Tom Allen has brought a winning season to Indiana football for the first time since 2007. At the end of the year, the program will have a chance to win its first bowl game since 1991.
The Hoosiers' seventh victory of the year shows that the team is gravitating towards a winning culture.
In Tom Allen’s first full season as the head coach of Indiana’s football program, the numbers 50, 26 and 10 were noted as a way to challenge the team — staff and players alike.
It had been 50 years since Indiana won the Big Ten, 26 years since Indiana won a bowl game and 10 years since Indiana had its last winning season.
After a 34-3 victory over Northwestern two years later, the Hoosiers have knocked off one of those streaks and will have a chance to rid themselves of another when the team travels for a bowl game at the end of the year.
“I told our team, I told our coaches, we're going to accomplish all three of those,” Allen said after the game. “If you don't believe we're going to do that, you need to leave. And I was very honest and open and sincere about it. I wasn't going to take it personal if they didn't believe, but I didn't want them here. Because I want a coaching staff and a football team that believes.”
Saturday night’s win — Indiana’s seventh of the season — fully displays the change Allen has tried to create during his tenure. He’s slowly brought together a team that will represent his vision of a closely-knit group of players that play winning football.
His mantra of “love each other” has become connected to the team, but the numbers that symbolized Indiana’s mediocrity over the years came to Allen’s attention by way of cornerback Tiawan Mullen.
During Mullen’s recruitment, the Florida native conducted his own research about the program’s lack of success. He said he didn’t want to go to a university without knowing its history, good and bad.
“It means a lot to me because I came 16 hours away from home,” Mullen said. “I told him, we’re going to get this thing rolling. It wasn’t going to take two years, three years. As soon as I get here, we’re going to get the train rolling. We have a great staff, great players, and we’re making things happen.”
The Hoosiers are now 7-2 on the season before entering their second bye week. Players have preached a 1-0 mindset all year, and win or loss, the team has moved on to the next opponent with focus.
That approach was evident in the win against the Wildcats. After becoming bowl eligible last week against Nebraska, it wouldn’t have been surprising for Indiana to overlook a 1-6 Northwestern team ahead of its bye week. Instead, the team came out on a cold Saturday night and dominated from the jump.
The players have said their goal isn’t to simply go to a bowl game, but to win one for the first time since 1991, and the team is gathering momentum before the last stretch of the season.
“It’s huge, especially for seniors like me, when we’re really trying to change the program,” fifth-year wide receiver Nick Westbrook said. “This is a win that really sets that off. At the same time, we still really have that mentality. We’re starving for greatness this season.”
After the bye week, Indiana will face off against Penn State, Michigan and Purdue to end its season. Allen said the week off will be crucial for the team to recover physically and mentally in preparation for the end of the year.
Allen will have two more shots at upsetting a ranked Big Ten opponent before the year is over. A win against either Penn State or Michigan would finally add a signature victory to the head coach’s resume, a win that eluded him against Michigan State earlier in the season.
“This is a very hungry football team that is not satisfied with where they are,” Allen said. “I don't think they're shocked by what they're doing, they expected it. There's no question that not a lot of people felt that way or believed in us, and that's okay. It never mattered to us.”
A young core of players like Mullen and redshirt freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will keep optimism high around the program. As Indiana keeps winning, more players will want to play under Allen after the way he’s started to change the program.
Players are buying into Allen's messages, and that will only resonate in future recruiting classes.
“I want to be part of history, I want to make history,” Mullen said. “With Coach Allen, he’s a great guy — he’s made for the job. He’s made out of steel, and his coaching style is made out of steel, and his players are made out of steel. And we love each other.”
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