Notes and Quotes From Tom Allen's Media Monday: No. 4 Penn State

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Image: Indiana University Athletics

Image: Indiana University Athletics

Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)

Indiana head coach Tom Allen took to the podium on Monday to breakdown the win against Western Kentucky while previewing the Hoosiers prime time trip to Happy Valley to face the No. 4 Nittany Lions of Penn State.

NOTES:

Injuries:

  • D.J. Matthews Jr.: Torn ACL Out for the Season

  • Jaylin Williams: Concussion Protocol: “he's progressing well through that process. That's totally our medical staff that handles that. I know it was a very good initial prognosis for him, which was positive. We'll see how that plays out the rest of the week.”

  • David Ellis: “It doesn't appear to be serious, but it's kind of a lingering thing. We're trying to get some answers on that to see if we can get and figure out why it keeps re-happening to him.”

Players of the Week:

  • Offense: Peyton Hendershot and Stephen Carr

  • Defense: Micah McFadden and Tiawan Mullen

  • Special Teams: Charles Campbell

  • Offensive Scout Team: Jaquez Smith and Andy Buttrell

  • Defensive Scout Team: Nick Grieser

  • Special Teams Scout Team: Trent Howland

  • Lou Groza Star of the Week: Kicker Charles Campbell

TOM ALLEN QUOTES:

Indiana head coach Tom Allen opened with a statement of last week’s win and a preview of Penn State:

“Just want to begin by congratulating our guys on the ability to bounce back after a tough loss the week before to a top-10 team, be able to get refocused, go into a tough environment and play a good, solid football game against a good team that played really hard, was physical.

Just really encouraged by our guys' ability to stay the course, make enough plays on defense. Offensively just really 35 first downs is just a great way to control the game, stay on the field. Michael continues to play better each week. Offensive line blocked better. Gave him time, ran the football.

Stephen Carr did a great job. Peyton Hendershot had over a hundred yards receiving, first time since 1985 we've had a tight end do that. Just the ability to do a great job as a football team.

We emphasize special teams so much here. Charles Campbell kicking four field goals, going four for four, what a weapon he is, just his consistency has to continue. Real proud of him and the way he stays locked in. Feel like we kicked too many field goals.

You want to get in there and finish the red zone drives. Six for six in the red zone, want to get more touchdowns than field goals. To me those are things we continue to work on and work through as a football team.

I want to recognize our guys throughout the week. As we know, it's really a huge part of our preparation, the way the guys buy into practicing hard. Our scouts do a tremendous job each week.

Defensively, defensive scout team player of the week was Nick Grieser. Offensive player of the week, Jaquez Smith and Andy Buttrell. The special teams scout was Trent Howland. Those four guys continue to work hard.

As a team, offensively Peyton Hendershot and Stephen Carr were the offensive players of the game. Defensively Micah McFadden and Tiawan Mullen. Taiwan played his best game of the season, played the way I expected him to. Just as all over the place, knocking down balls. I don't think he gave a completion up all day.

Micah just was excellent, flying around and leading the team. I thought his leadership on the sideline was on the highest level I've ever seen it from him. He's a pretty quiet guy, but feel like that's something he's really growing in, it showed.

Had to do a lot of things, make a lot of adjustments. Their offense creates a lot of issues. Charles Campbell was the special teams player of the game. Proud of our guys.

Got a tremendous opportunity this week. Obviously got in late Saturday night, but getting the guys mentally and physically refreshed and ready to go. Had a really good day with them yesterday. Very important week of preparation. Great challenge against Penn State, a very, very difficult environment at night.

Excited for it, though. I know obviously a really good football team, top five team in the country right now. Coach Franklin does a tremendous job in both recruiting and player development and the way their team performs. Tremendous challenge and opportunity for this football team this week. Excited to be able to get back together tomorrow and get ready preparing for the Nittany Lions.”

Allen updated the media on injury news surrounding D.J. Matthews:

“D.J. Matthews has torn his ACL, so he will be out for the season. It's a tough, tough blow for us and for him. I hurt for him. He's had an amazing attitude, even the night it happened. We weren't 100% sure at that time, but it was confirmed yesterday.

But, yeah, in regards to our offense, other guys got to step up. As you mentioned, we got others, the different way we use our guys, different ways guys step up and make plays. Reese Taylor in the return game for punts. That will be back into his plate fully.

Tough break, but got to be able to fill the void and press on.”

Last year’s Penn State game was a jumping off point for IU, Allen reflected on the win:

“There's no question that it was a big win. I think that's been stated many times. When you beat a team of that caliber in regards to their tradition, the way they've won, how good they are, being a top-10 team at that point in the season.

Just have been close with them before. Being able to find ways to finish. We all know how that game played itself out. To be able to come back there in the end on that final drive, win in overtime, it just gives a tremendous surge of confidence to your guys.

I think the ability to experience that whole situation as we've gone through and talked about many times, being backs against the wall, playing well at spurts throughout the game, then seeing it slip away at the end. Finding a way in the final drive, the execution that took place by a lot of different individuals, then being able to find a way to finish. I just think those are parts you build in your program.

You mentioned we had some road wins along the way. They're critical. Road games are hard. The environment to play in is tough. Now the next step is to get one of those big road wins where you do beat a top-10 team or ranked team on the road.

Just building your program step by step, day by day. It's building belief and building expectation. When you experience it, it elevates those things and you just keep growing and building.”

IU came into the season with major expectations, Allen addressed if those have changed after a 2-2 start:

“I don't believe so. We've talked about as a team everything we want to accomplish, this team has set down to want to do is in front of us. We now begin an eight-game Big Ten slate. As you see, as you look across this conference, every single week it's going to be a dogfight. The margin for error is very small for everybody. It's the team that can execute the best each and every week, find ways to protect the football, play great on special teams, do a good job of winning that game. Just take them one at a time.

I think there's no different focus from the beginning. There's no question that I think we've had to work through handling all those different expectations and what does that feel like in the season. It's one thing in the off-season, it's different during the season. I think guys have continued to work through all that.

To me the goals have been set. The vision has been set. Our guys are chasing after being our very, very best. We talk about chasing greatness. That's our one word for 2021, it was picked for a reason.

I think that the process has helped each of our guys just focus on being your best. Every time you practice, every time you take the field, try to learn to just live in that moment and be in that moment.

Like I said, I think those things have been emphasized in different ways, different ways of presenting it. At the end of the day you have to learn how to play with those in front of you but be able to really block it out, so to speak. That's easy to say, hard to do.

I think this team has a tremendous amount of character and a lot of players that believe in themselves and believe in each other. It's about coming together and putting all your energy into this one week. You just block each week off and you focus on that. That's all you do. Everything is about being our best at 7:30 on Saturday night at Penn State. That's the whole focus.

When you get in that moment, it's every single snap, every single series, every single quarter, every single half, then you focus to finish the game. That's where this team is. I know our guys are very excited about continuing to focus on getting better as a football team.”

IU hits the road for the third time this season. This time to Happy Valley. Allen talked about that challenge today:

“The good news is we played on the road. Obviously Iowa was a very hostile environment, then had the chance to play a night game here this weekend down there. It was a great environment that they had. I knew they would. It was loud. It will be louder this weekend. I think those things prepare you, for sure.

Once again, experiencing that as a team is very, very important. Definitely a lot different feel than a year ago, without question.

But that experience, we have a lot of older players, some younger players, too, that had an experience to experience both of those. You learn from that. Does nothing but help us.

This is one of the toughest places to play in the country. That's exciting as well. I've coached in a lot of these types of venues. It's why you do what you do.”