Indiana racking up victories, milestones
INDIANAPOLIS — When Indiana Coach Tom Allen reflects on that mid-October afternoon now, it all seems vividly clear.
Last season’s 34-28 victory at Maryland gave the Hoosiers a badly needed confidence boost, sent expectations soaring and renewed the motivation to defy critics of the program. At the time, Allen sensed Reese Taylor’s game-sealing interception with 82 seconds left would make an impact.
Today, he realizes it changed everything. Three games into this season, Taylor is part of a fearless secondary that has helped the Hoosiers reach new heights.
At 3-0, they share the Big Ten East lead with No. 3 Ohio State. On Sunday, Indiana climbed to No. 10 in the AP rankings — its highest mark since September 1969, two months after the moon landing. And Allen insists this is only the start of grander goals.
“We’ve been very specific that we want to build a team that can win Big Ten championships, so we want to compete for Big Ten championships,” Allen said. “We’re trying to elevate this program.”
After going more than a quarter-century between Top 25 appearances, the Hoosiers are punching back.
In Week 1, they beat No. 8 Penn State for their first upset of a top-10 foe since 1987. After winning at Rutgers, the Hoosiers cracked the top 15 for the first time since 1988. Saturday’s win over No. 23 Michigan snapped a 24-game losing streak in the series, a mark that was tied for the longest active skid against one team in the entire FBS.
Winning this weekend, at Michigan State, wouldn’t just return the Old Brass Spittoon to Bloomington for the second time since 2007, it would give the Hoosiers a school-record-tying fifth consecutive conference win. They’re still not satisfied. “As the staring quarterback most of the time when there are big wins, you get most of the recognition,” Michael Penix Jr. said Monday. “So I have to show the team that we can’t be complacent. Obviously, we’ve accomplished some great things this season, but I’ve got to make sure they [players] stay focused and locked in.”
Penix’s sentiment hasn’t always been the prevailing philosophy around the Hoosiers locker room.
Over the past 30 years, so many promising starts and moments quickly came crashing down. Bowl bids became elusive, even with Antwaan Randle El at quarterback. Coaches came and went.
But after being promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach in December 2016, Allen created a longterm plan with a message that inspired players to put Indiana football back on the national map.
Allen traces the start of those changes to a sequence from last season.
“I think the first step was going on the road and winning at Maryland,” he said. “We had to get a stop and Reese got the interception to seal the win. Then we went on the road and won at Nebraska and then we got the overtime win over Purdue. Each one of those started changing the way we thought.”
The new attitude took time to mold, but Allen kept insisting Indiana could turn things around with a group of confident, committed, play-making athletes — as Taylor proved in an instant Allen will never forget.
“Belief is a powerful thing,” Allen said. “If you don’t believe, then you need to just hit the road.”