Through four seasons, Tom Allen has been the answer that the Hoosiers were looking for.

After two five-win seasons to begin his tenure, Allen has found a groove with 14 wins between 2019-20, even with the shortened slate last year. Besides the win totals, the product on the field has been noticeably better. Under Allen, the Hoosiers have been aggressive and hard-working, particularly on the defensive side of the ball.

As we get set for 2021, now is a good time to look back at Indiana’s body of work since the B1G expanded to 14 teams. That came in 2014 when Kevin Wilson was still the head coach. The results have been up-and-down since then but have finally found consistency with Allen.

Best Season – 2020 (6-2, wins over Michigan, Penn State, Michigan State, and Wisconsin)

Allen has produced the two best seasons since 2014 in quick succession. The 2019 squad went 8-5, but it was the 2020 team that thrived throughout the weird year. It started with Michael Penix Jr.’s diving two-point conversion to upset the Nittany Lions that started an epic run in Bloomington. The only thing missing from last year’s campaign would have been a win in the Outback Bowl which wound up being a 26-20 loss to Ole Miss.

The stars of last season were hard to miss. Penix led the offense well until his season-ending knee injury, throwing for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns in six games. His game of the year came in a narrow loss to Ohio State when he threw for 491 yards and five touchdowns inside the Horseshoe.

Ty Fryfogle – Penix’s favorite target – went off in three consecutive games against Michigan State, Michigan, and Ohio State. That stretch included back-to-back 200-yard performances and six touchdowns in three games.

Defensively, the Hoosiers reeled in 17 interceptions. That unit was bolstered by Jamar Johnson and Jaylin Williams with four interceptions apiece and led by Micah McFadden who grabbed two interceptions while posting 59 total tackles, 10.5 TFL, and six sacks.

Worst Season – 2014 (4-8 record, losses to Bowling Green, Rutgers)

The 2014 Hoosiers squad really thrived in just one area: running the ball with Tevin Coleman. Overall, Indiana averaged 25.1 points per game offensively (90th nationally) and allowed 32.8 points per game (102nd nationally).

The lowlights consisted of a 45-42 upset at the hands of Bowling Green out of the MAC. Indiana also allowed 45 points in a loss to Rutgers and was non-competitive in many games over the schedule. The highlights came in a 31-27 upset of Missouri out of the SEC and a season-ending win over in-state Purdue.

The true superstar for Indiana in 2014 was indeed Tevin Coleman out of the backfield. He rushed for over 2,000 yards and finished with 2,177 yards from scrimmage and 15 offensive touchdowns. That performance was only magnified by a jaw-dropping 7.5 yards per carry over 270 rushing attempts.

Overall record since 2014: 40-43 (22-37 B1G record)

Average record since 2014: 5.7-6.1 (3.1-5.3)