NOTEBOOK: Positive Allen Still Believes in Hoosiers
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Frustration weighs on Tom Allen, but doesn’t break him. The Indiana head coach focuses on a strong finish.
In this case, beat Michigan State (3-7) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium and Purdue (3-7) on Nov. 25 at Ross-Ade Stadium.
“Being positive is a choice,” he said during Monday’s weekly press conference. “I'm not positive because life is easy; I’m positive because life is hard, and things are hard.
“We have a lot of challenges that we have to battle and things we have to go through to get our guys ready to play. Then, the landscape of college football is completely different than it's ever been and those challenges have been accelerated here.
“Frustrating is probably the best word to use. The margin for error is very, very small. If we could eliminate mistakes in all three phases (offense, defense, special teams), we have a chance to be a really good team.”
IU (3-7) had opportunities to win two to three more games, but couldn’t make the necessary plays, including last Saturday’s 48-45 overtime loss to Illinois.
“I'm responsible,” Allen said. “I'm in charge. It's our program. I've been put in position to lead it, and when you don't get the results you want, it's on me.
“Yeah, it's hard to sleep. You lay your head down and you've got a million things going on in your head. You want it so bad for your kids, your players, our families, our coaches, their families, our fans, our university, everybody I represent, you feel all that.
“I'm going to keep battling, keep fighting.
“At the end of the day, we're going to stay together, keep arms locked and just keep fighting, keep building. That's what we're going to do. We've got a chance to finish out with two huge trophy games that mean a whole lot to this team, to this program and to this university, and that's the plan.”
Indiana plays for two trophies each season -- the Old Oaken Bucket with Purdue and the Old Brass Spittoon with Michigan State.
The fact both trophies are in play for the last two weeks of the regular season is a huge motivator.
“It’s definitely advantageous,” Allen said.
“Our guys have worked extremely hard. It's a very driven group, a very motivated group.
“The seniors want to do everything they can to raise that trophy at the end of the game. It means a lot to them.”
IU won last year’s game in East Lansing in double overtime. It has won two of the last three meetings, and seeks to retain the Old Brass Spittoon in back-to-back seasons for the first time since winning three straight from 1967-69.
Allen said the Hoosiers bounced back quickly from the Illinois loss.
“The opportunity this week is tremendous. Our guys understand that. I thought we had a good day (Sunday) coming back, bouncing back, and getting our minds right.
“We have a lot to play for, and we understand that it's a testament to your character as a person, as a team, and as a program when you don't allow the circumstances on the outside to dictate your focus, your effort, how you do things on a daily basis and eventually how you perform on game day.”
IU continues to make strides under offensive coordinator Rod Carey.
Quarterback Brandon Sorsby continues to develop as a dual-threat force (against Illinois he threw for a career-high 289 yards, rushed for a career-high 53, three for three touchdowns, ran for two). Donaven McCulley is emerging as one of the Big Ten’s best receivers (11 catches for 137 yards and two touchdowns), the running game is becoming more effective (Trent Howland rushed for a career-high 72 yards) behind an improving offensive line.
All of that was evident on Saturday as Carey continues to fine tune an offense he didn’t take charge of until early October, when he replaced Walt Bell.
IU’s 27 first-half points were its most in a first half since 2018. Its 45 points against a Big Ten opponent rank 16th in program history and its most since scoring 54 points against Purdue in 2015.
“I’m really proud of him and the job he's done with our offense,” Allen said. “Saturday was a great proof of that. He's done a good job of bringing the staff together first and then bringing the offense together and being able to keep seeing growth every week.
“It starts up front. Those guys' development has continued to be there.
Then with the quarterback play, that's been a huge plus these last few weeks, and then the receiver play has been elevated in all the positions.
“There's a lot to be said about getting everybody believing, everybody together, and just getting some more consistent execution.
“That is very exciting, very encouraging.”
Michigan State beat Nebraska 20-17 a couple of weeks ago for its only Big Ten victory. Running back Nate Carter has rushed for 711 yards and four touchdowns. Receiver Montorie Foster Jr. has 34 catches for 447 yards and two TDs. Spartan quarterbacks complete 57.5 percent of their passes for 2,033 yards, 11 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions.
“Michigan State is a very talented football team; that's obvious when you watch film,” Allen said. “They are physical. They play very hard.
“I have a lot of respect for them staying together and fighting. It's obvious on film that's what they continue to do.
“It’s a big week for us, an important game. I can't wait.
Allen took Illinois’ 48 scored points personally. He’s the head coach, with two co-defensive coordinators, but as a former defensive coordinator, defense is part of his DNA.
He wants a unit that ranks among the Big Ten’s best.
This unit does not despite having one of the conference’s best defensive players in linebacker Aaron Casey, who leads all Power 5 tacklers with 16 tackles for loss or no gain.
“I didn’t see that coming,” Allen said about the Illinois defensive performance. “I’m very disappointed in our defense. It's on me. It's my responsibility. I take full responsibility for that as head coach. That side must play better. We just didn't get the job done.”