Notes and Quotes: Tom Allen Fall Camp Practice 12

Written by Amanda Pavelka

Written by: Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)

Tom Allen hosted the media for a press conference on Thursday in Bloomington. Allen gave some important updates as the Hoosiers are currently midway through fall camp. 

NOTES:

Freshman Antoine Whitner is “is officially here, cleared and good to go. Obviously was a long journey and process, but really proud of him and his perseverance. He's with us now, so that's our final piece of that class.”

Freshman Matthew Bedford’s health should not be a worry for the offensive line—“He was fine. He practiced every snap today that he was supposed to. I was concerned. It ended up being one of those that looked worse than it was. Didn't have any limitations on any reps today at all. I think the break came at the right time, it let him get some rehab in. It wasn't serious, thank goodness.

QUOTES:

On the quarterback battle…

“Before anybody asks, no update on the quarterbacks. Just wanted to put that out there.”

How important will that scrimmage be in determining who the starting quarterback will be…

"It's going to be one of the final evaluation pieces for sure. It may not be THE final one but it is going to be big."

On what he hopes to get out of Saturday's scrimmage…
"It's going to be our last one. We call it 'Preseasons Game No. 2'. And then 'Preseason Game No. 3' will be a mock game without hitting and it's all situational emphasis. So this will be the last time to really go live. It will be the last time in game-setting situations. We are going to move the ball a lot. That is number one. We want to get a lot of red zone work. Then we will probably put the ball on the 25-yard line and drive it. Then if we don't get enough inside the 5-yard line, we will put the ball down there. If we don't get enough inside the 10-yard line, we will put it down there. We also want to do some 2-minute drills with the officials there. So we have some specific things to focus on."

On maintaining energy at the halfway point in fall camp…

"I think the boost was the new locker room. That came at the perfect time. This is the week where you hit a wall, especially the freshmen going through this for the first time. You can kind of see it, all the install kind of builds and it gets confusing. Everyone is still barking at them and then they are getting tired, mentally and physically. That's why we positioned the lake day yesterday at this time of the camp so you can get them a chance not only with a physical break, but also get them their dorm rooms, out of their apartments that they are in every night, get them in a hotel there at Lake Monroe and just have a nice, relaxing day hanging out, chilling with each other. I also like the fact they are together, they get all the meals they need to get, they get the hydration they need to get. Our strength staff is with them the whole time. That part is good. I think that helps, to push us through. Then the locker room reveal on Tuesday night was a big boost for the guys. They are fired up to be in there. Now they are officially functioning out of that area. It's that part of camp where you have to push them, have to push them through and you have to help them see the light because there isn't a whole lot of light yet. Still a lot of time left. The end is not near yet, so it's a critical time. We cannot afford to miss a day to keep getting better. That's why every rep is critical and I just keep hounding our guys about that and preaching that to them, our coaches and players. And I thought they responded well today, sometimes you just don't know how they're going to come back. We do have some maturity here and that showed today, an ability to have a really good practice.”

On the locker room…
"Well I was real involved from the beginning with everything. It all comes together and you see it in pieces but when I walked in there, because there were several days when they were putting the finishing touches on it. There are still a few things that they are working on, but the lighting, the brightness – it is just so sharp. And the way it is configured. The ceilings – when you walk in it is just so big (tall). It's a 'Wow!', it really is. I have been in a lot of different ones over the years and the locker room part of it, it is hard to find a better one. It has so much space for the guys. When you compare it to what we used to be in and then what they were in the last few months…it's a really sharp, classy look that I know our guys are proud of and we are proud of as a staff and want to take great care of it."

On how the new locker room can be another useful tool to continue strong recruiting efforts…
"No doubt it is. What I did right away, we had some recruits on FaceTime as the players were doing the reveal. So we had parents on FaceTime and recruits on FaceTime and they were seeing it with us, which was kind of cool. Then the next day we got some key pictures and sent them out to them and included a long text talking about the investment. And it said that exact thing, we have recruited at the highest level we ever have the last couple years. We are investing in football at the highest level that I have ever seen since I have been here. And we said this should show you and continue to prove to you what we are building here with the commitment from our administration. And we challenged them to want to be a part of it. We are just trying to capitalize on everything we have in front of us. It's a huge a recruiting tool for sure. You still have to go out and play football, but there is notice the bells and whistles and things that continue to show you that football is important."

On how the defensive line is handling fall camp

"I think we are making progress. When I looked at our inside drill today, those creases, those windows are getting eliminated with proper technique and being in good run fits. Those guys are a huge part of that and I thought that was a really good sign. I think because there are so many of them, we are able to rotate them and keep them fresh. There's a lot of competition. Those young guys want to play. They know that playing time is at a premium. I think that it helps. It helps motivate them. Whoever's in, they have to know there is someone behind them trying to take their reps and get their spot, so I think that helps motivate. We have really, highly motivated freshmen that want to play, won't be able to play them all as much as they want, but we will rotate several.

On the growth of Freshman running back Sampson James

"I knew he was a good player. We've known Sampson for many years. We watched him grow and develop. I think he's really starting to take that next step. You come in as a freshman, especially since he was able to come in January, as he's really benefited from our strength staff. The thing that impresses me about him is he's a very well-rounded back. He's extremely football smart. He gets the game and picks things up quickly. He can catch the ball out of the backfield, which I think is something he's really worked on the last couple of years. Obviously his running is his strength, but he's patience, balance, he's so strong. He doesn't look like a freshman. He really doesn't, both physically and how he runs the ball. Even the way he just picks things up. People think it's just hand the ball off and get first downs and touchdowns, but there's a lot to it. Especially on third downs. He's impressed me with his maturity and where he's at as a football player. That's a tribute to his high school that's prepared him well to be here at this level. Coach Bless there at Avon and his whole staff. I think he came here well prepared, but he also came here really hungry. There's no doubt. He gives us a great balance with Stevie (Scott III) to be able to balance the reps and keep the hits off him in practice. Obviously that can carry over to the game. He's probably further along than even I thought he would be, because he didn't practice in the spring. If he had practiced in the spring, maybe I would have felt a little different. He's ahead of schedule.”

On if either line has had an advantage so far in camp

"It's hard to tell, but I would probably give the advantage to the offensive line, our first group, because of the maturity of those three seniors make a big difference. Caleb Jones is playing at a high level. That group has a chance to really jell in to a special group. They have the edge in experience and just mass and power. I think the D-line has improved a lot, I really do. There's more good players there that we are just trying to bring along and give us depth. I think that's a big part of it. To me, the biggest key is going to be the two's, and the next guys on the O-line. It has to be. That's a big focus for us, how they come along and find out who that next guy in is at each spot and shuffle the deck when we need to. To answer your question, I'd give the edge to the offense right now, but I've really seen a lot of improvement, especially from practice 3 and 4 when we had pads on to practice 12 today. I think the D-line has really improved a lot."

On DL Demarcus Elliott

"He's new, he just came in. Didn't even have the whole summer with us. He's quick, he gives us a year of experience, so it's not like he's right out of high school. He has some really good lower body strength to be able to hold anchor in there. We're going to need it. We don't have a lot of mass on the defensive line. Some guys will get there eventually, but they're young. He needs to step up, and he has. He needs to keep learning, he doesn't know everything. Even today, he missed a couple checks and fronts that we called. That's part of learning and growing, but he cares a whole bunch and has a high desire to be really good. I love that about him."