Thank you Coach Allen

[Chriselli]

I have been sickened by the way that the past three seasons have gone. I have written angry messages, called the postgame show, and wasted a ton of mental energy on all the things that have gone wrong with this program the past few years. At the end of the day, whatever SD decides is completely out of my control. So, I am going to operate under the assumption that this will be CTA's last game and choose to highlight the positive and root like hell for the Hoosiers to win Saturday in WL.

I want to thank Coach Allen for burying "first Hoosiers team since 1993." That was SO annoying after two-plus decades. I think about the game at Michigan State in 2018, where MP completed 20ish passes in a row, only for us to lose at the very end...and then the team going up there in 2020 and absolutely finishing the job! I am so grateful that CTA did what the last FIVE head coaches before him could not do...BEAT MICHIGAN for the first time since 1987! He broke through the seven win ceiling and actually made me believe the IU defense was going to get a timely stop!

Thank you, Coach! You clearly love the kids and you worked really, really hard to bring us a winner. Ultimately, your loyalty (and complete lack of time management, lol) and commitment to keeping up promises you made to kids in the transfer portal era were probably your downfalls. Maybe you had too much heart for the job? If this is your last game, I wish you absolutely all the best.

If you're back next year...this is going to get really ugly.

 

[Big Red Crimson Buffalo]

If you're back next year...this is going to get really ugly.

In other words….
If you are back next year, forget ever I just said!

 

[MyTeamIsOnTheFloor]

I believe Coach will stay. The “young team showing promise in a changing crazy portal NIL world” will prevail.

The Loyal 19 is now The Loyal 30.

Until Congress acts, chaos will reign and only the Historic Haves will have, no matter who gets hired and fired to coach in the great concrete Rock, so IU stands pat where the rest of the world says “hit me.”

 

[jacksback]

I believe Coach will stay. The “young team showing promise in a changing crazy portal NIL world” will prevail.

The Loyal 19 is now The Loyal 30.

Until Congress acts, chaos will reign and only the Historic Haves will have, no matter who gets hired and fired to coach in the great concrete Rock, so IU stands pat where the rest of the world says “hit me.”

What young team is showing promise?? Other than a few positions we aren't really that young. The coaching stinks. There are a million examples particularly of bad in game coaching decisions and that won't change with older players.

 

[Jackskip23]

What young team is showing promise?? Other than a few positions we aren't really that young. The coaching stinks. There are a million examples particularly of bad in game coaching decisions and that won't change with older players.

We certainly have some younger contributors, but there are plenty of fourth and fifth year guys in our two deep. We’re far from a young team.

 

[Bowlmania]

We certainly have some younger contributors, but there are plenty of fourth and fifth year guys in our two deep. We’re far from a young team.

The biggest disappointment (and surprise) as far as I'm concerned is how bad our defense has been the last couple of years. I mean, that's Coach Allen's bailiwick. He's the reason we went to a bowl in 2016. Look what he did that year as DC (and I'm stealing this from his Wikipedia page):

"Allen took over a defense that ranked #120 in the FBS in total defense and #106 in opponent points scored. After just one season, Allen engineered one of the top defensive turnarounds in the country with the team improving in every major statistical category against a schedule featuring four top-10 opponents, a program first. The Hoosiers were the most improved team nationally in total defense (-169.4 ypg) and passing defense (-134.1 ypg), the sixth-most improved in third-down defense (-12.2 percent) and the ninth-most improved in points per game allowed (-12.3 ypg)."

What the hell happened? Has the [until recently] struggling offense been too much of a distraction and/or occupying too much of his time as HC? Is it TOP and the defense is just out there too long? I just don't get it.

 

[TMFT]

The biggest disappointment (and surprise) as far as I'm concerned is how bad our defense has been the last couple of years. I mean, that's Coach Allen's bailiwick. He's the reason we went to a bowl in 2016. Look what he did that year as DC (and I'm stealing this from his Wikipedia page):

"Allen took over a defense that ranked #120 in the FBS in total defense and #106 in opponent points scored. After just one season, Allen engineered one of the top defensive turnarounds in the country with the team improving in every major statistical category against a schedule featuring four top-10 opponents, a program first. The Hoosiers were the most improved team nationally in total defense (-169.4 ypg) and passing defense (-134.1 ypg), the sixth-most improved in third-down defense (-12.2 percent) and the ninth-most improved in points per game allowed (-12.3 ypg)."

What the hell happened? Has the [until recently] struggling offense been too much of a distraction and/or occupying too much of his time as HC? Is it TOP and the defense is just out there too long? I just don't get it.

I just think it's complicated.

A bad overall defense doesn't restrict Marvin Harrison Jr. like that. But a good defense doesn't get into a shootout with Illinois. So who knows.

I know the secondary has been banged up and losing Noah really has hurt. But it can't be THAT bad. Our LBs have stayed healthy and our DL too as far as I can tell. I think it's crazy that they can play great and follow it up with nothing.

For a big chunk of the year where they weren't able to score and/or sustain drives on offense, the defense just got wore out with being on the field too much.

 

[sparkeyreturns]

We certainly have some younger contributors, but there are plenty of fourth and fifth year guys in our two deep. We’re far from a young team.

Our entire defense is almost made up of 5th year seniors.

 

[Eyedoc991]

Was 19/20 a case of blind squirrel finding nut? It's looking more and more like it. Game/clock management mistakes that HS coaches don't make, and week after week, year after year looking completely unprepared coming out of timeouts and halftime.

 

[nurban]

Our entire defense is almost made up of 5th year senio

We certainly have some younger contributors, but there are plenty of fourth and fifth year guys in our two deep. We’re far from a young team.

Oline had 3 redshirt seniors and redshirt junior. Goes back to the old IU saying, the good news is everyone is back, the bad news is everyone is back!

 

[Jackskip23]

Oline had 3 redshirt seniors and redshirt junior. Goes back to the old IU saying, the good news is everyone is back, the bad news is everyone is back!

Portal recruiting tends to make your two deeps older, which is why it will necessitate that we continue on that path (or we’ll get young and inexperienced quickly).

 

[MMcCormick]

The biggest disappointment (and surprise) as far as I'm concerned is how bad our defense has been the last couple of years. I mean, that's Coach Allen's bailiwick. He's the reason we went to a bowl in 2016. Look what he did that year as DC (and I'm stealing this from his Wikipedia page):

"Allen took over a defense that ranked #120 in the FBS in total defense and #106 in opponent points scored. After just one season, Allen engineered one of the top defensive turnarounds in the country with the team improving in every major statistical category against a schedule featuring four top-10 opponents, a program first. The Hoosiers were the most improved team nationally in total defense (-169.4 ypg) and passing defense (-134.1 ypg), the sixth-most improved in third-down defense (-12.2 percent) and the ninth-most improved in points per game allowed (-12.3 ypg)."

What the hell happened? Has the [until recently] struggling offense been too much of a distraction and/or occupying too much of his time as HC? Is it TOP and the defense is just out there too long? I just don't get it.

This has been the greatest ironies. He finally found an offensive coordinator and his defense regresses to whatever degree it needs to to make sure we lose the game. It's mind bogging. The tackling in particular is mind boggling. He has two safeties that look like they have never run a tackling drill.

 

[vesuvius13]

Was 19/20 a case of blind squirrel finding nut? It's looking more and more like it. Game/clock management mistakes that HS coaches don't make, and week after week, year after year looking completely unprepared coming out of timeouts and halftime.

Look at the OC in 2019 and the DC in 2020 as both left following those seasons. Their replacements weren't as good and coach Allen let Hiller hang on too long.

 

[td75]

This has been the greatest ironies. He finally found an offensive coordinator and his defense regresses to whatever degree it needs to to make sure we lose the game. It's mind bogging. The tackling in particular is mind boggling. He has two safeties that look like they have never run a tackling drill.

On two of MSU scores, our secondary people were trying to strip the ball instead of tackling. That is ABSOLUTELY coaching and it allowed two key touchdowns that should've been tackles well outside of the end zone!!!

That is Tom Allen coaching!!

 

[Eyedoc991]

On two of MSU scores, our secondary people were trying to strip the ball instead of tackling. That is ABSOLUTELY coaching and it allowed two key touchdowns that should've been tackles well outside of the end zone!!!

That is Tom Allen coaching!!

Good, fundamental football will lead to turnovers. Going for the turnover will lead to bad fundamental football.

 

[kmathum]

Good, fundamental football will lead to turnovers. Going for the turnover will lead to bad fundamental football.

I agree, and that's Allan's defensive philosophy. It's not about playing sound defense, it's all about turnovers.

 

[td75]

I agree, and that's Allan's defensive philosophy. It's not about playing sound defense, it's all about turnovers.

When you see those guys just going for the strip instead of the tackle, that is Tom Allen!! He has always taught that approach. It's OK if it works but......

 

[Hoosier Clarion]

On two of MSU scores, our secondary people were trying to strip the ball instead of tackling. That is ABSOLUTELY coaching and it allowed two key touchdowns that should've been tackles well outside of the end zone!!!

That is Tom Allen coaching!!

This is the 3rd year I've been convinced the call for turnovers is over emphasized and stressed too strongly to the detriment of solid fundamentals. Tackling just went clear to hell. Much like offense acutely over weighting Lucas as the featured savior. So many misguided priorities.

 

[Jackskip23]

This is the 3rd year I've been convinced the call for turnovers is over emphasized and stressed too strongly to the detriment of solid fundamentals. Tackling just went clear to hell. Much like offense acutely over weighting Lucas as the featured savior. So many misguided priorities.

Turnovers have always been the secret sauce of TAs defenses. It’s why he’s always played very aggressively, and why that both enhances the upside and deepens the trough on the downside. When teams have figured out that we’re going to play that sort of high risk style, most have used it against us. It’s why I think he may struggle to immediately be a coordinator if he leaves us.

 

[vesuvius13]

When you see those guys just going for the strip instead of the tackle, that is Tom Allen!! He has always taught that approach. It's OK if it works but......

The first one there should have a tackle with everyone coming can trying to strip the ball.