Indiana's word for the week was Elevate. After its defeat of Nebraska on Saturday, the question becomes, how high can Indiana go?
Indiana put away Nebraska, 38-31, in Lincoln on Saturday to advance to 6-2 and earn bowl eligibility the earliest it has done so since 1993. But, as Indiana head coach Tom Allen and his players have repeated through the last couple of weeks, six wins was never the goal.
“We have bigger goals than that,” Allen said after the game Saturday. “That’s the bare minimum.”
The “bare minimum” has been the benchmark used to gauge how successful an IU Football season is. That benchmark was reached by Kevin Wilson twice twice in 2015 and 2016, which had many fans optimistic about the future. But with Allen at the helm, it’s been two five-win seasons.
Two all-time recruiting classes and some flashy talent, but two five-win seasons nonetheless. Saturday changed that perception.
“We’re making changes,” Allen said. “Eventually, you have to get there, and I know that.”
The changes Allen wants to make involve winning the bowl game the team felt confident it would qualify for before the season began, and another part of those changes appears to be adding onto the six win total it achieved Saturday – matching the highest win total since 2007 with five games remaining in 2019.
