Allen, Hoosiers Enjoy a Day in the Sun With Outback Bowl Preparations
TAMPA, Fla. — Indiana went through a spirited bowl practice under the hot sun on Thursday at Jesuit High School. It felt good to be back out on the practice field, and for Indiana coach Tom Allen and many of his players, it was good to be back home.
Allen, who has lived in Tampa twice during his coaching career, has always wanted to bring an Indiana team to the Outback Bowl because of those ties. It's finally happened, with a bowl game against Ole Miss coming on Saturday afternoon.
It's not our typical bowl season because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Allen will take it anyway. He's thrilled to be here.
"I just got back from a good Thursday practice. I liked our energy, liked our focus,'' Allen said Thursday afternoon when he met with the media via a Zoom conference call. "I'm really excited for these guys, and really excited to be in this bowl game. I love being back here in Tampa, a place that we know well. We're staying just a few hundred yards from where we used to live for a few years here. ''
Indiana has nearly two dozen players from Florida on his roster, including 10 from the immediate Tampa Bay area. Allen is thrilled that they all get to be back around their families – even at a distance.
"It's so neat to see so many of our guys have family down here already, and for them to be so excited to be so close to home,'' Allen said. "Even the guys that are from Miami and cities that are not necessarily Tampa, it's just a cool thing for sure.
"Just being able to have the Indiana football team here in Tampa has been a great, great thing. It has been a good week, now we just have to finish it off and play well on game day.''
Allen said many of the Florida players will finally get to see their families, but they still have to do it safely between now and Saturday.
"I want them all to be around their families. It's been so long,'' Allen said. "They're not on complete lockdown, but they're not going out and not doing any activities..But the families can come here and see them, and everyone is wearing masks.
"It's really no different when families could come and watch a game and see them afterward. We feel good, and our players, they kind of understand now about the social distance persective and creating a shield for our guys.''
Indiana got its first Florida practice in on Thursday at Jesuit High School in Tampa. (Photos courtesy of Missy Minear, Indiana University Athletics)
Allen said Indiana was able to have recruits come and watch practice, too, which is huge during this pandemic year where coaches can't make at-home visits and recruits can't officially visit Bloomington.
"We had a chance to have some recruits here,'' he said. "We could not talk to the recruits, but we had a chance to have some guys there watching us practice, and that's big.''
Allen said that's one of the many reasons why he wasn't that upset when Indiana didn't get a New Year's Six bowl. Many thought Indiana was slighted, but Allen also sees many plusses with being in Tampa, one of the most important recruiting areas in the country for the Hoosiers.
"That's the unique thing about this situation and not playing in the Fiesta Bowl, outside of Florida and without any fans,'' Allen said. "Sometimes things happen for a reason, and at the end of the day, this is probably the best location for us. This is the bowl game I've always had circled. I've always wanted to bring the Indiana Hoosiers to the Outback Bowl.
"When you think about building this program and building to the next step, what am I supposed to do? It's out of our control, and I talk about that all the time. We can use this as motivation and increase that chip on our shoulder but at the same time, this is a great experience for our guys. It's an awesome thing to be here, especially in this footprint of an area we recruit.''
Indiana had to pause activities a few weeks ago because of COVID-19 breakouts, and two tries to play Purdue went by the wayside. But Allen said he feels comfortable that Indiana will be at full strength on Saturday, ''even though we've still got two more days of tests to get through.''
He said Thursday morning's test results were all good and he's excited about having his team back on the field Saturday. It will be their first game in four weeks.
"As of today, the guys that had been out are all back and have been able to practice,'' Allen said. "So it's just a matter of getting those guys physically ready. It's quite a bit warmer than where we came from, so they are going to have to deal with that in terms the game day heat and keeping hydrated for that. Our guys, the ones that were out, are all back.'
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