Purdue football notebook: Jason Simmons squares off vs. old friend Tom Allen
When Jason Simmons looks across the field on Saturday, he’ll see a familiar face: Tom Allen, the former Indiana coach who is in his first year as defensive coordinator at Penn State.
“I was blessed to get hired by Coach Allen in 2006 at Ben Davis High School,” said Simmons. “We spent one year together.”
Simmons and Allen have deep roots in high school football, cutting their teeth under the Friday night lights.
“He’s exactly what you see on TV,” said Simmons. “He’s not putting on an act for TV. He’s a high energy guy that loves his players, highly competitive. He’s got a high football IQ. He grew up around the game and in the game and that shows. We’ve stayed in touch throughout his coaching journey.”
Allen’s journey includes a seven-year run as Indiana head coach before giving way to Curt Cignetti in 2024. Allen landed at Penn State, which is jockeying for a College Football Playoff bid as the Nittany Lions (8-1 overall; 5-1 Big Ten) come to Purdue (1-8; 0-6) for 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on Saturday on CBS.
During Allen’s run with the Hoosiers, Simmons would often trek to Bloomington to commiserate with the IU boss.
“I was able to spend quite a bit of time with him throughout the year at different parts of the year, just because of proximity,” said Simmons, who also coached at Noblesville and Hamilton Heights. “I owe a lot to him. He gave me an opportunity to coach at Ben Davis High School, which has been a very beneficial place for me in my career.”
That helped launch Simmons’ career, which saw him join the college ranks at Miami (Ohio)–his alma mater–in 2023 before landing an offensive analyst role at Purdue.
This season, Simmons found himself calling plays at Wisconsin after four games after offensive coordinator Graham Harrell was let go. Ryan Walters assumed play-calling duties the next week at Illinois but Simmons remains an intergral part of the offense during the week and on game days.
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Now, he’ll get to face-off and match wits with his old boss.
“Just as a friend and a mentor, he’s meant a lot, and so to have the opportunity to match wits with him on Saturday is gonna be a lot of fun,” said Simmons.
NOTES:
• Since the opening win vs. Indiana State, Purdue has led just one time this season, when it took a 3-0 lead vs. Nebraska in the third quarter on Sept. 28. The Huskers quickly responded with a TD to take the lead.
• Purdue’s 8-game losing streak is the longest among Pour Four schools. Kent State has the longest, an 11-game skid.
• Purdue has just 5 takeaways. Only one school in the nation has fewer: Florida State with 3. The Boilermakers have recovered one fumble. Two schools have recovered none: Army and New Mexico State.
• Devin Mockobee needs 109 yards to become the eighth Purdue player to have 2,500 yards rushing.
• Last week, Purdue did not commit a penalty for the first time since Oct. 10, 2015, vs. Minnesota. (Purdue lost both games.) It was the third time in the past 28 seasons Purdue was not penalized in a game.
MORE: First look: Penn State | Three thoughts | First and 10 | Walters has learned a lot in 2024 | Opponent View | Matchup preview | Football chat | Boiling Over
