Hoosiers take 4-1 record to No. 3 Ohio State
As if Indiana University coach Tom Allen needed any reminder how good No. 3 Ohio State is, he got it by watching the Buckeyes come from behind to beat Penn State, 27-26, last Saturday night.
“To see them do what they did to come from behind and score those last two touchdowns in the last eight minutes to win on the road is a great testament to their program and where they’re at and the level they’re playing at,” said Allen, whose team beat Rutgers 24-17 on Saturday.
“I’ve been here for my third season, it’s the most talented Ohio State team I’ve seen since I’ve been here. So very, very good football team, on both sides, and special teams, just a lot of play-makers and speed and athleticism and size and very accurate quarterback and very, very athletic defensive unit. So, Coach (Urban) Meyer always has a very talented team that’s well coached and plays extremely hard. So tremendous challenge and opportunity wrapped up into one as we head to Columbus.”
The Hoosiers (4-1, 1-1 Big Ten) face the Buckeyes (5-0, 2-0) on Saturday afternoon at the Horseshoe in Columbus. Allen served as defensive coordinator in 2016 at IU before taking over as head coach for the bowl game, replacing Kevin Wilson, who resigned under pressure. Wilson is now the Buckeyes offensive coordinator.
Like Penn State, Indiana led Ohio State until 21-20 until late in the third quarter last season. The Buckeyes then scored 29 unanswered points to roll to a 49-21 victory.
“We did some really good things and all of the sudden, bam,” Allen said of the 2017 season opener.
“Within a couple of plays you’re — you know, they got two big long touchdowns, catching and run, run itself, and their explosive athletes they have to get in the space are impressive. That’s how they build it, that’s what they want, that’s what they do, and that’s their philosophy. It puts a lot of pressure on the defense.”
Allen said the Hoosiers’ lack of depth hurt in that game.
“I felt like last year we struggled when we had to put some subs in and those guys to be able to play at the level that we were playing at prior to them coming in wasn’t able to be sustained, so I just challenged our team when I left practice (Monday) about how critical it’s going to be that we get as many guys ready as possible to play in this game, to be able to create the depth and the opportunity so guys won’t have to play 60, 70, 80 snaps, like they did last year,” he said.
“So we can keep more of our guys fresh to be able to take better angle and not get us out of position. You get out of position, one step can be the difference against this team, with all their speed. That includes special teams.”
