Bucket Week Notes and Quotes From Tom Allen's Press Conference

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

PLAYERS OF THE WEEK:

Offense: Coy Cronk, Hunter Littlejohn, Mackenzie Nworah, Brandon Knight, Delroy Baker and Wes Martin

Defense: Greg Gooch and Tony Fields

Special Teams: Rashard Fant and Haydon Whitehead

INJURY NEWS:  

Coach Allen doesn’t expect to get Marcelino Ball or Donovan Hale back.

Allen says Andre Brown could be back after missing last week.

NOTES:

Morgan Ellison was named Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Week

QUOTES:

TOM ALLEN:

On how his team will prepare for some trick plays from Purdue:

You do. You can't rep every single one of them. We would be practicing for a couple weeks if we did that. I have played against him in the past. Saw it up close and personal, how he likes to run those. So very creative with all of them.

You just got to work in concept, which is not that unusual when you deal with anything that somebody does. You can't necessarily practice every single play they have done in the past. You teach concepts and you use walk-thrus to review and you show video and just being conscientious of what they do and where they can run them.

They do so many that you're not going to get a bead on them. I know a lot of coaches, it's just the gift to know when to call them is probably the biggest thing you have to deal with.

To me, you want to play physical, play fast, and react. That, to me, that is what you got to do. You got to react to those kind of plays.

On the recent play of the defensive line:

Well, first of all, I think Coach Hagen does a tremendous job with our defensive line. He's such a bulldog in technique and drills; just relentless. I think I described him that way a year ago and that hasn't changed.

What that does, over time, you get all these practice reps and all the things that they do, they just keep getting better and better and better. We've had some young guys that had to get in a new role and we lost a couple guys early on, other guys got to step up, and so just really proud of how hard they've played all year long.

But then their production has really elevated here in the last several games. I think it's just a matter of just staying the course and getting better. I think of a guy like Jacob Robinson, who has always been solid for us, but played a little bit inside/0utside for us last year, but now he's just been full time as a three technique; just getting more and more comfortable at that point.

Guy like Allen Stallings who it's really his first year playing for us and had to step up when Nile got injured to start the season.

Gooch is coming into his own.

I think Robert McCray a really kind of becoming what I thought he could be all along just by consistent preparation.

Once again goes back to Coach Hagen staying with it, staying with it, staying with it, and not allowing them to ever let up in practice. The drill work that they do -- you got to think, in that position, when you go do special teams, they're over there off to the side just drilling and drilling.

Same with the offensive line. Just over there working. A lot of those guys -- there are a few more D linemen on special teams than there are O lineman, but still the majority of the group is not.

They are over there just drilling, drilling, drilling, and so all these reps add up. I just think that as a season wears along, teams either do this or they do this. (Indicating up or down.) The teams that -- you want them to be doing this (indicating going up) at this time of the year.

Our guys did it last year defensively, and they're doing it again this year defensively. We have a system we believe in. We coach to that system. The kids have bought in, and I expect them to be playing their best ball at this time of the year. That's what we want.

So really excited for them and excited for our team that that's what they're doing.

On the match up with Jeff Brohm:

Well, I will say this: I've never ever tried to make a big deal about, Hey, I'm going against this. It's not me versus him. It is not that. What I do enjoy, I enjoy the schematic challenge of going against a guy like this because it's hard. He does such a great job.

It's we. It's all of our coaches, all of our players, you know, against their offense. It's our offense versus their defense and our special teams versus their special teams. That, to me, is what matters most.

But just from what you get out of it as a coach, you know, all day Sunday and all day Monday working and working and working to try to find a way to scheme against these guys, yeah, that's kind of the rush you get as a coach. You enjoy that for sure.

But it's challenging with their system. They do a great job. They create a lot of the conflicts and put you in binds and do a great job understanding what you're doing and trying to expose weaknesses.

We're trying to do the same thing with them. It's just the chess match that coaches go through. We're working hard as a staff to find the best way to get our guys in great position. Our guys got to go out and make plays. Yeah, that's kind of the fun part of all this.

On what IU will have to do to win this game on the road:

 I think it's just handling the adversity of the game. Things are going to happen. You're on the road. They're going to have their fans. They're playing for the same thing we're playing for. All different levels.

I think you have to be able to handle the adversity that's going to strike. I don't know what that's going to look like. No one can predict that. But the team that handles that the best, to me, is the one that will find the way to win the game. It's going to happen in these situations.

I've seen in rival games crazy things, crazy plays, changes of momentum, and shifts and all that. You just got to ride it. Can't get too excited when things go your way early and can't get too down if things don't. Better just play it. Sometimes these games go to overtime and are decided on crazy plays like that.

So that's just a matter of mental toughness and perseverance and grit, all those things we take so much pride in here at Indiana.

Allen on the Bucket Game Rivalry and what Purdue brings to the table:

 Very excited about having a trophy game this week. We all know the Bucket is a huge priority to our program. Take a lot of pride in this game.

Really, really blessed to be a part of one of the top rivalries in the entire country. I've been several places where we have had some trophy games -- not every place has this kind of a rivalry game with this much passion and intensity.

Being raised in this state and seeing this game for many, many years as a younger person, and just so much I know goes into it and I know so much is on both sides.

So we fully understand the magnitude of the game. We understand that both teams have five wins and know what is at stake for both sides. Love that. Ton of respect for Coach Brohm and what he's done at Purdue in a very short time. He has really transformed them. They're playing with a ton of confidence. Their defense is extremely talented and playing well. Their offense, you know, he's a tremendous play caller. Just does a really good job schematically and maximized the talent he has there.

Special teams, really are on pointe.

So really respect and have a -- you know, they've gone on the road and played well. To win at Iowa was impressive. We understand we have to be at our very, very best this week. Going to compete to prepare that way and going to fight to do everything we can to win this game.