You're listening to the back home network presented by home
field apparel. Welcome back to Crimson cast.
Galen clavius, got Caulfield joining a here.
It is the 2nd of October, and we're back, talking OU football.
Again, the longest-running IU football podcast out there as we
wind our way through a season. That's starting to look.
Uncomfortably familiar to certain seasons of the past.
We're going to talk about last night's loss for the Hoosiers in
the other other Memorial Stadium out in Nebraska is the Hoosiers.
Fall 3521 to the Cornhuskers and there was a lot to discuss
coming out of this game as Indiana, just struggled at all
of the wrong times. I think would be probably the
most charitable way of putting it.
So, we'll chat about that. We'll chat about some of the
individual elements of the game and we'll also, I guess trying
to figure out what happens from this point forward for this,
Indiana football program. As they now stand at three and
two on the season. First and foremost, just a
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And, you know, this is the time of the season.
I mean, it was 48 degrees this morning in Bloomington and
slipping into a hoodie felt like a really good idea to get things
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order. Again, home field.
Apparel.com. I bring my partner in Scott.
Caulfield's got good to see you. How you doing?
Yeah. No, no.
I just I gotta do the podcast Marci.
Yeah, I'll be there in a couple minutes, Scott?
Yeah, no. Galen just waiting on Scale just
waiting on the line. Scott.
Oh, oh, we starting. Yeah, we're sorry.
I didn't know, I prepared all week to really come off to a
great start in this podcast, and I didn't know that we were
starting right now. You know, it just kind of came
out. I know we have a clock up here.
It gives like a thirty five, second countdown for when the
gate, when the podcast starts. I just my bad Martha Galen
timeout, drill quick timeout. Wow.
This is three of them in the podcast, but I'll be there in a
sec. Yeah, James, yeah, you guessed.
Okay, okay. Okay, I'm ready.
You know, ready to go. If this is how you're starting
the podcast, I hate to think about how you're going to be
finishing the podcast. But, yes, no, I'm doing well.
Yeah. We have to start with that
start. It's bad.
You know, I have a bunch of things to talk about way more to
talk about this game than I thought, I would kind of as the
game was wrapping up. High level very high level.
I go back to you and I went to the IU.
Purdue game was like 2018. It was 2017.
Actually. Yes 17.
Okay. And that was like Alan's First
full year or second year of those are said there was a
second that was his first full year.
Yes it was and I remember at that game you and I having a
grand old time also leaving early because we knew we were
going to lose but it kind of watching that team versus you
know, Jeff Brahms teams it does feel like there's been this
weird kind of the two fan bases looking at.
It's like the spider made mean the to fit, you know, the two
fans fan base is looking at their the two coaches and both
you. And I were just like, like,
Brahms team and Purdue just looked more like fundamentally
sound. They look more practice with
more discipline. They weren't making a lot of
silly mistakes. It's like we're still there with
Alan and this team they still make mistakes and I were joking
about it and look everyone can everyone can have mistakes but
it's like you spend all week. As you pointed on Twitter like
making a point of emphasis that we're going to start the game,
you know, the right way and you come out and you don't have a
play ready and you have to call timeout and your first two
drives, and that, that drive is a 333, play drive 41-yard.
Your second Drive is three plays for 21 yards.
Thanks to a penalty and you have two back-to-back punts, not to
mention, uniform, or coming after that.
It's just it's tough and you're still seeing that at a high
level, you know, this Team and you've been saying it for a
while you know it son dis are, it's a pure Vibes, not
discipline and it we're going to continue doing this podcast or
not going anywhere but it's getting tough because I want
this to work out. It was a fun time.
In 2020 Alan seems like he really does care and wants to
try but we're at a point where we're going to be saying the
same thing every single week which is this team makes a lot
of mistakes. It's undisciplined it makes a
lot of variety to go. Whack-a-mole mistake team.
It's like oh we're just gonna figure out the offensive lot.
You're going to figure out not fall starting and then we're
just going to not block for puns, and like we got that
figured out, but then we're going to have, like, 15 holding
penalties. I don't know what it's going to
be against Michigan, but they'll be something where it's like, oh
whoops, I forgot to practice that this week.
It's an undisciplined team, the o line is an absolute atrocity.
We can continue talking about that but almost should be like,
just we, you know, hey, Crimson Castle.
Home field a our line sucks. Alright, let's talk about some
other things and the second Dairy is also pretty bad and the
Nebraska game was interesting because it felt almost like a
boxing match for Nebraska's. Just kind of Taken Jabs.
Just you know, every six or seven play.
It's like we're going to take a shot deep and I was thinking
this morning, like why don't we do that?
It's like, oh yeah, because babies, like doesn't have time,
like it goes back to the offensive line.
Like you can't throw deep if you only have a net, you know, eight
tenths of a second in the pocket.
So it's just it's frustrating for me because it feels like
we're getting into this kind of You know, we're talking about
the same thing over and over again and it's something that
you and I noticed years ago and it just pops up and it's just
that again. It's one play one mistake but
you know they had another delay of game and even Matt Millen
your best friend on the broadcast was like this is a
weird like it's something you don't normally see for a hurry
up off of its to be like look you know calling in plays.
And again if we hurry up offense why do we get to the line?
Why do we get set? Why do they look to the sideline
for? Plays and then why don't we have
plays ready? And why are we getting?
It's just it's a horrible to start the game but it's
emblematic of a real problem. This team has that they are just
undisciplined and sloppy and as you said, it's a team on Vibe,
that's just it. I worry.
This is what we're going to be talking about, just over and
over and over again for the remainder of this season and the
remainder of his tenure because that's, you know, 2017.
That is by my math. Five years ago, this team still
looks kind of Splendid sloppy. You know, one of the things
about every year with IU football with a couple of
exceptions, your 2019 and 2020. Definitely being major
exceptions. Is that there is almost always a
point in every season where it becomes clear, who the team is
where they reveal, who they are. As a football team where they
reveal, what they're going to be able to do and not.
Do you remember very clearly? It was it was obvious last.
Year when Indiana lost the game versus Cincinnati that this was
a team where we pretty much knew from that point forward, what
was actually going to happen. And yeah, there were, you know,
obviously they, you know, they they played fairly well against
like, Michigan State later on that year.
But those of us who have watched this team for a while, you kind
of get over the hump and you realize, oh this is what we're
actually dealing with. And you can kind of adjust your
feelings and and reactions to games accordingly.
And I feel like this was that game for Indiana this year
where, you know, I remember I was talking with some, some
media observers that follow all you football closely in the
week, leading up to this game. And you know, they were, they
wouldn't come out and say this publicly, but they were
essentially like well Indiana's, you know, very likely to win
this game because Nebraska has nothing to play for Nebraska
will fold, you know? Nebraska is they're looking, you
know, they fired their head coach, they've shifted They know
they have their special teams coach is their defensive
coordinator. There's a bunch of guys that
have one foot if not both feed in the transfer portal already
looking for their next opportunity.
They've had that's a beaten-down program and they're they're
they're just not going to be able to stick with it and Deanna
is going to be able to figure out a win a game.
Well, Indiana folded instead, I mean it's really it's and this
is, this is where, you know the the normal logical rules of
college football, generally don't apply.
Fly to IU football. Because and, you know, any and I
had literally everything to play for in this game.
You know, they win this game. They're two games from boils
ability. They have a road win in the
conference against the team that had lost at home a few weeks
earlier to a group of five team and not even a particularly
great group of five team. You know, Indiana had literally
everything on the line and in multiple places within this
game, they Were not only unable to execute but they actively
shot themselves in the foot and this is as you kind of alluded
to in your opening. That's essentially what we've
gotten used to with IU football. I mean, you mentioned that game
at Purdue in 2017. I immediately thought of the
game that I you played up at Minnesota in 2018, which I was
at, I went to that with, you know, with some of our, our
friends, in the eye, you Sports media Biz, and That game was,
you know, a reeling, Minnesota team, a bunch of people, very
down on PJ, Fleck, Indiana, you know, right there on the cusp of
potentially getting near Bowl eligibility and, you know, again
and Indiana team that had everything to play for and they
win that game. They're very likely going to get
Bowl eligible the following week.
Instead, they lay an egg in the first half.
They make this big comeback, they take over the lead and then
Give it back in the final minutes and Minnesota ends up
winning a game. They had no business winning,
and Indiana ends up. Finishing the season with a 5
and 7 record. Great point.
I'm like, kind of like this is the fulcrum point of the Season,
we understand the team because I feel like up to this point.
There's been this question of, you know, that the stats are
really not ideal on this team to put it nicely.
This team grades out very poorly and there's some concerning
things that you see with your eyeballs, but yet they were 3
and 0 and then the other side is like well, but there.
Able to pull these games out. Like they can get stuff done and
when, you know, comes down to when they need it, they're able
to get it done. It's like, okay, I didn't really
see it that way, but you couldn't really argue it because
the results were there. Now, I think you're starting to
see that was based on probably just bad opponents because this
team also, you know, in the last two weeks, you had second half's
that were pretty important. The second half against
Cincinnati, that 197 yards, but 81 of that came in OneDrive.
But they really were not able to really The Gap against
Cincinnati against Nebraska fan 61 yards in the second half of
their seven drives. They only got a first down on
two of them. So five of those drives were
either three and outs or for doubts.
So this to me, what I see this is that at halftime when teams
are making adjustments, the other team is making better
adjustments or different adjustments for something that
shutting down our offense. But you couple this with
something that has been a constant.
We start. Gabe's unbelievably slow and we
start games and we get down, you know, our game this season first
quarter scores, we're down to Illinois 723, we're down to
Idaho, 10, 20, we're down to Western, Kentucky 723 were down
to Cincinnati. 2:50 we're down the Nebraska 720.
Caveat with one timeout wasted on a, on the first play.
So me the constant is we're going to start these games slow
because that's what we do. Like if the line comes out for
the first quarter against Michigan, you know, I'm going to
take Michigan and Over all day long us.
Getting up 10. Nothing on Michigan is very
impossible, impossible impossible because we have done
it all. Here's like that's that's this
team's Mo. It's not a, you know, about a
bug, this is a feature, but it does seem that.
Now the competition is starting to ratchet up a little bit like
and not even at us like we play Michigan, Ohio State, it's like
we're playing, you know, great coaches.
Like you mentioned, Nebraska has an interim coach here at like,
it's just the curve is starting to move up toward a better
competition. You're seeing that oh that those
second half adjustments are not. It's not Idaho anymore.
Like these are real teams. There's a real Road environment
so it's it's very concerning because now it gets a lot harder
like we're playing Michigan next week if you haven't noticed I
don't like in. Maryland looks pretty good.
Like it's I'm very concerned because the fact that we start
slow and now seem to be able to basically We can't do much of
anything offensively in second half's.
Those are really too bad combinations to play football
with especially in the Big Ten. I mean, it's, it's not the
greatest conference but but you know it's it's a conference
where you have to bring it and look up the probably will go to
those that question you had on Twitter about like, you know,
should we move down to Visions? Like maybe we should be able to
do it just for a years four years ago to the Mac for just,
for this year, we're gonna go to the back, we'll keep the money,
but it will come back up next year.
It's You look at some of the numbers and you know, they're
they're just like stunning, I mean, you know 67 yards rushing
on 23 carries but one of those carries was for 34 yards which
means that I you had 33 yards on the twenty two remaining carries
that they had. You know, you look at the the
performance of Connor basil, a canned the passing game and it's
just not where it needs to be. And again, yes, they were
missing camper, they were missing DJ Matthews but it's I
just keep coming back to this basic premise, which is like
you've got, you're in, you're in year 7 now I think of the Tom
Allen era and this team is so bereft of functional talent that
there's no plan B, like there's no running game, you know, I
mean as much as we talk about the lack of the receivers and I
It's a big deal but there's literally nothing else for this
team to lean on. They can't rush the ball.
They can't rely on that phase of their offense.
I mean they even were doing the old Kailyn Deboer thing in the
second, half of using screens, as a way to essentially, replace
the running game and try to pick up a few yards, they to Jet
Sweep at one point. I mean, they're really having to
go very, very deep into the Playbook to even figure out a
way to gain a modicum of yards and you look At their overall
numbers. And, you know, we're through
five games. Now, there's enough of a
national sample size. You can start comparing teams.
Indiana is 114th nationally in yards per play.
They're gaining 4.75 yards on average per play.
I mean, that is putrid. I think only Iowa in the Big Ten
is a worse yards per play team right now and it just begs.
The question I guess to some degree like, where's the talent
we've heard about Tom Allen and is recruiting ability for the
last six years. Here's where are all of the
players. I mean, the two players that
were missing were transfers. These were guys that came in
through the portal cam camper and DJ Matthews.
Like where's the Homegrown Talent where we go ahead?
The quarterback also a transfer portal guy.
You know? No no you're you're leading
right into one of my other points.
I don't mean to cut you off. That's a great point and I so I
was playing around with this a little bit this morning first I
don't want to pick on Donovan McCauley.
But it's fair to look at him as like, you know, he was a super
highly recruited quarterback coming in that did and I know he
didn't have he was supposed to be red shirted but it's not like
when you're redshirted you're just putting a glass case and
you're not coached like he was coached for a year under this
program as a quarterback and was let's just be nice was not
functional as a D1 quarterback. Okay, he's now a wide receiver.
If had a year to do that, they've changed him twice.
But hey, it's like alright, if you Bringing a player and you
move him eight positions in a couple years.
Like that's also on the coaching staff but like he's been a
non-factor this year, six perceptions 85 yards but I
looked at the wide receiver core okay to your point.
Here's our top receivers this year.
Based on yardage Camp, a was a transfer from Trinity Valley.
DJ Matthews was a transfer from Florida State Emery.
Simmons was a transfer from North Carolina the next, on the
on the wide receiver or receiving list is a AJ barter is
it? I you recruit but he's a tight
end, so let's keep going. Next is Josh Henderson.
He's a running back. Also, from North Carolina, Kobe
is from Tennessee. You get down to Donovan.
McCauley is the, I you recruit that he's the highest rated, I
you recruit. Who is getting, who's on our
wide receiver yardage for this year.
You go back and look at it and I haven't had time to do this in
depth. But like I just picked off the
2020 IU football commits. It's only two years.
There's not a ton of time that's when recruiting start.
Move up for IU. Number one, recruit for Star
wide receiver, Rashawn Williams. He transferred we have a three
and a half star running back, Tim Baldwin.
He transferred David Baker is still enrolled at IU.
Where is he? Why is he not catching?
It's it does to your point. It begs the question like we're
not. There's no recruits that are
coming through and for Tom Allen that's kind of been the other
Saving Grace is like our recruiting classes are getting
Better every single year. It's not showing up in the
secondary. It's not showing up in the
o-line. It's not showing up on the skill
position, when all your skill position or transfers and you
can make a living in the transfer portal.
Not saying you can't do that but all for the offseason stuff,
Allen's kind of been you know living on the I'm raising the I
you recruit level where they're not coming through to become
active players on the roster. Yeah, it's I was thinking last
night it's like You think back to where Indiana football was at
winning? At Wisconsin in early, December
of 2020. And since that point, it's, it's
almost unrecognizable. I mean six, since that Point
Indiana has what are they? They were too, and they were
they lost the bowl game. They were two antenna last year,
and they're three and two this year.
So, five total wins since December of 2020 and the overall
atmosphere around the team. Has gone from a confident
program that walks into you know, granted less hostile
environments than they normally are because of covid and picks
up victories and plays with swagger to a team that is
constantly looking over its shoulder.
And I'm, I would love to know what happened like really over
the course of this last period of time because so much of the
Bedrock items that we had expected out of Tom, Allen's
teams for Better, or For Worse. Seem to not be there right now.
You know, the defense which was a strong suit of Alan Alan came
in in 2016 is the defensive coordinator that defense was a
key. Part of 2019 and 2020 success,
overall has not looked like anything close to what it used
to be. And when Indiana, I mean, it's
tough because yesterday, on the one hand, you don't, you can't
criticize the defense too much because, you know, they score
the Touchdown. And they put Indiana in a
position for most of the third quarter where they might be able
to succeed and, and they don't. But at the beginning of the
game, where they needed to make plays, they couldn't make plays,
they get burned. And then at the end of the game
where they need to make plays they they can't make the plays
and they get burned and that ends up giving Nebraska the
margin of Victory. And so it's like it's hard to.
This was a better game for the defense than what we have seen
over all. But it was still not I think
anywhere close to a good enough game, given what Indiana's
limitations are on offense and that itself is a real problem
because the offense is essentially non-functional for
large stretches of the game. Not always, I mean this time
Indiana played really well around the first half.
You know, they played really well in the second quarter and
then they were you know a little functional in the third quarter
but not much and then they essentially just stopped being
able to do anything. It's it's Bizarre Scott to watch
a team work, a little bit of the time and be able to be
functionally successful. A little bit of the time, but
not consistently, and it just like why.
We're, where is where does that lack of consistency?
Come from? I can understand it against a
Maryland. Excuse me against a Michigan, or
against a Penn State, or an Ohio State, but this Nebraska team is
itself. The Exemplar of The lack of
consistency over the course of not just this season, but
previous Seasons, you know, for that team to out consistency, IU
is a real punch in the gut, you know, because these are the the
problem for Indiana ultimately is like these are the margin
games that they have to win, if they're going to have anything
close to a successful season. And when you're presented with a
an opponent, like this people people in the Twitter mentions
were like, well, you know, they had a bye week that out of that.
It's This is not a well Nebraska team, like, this is a Nebraska
team with no direction and no leadership.
They have talented players who have been essentially coached
poorly for the last two to four years.
And, you know, they just fired their coach.
Like, the idea that an Indiana program, that Tom Allen has been
controlling for seven years and which clearly has the ability to
execute at times even with the missing wide receivers.
The idea that that You can at least keep it within a score in
Lincoln in these environments are in this particular situation
is. I think an indicator of a real
problem that we've talked about which is that it's just there's
just something fundamentally flawed with the way that this
Indiana team has been set up. It's one thing, you know, you
can look at a game and you can say well I don't think Indiana
is going to win. Then you get into the game and
you realize, wow, Nebraska is kind of fundamentally broken and
you come back you tie the game at Halftime.
Time. And then don't score in the
second half and like you said, you're essentially getting shut
out offensively in the second half.
It doesn't make a whole lot of sense and it's incredibly
frustrating because, you know, we're not talking about Indiana,
Waltzing into Ohio stadium and winning a game.
We're talking about doing what Georgia, Southern did a few
weeks ago and not being able to do it and for Indiana to not be
able to do that. It's hard to look at that.
And say yeah, you know what in retrospect or you know, like
looking This is a team that's going to be able to put things
together and that's I guess like when we when we can we were
critical of the team were like look that that Illinois win that
Western Kentucky where I'm like that's kind of Fools Gold.
Yes, there's those are wins on the schedule but they don't
really indicate a likelihood of winning those games in the
future because the win likelihood of those games was
very, very low, Indiana shouldn't have won those games
and did, but that was not likely to last, and I think we're
seeing here that it Not likely to last.
Like that was more of a mirage than a reality.
We look at Nebraska has like their, you know, fundamentally
broken team. I'd love to hop on a Nebraska.
No casket are probably stay in like Indiana.
That's a fundamentally broken team.
I mean, you look at it is, it's I took this down and then I was
starting to, I haven't done enough into this but now I fully
aware Walt Bell is running a faster, hurry up type offense.
So this is a little bit of an unfair stat but that said even
in a fast her Hurry up offense, a good a good drive is going to
take up some time we had 15 drives against Nebraska.
Nine of them did not result in a first down, that's putrid, but
nut. I was kind of looking through
none of the drives lasted more than three minutes and I know
you're doing, hurry, it's like I know it's like inherently drives
are not going to be, you know, you're not going to get a seven
eight, nine, minute drive out of this team.
But you know, if you have a nice, if you have a couple of
runs and you know, not and also it's not like we haven't Loss of
like oh we're getting 80, yard touchdowns left and right like
even with a hurry-up offense a good drive should be three,
four, five minutes. If you're having a couple of
those you're giving your defense some rest.
So I went back and look. So all right no drives against
Nebraska for more than three minutes and our Drive chart
against Nebraska. It is, I don't have it up and
maybe it's like, you know, 28 seconds, half a minute.
You know, it's really bad. But if you go back at since the
game against Cincinnati, we only had two drives over three
minutes. Oh, sorry.
He drives or not too bad, two of them were four minutes.
One was three minutes and six seconds against Western
Kentucky. We only had one drive for more
than three minutes and against Illinois.
I'm leaving Idaho out of this against Illinois.
We only had one drive for over a shark to drives over three
minutes but one of those was three minutes and eight seconds,
it's not like three-minute drives are the, some kind of,
you know, key to success. But when you're not able to put
any of them together and so what I'm Where I'm going with this is
the stock market. I think close attention to it.
I've done well with the stock market, but if you look at it
like day-to-day or like we look at three days like, oh my God,
it was up two days but down one. It's like that's a trend that's
kind of like IU football where you can see a couple of good
plays that you said there's these moments where it's like,
there's a couple of good plays, but if you pull out and look at
the stock market for a year, those little gaps like suddenly
it becomes part of a larger Trend where it's like, oh this
year we're down 18 percent and so that, Those two days don't
really matter, similar Without You football.
Like, when you just take a step back.
Now, when you look at all of the games, like this is an offense,
that is just incapable of holding onto the ball, doing
anything functional with the ball and I think you're seeing
it also hurting the defense, but yeah, making that many drives to
not really do anything with it and not even again.
Three minutes is not the end all be all but two and a half
minutes like you Got to hold the ball a little bit.
You've got to get some first downs, you've got to move it but
yeah. Nebraska 15 drives nine of them
did not result in a first down. No drives for more than three
minutes, that's putrid. Well, it is awful and it doesn't
get, you know, when you look at the defense, has the defense
ranks Nebraska's, one of the worst of the Big Ten like it
just maybe Michigan State's a little bit easier, but it's also
a road game. I just, I need someone to
explain I mean, this was Nebraska's first win against an
FBS opponent in 64 days they have lost nine in a row, you
know the it's just that all the talk about oh well Lincoln's a
hard place to play, it's like, come on, like this.
This is a Nebraska team that is in its kind of its lowest ebb.
It kind of reminds me of those Michigan teams under Rich
Rodriguez that were clearly struggling like to just put two
and two together and Indiana, couldn't beat them at all during
that period of time. I gotta say, I gotta say, with
Lincoln Like it is, it was again, like this is the
difference between a program that takes football, seriously.
And then I love, I even like, you know, Fred glass tried his
best to get fans in and like it was that third to fourth quarter
transfer where it's like, oh we're gonna play that William
Tell song, we're going to have, you know, we're going to take
the red steppers and put little, you know, masks on them.
Say look like The Lone Ranger like, that'll be fun.
And then you look at Nebraska last night said, hey, we're
going to truffle ice and everyone has glow sticks.
We're gonna fire into the, we're going to do like Road.
Rotating lights around the stadium.
It's like what the hell's happening here like this, look
like a Super Bowl halftime show. Yeah, I mean putting that aside
but no I look at the end of the day it's there's just so many
little things that you look at this particular game.
And you know certainly there's players that I think we're
deserving of praise and it'll get kind of lost in the shuffle.
I mean I think you know I tip my hat on the offensive side to
Emory Simmons who certainly hadn't played that Much caught
six balls, 457 yards had a touchdown and I thought I
understood Kobe played pretty well.
That's not a guy that had seen a whole lot of action thus far.
And I and I was impressed with electric on a couple of his cup
of his catches, he looks really, really good.
You know, defensively, I that cam Jones and Aaron Casey both
played pretty well. Overall Brian Fitzgerald who
we've been somewhat critical of on the show for not playing
better, had that huge interception and just had a good
game overall I thought but there just were so in that that
interception is like that is where I you.
It's like we just if we get luck it's always bad luck.
Like I've been just unbelievable interception.
Well you just cannot State how insane the interception was but
of course his knee is on the half-yard line.
So it's like that's a it's almost like it would have been
better for him to drop it or like you'd like again he's
obviously you can't be like hey while you're doing it and say
one-handed catch falling out of bounds.
Can you work on yard pick? He work on your body control
like yeah it's like a Force that amazing interception had to be
like, well, you know, this is going to either end to the
safety or through three and out. Like, this is, it's just, it
sucks that it had to happen that way.
But I mean, yeah, those are phenomenal interception.
Yeah, it look. I mean, ultimately, all of those
good performances were just essentially overshadowed by
Indiana's inconsistencies and their inability to execute where
it mattered and just like Plays the where it shouldn't have been
anywhere close to where it was the punt block.
I keep coming back to, and I'm just like, how on Earth I mean,
that was one of I don't know if I've seen a bigger Jailbreak in,
in terms of a punt block. I mean, it was like, literally
nobody decided to block for Indiana on the player.
Guys, could have block that pun, you know, there was a play.
I think it was earlier, it was actually, it was after that.
I think. No, it was before where, you
know, the The lying just doesn't block on the right side and you
know, Connor, basal-like ends up getting sacked and he go back
and look at the replay and it's like how I've never seen a right
tackle. Just not like just started like
fries basically and not know what to do and then a running
back being like, Oh wait, I don't know what I'm supposed to
do and it was almost like they guided the rusher in to the
quarterback. We're kind of lucky.
I think that basil act didn't fumble the ball.
You look at You're leading, rusher is Jalen Lucas this
electric freshman. That everybody's been talking
about. Had three carries 39 yards.
On three carries, didn't see him again.
The rest of the game except at the very tail end of the game.
When they had this like 160-pound back in blocking in
pass protection and that, you know, as much as we hear about,
oh Indiana doesn't have Playmakers or they don't have,
you know electric difference makers from a physical
perspective. It's like I look like a pretty
electric player and they couldn't figure out a way to get
them on the field. Even if you're putting him in
the slot and you're bringing him, you know, into a bubble
screen formation or something like that, at least try, if you
have Playmakers to get them into space and utilize them, and it
just feel, it, feels like with this Indiana offense, they are
incapable, consistently of figuring out on each Drive.
Okay, how do we get players into position to be successful?
And it's a different problem. Every time you know, Connor
basil, Act was very inconsistent.
Yesterday he had a lot of throws that were off Target.
He was having to move around in the pocket, a bunch.
But then there were also times when basil Act was not an
accurate and he put the ball on the numbers and the receiver
wouldn't pull the ball in. You've got receivers, not coming
back to the ball. To the point that we're
watching, basil act like motioning to the wide receivers,
after the play to come back. When the protection inevitably
breaks down, you've got the protection, which, you know,
again, as we said at the beginning, makes it essentially
impossible. To maintain any semblance of a
running game. And also about every third or
fourth drop back puts the quarterback in a position where
he's either having to scramble out of the pocket, throw an
early pass. That's likely, inaccurate, or
get sacked. And, and again, it's like you
mentioned this. This is not Ohio State, this is
not Michigan. This is Nebraska who had one of
the worst defenses in the league.
People, you know, after the game I think are acting like this is
supposed to be a higher level. The Big Ten defense that Indiana
played than it actually was so look, I don't know.
I mean, we can talk about this, you know, for the next two or
three hours and it's going to be the same thing and it's just,
you know, you look at this performance and it's, yes, it's
on the road. Yes, Indiana could potentially
come back and play better at home, but you look at the
remaining home games at Indiana's got on the schedule
and it's hard to Envision them winning more than Maybe one of
them, and even that might be a stretch.
I mean, the remaining games at home, they've got Michigan at
home. That does not seem like a game
that Indiana is likely to win. They've got Maryland at home.
That does not seem like a game. Indiana is likely to win.
I mean, that Maryland, team was able to pretty easily handle at
home, Michigan State and played pretty well on the road, the
previous week against Michigan. They've got Penn State at home.
That looks like a very unlikely win.
They've got Purdue at home and you know as much as people have
been pointing and laughing at Purdue and just A viably.
So that's a Purdue team that picked themselves off.
The carpet went to a superior opponent talent-wise and style
of Play Wise and essentially left no doubt in beating
Minnesota like, that was a pretty dominant performance.
All Things Considered by that Purdue team, especially on
defense. And so I just I look at this and
I say, I mean is the season over for all, you know, but where did
the winds come from it, this point and you know to be sitting
at three wins on the season Looking forward and saying to
yourself. Well, there's a real problem
here because Indiana has allowed at least 20 points in every game
they've allowed at least 30 points in each of the last three
games and they don't they, unfortunately, this is a year
where Indiana isn't playing any of the real offensively
challenged teams out of the Big Ten West.
They're not playing Wisconsin, they're not playing Iowa, you
know? And even if they were, it's hard
to Envision Indiana's offense being able to perform against
those defenses. The That's a Purdue performed
against Minnesota or the way that Illinois performed against
Wisconsin. So, it's just frustrating
because all of the trend lines and all of the observable
statistics, and all of the advanced statistics have been
telling us the same thing for a while about this team, this team
isn't very good, this was like the one game.
You felt like they might be able to steal on the road and it
didn't happen if it was right there, they're tied going into
the fourth quarter and instead of seizing control, Role of the
game and figuring out a way to win, they lose by 14.
Again, not a huge surprise, but very disappointing because it
just felt like that was the door closing on.
You know, what could have been a successful season if things had
broken the right way for IU. So the door closing on a
possible win me. Like and there's just not that
many more. You mentioned that Purdue game.
It is. That's what was so unique about,
you know, even in 2019, it's like we kind of pick Do some
guys were having rough years like in 2020.
That's what was so different is that we won that Penn State
games like oh my God, we never win those types of games and
it's like, a couple weeks. You have Michigan looming.
It's all right. Well, this is all gonna come
Crashing Down to Earth and like, know we beat Michigan.
It's like, oh, we got to go to Wisconsin.
Like that's that's where it's like, oh no, we won that Kate.
Like we're doing things, we don't normally do but now we're
back to reality and that Purdue game is a prime example.
Like we almost never have games like that, all outside of 20 T
where it's like Minnesota was the hot shit T.
Like they're the team has won two in a row.
They're beating teams down there not giving up any points and
Purdue goes in there and winds and just beats a top 20 team.
You know, we go into Nebraska team, that's falling apart and
can't get it done. It is reminiscent of kind of
just the natural world world world order.
But yeah, when you look forward and this is What's always so
frustrating about being an IU fan, is things calcify around us
at this time of year were four teams.
Like you know, if we were Purdue it's like will be like, oh well
I mean Minnesota. You like they're, they're on
fire, they're ranked in the top 20.
Like we're not going to win that game.
It's like, that's what happens. Like know you can do it.
Like, it's possible to go beat these teams, but yet, as we look
at this schedule, it's like, all right.
Well, we still have Michigan Penn State and Ohio State.
Those are all losses. But now Maryland is kind of
calcifying is a loss One's gotta go.
You know, Rutgers sounds that no Rutgers is like one of the top
five rated defenses in the Big Ten.
Like they are a vastly better defense than Nebraska.
The place isn't as tough to play, but like that's getting
tough, you know, Michigan State baby, but they still rank out
better than Nebraska. And most areas are, then Purdue
now has a real Lifeline. It's like everything always
calcifies into losses this time of year and everything.
The cement gets hard and all the hard game stay hard but some of
the all the ones we thought were easy, get hard and then we lose
them all. And Were never able to go like
kind of you know take one that we shouldn't get while also
getting the ones we should. It's super frustrating.
And my final point is this I don't want to be negative.
But, you know, I beginning of the year I had us at three wins,
you know, I kind of missed up which ones we were going to get
as I sit here right now. I just have to say, I think I
think we're going to lose out. I don't see where, you know,
this was a type of game where this was a game that was there.
The taking but you know the offense scores 14 points, you
get a nice defensive score, that's great.
You mentioned that pump block that turned into a touchdown to
me that kind of the Season hinges on that.
And that this is a team and always kind of has been where
it's like you just you say it a lot like you know, we're kind of
on the razor's Edge but it's just as this team you don't get
to make those kinds of horrific mistakes.
You just can't, you can't have those mistakes.
X where you punt, you give up a pump, block that turns into a
touchdown. You just, you don't have that
margin for. Are you don't Ohio State?
Can they can make two of those at a game and still win by 25.
Michigan can Nebraska can have a jailbreak and have a safety turn
into a touchdown and they can still win by 14.
I mean, that's the thing, it's not like, this was a one player
game where it's like, damn if that last drive we would have
had no like we lost my 14, Nebraska covered twice.
Like covered, five and a half two different, they almost
covered it. X.
Yeah, you know. So it's like wheat we always
make those mistakes but we just, you can't.
And when you're at, I use level with the seemingly Talent
deficiency that we have. It's tough at the last thing I'd
it's going to shoehorn this into the end.
It's like this is again, take a shot.
This is why I hate talking about recruiting because we'll get to
April May June and it's like oh we get all these recruits and
like, you know, Alan's moving up, the recruiting Trail.
It's like yeah we're ranked 24th but Entry ago we got this
four-star. There's an ongoing Alabama.
It's like all right that's great but if you can't turn recruits
into players on the field of those positions then none of it
matters. And if all of your talent is
coming in the transfer portal that's fine.
But then stop recruiting like stop talking about recruiting so
that that's where I'm very, very one more, very concerned.
Because right now we are seeing none of the skill positions.
Any of those recruits that are So highly touted turning into
anything functional on the field and that's a real problem
because at this point when you have two wide receivers down and
you have kind of a, you know, why receiving Corps?
That's also kind of turning over from last year.
This would be a perfect time to see some of those recruits do
something instead. It's like Kobe was kind of the
guy last night and kind of jumped off the page that's a
transfer. So this is very frustrating in a
lot of respects because I'm not sure I see another win.
I'm not sure. I see.
This team being able to put everything together in one game
to get a win but long-term man. I also don't know where you go
from here because I don't see that influx of talent coming
onto the field from the recruiting base and Indiana.
Just well, we haven't shown in the transfer portal.
It's like, we're getting the, you know, base lack is good, but
it's like he wasn't the top tier were, you know, quarterback.
We're not winning the transfer portal battle either.
So, it's just, it's tough times, man.
Like this is why you hate October, but Hey, pumpkin spice
latte. Yeah, back.
Well look, I think I agree with what you said there.
I think the other thing though is it's, it's not, it's not the
recruiting issues as much as it's the development.
I just where's the Player Development where like the
getting the whole idea is you bring in players of a certain
level and then you coach them up and it's wild that Indiana is
spending as much money as they are on like an NFL level
strength and conditioning coach and they can't develop Help
players that I was something that someone tweeted, or a
texted to me, who follows the team closely, it's it's wild
that Indiana looks kind of like it's always looked despite all
of this influx of talent and they've had to plug so many
holes. And look, you're going to get a
lot of players out of the transfer portal, but that it
like, there doesn't seem to be a reservoir of other players that
are also developing in parallel to that.
And a lot of these transfer portal players as we've talked
about, Like you can see why they were in the transfer portal, not
that they're bad players, but they're often inconsistent,
which is essentially the watchword for this IU football
team. And I don't know, I mean, a lot
of the people who were very negative on Tom Allen and the
program of Tom Allen, I think more to the point and this goes
all the way back to your conversation with the folks at
punt. John punt.
This offseason is that the Mojo, the momentum of the Tom Allen
program. It Why you like hitting a brick
wall in that 2021 season and we've seen this play out before
it? I you where, when a coach loses
that momentum, it's incredibly hard to get it back and, you
know, I think you there were certainly arguments to be made
through the first three games that well, you know, maybe
they're not playing well, but there, they figured out a way to
win games, and maybe that's an encapsulation of it.
And yet, in these last two, as you said, they've come out
Prepared, they've made mistakes throughout, you know, I don't
think there's much shame in losing at Cincinnati but the way
they lost it Cincinnati was frustrating because it was
largely self-inflicted. And this was also a loss that
was largely self-inflicted and, you know, your point about you
don't to be negative. But it's hard to see winds
remaining on the schedule. Look, the wind probability for I
use opponents for the rest of the way our 92% Michigan. 80%
Maryland, 61% Rutgers 83%, that's what Penn State.
I think, 98%, Ohio, State, 84%, 110 84%, Michigan State and 74%,
Purdue. So Indiana, will be an underdog
in every remaining game. And we said that two weeks ago
as well, I mean, they are underdogs every every step of
the way. And that's not us being - that
is Fpi, which is, you know, ESPN's computer which doesn't
really care who the team is looking looking at the numbers.
It doesn't love each other, it's just cares about number.
It's looking at the numbers and it's saying that this Indiana
team against opponents that they are playing is worse in every
single game moving forward. And that's a real problem
because I don't see where it's wrong.
Like I do, it's hard for me to look at that and say to myself.
Oh yeah, no FBI clearly isn't taking Into account.
Something important about this, I you football team?
That's essentially who they are and and I just, I keep coming
back to this idea that what we were told all offseason was that
last year, was a culture problem.
And, of course, you know, we didn't get the answers as to,
why a culture problem, popped up after two of the most successful
seasons and IU football history, it was just kind of accepted.
Well, there were, there were some bad apples on the roster
and therefore, but no things have different now and Tom,
Allen's taking over the defense and And you know they've got a
new offensive coordinator in and that's going to fix everything.
And I think what we're seeing unfortunately is that there's a
far greater fundamental issue with the fabric of Indiana
football where they're still making these types of mistakes
and still struggling in these sorts of games.
And again we are deep into Tom Allen's tenure, you know it.
So I just I don't I'm with you. It's like it's hard to see this
team suddenly finding religion. Ian between now and two weeks
from now when they play Maryland is, you know, is it possible
sure. Could they win another game or
two? Sure they and if they do, I
think certainly we will change the narrative.
But from what we've got right now from the evidence, through
five games, that sitting on the table, it's hard to feel that
positive about where the program is at and you look at the lack
of development of players, you look at the consistent,
seven-year struggles on the offensive line and Absolute
inability of Tom, Allen to do anything to fix it or seem to
even acknowledge that. It's an actual problem that
needs fixing. You look at the defense
regressing significantly from where it was a couple of years
ago, in terms of, you know, both forcing turnovers and just being
able to stop the opponent in key moments.
And this is where I think a lot of the pessimism comes from.
It's this idea that there doesn't seem to be any easy
remedy and No. The to some degree, the best
chances to demonstrate that Indiana is actually able to be
successful against opponents that are beatable like that
times kind of come and gone. I mean, yes, you've got a couple
more games like that on the schedule, but this was a great
opportunity against probably the most wounded opponent on the
schedule and they couldn't figure out a way to pull it out
when it was there and that, that is very frustrating.
You know, I watched Tom Allen's postgame press conferences, the
part like I mean, he's not, they're never gonna say anything
amazing in there, but it's like I hate going on this row but
it's like you're getting picked. Like you got the big contract,
okay? You're getting paid.
You're not, you're not, you know, there was a time there
where it's like, you'll build Lynch or Kevin Wilson's?
All right, well like but in the end like this is like the 13th
highest paid Gil coach. The big Ten's like what are you
trying to do? Alan's making the 25 million
dollars a year. Like you are making the the
solid money. We're Like a at least somewhat
respectable mid-level, Big Ten program.
This is to me where I would say to the team, like the rubber
meets the road, I don't know how you're going to do it, but you
need to win a game. You need to win one more game
this year. Because as you said as I've said
like nothing is going to happen. This offseason with the coaching
staff. Hopefully one offensive line
coach might change but outside of that, nothing else is
inherently changing with the high level coaching staff.
Is going to be really hard for anybody to like mentally get
excited and like do the mental gymnastics in the marketing to
talk about, like this program is on the rise, or we're doing
better things. When you have two years where
you lose out, like, yes, this year, you won one more game and
you want a Big Ten game, but it's kind of almost going to be
washed away if you lose out and if you go three and eight and
you lose eight in a row that's going to suck.
If we're at a point where the last win in October, Was in
2020, that's not a great look. If you've gone two years without
winning a game after September, that's all fun.
When you just lose out, two years in a row, that's going to
really kill interest in the program.
So, this is where the rubber hits the road.
You know, this is where Allen needs to show why?
He's a national Coach of the Year candidate.
Why? He's a good coach?
Like things are not going well, if he can only win and do well,
when all the stars are aligned and we're humming and
everything. Is rolling, right?
Then he's not the right coach for Indiana because things are
not always going. This is not Ohio State things
are not always going to be humming.
It's not a program where you could just kind of sit back.
Like there are a lot of moments like this where you and I have
podcast it for 10 years were like things aren't going right.
You need to figure out a way to do something that's really hard.
Purdue did it this week? They were kind of faltering.
They want a game at Minnesota. Minnesota is not going to the
college football playoff. Like, that's not a great.
T Matt's a good team. Go win it.
We're playing. We have a couple of good teams
like you can be truckers. You could beat Maryland, did
home? Like those teams are going
undefeated, those teams don't have, you know, if possible like
this is where you have to figure out how to get it done because
it's just going to be a real bummer.
If you go two years in a row losing out, so do something
different, find a way to win one of these games.
We'll see what happens with Indiana.
Moving forward as they are 3 and 2 and certainly there are
opportunities for Indiana to win games moving forward, but a big
hey, big pot, big fox Friday's coming.
Yeah, being talked about that. But this is Vegas, big noon
Saturday as they call it as yes. Indiana hosting Michigan.
And well, you know, I mean this is where I think all the things
you just said. I mean, I'm sure there's people
listening who will be Got, they haven't lost out yet.
You're being unfair. You're being negative to die to
die. And what I would say though, is,
okay, we've talked about this many times.
Indiana has a putrid record against Michigan and Ohio State.
Yes, those are better programs Indiana's, beaten Michigan.
Once since 1967, they've beaten Ohio State 0 times, since 1989,
other teams have been able to rise to the occasion.
Occasion at home and figure out ways to beat those teams, Ohio
State, maybe, not quite as much, but we have seen it happen with
some and, you know, Michigan is certainly a team that's been
susceptible to getting picked off every once in a while.
This is certainly a better Michigan team, but this is the
kind of game where Indiana needs to come out and play with
passion and with fire. And they at least need to make
it a difficult game for Michigan.
They need at least need to make it a game.
We're Michigan's like, well crap Indiana's, really brought their
a-plus-plus game to this and that's at this point.
Like, that's, that's what you have to.
You almost have to like, say, look, Indiana football, we're
not this bad. We have, we have pride in the
program. We have pride in the way that we
play. This is where Indiana has to
throw the kitchen sink at things and and figure stuff out and
look. So if you think Think we're
being unfair to the program and to the players and the Tom Allen
fine. But this is where you have to
start actually demonstrating things.
Not, not not coming back from a 10%.
When expectancy to beat Western Kentucky at home in overtime.
Like this is where if you actually are in the conversation
for being like a mid tier Big Ten team home game homecoming,
you know, one of the biggest games in terms of media Windows,
this is where you have to perform.
We'll talk about that throughout the course of the week, you
know, it's just that again, it would be the first time this
year that we've really seen Indiana over perform and that is
a real concern and it's like not likely to happen.
But this is where again, it's like you're talking about the
salary and you talk about, okay? This is your job as the head
football, coach to figure out answers and try to fix these
things. This is, this is where it
happens. So let's see what happens, you
know, it's, it's just funny. About me talk about Michigan.
We had some friends over last night to watch the game, which
is also tough experience. But I was talking about some of
the Stadium's. I had been to in the Big Ten,
like I start saying, I want to take my son to more Big Ten
football stadiums on Snapchat. I've been to Michigan not for a
game and my friends, like, oh, that must have been like, oh,
like did you must have hated that like being a Michigan's
like, know what? I don't really have hatred
toward Michigan because like, that's not even we suck and they
beat us like it's like, it's like the old, you know, the joke
about the Red Sox, the Yankees back in the day was like
hammering, a nail Like we're the nail, like I probably more
annoyed about like Maryland and Rutgers like I don't that's like
be being mad at like the, you know, the going to Lambeau.
It's like I said, that's a different League anyway.
Just it's funny they're like, oh, you must hate it.
It's like, no. Like I really don't have a ton
of animosity toward Michigan, they're just, they are way
better and we don't beat that. But to your point, it can be
done. Like, they are pick off a bowl.
I just I don't see any reality where that happens, next
Saturday, but Lets you know, hey, let's, let's let's plan for
it Hope Springs Eternal and we'll see what Indiana's able to
come up with on all of this. But anyway, that'll wrap it up
for us. We'll be back later on this
week. Talk more about IU football and
we will see what the numbers show as Indiana takes on the
Michigan Wolverines for homecoming.
This upcoming week for Scott, I'm Galen, thanks for joining us
here on the show, will be back later on in the week.
Like I said, be sure to check out Crimson cash, which will
come out on Thursday, and Of the regular week preview as well.
Coming up, we'll catch you. Folks on the flip side, bring
back the Bison, so everybody