Indiana University Athletics
Thursday Takeaways: Michigan State
11/16/2023 1:00:00 PM | Football
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. –––– Indiana football head coach Tom Allen talked to the media once more before the team's home matchup with Michigan State at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers and Spartans will begin at noon on BTN this Saturday (November 18).
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On fixing communication issues with the defense…
TA: We made it a focus of all the different things that happened with movement and making sure the right guys are on there and making some adjustments in some personnel. But more than anything, just repping out and building a gameplan around simplicity so that our guys can have some carry over. We started working on it really hard on Sunday afternoon, and then just as we left the field today. We have constant work on that in pre-practice and post-practice to make sure we get it flushed out.
On adding more to Donovan McCulley as he continues to grow…
TA: There is a consistency in everything that you do. You continue to add an emphasis on the details. You don't want there to be any level of complacency or letting up when people start patting you on the back and telling you how awesome you're doing. I think that's a key thing mentally. It's also about challenging him to be able to stay at that level. That becomes the expectation. Not that you just rise up there at times, but you establish that as a new level of this is where you are going to play, and you don't accept anything less than that in practice or on gameday. I'm really proud of him. He's worked extremely hard, and he is going to continue just the attention to detail and getting off of press, getting separation from releases, finishing out routes, and coach (Anthony) Tucker does a really good job of teaching those details. It's an increased attention to detail and a heightened sense of this is what you put out there so now this is how you're known. We want that to be the expectation for how you play every time you take the field.
On keeping the team's spirits up mentally after losing bowl eligibility…
TA: It's a tremendous challenge, no question. We talked about it on Sunday right out of the gate because it's the reality and I try to deal in reality to try to help the guys work through that. But really the approach is when you think about how you want to live your life, and what to be as an individual player, how you want your team to be built, in regard to the outside circumstances, that do not dictate my focus. They don't dictate my effort, they don't dictate my preparation. It's easy to say that when you're playing for something and there's an added motivation there's no question that brings and so you've got to be able to, with the absence of one of those variables removed, know who are you? How do you prepare? How are you going to play as an individual and as a team? To me, that's really appealing to them because you're trying to build habits in their life that will stay with them no matter what and if you want to be great in this life in anything that you do, there's a consistency that has to be there. There's a consistency in your preparation, consistency in how you perform, consistency in how you think and how you act and how you play, how hard you do things, and the effort you give, all the things that you control. So, yeah, it is very challenging. It's easy to say all those things and at the end of the day you have got to be able to connect with your guys and capture their hearts and their minds, that's part of it. Are coaches doing that? Are leaders doing that? You really appeal to your leadership guys as well. And also, we know what we are playing for in regards to these two trophy games coming up but right now the whole focus is on the Brass Spittoon and keeping that in Bloomington. That hasn't happened very often where we have kept it back-to-back years, as a matter of fact it hasn't happened in 54 years, so our guys understand what they are playing for. It's a lot of connecting with our guys and the consistent message of the preparation, the performance, how you do things is not based on outside circumstances.
On this year's senior class and the impact they have had on the program despite the on-field results through the last three years…
TA: There is no question (the on-field results) definitely has not. I think these guys have added so much to our program and to each one of those teams. Special group of individuals, special relationships, and just continuing to build the infrastructure which they're doing. Obviously, there have been challenges, without question, and these guys have been able to grow through it all and to give us a lot. Give us their hearts, give us their bodies, all the effort, all the sacrifices they've made to allow themselves and our team to be in the positions we've been in, so I appreciate this senior class. Special group of guys. Special relationships have been formed with them that are lifelong relationships both with myself, and with their coaches and their teammates. Every group is a different group, every year is a different year, and this group here we want to send off in the right way Saturday.
Below is a partial transcript of the press conference, while video of the media session can be found on the right sidebar at IUHoosiers.com.
Tom Allen | Head Coach
On fixing communication issues with the defense…
TA: We made it a focus of all the different things that happened with movement and making sure the right guys are on there and making some adjustments in some personnel. But more than anything, just repping out and building a gameplan around simplicity so that our guys can have some carry over. We started working on it really hard on Sunday afternoon, and then just as we left the field today. We have constant work on that in pre-practice and post-practice to make sure we get it flushed out.
On adding more to Donovan McCulley as he continues to grow…
TA: There is a consistency in everything that you do. You continue to add an emphasis on the details. You don't want there to be any level of complacency or letting up when people start patting you on the back and telling you how awesome you're doing. I think that's a key thing mentally. It's also about challenging him to be able to stay at that level. That becomes the expectation. Not that you just rise up there at times, but you establish that as a new level of this is where you are going to play, and you don't accept anything less than that in practice or on gameday. I'm really proud of him. He's worked extremely hard, and he is going to continue just the attention to detail and getting off of press, getting separation from releases, finishing out routes, and coach (Anthony) Tucker does a really good job of teaching those details. It's an increased attention to detail and a heightened sense of this is what you put out there so now this is how you're known. We want that to be the expectation for how you play every time you take the field.
On keeping the team's spirits up mentally after losing bowl eligibility…
TA: It's a tremendous challenge, no question. We talked about it on Sunday right out of the gate because it's the reality and I try to deal in reality to try to help the guys work through that. But really the approach is when you think about how you want to live your life, and what to be as an individual player, how you want your team to be built, in regard to the outside circumstances, that do not dictate my focus. They don't dictate my effort, they don't dictate my preparation. It's easy to say that when you're playing for something and there's an added motivation there's no question that brings and so you've got to be able to, with the absence of one of those variables removed, know who are you? How do you prepare? How are you going to play as an individual and as a team? To me, that's really appealing to them because you're trying to build habits in their life that will stay with them no matter what and if you want to be great in this life in anything that you do, there's a consistency that has to be there. There's a consistency in your preparation, consistency in how you perform, consistency in how you think and how you act and how you play, how hard you do things, and the effort you give, all the things that you control. So, yeah, it is very challenging. It's easy to say all those things and at the end of the day you have got to be able to connect with your guys and capture their hearts and their minds, that's part of it. Are coaches doing that? Are leaders doing that? You really appeal to your leadership guys as well. And also, we know what we are playing for in regards to these two trophy games coming up but right now the whole focus is on the Brass Spittoon and keeping that in Bloomington. That hasn't happened very often where we have kept it back-to-back years, as a matter of fact it hasn't happened in 54 years, so our guys understand what they are playing for. It's a lot of connecting with our guys and the consistent message of the preparation, the performance, how you do things is not based on outside circumstances.
On this year's senior class and the impact they have had on the program despite the on-field results through the last three years…
TA: There is no question (the on-field results) definitely has not. I think these guys have added so much to our program and to each one of those teams. Special group of individuals, special relationships, and just continuing to build the infrastructure which they're doing. Obviously, there have been challenges, without question, and these guys have been able to grow through it all and to give us a lot. Give us their hearts, give us their bodies, all the effort, all the sacrifices they've made to allow themselves and our team to be in the positions we've been in, so I appreciate this senior class. Special group of guys. Special relationships have been formed with them that are lifelong relationships both with myself, and with their coaches and their teammates. Every group is a different group, every year is a different year, and this group here we want to send off in the right way Saturday.
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