Source: Indiana University Athletics
BLOOMINGTON, Ind.–Even though the Indiana Hoosier football team is 2-4, they still believe they have a path to bowl eligibility.
For them, they know that must start with a win on Homecoming against 5-2 Rutgers on Saturday. They would need 6 wins to make a bowl.
“You’ve got to look at the big picture. You’ve got to know that you’re goals are all still in front of you and they’re all still available to you. The consistency of your preparation is key and the little things every day have to be paid attention to so you can create the change you’re looking for,” said Indiana Head Football Coach Tom Allen in a news conference Thursday.
Allen says the key for right now is to not get discouraged.
“You don’t doubt yourself. You just stay the course. Is that hard to do? Absolutely. That’s why you have to spend so much time addressing it. You bring the energy. You bring the focus and you let the guys follow that lead,” said Allen.
Rutgers is scoring 28 points per game and allowing 16. They’ve also won the last two games in the series against Indiana (24-17 last year and Rutgers won 38-3 in 2021).
“In the core, they are big and strong. Rutgers is also really disciplined. They play really hard. They’re good tacklers. They have a lot of seasoned guys that have been there with them in the system that they have played in. There are several guys that have played in that system for many years, and you can just see the benefits of that. In the secondary they are good tacklers on the perimeter and touch physical guys,” said Allen.
Saturday will mark the 10th meeting between the two programs, with all of them as members of the Big Ten Conference. The two program’s first met in Piscataway, New Jersey, in 2014 – Rutgers first season in the Big Ten – and the first meeting in Bloomington, Indiana, followed in 2015.
Kickoff Saturday is at noon. Pregame coverage starts at 11 on 93.1 WIBC and the Varsity Sports Network App.
