Is this the year the Hoosiers take the next step?

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — There’s a football phrase that’s about as old as leather helmets, and it still applies, even today. It’s a simple one, really.

Optimism is undefeated in August.

That’s true most everywhere, and it certainly applies in Bloomington, where the third year of Indiana football in the Tom Allen era is ready to start with a young but experienced roster that’s loaded with talent. There’s plenty of depth in most every position group too, and that’s something that’s rarely been seen around these parts.

Now it’s time to put in a month of work and then go prove it on Saturdays. Allen has gone 5-7 in his two full seasons as a head coach, and although the product has been much easier on the eyes, it’s still a results-oriented business and improving on 5-7 is fully expected this year.

By everyone.

“At the end of the day, you're judged on the scoreboard as a coach and as a player,’’ Allen said Monday during the school’s Media Day event. “That's how we get judged professionally, and it's how we get judged in performance. That's a big part of it.’’

There’s no doubt about that, and what was obvious from everyone on Monday — players and coaches alike — is that there is zero doubt about this team heading in the right direction. The defense, a top 25 unit a year ago, returns a ton of talent and vows to remain aggressive. The offense is ready to step up and do its part, too.

And it’s not just talk. The benefits of a summer of hard work in the weight room are obvious, where guys on both lines are bigger, stronger and more polished. The Hoosiers, as they say, have won the summer.

That should help with turning a couple of years of close-call losses into wins. The biggest question is at quarterback, where incumbent Peyton Ramsey returns, along with up-and-coming redshirt freshman Michael Penix Jr., and transfer Jack Tuttle. It’s Ramsey’s job for now, but a wide-open competition is promised in fall camp, and the Game 1 starter against Ball State is yet to be determined.

But it will be soon. It’s in everyone’s best interest to get settled on a starting quarterback quickly.

“I've clearly stated that we're going to have one quarterback that's going to be leading our team, and that's where the process it taking us, to get to that one guy,’’ Allen said. “I think that's what we're going through right now, and that's where we're evaluating.

“I'm excited for having multiple guys, and so I've definitely been here enough times in situations where we didn't have a lot of guys, and I was very concerned at this point in the season. So I just think that's why you recruit, and that's why you scour the country to find guys to come here and help us be a better football team.’’

Ramsey, a redshirt junior from Cincinnati, started all 12 games a year ago. He’s posted some decent numbers — he’s first all-time at Indiana in completion percentage (65.8) — but he’s also struggled enough at times that winning the job is no guarantee. Penix showed flashes as a true freshman a year ago before missing the rest of the year with an ACL tear. Tuttle, a transfer from Utah who was once a highly touted recruit, also has a great resume.

New offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer would much prefer going forward with one guy, but he also know all three are capable of winning games for the Hoosiers. So they’ll all get a chance to prove it.

“(Getting reps for all three guys is) one of the tougher things that we'll have to handle during fall camp,’’ DeBoer said.. “But it's just — it's what it is, and we're going to make the most of it. I think all three quarterbacks are very intelligent guys, and they pick things up quickly. It comes natural to them. They're instinctive.

“So the pieces are here. I just have a good feeling that another year of experience underneath all these guys' belt, and a few tweaks here and there, and we could be off and rolling.’’

DeBoer installed a lot of the offense in the spring, with Ramsey and Tuttle running the show. Penix was forced to watch through team activities as he rehabbed from his knee injury, but he’s 100 percent now and is ready to compete. It’s a solid quarterback room, with all three getting along well and helping each other, despite all of them having the goal of starting.

“We all want to start, but we’re also all about doing whatever it takes to help the team win. That’s the first priority,’’ Penix said. “We’re all excited about getting to work, though. We like this offense, and we’ve got a lot of weapons here. We’re going to be better on offense. We know that already.’’

Allen thinks the leader will emerge sometime in August. He’ll know, and DeBoer will know, too. Most importantly, the players will know.

“To me, and we would all agree, that teams usually go as far as the talent of their quarterback and the play of their quarterback, Allen said. “At the end of the day, it has to be, when it's a minute-20 to go in the game and we've got the ball, who do our guys believe is going to take us down the field and go score and go win the game, to where we have the mindset as coaches and our team feels that as long as there's time on that clock, if that guy is in the huddle leading our offense, that we've got a chance to win.

“To me, that's called winning your team. Winning your teammates, who they believe in. It's not just liking the guy, it's not a popularity contest, because they're all three awesome guys, and it's who do they believe and who do we believe and who believes in themselves enough to take this team down the field and go win the game.’’

Indiana’s defense has kept them in games lately, and that’s not about to change. New coordinator Kane Wommack, an Allen disciple, isn’t changing much, and with all the returning talent he has, he’s ready to get after it.

“Well, I work for Tom Allen, so I'll play pretty aggressively defensively, or I won't have my job,’’ Wommack said. “We've made no bones about it. We are an aggressive, attacking defense. I think you have to be intentional about creating negative plays for the offense.

“I think, overall, we want to change the outcome of close games, and that's what we want to be responsible for. We want to put that on our shoulders. That's a team effort, but we have to do a good job in that regard.’’

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