Indiana Football Cancels Spring Game to Maximize Remaining Practices
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — For the second straight year, Indiana football won't be having a spring game.
Last year it was cancelled due to COVID-19 as Indiana had only four practices in the spring in 2020. This year, head coach Tom Allen and his staff got together and decided to cancel the spring game in order to maximize the remaining practices the Hoosiers have left.
"Excited about the progress we're making with our football team throughout spring football, feel like it's been a really, really good spring," Allen said Wednesday. "We did make an adjustment here at the end where we are going to be canceling our spring game in terms of that format."
Allen confirmed that Indiana had a practice cancelled last week due to COVID-19, but the Hoosiers returned to the field over the weekend for a scrimmage.
Despite not having an official spring game open to the public, Allen said the team will still hold a closed scrimmage during its final spring practice on April 10.
"We are going to have a final scrimmage on the 10th that will allow us to maximize our days, maximize our preparation," Allen said. "I feel that's in the best interest of our program right now. Really looking forward to the finish here. Got a couple this week to finish out with. Then our final practices next week."
Each team only gets 15 days of spring practices. Since Indiana had one day cancelled already due to COVID-19, the Hoosiers are allowed to make it up, but Allen said they will do it in a modified way and work in some things over the days to make up that time.
He wants his team to end on the April 10.
"You go through and look at where you're at. You get 15 days and to me those days are critical. You look at where you are with players and what you're trying to accomplish," Allen said. "I feel like in order for us to maximize those, we had a little bit of a minor setback last week with COVID, and so just being able to maximize our guys in preparation for what comes next which is our end of April workouts and then getting into our summer months.
"I just wanted to make sure every day that we had, we could maximize to the fullest and I believe that's the best way for us to do that."
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