Indiana football lost five games last season by fewer than 10 points.
By Adam Hensley
“We’re tired of being close.”
Indiana linebacker Tegray Scales didn’t hold back during Big Ten football media days in Chicago. Scales, along with his Hoosier teammates, believes that the program is there; the team has kept it close with the top schools in the conference.
It’s a matter of breaking through, as the team motto goes.
“The teams we keep losing to [are] close games — a touchdown, 3 points — how can we find a way to break through and beat them?” Scales said. “Instead of losing by 3, we [want to] win by 3.”
Indiana might just have found the coach to execute the program’s turnaround.
Tom Allen, previously the defensive coordinator for the Hoosiers, moved up to take the head-coach position after Kevin Wilson resigned following investigations on his treatment of injured players.
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Right away, Allen challenged the team, a squad stuck in the realm of mediocre-football purgatory, with a concept.
“When I met with our players after I took over, I wrote these three numbers on the board — I did this with our staff as well — 50, 26, 10,” Allen said. “And I asked them if they knew what those numbers represented, and they didn’t. So I proceeded to tell them. It’s been 50 years since we won the Big Ten; it’s been 26 years since we won a bowl game; it’s been 10 years since we had a winning season at Indiana. We’re going to accomplish all three of those, I told our team. If you don’t believe that, you need to leave. Said the same thing to our staff. I love them. I appreciate them. But I want a coaching staff, I want a football team, that believes.”
Indiana lost five games this past season by 10 points or fewer; three of those contests were within 5. The final game of the season, the Foster Farms Bowl against Utah, served as a microcosm of its season — the Hoosiers lost by 2.
After taking a 7-0 lead in the game’s first minute, Indiana slowly lost its early advantage, falling behind 10-7 before the first quarter concluded.
The Hoosiers took a 1-point lead with slightly more than 10 minutes remaining, but the Utes scored with 1:24 left and held on to win.
Indiana needed to take a step back and reflect after its fifth and final close loss on the year.
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“After we kept losing those close games, what are we [not] doing that other teams are doing to win?” Scales asked. “Why can’t we win? It all comes down to taking care of ourselves. We have to be the best we can be, and eventually [we’ll win].”
Sometimes, leadership can propel a team over that final hump, and that’s what Allen stressed when he discussed quarterback Richard Lagow’s maturity and direction.
As a junior, Lagow threw for 3,362 yards last season and tossed 19 touchdowns, solid numbers for his first season with the Hoosiers after transferring from Cisco Community College in Texas.
The interceptions piled up, however; he threw 17 picks in his 13 games.
“Fundamentals were never really an issue for me,” Lagow said. “My interceptions came on decision-making more than anything.”
Ranked as the top pocket-passing junior quarterback by ESPN in his class, Lagow and the rest of his teammates will face an uphill battle in an attempt to break through mediocrity.
The Hoosiers face a daunting schedule this fall. After what Allen called the biggest season-opener in school history (Ohio State at home), Indiana enters a gauntlet of conference foes, including Penn State, Michigan, and Wisconsin during a five-game span.
But facing the tough opponents, Indiana boasts a strong roster of its own. Scales, Lagow, running back Devonte Williams, and cornerback Rashard Fant were all named to preseason award watch lists.
“People are noticing IU,” Fant said. “We just [have] to keep it going. It’s only the beginning.”