Written by Matt Smith

Last week the IU student section showed out in force for the home opener against Idaho, so much so that the game's attendance was higher than when the Hoosiers played Ohio State in 2019. Head coach Tom Allen met with the media Thursday and was very happy with the turnout.

On Saturday, the Hoosiers are met with a tall task as the Cincinnati Bearcats come to town ranked as the number eight team in the country. For the first time in years, Memorial Stadium is sold out for the noon kickoff game.

“Obviously we are very excited about it and very excited about the response of our fans. Selling the stadium out is an awesome thing and I know it is a big deal to our players. They are looking forward to it and it definitely adds to the energy in the stadium. You can definitely feel it, our players can feel it, and at critical times in the game it is going to be huge,” Allen said. “Just the energy pushes you through adversity and allows you to gain momentum. Football is a game of momentum and crowds can be a huge part of that. We are very excited to have a home field advantage on Saturday.”

As far as the game is concerned, the Hoosiers defense will have the tall task of trying to contain star quarterback Desmond Ridder. On Monday, defensive coordinator Charlton Warren spoke very highly of how Ridder can beat you with both his feet and his arm. Allen took notice of that as well.

“His poise sticks out to me on film. You can tell he has played a whole lot of football and won a lot of games. He is comfortable in their system, and you can tell he knows it well. His ability creates challenges because he can run it and throw it equally effectively. He is very durable for a guy that runs the ball a lot and takes a lot of hits and he just keeps coming back every single time,” Allen said.

Allen also spoke about his arm, he said Ridder’s passing “sticks out to me,” Ridder is able to throw well in the pocket as well as on the run. According to Allen, the Hoosiers have a lot of respect for Ridder.

Leading up to a big game, a lot of the time teams can get lost in the hype. Allen is keeping his team focused on the task of “falling back on your habits.” IU also plays in a lot of big games throughout every season as they are in a power 5 conference, so Allen is banking on their experience as well.

“That is the execution piece, all the preparation and all the film study. It is not some emotional high that you are going to get off of to win a game like that, in those moments. When those critical plays occur, usually it is later in the game and fatigue has set in and you have to be able to rely totally on the preparation you have done to get in that moment and just play your best. Then, you have to allow yourself to have surrendered the outcome and play in the present,” Allen said.

The Huddle

Allen is “Excited” For Home Field Advantage Saturday

Hoosier Huddle