Notes and Quotes From Tom Allen's Media Monday Presser (Cincinnati Week)
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Media Monday Notebook
Indiana head coach Tom Allen took to the podium for Media Monday to discuss the team’s 33-30 win over Western Kentucky and their upcoming road trip to Cincinnati.
Notes:
- Charles Campbell named Lou Groza Award Star of the Week and Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week
- IU Players of the Week:
o Offense: Caleb Murphy
o Defense: Aaron Casey
o Special Teams: Charles Campbell and Jaylin Williams
o Scout Team: Brendan Sorsby, Nicholas Grieser and Trevell Mullen
Injuries
C Zach Carpenter- “Something with his hand. Still getting evaluated trying to figure out what it's going to be. Not season ending, anything like that, something we have to deal with.”
Quotes:
TOM ALLEN:
Opening Statement:
“I just want to welcome everybody here today. And once again very proud of our football team. And continue to find ways to win and finish out games. And just really proud of Charles Campbell. Named the Special Teams Big Ten Player of the Week. And rightly so with four field goals and the obvious one at the end to win the game in overtime from 51.
And just his mental toughness and didn't kick well last week, and just came right back was clutch for us and has been for several years now.
But I also, in our team meeting this morning, got a chance to recognize Sean Wracher. I said, Sean, did anybody carry you off the field or get any pictures with people after the game.
He said no, I said there you go. I said you were the key to the whole thing. Without that snap there would be no kick. But he understands his role. But he does phenomenal job. He's so consistent.
And as well as James, the holder. All those guys, the protection up front, everything matters. Everybody focuses on the kicker, which he obviously has to kick the ball through the uprights.
But the best team is who wins on game day and so those guys did a great job being great teammates and doing their job and allowing us that opportunity to be able to get that field goal.
So just proud of our guys, and just to be able to show some grit and fight. And that's a huge, huge thing.
But just also want to recognize our players of the game. We had Caleb Murphy, offensive player of the game. That's something that our staff felt strongly about. And just because he was not expected to play like he did in terms of his reps. But with Carp going down during warm-ups and being able to allow him to play all the snaps on offense and did a great, great job. So really proud of him.
And defensively, Aaron Casey was our defensive player of the game. Really proud of his progress, and just his development as a player, as a person. Already talked about him last week. But just played his best football game, I believe, since he's been here.
Cam Jones continues to play at a high level and very, very productive. Again, huge takeaway that he caused.
But just felt like that Aaron had earned that. And I think Cam was the first one to congratulate him. So just that kind of a team we've got, which is awesome.
Special teams with Charles Campbell. But also Jaylin Williams was also the co-special teams player of the game, with a key block of their field goal in overtime, which was massive.
He also was the one that downed the ball on the 2-yard line to pin him down, in exchange for playing very good complementary football. We were able to get him on the 2-yard line, force him to punt inside the 5. And then going down scoring touchdowns. So he was a huge part of that. And also just his special teams play in general, on all those were huge.
Just proud of those guys for competing at a high level. And gotta keep getting better. We all know that. But huge to be able to be resilient in late games, to be able to play our best football when it counts the most.
Really excited about this opportunity this week with Cincinnati. Coach Fickell has done a tremendous job. Just impressive what they built there. And we're playing a playoff team at home.
So great challenge. Great opportunity for us to be able to be on the road for our first road game of the season. And just impressed with what they've done. They've got a lot of guys back on offense. A lot of new faces on defense. But still playing at a very high level. Really good system. Good scheme they have.
The players have been developed, you can tell. The guys stepping in. They've got some transfers stepping in as well and making a lot of plays for them. It's just a very very good football team. Saw that when they went and played Arkansas. The film is very obvious.
Really have to play our best football. Have to play a complete game from start to finish and beyond whatever it takes. So appreciate that.”
On Caleb Murphy’s Emotions Postgame:
“I think it's just a huge thing. And as you saw, his emotional response was very genuine and real. It means so much to him to be part of this team. Be a football player here at Indiana, being from so close and representing his whole community and just the pride he has and being from there and being able to just come here and just work his tail off to get in this position, move positions, from defensive line to offensive line.
And he was a third-string center a few weeks ago. And with Cam going down. And then obviously with the situation that happened on game day. And that was nothing that anybody expected. As a matter of fact, I was kind of shocked to hear it when we were in the locker room there getting ready to come out.
But that's what you get ready to do. We use that as an example. I talked to our whole team about that this morning. Just a few weeks ago he was thrown in the depth chart and now he's playing every snap and special teams because he's part of those as well.
Just a great testament to him, how hard he's worked and how much he cares. But you can win a lot of games, but guys that are smart, tough, dependable and have a high, high care factor, and it means something for him to put that jersey on and represent his whole community. And that's pretty awesome thing.”
On the Evolution of a Two-Headed Monster at Running Back:
“It's a two-headed monster. It's a 1-2 punch with those two guys. They're two different guys. They're both very talented players.
Not really surprised by Josh. I saw him practice. He didn't come in with as much hype or fanfare, maybe, but really good player, good balance, hard to tackle. Great out of the backfield, made a great one-handed catch and got a bunch of yards.
We had over 100 yards with the running backs out of the backfield, getting them the ball. It's a huge part of what we do. And I just love the way he sees the field.
I think he and Shaun need to be great together. And they are. They have great chemistry. They really respect each other. And then you've got Jaylin. He's another guy we'll continue to get involved in and get him some touches.
So I like that group. I like that room. They're really unselfish. And definitely want to maximize them all.”
On Myles Jackson’s Play on Saturday and Adjustment to IU:
“He's been actually one of our pleasant surprises, really liked him as we recruited him. Didn't know him as well as I did these other guys. Didn't know him out of high school.
But just through that process, it was just like he stuck -- the maturity kind of stuck out to me and just the fit with what we care about now -- and to me. We did our homework with those that we know, where he's coming from.
But also, it was pretty obvious when he got here that he made immediate impact. So he confirmed everything we thought about him. And then you start practicing in the spring and it just continued to grow.
I will say this, too. When James Head went down a few weeks ago, we had to move him around a little bit. I thought it set him back. He was rolling as the bowl position.
And then he moved over to end. Now he can play both. Had a little bit of the growing pains of learning two different positions. I thought it made him not quite as aggressive. But he got back to this this past week. I didn't think he was that way a week ago. Tried to solidify him in some spots.
So he's been big for us, and I think that position, either, strong enough to play strong side in and athletic enough to play both, and got the big interception there, which is a massive play in that game.
So just got the fumble recovery as well. So two huge takeaways. And just we have a phrase in our program, "The ball finds energy." So he would be, if I had to say, Cam Jones is phenomenal, but the next guy that I would say practice effort is him. I mean, his practice effort is awesome. And it's that way every single day.
As a matter of fact, we used him as an example several times in the first few practices of, hey, this is what -- he's a new guy. This is the way we're supposed to do skelly, we bring our boys down for skelly, he was just chasing the ball, 250-pound guy flying every snap.
Just really great motor. And those kind of guys make plays. Especially the longer they're in the program and in the system and learn it better and know it better.
We need him to step up and keep making those big plays for us and getting us off the field.”
On the LEO Culture Manifesting Itself:
“I think that's when you get a chance to really see who you are, especially the moments leading up to that, when you don't know the outcome. And you just have so much energy on the sidelines, so much positive belief that we're going to find a way to win the game, and the guys just stay together.
And then them, they get rewarded for that. A guy like Chuck, who has done such a great job for us for so long. And he wasn't his best last week, and then he responded. So that's life; you've got to learn to do that.
So to see the guys just embrace each other and care about each other and not make it about themselves. And I think that's neat to see. Like I said, that's what you want. You want a group of guys, they're so tight and connected. And that's why I think you get in this sport, it's what makes you special as a team. You've got to have great players. I get that.
But the individuals have to come together and they have to buy into whatever culture you have that gets the team to be the focus.
That's challenging to do, I get it. But that's the objective. That's what we've been trying to do. That's how we phrase it and package it. But we also appeal to the heart of the young man and how he's going to be developed and how these qualities are going to allow him to be successful in life. Whatever he's a part of.
So I think Chuck's just an example of that. And the other guys have stepped up to make big plays. They will be as well.
And like you said, even when Aaron Casey gets recognized and Cam's the first guy there to be recognized and it was well earned, even though he played great himself.
So I just think it's a whole team full of guys and coaches that don't care who gets the credit. Because why? Because it's not about me.”
On the Importance of the Cincinnati Game:
“I would place a high value on it, without question. And you know, my approach, it's been this way ever since I've been here, it's the biggest game of the season because it's the next one. And that's how we're going to discuss it tomorrow.
We'll approach it that same exact way. But I do understand, road games are always big and they're important and they're hard. And to play a playoff team, it's an awesome opportunity.
So our guys understand that. And they understand each week's a big deal. And the key is how much better can we get from the last time we took the field to when we take the field on Saturday. And that's the focus.
And to me that consistent improvement, the attention to detail at a high level had everything to do, whether it's the walk-through on the field today, the lift, the meetings, the practice tomorrow, the meetings afterwards. We have an evening and the things we do every single day, who is going to really understand that those things get intensified each and every week as the season progresses.
Now we play such a great schedule that all these games are big, big games and important and are going to be played in a packed-out stadium. It's going to be loud and raucous. And it's going to be awesome.
Our guys are excited about that. They do understand that. Our preparation has to reflect that. It's on our team, the leaders of this team. Talk about guys in those roles right now and that leadership has to elevate itself this week as we continue to grow.
And this will be our first road game, which is an important thing for us to be able to show we can handle that environment and handle the trip to be able to be at our very, very best.
So, yes, big game for us, biggest game of the season because it's the next one.”