Notes and Quotes From Tom Allen's Media Monday: Western Kentucky
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Indiana head coach Tom Allen took to the podium on Monday to breakdown the loss to Cincinnati while previewing the Hoosiers trip to Western Kentucky.
NOTES:
Injuries:
Michael Penix: X-Rays Negative (Expected to start)
James Head Jr.: No update available
Stephen Carr: Expected to play
Devon Matthews: Expected to play
Players of the Week:
Offense: None
Defense: None
Special Teams: None
Offensive Scout Team: Connor Delp and Ricky Tamis
Defensive Scout Team: Matt Hohlt and Andrew Turvy
Special Teams Scout Team: Maurice Freeman
TOM ALLEN QUOTES:
Tom Allen opened his media session by paying respects to the late Dr. Hipskind
“I just wanted to start by continued thoughts and prayers with Andy Hipskind's family. Just such a huge loss to Indiana University. Meant so much to so many people. Don't know if I've ever met a more selfless individual. Kind, compassionate, just awesome in every way. Heart breaks for his wife Angie and their family, and continued support for them, and that will never stop, and he will always be remembered here for all that he gave to his university. I know he viewed it that way, and he's really, really special. Just really wanted to make sure we don't ever forget him.”
Michael Penix Received an X-Ray and MRI on his non-throwing hand on Saturday, Allen gave an update today
“Michael Penix had an X-ray and an MRI on his non-throwing hand, and so both came back good, so he should be fine physically from that.”
Allen reviewed the Cincinnati loss and what the Hoosiers hope to do going forward:
“Still continue to be disappointed, not discouraged but disappointed in the way we did not finish the game on Saturday. Did a lot of good things but did not finish. Made enough mistakes, and we talk about protecting the football at a high level, and we've not done that in the two games that we've lost.
Created a couple takeaways, but if you count the non-converted 4th and 1, we're minus 3 really situationally in the ball placement in those situations, and being inside the 10-yard line three times and having zero points, that's not how you beat a top-10 team.
Obviously saw glimpses of what we can become and what we need to be and what I know we can be, and just got to be consistent, and that's what's going to be the focus this week and moving forward with our guys. Had some good discussions yesterday, very open, honest discussions like we always do on Sundays, and taking responsibility for where we're at.
We know where we are. We know where we want to be. Just continuing to move through that.
I do have guys I want to always recognize, our scouts of the week. I don't think I did a good job of that last week. I forgot to get those guys, and I want to make sure I do that because they work so hard, they've earned the right to have their names read and all that they do for our program behind the scenes.
On defense our scouts for the week are Matt Hohlt and Andrew Turvy, two in-state guys, and just really proud of their effort each week. They do a great job getting us ready.
Then the offensive scout team players of the week, Connor Delp and Ricky Tamis, and then our special teams scout of the week was Maurice Freeman. All those guys are young guys that have come here, and we think all those guys have a really bright future in our program. Appreciate their work this week.
Excited now to head down to Western Kentucky. Have not played down there for a while, but have played there in the past. I know it's going to be a good environment. They'll have a great crowd there, being a night game, and very, very good football team.
No. 1 passing offense in the country right now, No. 1 in 3rd downs, as well, and those two kind of go together. They throw the ball as well as anybody in this country right now, and so very talented quarterback, receiver corps, new offensive coordinator, and very athletic on defense.
We have played them twice in my coaching career and both times really good football teams. A lot of athletes on both sides of the ball, and have always had really talented skill guys. I think their offensive line is really big and really impressive for a Group of Five offensive linemen, one of the better ones we've seen.
Definitely a very important game for us that we continue to get better and that we improve and we moved towards where I know we can be.”
Allen commented on where QB Michale Penix Jr. graded out after the loss to Cincinnati:
“I think it's like anything else, you always have to go back and evaluate. I said we would and we did, and you said it, he made some really good plays, made some really good throws that not many guys could make. But the mistakes were costly. It's about protecting the football, and he knows it.
What I saw, what I really felt like I saw, and we have had several discussions as a staff, was just I think pressing in those moments, just trying to do too much. End of the half there, just take a sack. There's 30 seconds to go in the half and we're up 14-7, and obviously they got momentum with that touchdown that they got late, and you don't want to give them any more momentum. We got that 1st down and we got a catch and you move it a little bit, so just don't make that throw. Don't have to. Don't do it. We're inside the 10-yard line, it's 3rd down, we're in field goal range, got a chance to get points, just -- I don't have a problem with us trying to score, but if it's not there, don't put the ball in jeopardy. Just make a better decision.
There's multiple factors. You go through and look at the film, we had several drops which were uncharacteristic for some of those guys, but they dropped it. They did not catch the football well as a group.
I thought our protection still wasn't good enough completely across the board. That's O-line, running backs, tight ends. Those are variables that go into those -- he was under too much duress in my opinion.
But I didn't feel like it was worrying about anything other than just trying to do too much, and you just can't in that situation. There's times where he made big throws in the past under duress, and even in this game he took one of the biggest shots of the game, the 3rd down throw to DJ Matthews across the middle, which was huge play, great throw. He got hit really, really hard, and dove, ran, got a key 1st down and ran out of bounds and got hit as he was going out of bounds on another key situation. So he's showing growth and progress in that and confidence in his knee. So to me it was just better decision making. Got to take care of the football.
You turn the ball over that many times against a top-10 team, you're not going to win. That's the thing, we still have the ball with five minutes to go in the game, down by six, obviously on the 2-yard line, fumble the football. Just didn't finish. You can call it what you want. You want to beat a team like that, and we did some good things but we didn't finish. He's part of that. He's got to finish, as well, and that's going to be the focus is consistent performance.”
There was a major targeting call that went against the Hoosiers on Saturday. Allen had a chance to review it and spoke about it Monday:
“I did review it, and I totally disagree with the call. It's unfortunate, and yes, we've turned it in and still in the process of going through that evaluation. But yeah, don't agree with the call at all.
But at the same time, we had other opportunities, and a guy like that goes down and you lose him, somebody has got to step up and make a play. He's obviously a huge part of our defense and does a phenomenal job, makes plays, creates a ton of pressure, and it hurt us not having him without question, but other guys got to step up as a whole defense we had other opportunities to still finish the game.
What did you not agree with?
“ It wasn't targeting. You can go through and evaluate it, and yeah, it's just not -- I've got my ability to make judgments, as well. I've coached this game for a long, long time. So yeah.”
There has been a lot of talk about Penix being fully comfortable coming back from injury, Allen dove into that on Monday as well:
“I do think it's getting comfortable. You go through -- like you said, honestly these are evaluations ourselves we go through. I couldn't have answered this question right after the game because I hadn't had a chance to watch all the plays and watch them over and over again, really evaluate and just see how he's moving around, doing things. So to me, I felt like there was a lot of times where he looked more like himself than he did even the first two games for sure.
But then when you have those moments and you go through the mistakes and the interceptions is really basically what we're talking about, but I don't think there's any question, when you haven't gotten off to the start that you wanted to get off to as a player, that affects your confidence a little bit. I don't think that -- just feeling comfortable in the pocket and other things, he definitely feels more comfortable with his knee. I think there's no question about that. You take hits, you get up, you run, you get tackled, you do this and you feel better about it as you go through.
But I think there's no question. They're hard to come back from. I get it. Been thrust into two pretty high-level games early on. But no, there's no question in my mind that Michael is a great player, and he believes in himself, and we believe in him, and we just -- we're 1-2, and when you're 1-2 people ask a lot of questions, and deservedly so. You've got to perform.
There was high expectations for this team, and to me those haven't changed. I have a lot of high expectations for this football team and how good we can be, but we've got to prove it; we've got to do it on game day. It doesn't matter what I think, and that's why we've just got to keep getting better.
But I do feel like there was growth and progress, but obviously the mistakes were costly, and you do not -- we won the explosive play ratio. We created more explosive plays than them by quite a bit, but we lost the turnover ratio. You cannot turn the football over. If you do, you'd better get a whole lot more takeaways than you're giving up, and we did not.
We have to protect the football. We can't fumble the ball on the 2-yard line. We can't give up those interceptions. We've got to do a better job of that. But I do think to answer your question, it's every week you just keep getting better and it's about what we do every single day, and we're going to continue to stay the course. It's about grit, perseverance and passion towards a long-term goal. That's what you've got to do: Stay the course.”
Ty Fryfogle has struggled in 2021, Allen gives his thoughts about the All-American wide receiver:
“Yeah, you know, going back, and obviously you saw it while it was going on, but he had multiple drops in that game, which is not him. I don't know, he's never had a game like that since he's been here. We talked to him and sat him down because he's really practiced awesome. I've told you that. He's had a great mindset. Really kind of caught me off guard.
I get it; everybody is kind of keying on him. They're going to double cover him and make sure they do that, and I get that, and I understand why they would. DJ made a bunch of plays, which I expect him to do, and that's great, and that's what we have to have. But yeah, he just needs to make those plays. There were several catches that would have been a difference in the game. He knows that. To me he's a very confident guy, but we sat down and we talked it through, and he doesn't need to press, just go play ball.
I think that's the -- when you come back and people expect certain things, you've just got to learn to relax and just let the game come to you, but you've got to make plays, and that's what he's done since he's been here. That's why he's in the position he's in right now and why people are talking about him and the accolades he received last year is why, because he made those catches that he did not make on Saturday.
So I know he can and I know he will. He practices well. He practices hard. To me that just was a hiccup for him because that's not him, and it's not like he's had an issue like this in the past and had to overcome it. It's been one of his strengths is going and getting the ball. I don't expect that to be anything moving forward, but he just needs to rise up and relax and just be Ty Fryfogle.”