Hoosiers on a roll in Big Ten, now bowl eligible with 6 wins
The questions at Indiana are no longer about bowl eligibility. Instead, everyone wants to know how high they can go.
Two days after beating Nebraska for the first time in 60 years and winning a crucial sixth game to become bowl eligible in October for the first time since 1993, the Hoosiers celebrated by going back to work.
“We have not had a ton of conversations about bowl games and six wins. We just did not,” coach Tom Allen said Monday during his weekly news conference. “I know the guys recognize, they knew when we won the game that we were bowl eligible, but that was never the goal — just to get to six. It is a great relief, in some ways, to get that out of the way.”
It’s a huge achievement for a team that came up one win short of making the postseason during each of Allen’s first two seasons at the helm.
Now, though, Indiana’s success is prompting some outsiders to rethink how they view the program.
For the first time since 1993, the Hoosiers (62, 3-2 Big Ten) have won three straight conference games in the same season. They’ve also won back-toback league games on the road, too. They’re tied with No. 14 Michigan for third in the Big Ten East, trailing only the two unbeaten teams — No. 3 Ohio State and No. 5 Penn State.
They even received four points in AP Top 25 balloting, moving a step closer to ditching the dubious title of longest poll absence among power-five schools. Indiana’s last appearance came in September 1994 when they crept in at No. 25.
A win Saturday over reeling Northwestern (1-6, 0-5) certainly couldn’t hurt its case.
Winning one of their last four games would assure the Hoosiers of their first non-losing season since 2007 and two would produce their highest victory total since 1993.
Allen has publicly stated one of this season’s goals was winning a bowl game, something Indiana last did in the 1991 Copper Bowl, and outsiders are wondering what bowl games might be in play with a couple of more wins. Allen wants his players focused on the next game.
“It’s just 100%, full bore focus on Northwestern,” Allen said.
MORE HOOSIERS NEWS >> Nebraska coach Scott Frost said he doesn’t know what prompted Indiana athletic director Fred Glass to tell the Indianapolis newspaper the Cornhuskers’ staff doesn’t respect the Hoosiers’ football program.
Glass told the Indianapolis Star after the Hoosiers’ 38-31 win in Lincoln on Saturday that the victory was “particularly gratifying, particularly knowing Nebraska’s staff had no respect for our program.”
Glass declined to elaborate, other than to say Nebraska’s staff would know what he was referring to.
Asked Monday if he or his staff said or did anything that would have led to Glass’ comment, Frost said, “We’ve been scratching our heads wondering what that’s all about.” SHORT YARDAGE >> Arizona coach Kevin Sumlin has fired defensive coordinator Marcel Yates and linebackers coach John Rushing.
Sumlin promoted defensive analyst and former NFL assistant Chuck Cecil to interim defensive coordinator. He also promoted Hank Hobson from analyst to an on-field coaching role.
• The family of UNLV assistant football coach Barney Cotton said he is progressing well after a heart transplant in his hometown of Omaha, Nebraska.
The operation was Oct. 22 at Nebraska Medical Center. The 63-year-old Cotton stepped away from his position as UNLV’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach in July.
• Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is expected to return to practice Wednesday with the possibility that he plays in the Nov. 9 showdown game when the No. 2 Crimson Tide host the No. 1 LSU Tigers.
Tagovailoa had surgery Oct. 20 to help recover from a high ankle sprain on his right leg. He had the same procedure done on his left leg for a similar injury last year and needed four weeks to recover. In the first game after coming back last season, he led Alabama to a victory over Oklahoma in the College Football Playoff.
• North Carolina State will start redshirt freshman Devin Leary at quarterback at No. 23 Wake Forest.
Saturday’s game will be Leary’s first start for the Wolfpack (4-3, 1-2 ACC), making him the first redshirt freshman to start at QB for N.C. State since current Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson did it in 2010.