Indiana's Tom Allen: Michigan is 'playing as well as anybody in America'

Coming off a bye week, Indiana head coach Tom Allen is looking to get his team to bounce back after a 44-17 loss to Maryland in College Park. The Hoosiers get No. 2-rated and undefeated Michigan Wolverines football this weekend, meaning the road doesn’t get any easier.

“They’re playing as well as anybody in America right now and playing with a lot of confidence,” Allen said Monday. “A lot of experience on that team, on both sides of the ball, and a big, physical team that is playing at a very high level right now. So, [this is a] tremendous opportunity and challenge for our players as we come together this week and continue to improve our team.”

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Indiana is 2-3 with wins over Indiana State (41-7) and Akron (29-27 in four overtimes) and losses to Ohio State (23-3), Louisville (21-14) and Maryland (44-17).

In the loss to the Terrapins, the Hoosiers gave up 7 plays of 20-plus yards, with Allen calling some of his team’s mistakes “unusual breakdowns.” Indiana had allowed only 2 such plays in the previous four contests. Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 352 yards and 5 touchdowns.

A staple in an Allen-coached defense is its ability to throw different looks at opposing quarterbacks. Allen said he hopes to get back to that this Saturday against Michigan junior J.J. McCarthy, whom the Hoosiers hope to “contain.”

“We have another athletic quarterback this week that can run it,” Allen explained. “J.J. McCarthy is a very, very athletic quarterback that has really good speed and can beat you with his arms and his legs.

“But I do feel good about the time we’ve had together as a staff to discuss the things we do well, because I do think we feel a good group on defense that can play at a hot level and I expect them to. And we have just got to learn from and flush what happened there and move forward.”

The Hoosiers have struggled offensively, averaging only 20.8 points per game, even with redshirt freshman quarterback Tayven Jackson taking over the starting role in the second game of the season. Following the Maryland game, Allen announced that he had relieved offensive coordinator Walt Bell of his duties, promoting analyst Rod Carey. This Saturday’s matchup will be Carey’s first game in his new position.

Tom Allen has ‘a lot of respect’ for Michigan line play

Allen was asked if Michigan’s offensive and defensive lines pose an even bigger challenge than last season, and he responded by saying that it’s very similar, raving about the Wolverines’ trench play.

“They’re really good. They were really good last year,” Allen said. “I think they got voted the No. 1 offensive line in the country two years in a row. They do have some new faces on the O-line. I do think you can see the progression. They’ve played better here I think in the last couple of weeks than they did earlier on in the first few games.

“Obviously, they had their core positions of running back and quarterback, and they’ve got a really talented tight end, one of the best in the country, and really good speed wide receivers, a couple of them, really special.

“I think their O-line is playing at a high level right now, very dominant, physical, knocking people off of football and just establishing, wearing people down as the game progresses — similar to what they’ve been in the past, in regards to how they were last year. And obviously they were one game away from playing for the national championship a year ago.

“Very impressive football team, and I think had Georgia maybe not played the way they did [in a 51-13 win over Kentucky], they could be No. 1 in the poll this week. [Michigan has] definitely earned that discussion, for sure.

“A lot of respect for them in how they’re playing right now and very well coached at all positions. But up front, their D-line and O-line, is where they’ve really established themselves. And they’re physical and they’re well-coached and they’re technically sound. Good combination for them.”

Allen acknowledged that forcing turnovers will be key against Michigan. The Wolverines have committed just 5 turnovers in six games, while Indiana has caused only 6.

“We’ve just got to find a way to slow down this offense and give ourselves a chance,” Allen said. “They haven’t turned the ball over very many times. Obviously, takeaways are a huge component of every game. It will continue to be on both sides of the ball this week, without question.”