Embrace the Challenge – IU Aims to Grow Up Fast
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Big Ten Football Media Day arrives and with it comes talk of Indiana’s challenging season opener against Ohio State.
Head coach Tom Allen has been here before. It’s a flashback to the 2017 season opener against Ohio State, which also was Allen’s home debut as a college head coach.
The Hoosiers had a third-quarter lead before losing. Allen seeks to duplicate that competitiveness and then add to it with a fourth-quarter to remember.
This is the fifth time in Allen’s seven head coaching seasons that IU has opened with a Big Ten opponent. Last year, the Hoosiers beat Illinois in a dramatic fourth-quarter comeback.
“We’re very familiar with this process,” Allen says. “It’s challenging, but it forces you to grow up real fast.”
Urgency hits the practice field next week when IU begins its fall camp in preparation of the Sept. 2 opener, and beyond.
“The urgency in the offseason is impacted by this reality of who you play to open the season,” Allen says. “I think it helps you. It helps you grow. It helps you have that attention to detail at a high level.
“Everybody's excited to start the season, but when it's this kind of opponent, it gets raised to another level. Our team knows that. We understand that. Fall camp will be affected in a very positive way.
“It's a challenge we embrace.”
IU is coming off two consecutive losing seasons that followed two straight winning records, including a Top-15 finish in 2020.
The Hoosiers are driven to regain that winning edge.
“I’m so excited about this program,” Allen says. “I’m very excited about the future. We’ve got to build it. Keep growing every day.”
Allen pushes a toughness theme -- mental and physical. He wants a team that wins the fourth quarter, a team that plays its best when it matters most.
“For the past seven months we've been building our toughness and developing this football team to be able to finish in those opportunities,” Allen says.
“We have a strong nucleus returning. We had great success in the transfer portal. We've been very focused on identifying young men across this country that were the best football players that fit our culture, that wanted to be at Indiana.”
No matter who wins the quarterback competition -- Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby are the front runners with Dexter Williams II recovering from knee surgery and Broc Lowry still adjusting to the college game – dual-threat capability is a priority.
Allen says his defensive coordinator background hammers in the challenges of facing play-extending quarterbacks.
“It's usually those plays when it's not scripted, when they can create, put pressure on your secondary, and beat you with their legs.
“That's what we want to have at that position, but at the same time, once you pick (a quarterback), you've got to make sure you're building everything around him so he can be at his best.
“Whoever (wins the job) is going to be a younger guy that's going to have to grow up fast, but that ability to extend plays, we've seen that at the NFL level how valuable that can be. If you keep that guy healthy, it's an extra weapon that's very effective.”
IU continues to honor George and Vi Taliaferro. George was one of the greatest football players in program history, whose impact stretched well beyond athletics.
The same is true of his wife, who became a judge who made a difference in the community and beyond in countless ways.
The Big Ten created the George and Vi Taliaferro Fellowship in 2001.
Linebacker Aaron Casey was one of three players to attend the Big Ten media event at Lucal Oil Stadium. He wears No. 44 to honor Taliaferro.
IU started a new tradition last season of selecting a player each year to wear that number to represent the work ethic, dedication, integrity, and perseverance Taliaferro displayed.
Allen calls Casey, a graduate with a financial management degree, a “perfect representation of this honor.” He led IU in tackles (86), tackles for loss (10.5) and quarterback hurries (4) last season. He also forced two fumbles.
“He’s one of the best returning players in that position in our conference,” Allen says, “and has become one of our best players and one of our best leaders.”
Do-it-all Jaylin Lucas and husky Noah Pierre also attended.
The 5-9, 166-pound Lucas projects as one of the most explosive players in the Big Ten, if not the country. As a true freshman last season, he totaled 591 yards on kickoff returns, 271 yards rushing, and 82 yards receiving. Despite a limited role, he earned All-America honors
The limits will be off this season.
“As special as he is on the football field he's even better off,” Allen says. “He has a 3.2 GPA. He’s a tremendous worker and leader. He’s humble. He’s a great representation for our program.”
Last season, Pierre had 39 tackles, four for loss. The kinesiology graduate added three sacks and broke up three passes.
Allen praises Pierre’s versatility and patience after playing mostly special teams his first two seasons.
“He’s a special young man. He had to earn his stripes the hard way. It took a few years and probably not play as much as he wanted on defense, but, man, he stayed the course. Tremendous perseverance and grit, and was rewarded to have that opportunity.”
While getting Lucas more offensive touches is a priority, IU will have plenty of other options in what projects as a more productive offense.
There is plenty of skill at wide receiver and running back, including receiver Cam Camper (coming off knee surgery) and running backs Josh Henderson and Christian Turner.
Camper led IU receivers in catches (46) and yards (569 yards) in just seven games. Henderson rushed for 398 yards and four touchdowns, and caught 24 passes for 274 yards and four TDs. Turner rushed for 1,023 yards and 12 touchdowns in two seasons at Wake Forest.
“Getting Cam Camper back will be huge to take some pressure off a young quarterback,” Allen says.
“We have a very strong running back room. We have flexibility, some different body types there, different body types at receiver, to create those explosive plays and take some pressure off us having to drive the football.
“We want to do a good job of having a system where our guys feel comfortable and, whoever that quarterback is, that they can maximize their strengths.
“It’s maximizing those guys' skill sets where they can play their best football and be very productive.”
The goal is to dramatically increase last season’s offensive average of 23.3 points.
“We've got to score points, score touchdowns in the red zone, and do a great job of staying on the field and playing team football,” Allen says.