NOTEBOOK: Heart, Mindset Give Hoosiers a Chance
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Losses haven’t robbed Indiana of its fight.
The Penn State performance -- Saturday’s road game against the nation's No. 10 team was tied with three minutes left -- proved that.
How does head coach Tom Allen keep the Hoosiers (2-6) playing hard despite a four-game losing streak?
It starts with players’ hearts and minds.
“You have to appeal to the heart of a young man, to his mindset,” Allen said during Monday’s media session. “I’m a big believer of how powerful our minds are and that we don’t allow our circumstances to dictate the way we approach each day.
“It’s teaching young people that your effort, your attention to detail, the way you approach every day should not be based on outside circumstances, how you feel, whether we won or lost, whether the last play was in your favor or against you. You teach them to focus on that.”
Comes with this mathematical reality – IU can still earn a bowl bid by winning out, starting with Saturday’s home game against Wisconsin (5-3).
“I talk so much about what’s their identity outside of being a football player because that’s the core of who you are as a person,” Allen said about his motivational approach. “I build off of that.
“As I tell our guys many times, life is really hard, and sometimes it's really unfair. Football is an amazing teacher of life. I draw on that. But the guys have got to respond.
“It's a lot of things, but it really goes back to the culture you create, and the guys have bought into it. They believe in it.”
Belief includes the understanding that the ranked opponents that dominated the early schedule are gone. After Wisconsin are trips to Illinois (3-5) and Purdue (2-6), and a home against Michigan State (2-6).
“We've got to keep battling,” Allen said. “This is another opportunity to continue to shape that and form that. As hard as it is right now, we're going to keep locking arms, and not grow weary in doing the little things right. I believe we're going to get a different outcome if we just stay the course.”
Under first-year coach Luke Fickell, Wisconsin averages 24.8 points while holding teams to 19.0 points.
The Badgers have shifted their offense from the previous run-heavy power approach to a more balanced attack under new offensive coordinator Phil Longo, who has thrived with the pass as well as the run during more than a quarter-century of coaching.
“They still run effectively,” Allen said, “but there’s some definite differences in the passing game. It creates new challenges.”
Running back Braelon Allen hurt his left leg against Ohio State and his status for Saturday is uncertain. He’s rushed for 754 yards and eight touchdowns. Jackson Acker, who replaced him against the Buckeyes, has rushed for 145 yards.
“Braelon Allen is a special running back,” Allen said. “He’s 245 pounds. Most 245-pound people don’t move the way he does. We’re expecting him to play.”
Quarterback Tanner Mordecai threw for 1,127 yards and three touchdowns while completing 63.7 percent of his passes before breaking his hand against Iowa a couple of weeks ago. He’s out indefinitely.
His replacement, redshirt freshman Braedyn Locke, completes 49.5 percent of his passes for 535 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. Will Pauling is the top receiver with 41 catches for 449 yards and two touchdowns.
In last Saturday’s 24-10 loss to Ohio State, the Badgers defense had four sacks and nine tackles for loss. The unit is led by cornerback Ricardo Hallman (five interceptions), safety Preston Zachman, and linebackers C.J. Goetz and Maema Njongmeta.
“We’ve got a very great opportunity this weekend against a very good team,” Allen said. “I’ve got a lot of respect for Coach Fickell, what he does as a coach, especially the last couple of years. His team plays really hard.
“They have an elite running back, elite receivers, big offensive linemen, good linebackers, a big physical defense, as you would always expect from them. They tackle well. I like their size up front, and they've got some good cover guys, too.”
Quarterback Brendan Sorsby banged up his throwing shoulder against Penn State, but is fine and set to start on Saturday. Allen said he likes the improvement he’s seen in the redshirt freshman in the last two weeks, as well as fellow quarterback Tayven Jackson.
“You want to see whoever takes over the position to start growing and run with it,” Allen said. “I think we’ve seen that these last few weeks with Brendan.”
Sorsby has started the last two games. He ran and threw for touchdowns against Rutgers. He threw for three TDs against Penn State.
“We have two talented quarterbacks who are young,” Allen said. “I feel good about the progress Brendan is making. I’m excited for his future, and for Tayven’s, too.”
Versatile back Jaylin Lucas has not gotten as many touches in recent weeks, in part because he was taken off punt return after a fumble, mostly because opponents are scheming to reduce his effectiveness.
“Teams are keying on him defensively and trying to take him out of the game,” Allen said. “We’ve got to continue to find ways to get him the ball in open space. That’s never going to cease to be a priority.”
Lucas leads IU with 242 rushing yards and in receiving with 29 catches. He’s also returned 10 kickoffs for a 21.3-yard average and nine punts for a 1.6-yard average.
“Other guys making plays will help him have his opportunities,” Allen said. “When he gets those, take full advantage of them, maximize those. Relax and play the game and not try to hit a home run every time.
“He’s a phenomenal player. A phenomenal person. I want to see him continue to grow.”
IU mistakes have contributed to its four-game losing streak. Allen calls those Crimes Against the Team, or CATs. He said corrections start with coaching accountability.
“It's about us making sure we can do everything we can do as coaches first,” he said. “It's our responsibility to put them in the best position. Then, if a young man continues to make those mistakes, are we doing something structurally to help him? Have we done enough of that? If we have, maybe we need to make a personnel change to get a different outcome.
“We’re not doing a good enough job as coaches of getting that point across and getting the right guys in the right positions to help finish those plays out. It's a never-ending process. This week is another quest to eliminate those mistakes so we can have a different outcome on game day.”
The NCAA investigation into allegations of Michigan sign stealing has the sports world buzzing. Allen wouldn’t specifically address that, but did focus on the integrity of the game.
“I believe in doing things the right way. You’ve got to stand up and give account for how you operate as a man. Look yourself in the mirror and know you do it the right way.
“We need to protect the integrity of the game. That’s important.”
To keep opponents from deciphering play-call signs from the sidelines, teams use a variety of methods to disguise them, sometimes comically so.
“I know there’s a gamesmanship with the in-game signals,” Allen said. “That’s why you see all the contraptions. We laugh about all the stuff we go into. We’ve got three different signal callers wearing goofy-looking shirts and hats and all these different colors. That’s the gamesmanship of it.”