The last 28 days for new Indiana head coach Tom Allen have been a whirlwind.

A scenario where Kevin Wilson, the man who hired him a mere 11 months ago to be IU's defensive coordinator, resigns and Allen himself is hired to be the head coach isn't something to be predicted. To this day, Allen is still admittedly surprised with all that's happened.

There's still twists and turns ahead. Even four weeks after his hiring, there's long-term coaching decisions left to be made. There's philosophies left to be implemented and a recruiting class left to be signed that'll dictate the future of Indiana football.

All of these things are important, Allen said. But that's not what his concern is today when IU (6-6) plays No. 19 Utah (8-4) in the Foster Farms Bowl in Santa Clara, California.

He just wants a victory in his first game as a head coach.

"That's our mission right now," Allen said Monday. "We came here to win the football game."

Allen isn't changing who he is now that he's the head coach of Indiana football. He still sticks with his mantra "LEO," which stands for "Love Each Other," as a rallying call for the players he coaches. It just so happens that that number of players who use it doubled come Dec. 1.

It was strange at first, watching Allen working with the offense, All-American junior linebacker Tegray Scales said. Allen is normally competitive in practice. He doesn't like when his team is losing and celebrates when they're winning.

Now, every play is a win as much as it is a loss. That means celebrating the offense's triumphs just as much as the defense's.

"That part is still weird," Scales said. "He's a defensive guy, but when the offense makes a play he has to celebrate with them, too."

Offensive players are still adjusting to having Allen support them in practice. It's just odd for someone like sophomore receiver Nick Westbrook to see Allen running up and down the sidelines to celebrate he or another receiver burning one of the defensive backs Allen has spent all year growing and helping mature.

There's still part of Westbrook that sees through all of that. He and the other offensive players claim to know where Allen's heart truly lies.

"It's really intriguing because it's kind of interesting when we do competition versus the defense because he can't just be one-sided, even though he is, you know?" Westbrook said. "He's rooting for the defense, buy now he kind of gives us some leeway. It's interesting just being able to compete with him and talk a bit of smack with him now because you know that he has to support us too."

It's not that Allen is reluctant to support his offense. That's not what it is at all.

But he's a man who's elevated through the coaching ranks as a defensive-minded coach much like the way Wilson was lauded for his offensive mind. You can take the title away, but Allen is never going to stop being a defensive coordinator.

"It's what he loves, man, you know that," fifth-year senior wide receiver Ricky Jones said. "But now he's gotta love us, too. And he has. And we do the same."

There's going to be a learning curve with all of this. Allen expects it.

He's never coached a college football game before. He's spent time in practice over the last few weeks simulating what it's going to be like, but it's going to be unavoidably new when his team takes the field this evening.

"You prepare as best you can," Allen said. "I'm excited for the opportunity. I'm excited to be with these guys out on the field trying to accomplish our goals with these seniors one last time."

This time last year, Indiana's return home from a 44-41 loss to Duke in the Pinstripe Bowl was quiet. Nobody on the bus or flight was in a talkative mood. Dejection was setting in.

That much comes with a loss. Indiana was in a celebratory mood to go to its first bowl game since 2007, but the loss proved just how much growth the Hoosiers needed to take that next step and becoming a winning program.

Tonight, they get another chance with a man who's getting his first.

"We don't just want to go to a bowl game anymore," Jones said. "We want to win it. And if we can do that for Coach Allen in his first game? That would be awesome. I can't think of a better way."