there is no question that Trevell feels pressured by Tiawan, in a good way, to do the little things the right way. Whether it's focus and attention during meetings and practice, and all different things.
I just want to see him keep growing and developing. Tiawan came in here and played more as a true freshman and Trevell is going to have a chance to be developed here this offseason, which will be big for him, to be able to physically get bigger. He's not a very heavy guy. He's taller than Tiawan but needs to get thicker and stronger. This winter is going to be huge for him. Just want him to continue to grow and develop. He's been on our scout team and working with those guys, but definitely has talent that we need to keep developing. I am anxious to see him have a great offseason.
On where he wants to see improvement against Purdue…
TA: The win, that is the focus. That makes everything feel better in the offseason. You want to see your team progress, the guys that you have coming back finish on a strong note and see where they got to.
Now, you have a launching pad to take it to another level in the offseason. You definitely want to see your big men up from finish strong. We have a lot of young guys we are playing offensively up front, and they even on the defensive line. To get those guys to finish well and finish strong. Then the young guys that are playing and the guys that are coming back, you want to see them have a confidence to them entering the offseason to be able to create the momentum you need to be able to keep your program going to where you want it to be.
So, it is a lot of different things, without question, but the bottom-line goal is to win this game.
On creating turnovers…
TA: There is no question. When you have a team with a situation like that and they put that on film. We make cutups of those things and show that that how, within our system, what we are going to try to do to them to be able to create those, as well.
We show them that, if we do this, this is what you are going to get. You definitely have the specific approach to that per whatever the area is for that particular team, and you want to make sure your guys are aware of that area that they've not been as good in as they need to be. You want to expose them, and they are going to try to do the same thing with us.
Those are big deals. The turnover ratio, or turnover margin that we call it, between your team protecting the ball and your team creating them, is massive in the outcomes of games, especially in rivalry games. So, to me, it is going to be a point of emphasis and, as you know it always is for us. We did it again today in practice, but we have had a heightened emphasis on it during our team periods.
Bottom line is we have to protect the football on offense and create takeaways on defense in order to win.
On if Dexter Williams II will be the starting quarterback...
TA: Yes. Yes, he will be.
Below is a partial transcript of the Tom Allen press conference, while video of the full media sessions can be found near the top of this story at IUHoosiers.com or via IUHoosiers.com/watch.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On the new recruiting window after the season…
TA: I am kind of torn. There's parts of it [I like]. We'll get a chance to be with our owns guys, right away, and spend some time with them. But I don't like the fact that we can't get out and go recruit. There is just such a small window of time before the December signing [period]. It takes a whole week away from you. So, that is tough.
It is one of those things that there is benefits and negatives to it. The plan is really to maximize time with our guys and being able to go meet with some players and their families, as well, whether it is here or at their place. We always had to kind of do that within being on the road the recruiting.
It definitely makes you have a change in your plans. What happens is you have to decide, when you have a guy that is signing in December, I personally get one visit to them during this contact period, which is from now until the second signing period. We have to decide when we use that one. Each coach can have one per week during the contact period with each recruit. So, that just creates a lot of compressed time with one less week to do it. It is going to be a really intense dash to signing day.
It definitely makes it a little more challenging, but once the rules are made you adapt to them and find the best way to maximize your time.
On Tiawan and Trevell Mullen…
TA: I would say, first of all, they are entertaining. They sit beside each other in meetings, which is pretty cool. Tiawan definitely looks out for Trevell. He is tough on him and is the typical big brother. I have a big brother, too, and actually played with my big brother in college.
You kind of have that special bond. You can get at each other in ways that others can't, you know. And, they do that. I think there is no question that Trevell feels pressured by Tiawan, in a good way, to do the little things the right way. Whether it's focus and attention during meetings and practice, and all different things.
I just want to see him keep growing and developing. Tiawan came in here and played more as a true freshman and Trevell is going to have a chance to be developed here this offseason, which will be big for him, to be able to physically get bigger. He's not a very heavy guy. He's taller than Tiawan but needs to get thicker and stronger. This winter is going to be huge for him. Just want him to continue to grow and develop. He's been on our scout team and working with those guys, but definitely has talent that we need to keep developing. I am anxious to see him have a great offseason.
On where he wants to see improvement against Purdue…
TA: The win, that is the focus. That makes everything feel better in the offseason. You want to see your team progress, the guys that you have coming back finish on a strong note and see where they got to.
Now, you have a launching pad to take it to another level in the offseason. You definitely want to see your big men up from finish strong. We have a lot of young guys we are playing offensively up front, and they even on the defensive line. To get those guys to finish well and finish strong. Then the young guys that are playing and the guys that are coming back, you want to see them have a confidence to them entering the offseason to be able to create the momentum you need to be able to keep your program going to where you want it to be.
So, it is a lot of different things, without question, but the bottom-line goal is to win this game.
On creating turnovers…
TA: There is no question. When you have a team with a situation like that and they put that on film. We make cutups of those things and show that that how, within our system, what we are going to try to do to them to be able to create those, as well.
We show them that, if we do this, this is what you are going to get. You definitely have the specific approach to that per whatever the area is for that particular team, and you want to make sure your guys are aware of that area that they've not been as good in as they need to be. You want to expose them, and they are going to try to do the same thing with us.
Those are big deals. The turnover ratio, or turnover margin that we call it, between your team protecting the ball and your team creating them, is massive in the outcomes of games, especially in rivalry games. So, to me, it is going to be a point of emphasis and, as you know it always is for us. We did it again today in practice, but we have had a heightened emphasis on it during our team periods.
Bottom line is we have to protect the football on offense and create takeaways on defense in order to win.
On if Dexter Williams II will be the starting quarterback...
TA: Yes. Yes, he will be.
Players Mentioned
QB
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