Tom Allen Press Conference After Indiana Football 29-27 Win Over Akron
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00:00 Opening statement, it's about midnight and you guys are still here.
00:03 So congratulations, appreciate your perseverance and grit you're showing.
00:07 And as ugly as it was, we found a way to win.
00:10 So really, really frustrating in a lot of ways, but proud of our defense.
00:14 To just keep us in the game, three takeaways, defensive score,
00:19 obviously difference in the game.
00:21 Offense was really, really out of sync and really, really performed poorly.
00:26 And but found a way to win, proud of our guys, and even offensively find a way to
00:31 get that final two point conversion there was a great call.
00:35 But yeah, just not a lot to be too fired up about on that side of the football.
00:39 But obviously, when you find a way, you got a bunch of players that believe and
00:44 they just battle and they fight and they call and
00:45 they scratch to find a way to win a game.
00:47 And so winning is hard and
00:50 just get a chance to learn from it and get ready for the next one.
00:54 Questions?
00:55 >> Coach, on Monday after this week, you mentioned you'd like to see your team
00:59 come out and play with confidence for 60 minutes, come out with certain mindset.
01:04 Seemed like the same thing this week, except it kind of carried over maybe
01:07 throughout the entire game.
01:08 It's kind of where's the concern level?
01:09 And I mean, I guess what can you kind of do four games in the season to kind of
01:12 change this?
01:13 >> Yeah, so obviously maybe look at changing some things we're doing in our
01:16 schedule, maybe change the personnel.
01:18 You just find a way to make some changes to get a different result.
01:22 Obviously, didn't prepare poorly this week, but at the same time,
01:28 did have to remind them in an emotional way on Thursday about who this team is and
01:33 who they can be and don't look at the record and other things and things of the past.
01:39 And I knew just from watching film how hard they were going to play and
01:42 how much talent they had at some key positions.
01:45 And so, but thought got their attention from that, but
01:49 obviously not to the extent we needed to.
01:50 So obviously need to look at that and make some changes.
01:52 >> I guess, Tom, to follow up on that, I mean, did you, for lack of something more
01:59 artful sense that maybe your locker room was struggling not to look past Akron
02:04 a little bit and just I mean, how do you, what's the battle a coach fights in
02:09 a situation like that where obviously it's easy to sort of say it, but
02:13 to get a whole group of people to keep that focus?
02:16 >> It's huge.
02:17 I mean, I think it's, I was looking for opportunities and
02:21 did not like at all how we practiced.
02:23 We actually restarted some things on Thursday.
02:26 And from what you're just saying right there,
02:27 I just sensed a lack of really understanding who we were playing and
02:31 their ability to beat you.
02:32 And so, which is mind blowing because we don't have any right to think that
02:36 at this point, so but did sense it for sure.
02:39 Didn't like what I was seeing.
02:41 And, but at the same time, didn't effectively get their attention for sure.
02:47 Especially not on certain areas of the game.
02:49 So, but yeah, to me it's a matter of, you know, addressing it.
02:54 And like I said, making whatever change we got, I feel like we gotta make to get us
02:58 after four games being us playing right out of the gate at a high level.
03:02 >> Tom, third down and fourth down, three for 16 combined on both tonight.
03:10 I know you need to watch the film, but what do you wanna see unlocked in terms
03:15 of trying to get that done, cuz a lot of those are short yardage as well.
03:18 >> Yeah, you know, up front, didn't block well at all.
03:22 Probably our worst performance of the season on the offensive line as far as
03:25 running the football.
03:26 Look, there's more than just them that are effective as tight ends and
03:29 the quarterbacks and the reeds and different things we do.
03:31 But obviously not near good enough.
03:33 You're on the goal line, you gotta score touchdowns and
03:35 not have to kick field goals.
03:36 And obviously got stopped on the one two before we chose to kick a field goal from
03:40 inside the one.
03:41 But yeah, just to me starts up front, gotta block better.
03:45 If we have to make changes up front personnel wise and
03:48 we'll do what we gotta do to get that fixed.
03:50 But that kind of starts to me, that's where it begins.
03:53 And then it puts a lot of pressure on third downs with a young quarterback that
03:58 had a tough night, just call it what it is.
03:59 So, but at the same time, we gotta do some things to help him as well.
04:03 But definitely, gotta go back and evaluate everything we're doing on offense.
04:08 >> You mentioned Taven, I mean, settles down with that last two point conversion.
04:15 But what'd you see from him kind of missed some throws high?
04:18 I mean, what do you get a sense of his sort of demeanor?
04:20 I know you've talked a lot about his moxie, but
04:22 where was he out in that second half as you guys were continuing to struggle?
04:24 >> Yeah, it was a tough night.
04:27 He definitely wasn't his best and we didn't do a good job protecting him.
04:33 There was guys in his face all night long,
04:35 running back did not do a good job blocking at all, as well as our offensive
04:38 lines, so both of those groups really added to that.
04:41 Some of those issues caused maybe some high throws, but
04:44 just we got some open receivers that we didn't hit.
04:46 We had three critical drops.
04:48 One would have been a touchdown early on, just lack of focus,
04:51 call it what it is.
04:53 So those three drops hurt us, and then just not being able to execute.
04:58 So just growing pains without question, but
05:02 gotta look at it very thoroughly and figure out where we need to be and
05:06 what we need to do to get those things fixed,
05:08 because we got a really good team coming up here in just a week.
05:11 >> Yeah, coach, just one offensive touchdown through four quarters against
05:16 team that gave up 35 last week.
05:18 So obvious question, is that play calling needs adjusting?
05:21 Is it execution?
05:23 Is it both?
05:24 Is it many things?
05:24 What do you see and
05:26 kind of how would you grade the offensive production tonight through four quarters?
05:29 >> Yeah, not good enough, not close.
05:31 So below the standard, below what's acceptable for sure.
05:36 Need to go back and watch the film to be able to evaluate the execution piece.
05:40 And obviously I can see the things that I mentioned as far as the drops and
05:43 not doing a good job.
05:44 And obviously just evaluate what we're calling.
05:46 I think there's no question that some of those leading up to it causes you to be
05:51 a little bit more careful in some of the situations, not to create a takeaway.
05:56 And put you in an even worse situation,
05:59 because the defense was playing well and doing a lot of good things.
06:01 So that's even why we chose to kick field goal from the one yard line,
06:05 just because, hey, it was a seven point lead.
06:07 And we really wanted to have a double, two score lead, which is frustrating.
06:12 But at the same time, played that one just to be able to get enough points,
06:14 which proved to be pretty critical decision.
06:16 To give us a chance to go to overtime.
06:18 So just looking at it live,
06:23 like you all saw, very frustrating and not good enough.
06:26 That's all I'm gonna say.
06:28 >> Coach, you mentioned that you need to make some changes in that process.
06:32 I would imagine it's extensive, but how deep is that process?
06:36 What all goes into that process?
06:37 >> Well, I mean, just go through and we'll go through and
06:39 evaluate all the times when we broke down.
06:42 That you go through, why was it?
06:43 Was it technique?
06:44 Was it skill?
06:46 From the talent of a person being able to make that, whatever it is,
06:49 wrestling to do.
06:50 And just be able to make sure, is it the call?
06:52 Is it what we're, position we're putting the guys in?
06:54 So that to me is the evaluation.
06:56 We have some things on defense too that we didn't execute at critical times and
07:02 hurt us, that long run at the end was inexcusable to me.
07:05 So shouldn't even been to overtime, we should have defensively did a lot of
07:09 great things, but can't give up that long run.
07:11 It was a wrong fit by one of our linebackers who is one of our better
07:15 players and so it just cannot happen.
07:18 But offensively, it is a thorough process.
07:21 It'll start here in a few hours.
07:23 It'll be a short night to be able to get back to work and
07:25 figure out what we gotta do because obviously, we're playing again here real
07:29 soon.
07:29 >> Coach, the quarterback Irons had 141 yards rushing.
07:36 What do you think led to his success, whether it was a design run or
07:39 him scrambling?
07:40 >> Yeah, I think when you, they do a lot of things that put you
07:43 in conflict with your eyes.
07:45 So man is a better answer than playing zone.
07:48 The negative of that is, if your front doesn't contain him,
07:51 then when he does break free, there's no eyes on him.
07:55 So what's happened on that last run I thought that was in,
07:57 they kind of put us in the second overtime there when we had him on
08:01 a situation to get to the quarterback.
08:03 And so I thought that was part of it.
08:06 Didn't think we had good edges at times, defensively.
08:09 He's a very dangerous guy without question.
08:12 And so but just once again, even though the defense was on the field way too much,
08:17 which they were, that puts a lot of pressure on them.
08:19 But at the same time,
08:20 felt like we didn't do a great job containing a really dangerous quarterback.
08:23 Who we knew going in was a really good athlete could beat you with his legs.
08:27 And so she's that fine line between getting enough pressure on him and
08:30 also having eyes on him.
08:31 So you can make sure when he does break free, you can get him on the ground.
08:34 So we were successful at it a lot of the time, but not all the time, not enough.
08:39 All right, have a great night, LAO.