Tom Allen, Indiana embracing the challenge of opening season vs. Ohio State

After two straight losing seasons, Indiana Hoosiers head coach Tom Allen knows the team needs to quickly improve. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers will open the 2023 season with a key Big Ten East game against Ohio State. So, there won’t be any easing into the schedule.

Indiana hasn’t beaten Ohio State since 1988 and lost by a combined score of 110-21 in the last two seasons. Still, Allen says that Indiana is embracing the challenge of opening against Ohio State.

“You know what, I’ve been blessed here.” Tom Allen said. “I’ve been head coach for seven years. Five of those seven years we’ve opened with a Big Ten opponent. Very familiar with this process. My first season was the Ohio State Buckeyes back in 2017. So, challenging, yes, but I would say it forces you to grow up real fast.”

Allen explained that playing Ohio State is going to give Indiana a sense of urgency that should help the Hoosiers get better this season.

“So the urgency that the offseason is impacted by this reality of who you play September 2nd to open the season, I think it helps you. It helps you grow. It helps you have that attention to detail at a high level,” Allen said.

“Everybody’s excited about the start of the season, but I think when it’s that kind of opponent it all gets raised to another level. Our team knows that. We understand that. There’s an urgency that our staff has because of it, and fall camp is affected by that in a very positive way. So it’s a challenge we embrace, without question.”

Ohio State head coach Ryan Day on the quarterback battle

With the opener against Indiana coming in just over a month, Ohio State still hasn’t announced a starting quarterback. However, head coach Ryan Day did give an update on the quarterback battle during Big Ten Media Days.

“There’s so much that’s a part of it. I’ve been watching that Netflix story, ‘Quarterback.’ Peyton Manning says the hardest position in the sport is quarterback and all those things that come with it. Certainly at Ohio State, you’re gonna be scrutinized in so many different ways. You’re gonna get a lot of the credit, which you have to be able to handle that,” Day said.

“You have to handle the success. But also, the blame when something doesn’t go well. You’ve gotta be able to handle that and continue to grow from that and build and be able to be resilient. So there’s a lot that comes with it.”