A season ago, Indiana endured painful losses to Michigan State and Ohio State.
Those two losses, while devastating are a major reason why the Hoosiers are enjoying the season they are, despite a 42-35 loss at Ohio State Saturday.
Many times, Indiana head coach Tom Allen has been asked what the turning point was in turning things around, and while he has struggled to put his finger on the exact moment, it is a combination of the two setbacks last year.
After falling 51-10 at home to the Buckeyes, Allen challenged his team to find a way to stick together and pick up wins.
Jamar Johnson told the media after Saturday's loss at Ohio State, the loss against the Buckeyes stayed with them for a year.
"That last year, that 51-10 loss, that one really stuck with us. We didn't forget that. This team is going to fight, that's all I know. We play for each other, with each other, that's all I know man," Johnson said.
After the loss last year to OSU, the Hoosiers knocked off Connecticut before falling 40-31 at Michigan State on Sept. 28, 2019.
Following that loss, Allen walked into a locker room and found players with tears in their eyes and immediately gathered the team around him with one clear message – they are a good football team and before long, everyone would see it.
Everyone is now starting to see it and the success the Hoosiers have experienced can be traced back to that locker room and evening at Michigan State.
Allen recently spoke of that moment and how it served as a catapult, as the Hoosiers would win four straight.
“"Here is the thing that I think really sticks out to me about that, I was trying to convince them that we were a really good team because I thought we were, even though we fell short, we did not finish and I knew we were getting frustrated and did not win, we were close again. That is just what prompted me to respond the way I did in the locker room after the game in the press conference because I knew that team in that locker room was a really good football team, but we had not proved it on the field, so it did not really matter what I think,” Allen said.
The loss dropped the Hoosiers to 3-2 overall, and 0-2 in the Big Ten, but, more importantly, it changed the attitude within the program.
“The players responded and it was really the beginning of the Maryland game that I have always pointed too to say that was the game when we physically finished and won on the road and then starting winning after that, but it was this loss in East Lansing, I thought a year ago, that really was the catalyst to help this team realize if we can just stay the course and just keep believing, and keep fighting, and keep demonstrating tremendous grit, and relentless mindset that we are going to figure this out and it is going to come together,” Allen said.
A week later, Indiana would knock off Rutgers 35-0, but the true measure of whether or not the Hoosiers believed what Allen was preaching would be on full display one week later at Maryland.
Trailing and with starting quarterback Michael Penix knocked out of the game with an undisclosed injury, Indiana found itself backed against the wall and came out swinging, eventually turning back the Terrapins 34-28 as Reece Taylor came up with a huge interception to secure the win.
Allen said the win at Maryland was a turning point in that it began to validate what he had been telling his team.
“The first step was going on the road and winning at Maryland, a game that came down to the final play. We had to get a stop, led by six points at that point and Reese Taylor got a huge interception to seal the win. Went on and played on the road and found a way to win at Nebraska and closed out the season with a big win at Purdue. Each one of those collective wins allowed us to start changing outcomes,” Allen said.
After knocking off Maryland, Indiana defeated Nebraska and Northwestern, before losing to both Penn State and Michigan before rebounding with a 44-41 double overtime win against Purdue to claim the Old Oaken Bucket.
For the first time under Allen, Indiana had picked up eight wins in a season and built on back-to-back five win seasons.
The culture was starting to change.
“We won five the previous two seasons and you take those five wins plus those three – Maryland, Nebraska and Purdue – and that got us to eight and it dramatically changed how our program was viewed. When you find a way to win those games that we found a way not to in the past, it changes things,” Allen said.
Yes, there was the loss to Tennessee in the Gator Bowl, but the lessons and belief carried over to 2020 that Indiana was on the verge of something very special.
That was evident against Penn State despite an offense that struggled for the majority of the game. However, when the game mattered most and Indiana needed a play, Penix, who told his teammates on the sidelines to continue believing, made a play and found a seam and a pylon for the game winning score.
For the first time in 33 seasons, Indiana had knocked off a top ten program, and for the second time in program history, it had knocked off the Nittany Lions.
A week later, Indiana would travel to Rutgers and turn back the Scarlet Knights before owning both Michigan and Michigan State to climb to 4-0 and 9th in the AP Poll.
After Saturday, the Hoosiers still have not beaten Ohio State under Allen, who has talked about turning Indiana into a program that can compete for and win Big Ten championships.
“We were very specific about building a football program that wins the Big Ten. Bottom line is you have goals, a vision and clear picture on where you want to be. We are doing everything we can to elevate this program and win the Big Ten,” Allen said.
Allen noted Monday that the goals have not changed, regardless of the opponent.
"We're putting ourselves in that position, week after week, and we have to continue to build towards that. And when you get those opportunities, you have to seize them, and that's what this is all about. They understand this is something we've wanted to create ever since I became the head coach here, and this is the next step towards building this program," Allen said.
And, it can be traced back to those painful nights in Bloomington and East Lansing against two teams that Indiana gave all it wanted and then some in 2020.
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.
