What Tom Allen Said After Indiana Football's Overtime Win Over Michigan State
EAST LANSING, Mich. — Indiana football snapped its seven-game losing streak on Saturday as the Hoosiers carried out a 39-31 overtime victory over the Michigan State Spartans on the road to earn back the Old Brass Spittoon.
Read Coach Tom Allen's full press conference transcript, or just listen to the attached audio.
ALLEN: "It's an unbelievable win, just so proud of our team. They're going crazy right now. They fought so hard. They never quit believing. It's been hard. It's been a rough season. A lot of guys didn't play today, but you know what, a lot of guys did.
The guys that did play — they fought till the bitter end. It wasn't pretty, but we bowed up, and we had to bow up on both sides of the ball, and special teams did those things so it's a trophy game, trophy game baby.
Those games come down to the wire. It's the second time we've went to overtime since I've been here, and we won both of them, so we're really blessed, thankful, and we have a very very excited, happy locker room right now as it should be."
On fighting back even after a bad first half...
ALLEN: "There's no question, and I just think you stay together. We make adjustments, but it's really just about guys making plays in those moments, and that's what we did in the second half and got two three and outs to start, and we made them punt two times in a row to start the half and obviously got a touchdown, got a kickoff return for a touchdown after we gave up another score defensively, but you know you it's about fighting to the finish, and that's been the theme all week long.
We knew it was going to be a physical football game, and they had a lot of momentum going into this game. We knew they were playing to go to a bowl game, which is a lot of motivation for them and for the spittoon as well, so it was going to be a tall task on the road but our guys responded."
On some excellent individual performances...
ALLEN: "No question. That's what you got to have. Guys got to make plays, and those guys did that. You think about Jonathan Haynes. He got to start because we ran out of linebackers. We had to move Bryant Fitzgerald to stinger linebacker, so Fitzy started at stinger for the first time ever.
He's played there in some sub roles. We've had some injuries, but he had to start there, and I tell you what, Aaron Casey — nobody knows this, but he didn't really practice all week. He had an injury, got hurt in Tuesday's practice. We didn't think he was going to be able to play.
He just gritted it out, was actually on a scooter even through the walk-through this morning just trying to keep him ready to play, and that dude sucked it up, one of many guys who played with so much heart.
I'm so proud of Jaylin Lucas on that kickoff return and Shaun Shivers on his job and the o-line getting better and just trying to take what we can do and maximize it and find a way to win. That's what our guys did."
On the offensive line...
ALLEN: "They've gotten their share of criticism, and I understand why, but those dudes sucked it up, and obviously the conditions and the way they were and just knowing where we were at with some key receivers down, you know just the point of the season where we knew we had to run the ball to win the game, and they knew that too.
We're still able to do it, and that's just massive, so credit to the o-line. Rod Carey did a great job getting those guys to improve a little bit each week, and what a win man, to break down a negative streak and also to get the brass spittoon all at the same time, so it doesn't get any better than that baby.
On if Allen spit into the spittoon yet...
ALLEN: "I did, and you know what, I never did the last two times we got it because the first time, I didn't even know the rules back in 2016 and then in 2020, we beat them here, and we weren't allowed to spit in it because it was during the pandemic, so I did it for the very first time.
Yeah, that was a beautiful thing without question, and the bottom line is that spittoon is in the possession of the Indiana Hoosiers. We're going to fly that sucker back to Bloomington."
Related stories on Indiana football:
- GAME STORY: INDIANA BEATS MICHIGAN STATE Indiana football won its first game since Sept. 17 with a 39-31 win over at Michigan State in double-overtime. With improbable touchdowns, a kickoff return, a tipped-ball interception and two blocked field goals in overtime, this game had it all. CLICK HERE
