What Indiana head coach Tom Allen said during his Monday press conference
With the season opener less than two weeks out, Indiana head coach Tom Allen has reason for excitement. The media has the Hoosiers finishing third in the B1G East Division, behind Ohio State and Penn State, and with what we saw out of Bloomington last season just about anything can happen.
Indiana opens against Iowa for the first game on their front-loaded schedule, and then takes on Cincinnati on Sept. 18 followed by Penn State to open October. If the Hoosiers can continue to play with the excitement and level of play they did last year, and a healthy Michael Penix, Jr. can produce, they could be headed for a showdown with Ohio State in Bloomington on Oct. 23.
Allen met with the media on Monday and discussed some of the news from camp, including the strength he’s seeing from the defense, injury and Covid questions, along with some player updates.
Here’s some of what he said.
Allen on Fryfogle: "I really appreciate his approach. He got hit Saturday in the scrimmage and just popped back up. Some guys, when they get to this point, they're worried about this and worried about that, but he just goes all out. He's tough … he just plays football."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 23, 2021
Tom Allen noon press conference updates starting … now.
“Defense won the day.” #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) August 23, 2021
Allen says tight ends “continued to play really well.” Also mentioned Ty Fryfogle as a player who has embraced every physical challenge after forgoing the NFL draft for one more year in college. #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) August 23, 2021
Allen asked specifically about Hohlt: “He hasn’t mastered the scheme but he has a great feel for the game. Some guys just have a great presence in the box. … He’s a great tackler. If you want to be a really good linebacker, you better be a great tackler.” #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) August 23, 2021
“The depth chart’s becoming a little bit more clear.” #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) August 23, 2021
Allen on Big Ten’s COVID forfeit policy: “We expected it. I would’ve been surprised if we didn’t come out with this policy as a conference.”
IU is past 90 percent of whole team vaccinated, continuing to encourage individuals to get the vaccine if comfortable. #iufb
— Zach Osterman (@ZachOsterman) August 23, 2021
Allen said Auburn DL transfer Jaren Handy flashed last week of camp, had multiple sacks, expects him to help pass rush #iufb
— KevinBrockwayGators (@KevinBrockwayG1) August 23, 2021
Allen said DL Shamar Jones will play in rotation, “He has to play and contribute for us. He has some twitch ability.” #iufb
— KevinBrockwayGators (@KevinBrockwayG1) August 23, 2021
Allen said he’s not concerned about any long term injuries, but a few short term ones. RB David Ellis suffered a lower leg injury in first practice and didn’t practice last week #iufb
— KevinBrockwayGators (@KevinBrockwayG1) August 23, 2021
Allen said adjustment of practice schedule this season, team will do light practices on Sunday, Mondays off, Tuesday in pads #iufb
— KevinBrockwayGators (@KevinBrockwayG1) August 23, 2021
Allen said Caleb Jones looks like a completely different person from fall of 2020.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 23, 2021
Allen also says Ryder Anderson has been a "big, strong, steady, tough guy." Said the SEC transfers have "definitely popped" during fall camp.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 23, 2021
Allen on the pass rush: "Throughout fall camp, Stone Handy is the guy who has stuck out, especially as camp has come to a close here."
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 23, 2021
Allen said last week he wants to have a sense of identity – what they execute well and what players execute the best — after this scrimmage. Said he feels good about the progress toward that. Said the depth chart is starting to take shape.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 23, 2021
Allen says Stephen Carr "continues to pop." All signs continue to point to him being the guy at running back.
— Dustin Dopirak (@DustinDopirak) August 23, 2021
