Indiana's Rod Carey 'Not a Miracle Worker,' But He's Ready to Help Struggling Offensive Line
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Rod Carey spoke with brutal honesty regarding the impact he can have replacing Darren Hiller as Indiana’s offensive line coach and run game coordinator with six weeks left in the regular season.
“I don't know,” Carey said. “To be dead honest with you, I don't know. We're in the middle of a season. This isn't a wave your magic wand and all of a sudden everything's better. I certainly am not a miracle worker as far as trying to get production out. And there isn't time, we've got to play Maryland in five days. But I know this, I'm going to try because coach Allen asked me to try."
Indiana fired Hiller on Sunday afternoon following a 31-10 loss to Michigan on Saturday. Quarterback Connor Bazelak was sacked seven times, and the Indiana offense was held scoreless in the second half. The Hoosiers moved to 3-3 on the season, and Indiana coach Tom Allen said a change was necessary as the offensive line failed to meet the program’s standard.
Allen informed the offensive line of the coaching change in person on Sunday afternoon. It was an emotional conversation – the players loved Hiller, Allen loved Hiller – but Allen also sees it as a challenge for the offensive line to rise up as a group and play for each other.
“They took it personal,'' Allen said. “In a good way.”
Temple Owls head coach Rod Carey looks up at the scoreboard during the first half against the East Carolina Pirates at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium.
James Guillory-USA TODAY Sports
Carey, a three-year starter on Indiana’s offensive line from 1990-93 under coach Bill Mallory, joined the Indiana coaching staff before the 2022 season as a quality control coach. Allen said he and Carey did not have a past personal relationship, but one of Carey’s former teammates reached out to Allen about considering Carey for a quality control role.
For the first six weeks of the season, Carey worked predominantly with the defensive line. With his perspective as a former offensive lineman and offensive line coach, he helped the Indiana defensive coaching staff understand opponents' blocking schemes and how to attack different protections.
“When coach Allen called, I asked him, 'What is your vision for it?'" Carey said. "And he said. 'I don't really know,' and we just kind of worked through it together, and I really enjoyed what I was doing.”
Carey played center at Indiana and has been an offensive line coach in the past, which gave Allen confidence that he could replace Hiller. Since joining the coaching staff, Carey said getting to know Allen has been one of the pleasures of his coaching career.
“We have all different types of characters in this coaching profession, and [Allen] is as genuine as they come," Carey said. "It's been a joy. If I can help him, I'm going to help."
Returning to Indiana has been a surreal experience for Carey. He recognizes certain aspects of Bloomington, but plenty has changed. He joked that his best memories wouldn’t be appropriate to share.
He also carried a heavy heart at Monday’s press conference. Standing at the podium at the Henke Hall of Champions inside Memorial Stadium, Carey said the last time he was in that room was for Mallory’s funeral. The winningest coach in Indiana football history, Mallory passed away in 2018 at 82 years old. Carey said Mallory is the reason he went into coaching, and he’s trying to do for others what Mallory did for him.
“When you come back to the place where that started, it means something,” Carey said. “This is a special place.”
Northern Illinois Huskies defensive tackle Weston Kramer (55) dumps water on head coach Rod Carey during the second half against the Buffalo Bulls at Ford Field.
Timothy T. Ludwig-USA TODAY Sports
Carey spent the previous three seasons as head coach at Temple, where he had a 12-20 record. He was the head coach at Northern Illinois from 2012-18, where he won two MAC championships, reached six bowl games and finished with a 52-30 overall record and a 38-10 mark in conference play.
And now, stepping into his new role midseason is a “drastic change” for Carey and one that has not been easy through the first 24 hours. Following the conversation with Allen and the offensive line on Sunday, Carey knew they had business to do, and he was pretty happy with day one of practice.
He said there’s no time to change the scheme, and offensive line play is about resistance and repetition, big men trying to move other big men. His main focus in the second half of the season will be fundamentals and a change in practice tempo. Carey believes the offensive line is a bright and intelligent group, saying identification, marking and other technical aspects have not been the problem this year.
“I think they want to be good, and that's a big-time quality to have,” Carey said. “Ask me that in about a week, and I'll be able to tell you a lot more. Otherwise, I'd be making stuff up right now."
Related stories on Indiana football:
- DARREN HILLER FIRED: Indiana football coach Tom Allen announced that Darren Hiller is out as the team's offensive line coach following a 31-10 loss to Michigan. CLICK HERE
- ROD CAREY TO REPLACE DARREN HILLER: Rod Carey will replace Darren Hiller as the offensive line coach for Indiana football. Carey played at Indiana from 1990-93 before becoming head coach at Northern Illinois and Temple. CLICK HERE
- O-LINE RECRUITS REAFFIRM COMMITMENT: Following the firing of Indiana offensive line coach Darren Hiller on Sunday, Indiana's three offensive line recruits in the class of 2023 reaffirmed their commitment to Indiana football. CLICK HERE
