Written by Amanda Pavelka (@amandapavelka3)

Indiana head Coach Tom Allen was joined by Indiana players Reakwon Jones, Simon Stepaniak, Nick Westbrook, Peyton Ramsey, and Coy Cronk in Jacksonville to give a final update ahead of the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.

Regarding Thursday’s competition with the Tennessee Volunteers, Allen referenced Penn State, comparing their size, speed, athleticism and talent level to that of the Nittany Lions they faced in November.

“It starts with the line of scrimmage, offensive line is where— because as a defensive guy, that’s the first thing I want is their offensive line, and then you start watching their defensive line and just seeing high-level guys that are big and strong on offense and then you look at their skill guys from there.” Allen said “I just think the way they run to the football defensively, the multiplicity of their defense, as well, and just the talent level. They have a lot of good football players, and a lot of guys highly regarded out of high school.”

Peyton Ramsey reiterated Allen’s statement in that on film, there were schemes that the Hoosiers discovered familiar to Penn State in their preparation for the Gator Bowl.

“A bunch of different, multiple— personnel-wise it’s similar like Coach Allen mentioned. Schematically, Penn State did a bunch of different things. They were good. Their defensive line was good. Very multiple in the things that they did and some good linebackers, long, tall, lanky, rangy guys that are really athletic. I would say schematically they (Tennessee) also line up to Penn State pretty similarly.”

Reakwon Jones spoke of the IU’s bowl prep emphasizing tackling— a point of weakness for Hoosiers in the 2019 season.

“First thing’s first we have to stop the run. That’s what they are good at. That’s what they have executed all season and that’s owing to be the key for us, to top the run and eliminate big plays. They have big-play receivers. They have a quarterback who can sling it down there. They have an offensive line that can protect.” Jones said. “So we have to give pressure and win one-on-one matchups like Coach said and stop the run. That’s our mindset going into this game. We have to be physical, we have to be nasty, and we have to be strong because they are going to bring to the table, so we have to bring it right back.”

Stepaniak suffered an injury in preparation for the Gator Bowl, and confirmed Wednesday that his presence on the offensive line would be a game-time decision.

“Just really working through the things, helping the guys as much as I can, and just trying to get healthy and be back for this game. That’s my main priority right now,” Stepaniak said.

Tennessee Head Coach Jeremy Pruitt was complimentary of Allen and coaching staff and their performance in 2019.

“I think Tom and his staff have done a phenomenal job. When you look at them, you look at the body of work that they do. They are very well-coached. They are sound. When you talk about fundamentals, you know, these guys, just the ABCs, blocking, tackling, playing with effort, toughness, they do that all of the time, not some of the time.” Pruitt said. “When you look at schematic part of what they do in all three phases, they have very bright guys on their staff and they create lots of issues and you can see why they have had lots of success in short period of time.”

Pruitt also commented on DeBoer’s decision to take charge of play calling one last time as Indiana’s offensive coordinator, just after accepting his head coaching job at Fresno State.

“I think, for him staying in the Bowl game, he's finishing what he started, which says a lot about him. You know, I'm sure he sat in the living room and probably helped recruit some of these guys that he's coaching and he's helping them finish out this season, which says a lot about him.” Pruitt said. “I think he's done a fantastic job. Lost a quarterback during the season. They find ways to create explosive plays every game, but they also play with a certain amount of toughness and they are physical every game. So I can see he got offered a head (coaching) job, and based off watching how they have played the last couple of years, creates a lot of problems.“

Kick-off for the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl is set for 7pm ET on Thursday from TIAA Bank Field, the home of the Jacksonville Jaguars.

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Allen and Captains Deliver Final Update Ahead of TaxSlayer Gator Bowl

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