Tom Allen talks about love.
Specifically, the phrase “love each other” — a mantra his players have adopted since he arrived.
“It’s all about making it about that guy and not about me,” Allen said. “There’s a brotherhood of genuine love and concern for each other. I think that makes a difference.”
It better. The Hoosier defense has held IU back the past few seasons, and that’s why IU Coach Kevin Wilson brought in Allen and his attacking 4-2-5 scheme.
We’ve seen this song-and-dance before. Brian Knorr arrived in 2014 to bring aggressiveness and change to the IU defense, implementing the 3-4 scheme.
In Knorr’s two years, the defense did not get any better. Prior to his arrival, it gave up an average of 38.8 points per game in 2013. Last season, IU gave up an average of just under 38 points per game. No improvement.
Allen preaches aggressiveness and takeaways — buzz words that get you excited about what’s he’s bringing to the defense. But scheme can only take you so far.
The talent has to make up the rest of the difference.
At all three levels of the defense, the Hoosiers potentially have difference makers.
Junior Greg Gooch and sophomore Jacob Robinson can cause havoc on the line, while junior linebackers Tegray Scales and Marcus Oliver should star in the middle. The much-maligned secondary returns boatloads of experience.
They all believe the defense will better this year.
“People are tired of losing,” Oliver said. “People are tired of dragging that name around with them. People are tired of being looked at like that. The biggest difference from any other year is the belief and the confidence people are gaining through this camp.”
They say they are using the past as motivation — a chip on their shoulder — to propel them forward in 2016.
All that is window dressing for one simple fact: it has to change starting Thursday night against Florida International. FIU frankly doesn’t have a good offense and IU’s revamped defense should not allow the Golden Panthers get anything going.
We will learn more about this defense when it faces tougher opponents, but if things start to go wrong, what will this unit do?
“There will be adversity on Thursday night,” Allen said. “When is it going to happen, I don’t know, but it’s going to happen . . . Who do you lean on, what do you draw to when things go wrong?”
Things shouldn’t go that wrong Thursday, but, if they do, that’s not a good sign. This is a bottom-tier Conference USA team IU’s defense should be able to dominate.
In the past few seasons, when things have gone wrong for this defense, they tend to spiral downward. That can’t happen if this team wants to be successful.
Allen is confident this year’s defense can overcome the here-we-go-again mentality, but it’s going to take more than just talk.
“You have to be put in that situation again and have to be able to have success different than in the past to sear that belief,” Allen said.
The past looms large for this Hoosier defense, but with a new defensive coordinator and a strong foundation of talent, they should finally take a step forward.
“It’s all about us and what we are going to do now,” Oliver said.
They’ve all talked about love. Starting Thursday, they begin their quest to show you why you should love the Hoosier defense again.
aphussey@indiana.edu
