You're listening to the back home network presented by home
field apparel welcome back to Crimson Cask ale
and caviar joining you here. Once again, it is Thursday
night, October 6th. Are you getting ready for
homecoming? Happy homecoming.
To all of you fine, folks out there who are coming back home
to Bloomington. And we hope you have a good
trip. If you're listening to this on
the way, we hope the travels are safe as another homecoming
opportunity for Indiana to perhaps, rack up a victory of
some magnitude. They take on a very
well-regarded, I would say, Michigan Wolverines team, a
Team. That is certainly an interesting
watch right now and we're going to talk a little bit about that.
We've got several questions from the audience that we solicited
via Twitter. So we're going to get to those
here in a little bit, talk about what's going on with this IU
team, what to expect out of this Michigan team and maybe what to
expect overall with the game. First of all, just a reminder,
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It is the way to get into the college football spirit and the
college basketball Spirit as College.
Season is literally happening this weekend as Indiana is
hosting. Hoosier hysteria on Friday
either. Well, if you're listening to
this tonight, then you are really desperate for Content as
we're recording this around 9:30.
Probably today. If you're listening to it on
Friday, Hoosier hysteria taking place at 7:00 eastern time at
Simon's got Assembly Hall, and should be an interesting show.
A lot of excitement around this IU basketball team.
I'm not going to talk IU basketball tonight.
I'm going to talk. Are you football?
We will talk about IU basketball soon though.
As we've got a lot to talk about with IU basketball an
interesting season to say the least shaping up for this
Indiana program and one that could be very pivotal in a
number of ways. So, let's go ahead and dive into
the questions and the overall thoughts on this.
I you versus Michigan game. The Hoosiers coming into this
contest at a record of three and two on the season.
Of course they've lost two in a row.
Now, they lose last week, very disappointing, outing at
Nebraska. They went into that game with.
I think a lot of people feeling like they had a shot, you know,
this was a downtrodden Nebraska team and Nebraska team that Had
frankly, you know, kind of look like it had given up on the
season, a bit and Indiana with a whole bunch to play for, and
unfortunately, the way the game played out neither team looked
great for most of it but Nebraska, just kind of wanted it
more at the end. They end up winning 35 to 21 and
it leaves the Hoosiers in kind of a difficult spot.
After winning the first three games, they stand a real shot
here at falling to 3 and 3 and putting themselves in a
position. Are you know essentially they
got to win three of their last six.
If they can't pull this one off this game may not be a complete
lost cause I say may very likely it is going to be a bit of a
lost cause because this does look like a pretty good Michigan
team, you know, Michigan of course did struggle a little bit
in their first Big Ten game as they were taking on the
Maryland, Terrapins at home. However, they did win that game
and then they turned around and took advantage.
Age of of a bad Iowa offense and was really able to throttle
them. You know, this is not just a
highly rated Michigan team in terms of the poles.
You know, some of the independent metrics really like
this Michigan team as well. It is a Michigan team that right
now, if you look at the overall ratings on Pro Football Focus,
they are third in the country in terms of overall rating and, you
know, just it highlights, I think to some degree how the Ten
is a pretty strong conference this year and, you know, you got
to take overall ratings with a grain of salt because otherwise
they can get inflated, but Minnesota, Ohio, State and
Michigan are all in the top 10. They're all in the on the top,
three, actually, Ohio State and Michigan actually tied right now
in terms of overall rating. And, you know, that's a bit
frightening. I think, you know, obviously,
not just for, I you, but for everybody else in the
conference, you've got this many really good teams in the
conference at this point and It's it's going to be a meat
grinder, all the way through. As you know, these teams are
going to be in pretty constant combat with each other and
unfortunately for IU. They just haven't quite looked
up to the the same level as most of these teams.
Although, you know, you say that.
And then you look down the list of top 10 teams in Pro Football,
Focus, and Illinois is all in there.
And Indiana did beat Illinois and they certainly deserve
credit for that. But, you know, that you have to
say that was A stink bomb of a game for Illinois that frankly
has not borne out in terms of the way that they played
elsewhere. That's an Illinois team that
went in, and just waxed Wisconsin on the road.
It's hard to Envision this IU team being able to do the same.
So you have to be thankful that Indiana was able to win that
game. While also saying, that might
have been a bit of a fluke. You look at Michigan in other
ratings, there was a really cool composite rating, set up that.
Was done by this is, I think Nate and Manzo on Twitter where
he combined a bunch of different ratings across the board.
And that one was very, very complimentary for Michigan as
well. You don't see Illinois anywhere
in the top 25 of this, which to some degree shows how the
observational ratings, don't always capture everything, but
you do see Michigan here their fourth and every rating system
really likes what they've done, fpi likes them.
SP plus likes them. FEI likes them and they are
ranked behind, only Alabama, Ohio, State and Georgia.
They're just ahead of Texas. Clemson, Utah Ole Miss Tennessee
and Penn State. So, this is, you know, this is a
legit Michigan team. I guess is what I'm trying to
get across to you. Look at what Michigan's done so
far. For those of you who haven't
been paying attention this season too closely, Michigan,
with three waxings of very subpar opponents.
Colorado state, Hawaii and UConn a seven point win over.
Maryland at home and then a 13-point win on the road at
Iowa. Statistically, speaking, this is
a Michigan team, that's averaging 45 points, a game,
they're only allowing 11.6 points per game.
They're averaging five point, six yards per rushing attempt
while allowing only two point nine yards per rushing attempt,
Michigan, averaging, 7.05 yards per play and allowing only 4.08.
And, you know, you look at the passing game overall.
This is a Michigan team that has 1174 yards eight touchdowns only
one interception. Definitely you hear those
numbers and then you look at what Indiana's done and you
start to cringe already Indiana so far on the season only
averaging 3 point 33 yards per rushing attempt, and they've
only given up 3.32, which is good, but in terms of yards per
play, not really as positive Indiana.
Only averaging four point seven five yards per play, whereas
their opponents are Averaging five point four, five yards per
play. So be a little bit concerned
there. I think would be my message
leading offensive players for this Michigan Team.
Blake Quorum has already rushed for 10.
Touchdowns 611 yards on 93 carries averaging about six and
a half yards a carry and really you know I got a he's got a
couple of backups that have looked pretty good in limited
utilization as well. Donovan Edwards, a sophomore
about six yards a carry two touchdowns on the season
freshman running. Xcj Stokes 112 yards on 23 carry
so about a little under five yards, a carry their.
So this is a Michigan rushing attack.
That's definitely spread the wealth and has, you know,
managed to figure out a way to really, keep the ball moving on
the ground. And that'll be interesting for
Indiana. I think is Indiana.
You can certainly criticized certain aspects of their defense
but they're run defense has looked pretty good overall and,
you know, so you might see a situation where Michigan ends up
getting forced, More into the air in the air.
You know, J McCarthy has been essentially the established
starter for this team. Michigan, had that weird thing
at the beginning of the year where they were like, Hey we're
going to rotate quarterbacks through the first two games.
One's going to start one and one's going to start the other
and it's ended up with McCarthy is the starter, which I don't
know if that's exactly what people would have predicted at
the beginning, but it's definitely working out for
Michigan. As he's looked pretty good
overall in his starts. Seventy eight point six percent
completion rate, which is pretty darn good 848.
Yard six touchdowns no interceptions and has really
been very steady in there. Made some mistakes in the last
couple of games, but not enough to really hurt his team.
And that is going to be an interesting aspect of what comes
up in this game is is the Indiana defense going to be able
to force some turnovers for some Good field position
opportunities for IU. You know, what you've seen?
So far from this Michigan offense.
They're going to be pretty hard to stop.
You know, I think really athletic defenses that are
really dialed in Allah. Maryland, you know, that's,
that's a defense that still allowed 34 points.
When they played against Michigan, I'll be at was at
Michigan, but you do worry a little bit with how difficult
it's been for IU to play consistently well on defense.
What that ends up looking like over the course of the,
60-minute game against this Michigan team.
Let's go and take a look at some questions here.
As we have several that came in and we've got kind of a wide
variety of things. Get, it's interesting.
Like, you know, we I try to do these, these pregame podcast
where we talk about the game, talk about what to expect.
And yet, we don't have a whole lot of questions, frankly,
specifically about the game. I'm going to try to tackle a
couple of those but then there's of course there's some tailgate
questions and then there's a lot of questions about just the
overall state of IU football. So I'm going to try to Get to as
many of those as I can. So tomorrow Bates, Stan, account
asks, how many touches do you think Jalen Lucas gets this week
of those? How many of those are him?
Being crammed between the tackles versus in space?
You know, the this has been an interesting running subplot
Jalen. Lucas comes in looks really good
on that one, long run against Nebraska and you know, I think
not not undeservedly. So are you fans are like, wait a
minute. That why isn't this guy who's
clearly an offensive talent and an athletic Talent of a
magnitude more than what we've seen?
Why is this guy been playing more and you know so that
question gets asked and essentially the explanation was
well you know, we don't feel good about it in pass protection
and we don't want to do a lot of substitutions.
That was essentially the gist of what we got out of the press
conference this week, which I guess I don't know.
I have a little bit of a A problem with that answer, it
seems like you would do what you needed to do to get your best
guys out there. Yes.
You know, you you're not going to necessarily have complete
players in every role at every moment, but you might shift
things around a little bit to figure out a way to get those
players into the game, I guess seeing him against Nebraska at
all. We should be thankful that he
was in there. How many touches does he gets
get against his Michigan team? I don't know.
I mean if if what we heard in the press conference is correct
that they, you know, they don't want to do a lot of subbing and
they want to have guys in there that can pass protect, they are
darn. Well going to need pass
protection against this Michigan defense.
Like that is not going to be an optional aspect of what they're
doing. So I don't know if we see him a
whole lot in this game. I mean, I know that everybody's
going to be clamoring for it, but I feel like there's been a
lot of instances in the past where We've had players play
really well in limited snaps. Everybody's been like, why don't
we see that person more? And it seems like there's a
bunch of build up before the next game and then the game goes
in a direction where it's just not a possibility to bring that
player in. So I'm going to say that Lucas,
let's give him five touches in this game.
And I think four of them will be runs up.
The middle that will max out at about two-and-a-half to three
yards a touch and then they'll be one or two plays where
they're, you know, maybe they dump it off.
Screen pass or they figure out a way to bounce them outside.
The tackles and maybe gains 10 or 15 yards on one or both of
those plays, but I'm not expecting Miracles, especially
because, I think Michigan. If you do see Jalen Lucas in the
game, is immediately be like, we need to put somebody on that guy
because we don't think anybody else on Indiana's offensive
lineup is going to be able to beat us one-on-one.
So I would expect Michigan will be ready.
You're not going to get what happened with Nebraska.
Where Nebraska got caught a little bit flat.
Footed with Lucas being out there, so that's just my
estimation on things. But we'll see.
Assembly call asks if Jim Harbaugh decided to steal Elio
and make it his own, what would the letters stand for?
I'm not going to answer this. I'm going to let the audience
answer this. So, if you're listening to this
and you have an idea if Elio under the Jim Harbaugh umbrella
was not love each other, but was something something something?
What do you think it would be? Go ahead and send that back to
us via Twitter? I'd love to hear your individual
responses. I think it's probably safest for
me to just stay away from answering that question, live on
the podcast, but I'm going to ponder it.
Myself will see if I can come up with something before game time
starts. Let's see.
We had a question from From let's see who was this.
William Henley will Trent Howland, get any more carries
this season that I again I'm not entirely sure.
We heard a bit about Howland over the summer from a
development perspective. Look like he might be rounding
back into shape of course, you know he tore an ACL two years
ago and you know, spent a lot of last year trying to get back
into the swing of things I honestly can't quite Figure out,
you know, what exactly I you is doing with their running backs.
And you know what, the mode of operations is as far as who
rushes, what when it does seem. Like they've really kind of
settled on chivers and Josh Henderson.
Like those are the guys that are going to get the majority of the
carries. And then they'll sprinkle people
in, is they need, you know how, and with only two carries for 12
yards on the season and I, you know, I mean the last time I'm
we saw him carry it. Always in that Idaho game.
I would be really surprised if we saw him in the Michigan game,
you know, I think frankly his carries moving forward or going
to largely be dependent on, you know, to Shrivers or Henderson
end up getting dinged up and can't play, you know, it does
feel like running back is kind of thin right now.
Just in terms of, yes, you've got two backs who are kind of
rotating but it doesn't look like there's a whole lot else in
the stable at least nothing that won't bail has been willing to
Out of the stable and actually get out there running the ball.
So, yeah, I would be surprised at this point but we'll see.
Let's see, let's dive into some of the the other questions that
we've got here. I want to tell tackle the
tailgate question first. This is from William follmer.
As always, I'm here for your tailgate discussion, drinks,
food games, and anything else. Last breakfast tailgate we did
sausage Canadian bacon, egg and cheese Muffins with white
russian coffee, thinking of doing biscuit sandwiches this
week. That's a Good combination.
We did some breakfast sandwiches last tailgate.
Prior to the Western Kentucky game.
That was a good combination overall.
We're going to try something slightly different with this
tailgate, but because this is a, it's a difficult one because you
know, I love breakfast tailgates.
I think breakfast, tailgates are certainly a way to get a lot of
really good tasting Foods out on the table and on and off the
grill without Feeling like to some degree.
I feel like you get constrained with lunch or dinner tailgates,
where you feel kind of like you got to do the traditional stuff.
But with breakfast, you're a little bit more open and
available to try different things.
So we're going to do pancake tacos.
My wife is not excited about this.
You this is going to be a disaster.
I think I actually think it's going to work out fairly well,
where you can use the pancake as a taco.
And you can make it with whatever you want.
At that point, you've got breakfast meats.
We know, we'll probably have some bacon, maybe some crumbled,
sausage to throw in there, but I think the plan is to go with a
pulled pork pancake, Taco this time around, and we're making
some hot honey, butter, which will serve as a sauce on top of
that. So we haven't done this
particular combination before, but I think it's going to turn
out fairly well and you know it sticks to my motto of, you know,
you You want to have something where you can pick it up and eat
it? You don't want to have forks and
knives. Yes, you could.
Theoretically sit down, I guess with a plate of pancake and
pulled pork and go to town. But hey, you know, why not?
Just wrap it and carry it around.
We'll give it will give people some little foil handles.
I think, on this that way, they can carry it around with a
little bit less mess. So, that's the plan for us.
Looking forward to it. We'll see what happens.
And I will certainly report back to you folks on Sunday, but I
love The I love the idea of biscuit sandwiches.
I will say if you're doing tailgate breakfast, I think
there's the multiple directions you can go with the bread type
that you use. If you're doing breakfast
sandwiches, we are always a fan of the biscuits.
You bake the biscuits the night before you get them.
Sliced up properly, you get a little bit of a spread that you
can put on them to get a little. Give a little bit of a Tangy
flavor to add to the egg, or the bacon or the Canadian bacon as
it were. But we've also used croissants.
We've also Used plain white bread which actually if you
toast it up a little bit on the griddle before you put it, on
turns out real nice when you're doing breakfast sandwiches and
you get a slightly bigger sandwich at that point as well.
So that's the plan at this point and should be a really chilly
morning. Unfortunately I think the
forecasted low that will be likely starting the tailgate off
with is like 35 36 degrees way too early.
Like we're in single-digit days in October, we should not.
Be dealing with like sub 40s at any point during the day, but
this is where we are right now. So we'll deal with it.
Anyway, let's jump to some of the other questions that we had.
So, our friend, Matt blasket, asks the following Tom Allen,
owns two of the three winning seasons since 1997 yet.
There seems to be a perception by the fan base, that things
should be better. When in reality they haven't
been Fans be more realistic in their expectations and how did
we get to a spot of expectations surpassing reality?
So this is an interesting question because there's a,
there's a tension at the core of almost all IU football
conversation I think and it to some degree I think is tied up
in the question that Matt just ask, which is this idea of, how
could you be upset with, Tom Allen Tom Allen's, given you two
really good? Good Seasons.
Two seasons that not just in the last 25 years, but really in the
history of Indiana. Football rank among the best.
So why are people so upset? Why are people calling for his
head? Why are you know what?
Wire people? I think as upset as they are
about the fortunes of IU football and I would answer that
as, as the following, I think, you know, part of the issue.
with the way that IU football has looked at over the years is
There's been this gradual Evolution over the last 10 to 12
years of IU football, where I think people certain people not
everybody has gotten it in their head that I you football,
doesn't have to be the worst program in the conference.
It doesn't have to be the but the basement dweller, it doesn't
have to be a shock when Indiana pulls out a 6 win season.
And, you know, I think the problem I have with the Argument
that gets made, sometimes that you just made that will hey, how
could you know, how could we be negative about, Tom Allen?
Look at everything he's done for the program.
I think the problem is that Alan to a large degree, like the
whole promise of this starting with the Breakthrough motto that
he started off with before his first season, was this idea that
I you football was elevating its own evaluation of itself was
elevating its Feelings about where it belonged in the college
football hierarchy and, you know, all of what Allen's talked
about and certainly a lot of what we heard and saw in the
2019 and 2020 seasons and leading into the 2021 season.
Was this idea that that there needed to be a re-evaluation of
IU, football's place in the pecking order in the Big Ten and
more broadly across college football.
And so, I think we're a lot of people have really gotten upset
is the bar. Like it's been raised and the
expectations are supposed to be higher and you go to, to bowl
games in a row, you go to for bowl games in six years.
As a program, I do think it's reasonable for people to look at
that and say to themselves. This should be the new normal.
This should be a normal that, you know, you're not asking not
saying Indiana needs to be Michigan or Ohio State, but
you're saying, Indiana could be Michigan State, Indiana could be
you. No Minnesota.
Indiana should be a team that is in the running for at least six
wins every year and if they don't get that maybe they missed
it by one game and it's you know, just an unlucky kind of
thing. Is that a realistic expectation?
I mean to some degree, it feels like it doesn't, it's not as
unreasonable as it sounds, I guess.
Let me know you football's a difficult job.
I do think there are people out there who forget how difficult
that it is. But then the flip side of it, is
the recruiting, you know, the players themselves, the quality
of the players are recruiting has been pretty high and I think
that people are confused because they see inputs going into the
program. They see you know updated
facilities they see in pain improved recruiting they hear
this rhetoric and you know the people in the program, the
coaching particular trying to talk up Indiana as a as a
contender. There, you know, you see all of
that, you hear all of that. And then when hard times happen,
or we know when clearly everything falls apart like
happened last year, or when you see, Indiana go on the road and
not be able to win against a staggered Nebraska team.
I think it brings out a lot of irritation from people who
thought to themselves. You know this we don't have to
be, you know, part of the dregs of the conference anymore.
We've gotten a bit beyond that maybe not every A year.
But, you know, I think the frustration that I'm seeing from
a lot of people and to be frank, the frustration I'm feeling
myself in this team and this program is that it feels like
some significant steps backward were taken and there doesn't
seem to be a clear pathway towards getting better down the
line now, maybe that changes but you know we're almost halfway
through this season and While the team has won one more game
this year than they did last year, they in many phases look
as bad and in a couple of phases, I think, actually kind
of look a little bit worse and that is really concerning and I
think for a lot of people, it's hard for them to reconcile.
I should be really supportive of Tom Allen when they've not
really gotten a lot of tangible things out of the program during
Allen's tenure. Yes.
Yes, they got a really cool 2019 season and they got kind of a
dream 20/20 season as abbreviated as it was but there
were no Bowl victories in that and the season that everybody
was told to get really hyped and excited for in 2021.
I was just like getting repeatedly kicked in the nuts
for 12 weeks as opposed to having anything really enjoyable
to watch. So that's where Matt, I guess,
you know the answer is, how did we get to a Out of expectation
surpassing reality, I think the push was always.
We're elevating this. We're punching through the
ceiling and I think people believed it and they definitely
didn't do that as a program. They kind of Hit the ceiling and
flopped back down to the floor. And I think, everybody's
standing there right now waiting for them to climb back up again.
Now, is all of that fair. I don't know.
I mean, there's there's there's your you could find as I've
looked around and I've been involved in podcasting, but IU
football. Talking about IU football for
decades. Now, you can find somebody out
there who will argue almost any state of IU.
Football is the natural state you can.
You can find people who argue that we should just love the
team regardless of what happens even if they go.
Oh and 11, you'll find people who will argue to the death.
That this isn't this hard that every other major program has
figured out a way to be at least somewhat.
Good for at least some stretch of its time.
You'll find people who will argue that, you know, I use
doing the best with limited Talent you'll find people that
will argue that I use failing to develop great talent that
they've actually already got. Or at least very good talent.
You find these arguments and the end people who will make these
arguments literally everywhere. So I don't even know if there is
necessarily reality of IU football, you know, I do think
that a lot of the old excuses that I you have.
Had in the 20th century for not being a good football program,
don't have to exist anymore. You know, it's not a state, a
case where I use football program is criminally under
funded by the athletic department or forced to play in
decrepit facilities or or you know, is any of those things
like I think most of the actual things that kept I you from
being a good football program for the first hundred and ten
years hundred, and twenty years, Its existence aren't actually
real anymore. I mean, I use got plenty of
money. They put plenty of money into
their football program and the football program is on average
better than it used to be. And I think that the ceiling of
IU football is a lot higher than it ever used to be because of
the financial factors. But the flip side of that is, we
don't really know what the reality is, I think at this
point. So ultimately, I don't know that
I would say fans should be more realistic in their expectations
because I don't think it's unrealistic to say that you know
I you should probably have more than you know four wins in their
last what 18 games 17 games. I mean that that does seem I
guess it is 18 games, you know? I mean that that is a pretty bad
stretch by any programs calculus and so you know, we'll see I
think to some degree You've got some existential dread from fans
who haven't seen enough Improvement in her staring down
the barrel of this Big Ten season in a really, very
concerned about how it's going to go.
But a lot of that's, you know, it's preliminary.
It hasn't happened yet and you know, I you still got
opportunities to go out and win, two, three, even four more
games, the rest of the way, you know, but I think if we're
really trying to dig into expectations in reality that's
that's at least where I would read it at this point.
Let's see, some other questions that we had assembly call.
Asked us. If you could pick any coach from
I use history, including Tom Allen to coach the rest of the
season and your life depended, on Indiana, making a bowl game.
Who would your top three choices?
Be my apologies to your wife and kids for the extreme steaks my
wife just kind of shrugged if she heard me read that question
so that that should tell you a lot right there.
But I look, I would. This is it's an interesting
question. Why do people said Bill Mallory?
I don't I don't know if I have Bill.
Mallory would be my choice here. Mallory was an obviously an
excellent coach. But you know, Mallory it took
him a while to build the program to the way that he needed it in
order to win. That's a bit different from
parachuting in and trying to salvage a bowl out of the Season
where, you know, your 3 and 2. And you've got a lot of really
tough games coming up. I'm I'm probably Beau MacMillan
here. You know, I think that Bo had,
you know, really understated levels of success.
He's gotten forgotten by a lot of IU fans just because he
coached during an era that we don't look back on very much
with IU football them in. There is no bowls during that
time period because the bowl situation was very different but
he showed an ability to, to figure out a way to integrate a
lot of talent at a time when the Big Ten was was obviously
clearly the best Conference in the nation, Beau MacMillan did a
lot of really awesome things. I would probably go with him at
this point, not again, nothing against Mallory.
I would be interested. I got to say and certainly his
performance at IU, did not. Lend itself to what I'm about to
say. But you know, if I'm able to
grab any former I you coach at any point in their career, I'd
be fascinated to get like 19 7, 1987 or 88 Sam wyche coaching
this team to see if he could install, you know, a workable
offense, get the offensive line up and running and and maybe
gimmick. I you to the number of
victories. They need to get to a bowl game.
You know, certainly, I think if you looking at Sam watch his
performance, as I you coach, it's like Absolutely not, but if
I've got that Latitude, I might go with Sam wyche.
Mostly because of how, you know, his offensive concepts are still
very modern and I just think that would be a fascinating
scenario. Now, we're not talking to Sam
wyche today obviously but but Sam was in the NFL during that
period was an innovator. Okay.
Why did miss another question from William Henley that was
actually related to the game itself, which was Will Tom
Allen, consider another quarterback depending on how the
Michigan game. Game unfolds.
That's a really interesting question.
There were some people calling for Jack, Tuttle to take the
field during the Nebraska game, which I still don't agree with.
And and look, I know there's a lot of people out there that
disagree about the efficacy of Connor basil act and how he's
been performing. And you know I'll just say this
I know Connor basil act has had some bad throws and inaccurate
throws. I also know Connor basil, acts
had very little protection. He said wide receivers Drop
balls that hit them Square in the chest, you know, it's it to
some degree to me. It's it's unfair to expect a
quarterback that is not a clear blue chipper and let it kind of
pays like not a clear blue chipper to expect that guy to be
on all the time. Be accurate all the time and
then excuse all of the other elements of the offense.
I just don't think that that's particularly fair, you know,
philosophically. I think I could see Alan trying
to preserve Connor basil, act for the rest of the season by
pulling him. If I you gets down by a lot
early, I think that would actually it might be the Best of
Both Worlds because the chances of IU mounting a comeback worthy
to fall down by a lot against Michigan, would be very low.
The chances of kind of has like getting injured by sticking in
the pocket, slightly too long, trying to make a third to get
Indiana back in the game would be high and it would give you a
chance to at least see What? Jack Tuttle who I'm assuming
would be the choice. Given how Jack Tuttle was talked
about as being and, you know, tight competition for the
starting quarterback position all throughout the fall Camp,
period. I'm assuming he would be the guy
that would get the call. It would at least give you a
chance to see what he looked like.
I think if it's a closer game. No I don't think there's any way
that Alan's going to deviate from Basel act because frankly,
this team has enough problems on offense right.
Now, the last thing you need is to undercut the confidence of
your starting quarterback. I just I don't think that that
would have any real positive impact and and look, I know you
know, the most popular player on any team as you know, one of the
oldest truisms in football is always the backup quarterback,
but I just don't believe that basil Act is the core of the
problems on the offense. And we saw Jack title in several
situations last year and he did not impress, he just didn't, he
had all offseason as the incumbent, Win the starting
quarterback position and he did not which has to tell you
something about where his level of play is relative to where
Connor basil. Acts level of play is so you
know, I wouldn't count anything out but I would be shocked if
you know in any scenario other than a blowout situation we saw
anybody other than Connor basil like under Center in this game.
Some other questions going on here, what is the most
appropriate measure of success? For the rest of the season.
This question from shocked face, what does the athletic
department really do? If I you football loses out and
loses out badly. So, here's the thing, I still
believe so much of what we heard about this.
I, you football program was that last year was a fluke last year.
Was a cultural train wreck with a bunch of bad apples.
That left. And that the guys coming in this
year, we're really poised and focused.
And, you know, we're really, you know, they were, they were
quietly seething about how bad last year had gone.
And they didn't want to, they want this their football careers
to go out that way. And they wanted to come back and
prove that they had built a strong Foundation.
That's a kind of an amalgamation of all the various narratives
that we heard over the course of June and July and August.
So I feel like you have to take that at face value and you have
to say, okay if that's actually the case then you have to
measure this team successes or failures by whether they are
able to get to bowl eligibility. Because look, boiled ability is
not that hard for a Big Ten team that is mid-level in the
conference or maybe even slightly below mid-level.
It's yes, you're going to have to win at least two of
Non-conference games to the end of did and you're going to have
to be able to beat teams that are right around your level in
the conference, which Indiana kind of did that against
Illinois. Although you can make an
argument Illinois is better, but then kind of gave up those gains
by losing to a Nebraska team. Who in a most recent power pole
I saw was still rated as worse than Indiana.
So the these are, these are the things that if you're going to
be a successful program, you have to do.
You got to beat Maryland, you got to win a Rutgers you got to
win at home against Purdue, you know, if Michigan state is as
bad as a lot of people think they are, you got to be able to,
you know, win that game. You maybe don't win every single
one of them. But I do think that you should
be judged on that and, you know, to me a team that starts the
season 3 and 0 and doesn't make a bowl wasn't very good and
that's what staring Indiana in the face right now, is this idea
that they won three games, they weren't impressive.
We talked a lot on this podcast about how we thought it was kind
of fools gold and people needed to be careful and got yelled at
Bit for saying that. But, you know, this is, this is
the situation where this is the, the table you set.
And you're probably not going to go out and beat Michigan, but
you've got opportunities. I think you need to be judged on
that. And if Indiana doesn't make a
bowl, then it's like there's like a level down.
It's like, all right. Well, was this a disaster?
Or was it just a disappointment and and was it an unlucky sort
of season. I don't think that you can count
unlucky, you know, because I think in the end Anna frankly
has picked up two wins already by being lucky.
But I do think that as we cast forward, if Indiana doesn't win
another game, that's clearly a real problem and that gets to
your second question. What does he have let apartment
really do. If I, you football loses out,
look. And we've said this before, I
don't, there's not going to be any change at the top.
I do wonder if we start to see the athletic department saying,
you know, we should maybe re-evaluate some of the Staffing
decisions that you've made Tom. Are you really sure that this is
leading into long-term success? Because here's the numbers, I
mean, you know, we've banged on a lot about the offensive line
on this podcast and I'd highly recommend everybody.
Go check out bite-sized bison. The newsletter that Taylor
Layman is writing now about IU football.
Really insightful stuff too. Does an excellent job with the
numbers and kind of understanding how everything
fits together and he put together a post a couple of days
ago. That looked specifically at the
travails of the IU offensive line and its gradual decrease in
ratings every year that Tom Alan's been here, you know?
So read the piece. It's really good.
We talked about some of the precursors to that on some of
our previous episodes but Taylor lays it out in a really
compelling fashion. You know, I mean, I think Ink.
And I believe said this before. I mean, Tom, Alan's here for the
next couple of years, and and that's going to make for some
interesting times. If Alan is stubborn about his
Staffing because I think we've seen over the course of Valens
tenure. He's made some really good hires
whether it's Kailyn Deborah, Kane Wommack.
He's made some really questionable hires hires that
were questionable at the time and then turned out to be
actually questionable. As we watch them unfold.
So I think there need to be, you know, any change or anything.
That would happen with the program if they lost out as you
asked, even if they lost out badly.
I think most of the change would be internal and would be, we
really have to re-evaluate this because we cannot afford to have
this thing, go completely off the rails.
And that's about the most that I would expect.
And I think that that's a fair approach to things and it's an
approach to Things that hopefully would have some
positive benefits because as we've talked about on this
podcast, there's a lot of Talent on this roster that hasn't
really developed particularly well at a number of positions.
And yet we've seen IU under Tom Allen, develop talent and have
really successful Seasons. So it's not like there's no
proof that it can be done, because there is proof that it
can be done. It just needs to happen again.
And, you know, rebooting a football program is difficult on
the Why when you've already rebooted it once so we'll have
to see what happens. There was a similar question
that were from Master night which was as we said on the
Nebraska recap podcast, Tom Island isn't going anywhere for
a few years as fans, are we to accept mediocrity for that long.
So it since it seems like nothing would change and that's
where I think what I just said, really is what that's going to
be the mark of things. I mean, II think, you know, Alan
clearly does some things very well.
He also does some things not that well and has to have these
talked about it. I mean just on offense.
He's he's not very he's not a guy who's going to want to take
over the offense he wants someone running that but you
have to have both position coaches and an offensive
coordinator in place. Who can do what you need to do
if you're going to focus on the defense, you know.
So Alan has shown at times a willingness to change on certain
things. And I think in this Mario, and
we're talking just about a very specific scenario, you know?
I think you'd have to see more of that because I just don't
think from a departmental perspective that it would be
acceptable to have another season that goes very poorly and
to, you know, essentially like allow the status quo at least
internally to remain as it as it has been.
So that'll be, I think a really fascinating thing to watch.
But look, when I think about the season, I think there's still a
lot left to be played. And there's opportunities for
Indiana to pick itself up off the carpet a little bit here and
play better. And, you know, they've got
opportunities to win games. So, I think a lot of what
happens, it's hard to really predict or Divine, it really
just kind of depends on, you know, how the team finishes up
the season and then what that looks like in retrospect.
We also got a follow-up question, There since I you got
to share that sweet media deal. When will we see major upgrades
to the facilities like the old practice facility?
You know? I mean I think I do think that
there will be probably a new practice facility at some point
in the next five years. I don't know that it will be as
opulent as what some people have seen elsewhere because I just
don't think there's a perception at a school, the level of
Indiana that that's going. To move the needle with recruits
the way that. You might think that it would
and I say that from this perspective you know Clemson's
going to go out and build a ridiculous workout facility.
Ohio State's going to like those schools are in competition with
each other. For the top recruits Indiana by
building a new practice facility is not going to be in
competition with those schools. Now, I do think Indiana needs a
better practice facility for the schools of they are in
competition with for recruits. But I think that is still viewed
as perhaps not the most critical facilities upgrades.
So we'll see. I do think the other thing to
keep in mind about the the meet you deal money, is that money
may already be spoken for to some degree.
I mean I'll there's a lot of debt out there from covid.
There's a really great possibility that the court case.
It's winding its way through the system right now is going to
mean that college athletes end up being employed.
Knees, which means that you gotta millions of dollars a
year, you're paying two players. So I think any perspective
facilities, money would probably be put on the back burner a
little bit until all that stuff gets settled out, but it's an
interesting set of questions. Let's see.
Let the that's about it actually.
Oh well, we did have one question from the the IU bison.
How many weeks until you give up?
Look, I think to some degree, that depends on.
Like I never really give up until I.
You officially, you know, gets to a point where they can't
qualify for a bowl. And then it's kind of like well,
you know, and something, you know, to be fair, you know,
under the Tom Allen are that really hasn't happened until the
last game of the season, except for last year, where it happened
in, what the new century was. The Ohio State game last year.
Whereas like, yeah, they could theoretically come back, but
they're basically dead in the water at this point, you know?
I think for me it comes down to this.
What happens in these next three games is really where I, you
know, at least emotionally. Decide whether I'm still on or
whether I have to just close the door and turn off my phone and
just sit in the dark for a while, you know, I mean I'm not
expecting them to fare. Well, at all against Michigan.
It's a terrible match up for IU. It's a, it's a Michigan team
that's really on a roll and I think that they're still players
on that roster. That remember coming in here and
getting waxed a couple of years ago and probably pretty upset
about it and want to set the record straight.
So to speak. But how Indiana responds in the
two games? After Maryland at home?
And then at Rutgers, that's really I guess we're
emotionally. I would have to make the
decision whether to stick around and give up if they lose that
Maryland game. You know, at that point your
three and four and it just feels at that point like it's all over
if they win that game and then lose at Rutgers I think you're
probably still on the bandwagon. Although that would, that would
be a You're not in great shape. At that point obviously you're
you're really struggling to see where the other two wins are
going to come from. So I guess it's right around
this time period. But you know, I will always
watch and I will always comment and I will always hope the best
for this IU team but I just don't, I you also, if you done
this, these Seasons long enough, you you kind of know internally
like when the clock hit midnight and I mean, I As with you folks
like it kind of felt that way a little bit last week.
I think that's why I was irritated as I was about the
Nebraska game because that felt like the kind of game that if
Indiana was going to be good this year they would have
figured out a way to win and they didn't but I'm willing to
give them the benefit of the doubt.
Some of that will be wrapped up in.
Do they go out and compete against Michigan?
Because we saw Maryland compete against Michigan on the road.
Shirley Indiana. Could compete against Michigan
at home if they're of that caliber.
And then obviously when they faced off against Maryland, a
team They have to beat if they're gonna have any chance at
doing anything, that would be considered a successful season.
I think those are going to be the the Hallmark points for me
as we move forward here. Anyway, you know final word I
guess on the Michigan game. The line is anywhere between 21
and 23 right now for you know, in favor of Michigan.
I I tend to think that's probably going to be what it is
this. I used to go to these games.
A lot when I was A kid, you know, Indiana playing Michigan
and you just you just felt like they were on another tear from
you. And I think that's the case this
year, which is a real shame, you know, given Indiana, just beat
them two years ago, but they just feel like They're far off
in the distance and they are going to get better as the
week's go by. So I would say, at this point I
like Michigan to put a lot of points on the board.
I think they're, you know, even if they have to divert from the
run, I think they've got enough quality at quarterback and a
wide receiver. Take advantage of this IU.
Secondary, who still is really struggling and struggled last
week. So I'll, you know, I'm going to
predict the housing Indiana's offense is really going to
struggle because this Michigan defense is very Good.
I've a lot of talent, a lot of speed.
So I'm going to say, like, let's say.
Michigan, 40, Indiana, 14, you, I think it's going to be
something like that. One of those games where it's
pretty much over by halftime or maybe early in the third
quarter. And look, I on the one hand, you
know, you're already a twenty Twenty-One twenty-two Point
Underdog is that a huge amount of shame in losing by that much,
but I would hope that, you know that Deanna's got some juice
left in them. This year, that they would be
able to figure out a way to make it, at least a ballgame through
halftime and you never know. You get past that, who knows,
whatever happens at that stage. So anyway, thanks to all you
folks for listening is always a fun time here.
Talking about IU football getting some questions from you.
All be sure to tune in on Sunday, as we will have our
regular postgame, wrap-up show, Sunday morning will put that out
sometime around noon and if you're driving in Homecoming
again, welcome back to Bloomington.
Welcome back to campus. Have a great time.
We will catch you folks on the flip side, bring back the Bison.
So long everybody.