Indiana head coach Tom Allen addressed the media for .a short press conference at Memorial Stadium on Thursday morning leading up to the hoosiers' matchup against No. 14 Michigan on Saturday.
Hear what he had to say about Whop Philyor's status and the seniors in Saturday's game in the video below.
Whop Philyor's status
Indiana wide receiver Whop Philyor, who is statistically the best receiver in the conference, exited the game at Penn State last weekend after a couple blows to the head on a fumbled play. He did not return, and his status was not updated Monday after he was said to be in concussion protocol after the game Saturday.
Tom Allen didn't have much more to offer on the receiver's status Thursday either.
"He's still in the protocol. We don't know yet. We'll know probably, maybe this afternoon."
Honoring the seniors Saturday
Tom Allen didn't recruit any of the seniors to play football at Indiana, but he has been with those players longer than any on the roster. He explained how he believes, while the couple of classes before 2016 were crucial to the growth of the program, the senior class is the class that turned around the program.
"They’re going to be the group that turned this thing. . .This group is the one that changed it on the field. That’s a special thing. I noticed it in the beginning, and I’ve talked about it for quite a while now, about the way they embraced their leadership roles. There are so many guys that are going to be recognized Saturday that were the catalysts for the change. On our leadership council, a lot of these guys were a part of that, and they brought other guys with them.”
Getting a crowd to Memorial Stadium
Tom Allen was at Indiana's basketball game Wednesday evening at Simon Skjodt Assembly Hall, where he spoke to the crowd about filling Memorial Stadium on Saturday when the Hoosiers play No. 14 Michigan, as well as when they go on the road for the program's third bowl game in five years at the end of the season.
He explained ion Thursday why packing the stadium is so important to him and his team.
"As a player, there's just a different feeling that you get when you run out there and have support. During the game, the noise level is critical. . .You can create mistakes when they can't hear. It's not only an encouragement and a motivation for our players and the energy they bring, especially throughout the whole game, but it's also a strategic advantage from a football perspective. . .That's why being on the road is a big deal."
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