My Two Cents: Tom Allen, Indiana Have Reached Point Where Moment Isn't Too Big
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Oftentimes in college sports, the enormity of a moment can be overwhelming. It happens a lot, and it's understandable, especially when you dealing with 18-to-22 year olds. And dealing with young coaches, too, those who haven't been there before.
The big moment, it can crush you. Erasing history is very hard. We've seen other circumstances where it's happened and perceptions change. Clemson football in the past decade is a perfect example of climbing the mountain, of getting walloped when you thought you were ready and then enjoying the view from the top.
Closer to home, Butler basketball was the same way, too. No one ever thought a school like Butler could make a Final Four — and then they did it two years in a row, turning enormous moments into simple 40-minute games.
Winning is hard,and at the highest level, it's very hard. Clemson and Butler are just two examples.
And so then, here we sit in Bloomington, a day out from Indiana's game against Michigan, and Indiana's football program is on the precipice once again. Hoosiers young and old now have lost 24 straight games to Michigan, and haven't won since that mid-October day in 1987. They had lost 15 straight games to the Wolverines prior to that day, too, and it's pretty easy to do that math.
Since 1968, a whopping 52 years ago, Indiana is 1-39 against Michigan. There are former Indiana football players scattered around the country that are part of this futility who are in their 70s now. So, yes, it affects everyone, young and old.
That brings us back to early Saturday afternoon, though. This current group of Hoosiers might have to carry a bit of the weight of all this futility, but they also know that when the ball gets kicked off at Noon ET, that none of these 52 years really matter.
Their moment, their big moment, is at hand. But there's something very different, too. For this current group of Hoosiers, they have laser-like focus in believing that they can beat Jim Harbaugh's mighty Wolverines, that they can be the better team for three hours and change on a sun-splashed Saturday afternoon.
And why? Because they just proved two weeks ago against that Penn State that history doesn't matter.
Indiana was just 1-22 against Penn State before winning 36-35 in overtime two weeks ago. (USA TODAY Sports)
Why the Penn State win matters again
Finally getting over the hump against Penn State meant erasing a 1-22 history against the Nittany Lions. Indiana's players went into that game confident they could win, and when the 36-35 overtime victory was in the books, they begged for people to not call it an upset.
Even though it was. History said so.
For Tom Allen, though, beating Penn State was part of his vision for turning around this oft-moribund Indiana program. First it was about winning seasons when he got here four years ago, then it was about bigger bowl games. Now, it about competing for championships in the Big Ten, something no one ever thought possible.
That's why the moment isn't too big on Saturday. Not any more, because they just erased history two weeks ago. And they can do it again, because they have that experience.
"I think it helps (going through it)'' Allen said Thursday when I asked him about jumping another huge hurdle just two weeks later. 'Anytime you can experience something, that experience will be valuable the next time. We play such a challenging schedule, and we knew what we were getting into before it started and the opportunities that that would create for our program.
"Obviously, going into the Penn State game with the certain mindset and focus that we had and then you get that outcome, you learn how to handle that. Then you go on the road (at Rutgers), in a tough situation, to be able to do it again after potential opportunities for distractions, we were able to accomplish that. Now you go back to at home against the team that, we know the history. The bottom line is, I think there is no question that previous experience will help.''
Allen is a goal-oriented man with specific plans. His program is on the rise, and we've talked often about that the past two years. A year ago, as the 2019 season was turning into something special – Indiana won eight games for the first time since 1993 — Allen talked about having conversations with players and coaches. He shared his vision of what this Indiana program was going to be, and he told everyone that if they didn't believe in that same vision, that they should just leave.
Being 2-0? Tom Allen said that, even though the Hoosiers hadn't won their first two league games since 1991. Being ranked No. 13 in country for the first time in more than 30 years was part of the plan, too.
Beating Michigan on Saturday is also part of the plan. He has enormous respect for Harbaugh, enormous respect for the great history of Michigan football, and a great understanding for what it takes to win.
And he's ready to move forward.
"For us, It is about us continuing to move this program where we want it to be. That to me, that's what this is all about. Our word this week is 'elevate.' The definition of elevate is to raise to a higher level. That is very appropriate for what we are trying to do here.
"Whether it is this game or the next game, to me it does not really matter who we are playing. It just happens to be the Michigan Wolverines, who we know has had a ton of success in this conference and in this country, for many, many years. That creates an opportunity for us to be able to continue to build what we are trying to do. It is going to be a tremendous challenge. It is going to be very challenging to be able to play for four quarters with the football that we know we have to play, but that is the expectation.''
And expecting a result.
"If you want to get where we want to be, that is what you have to do. That is why we have to be able to take advantage of opportunities like this. As hard as they are physically and mentally, all those different things going into it. It is about one game at a time, one focus. What can we do to help elevate this program?''
Allen said the Hoosiers have had a great week of practice and they will be ready. The moment is not too big. It's back down to 60 minutes again now, just like Penn State was.
"I feel good about the guy's mindset that they have right now,'' Allen said. 'We have talked about some things that we need to be able to do, and my expectations for how you prepare and put yourself in this position and then how you perform as a team. It is about achieving your goals one game at a time.
"We have talked about those goals that we have, that we put those out there for our team, and then you pursue the achievement of those goals on a daily basis. The process that you go through to achieve them has not changed. We have picked 'elevate' this week because I think it is very appropriate for what I want to see our team do in terms of their preparation. That to me is the key. It is always about what are we doing today, what are we doing right now during this moment to prepare ourselves to be our very, very best on game day.''
Indiana has been competitive with Michigan at times in the past few years, but hasn't been able to get over the hump. They get another shot on Saturday. (USA TODAY Sports)
Breaking through, finally
Please be aware that I am in no way putting the cart before the horse here when I compare Indiana to Clemson football or Butler basketball. They are just analogies, a way to help shape the conversation about what the moment is like.
But there are some similarities, mostly with the young coaches and the messages they tried to deliver. Dabo Swinney was 38 years old when Clemson hired him, and the fan base screamed that they didn't hire a bigger name. The Tigers couldn't ever get past Florida State in the ACC, but Swinney said it would happen.
Brad Stevens did the same thing at Butler. He was 32 years old when he was hired, and he was firmly entrenched in "The Butler Way,'' which many thought was a cute little story. But Stevens kept telling his 2010 team that they were something special. Led by Gordon Hayward but with plenty of help, they made an improbable run to the Final Four and were one shot away from winning the whole thing at Lucas Oil Stadium, just a few miles away from their campus.
No one said Stevens, Hayward and Butler could do it, but they did. It was one of the greatest college stories ever told – until they did it again next year and made it to another Final Four, losing in the final to Connecticut.
Little Butler wasn't supposed to be able to do that. But they believed, and they won 10 NCAA Tournament games in a 13-month period. Indiana has won only 10 NCAA tournament games in the past 20 years.
And flip back over to Clemson. I remember in 2013 when Swinney had gotten Clemson to that moment when they were finally ready to clear the hurdle with Florida State. The Tigers had started the season 6-0 and were ranked No. 3 in the country. Florida State, with redshirt freshman quarterback Jameis Winston, was No. 5, and a slight favorite for the game at Clemson.
That magic moment for the Tigers? It didn't happen. Florida State won 51-14 and Death Valley was silent most of the night. Florida State would go on to win a national championship. Swinney went back to work, and vowed that their moment would come. That moment, in 2013, was too big. But that was the beginning, not an end.
What's happened since? Clemson has won five games in a row in the series and now they own the ACC. They've won two national championships, and Florida State is on its third coach in five years.
As I said, I'm not correlating the two, Indiana and Clemson, other than saying that at one point, things can switch in a series.
For Indiana, that moment with Michigan might come on Saturday. It's a big moment, but not too big.
It's just another big game, just like it was two weeks ago with Penn State. And the Hoosiers are ready.
