Published Nov 3, 2020
Opponent Notebook: Tom Allen, Indiana Coordinators Talk Michigan
Clayton Sayfie  •  Maize&BlueReview
Staff Writer
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The Michigan Wolverines and Indiana Hoosiers will do battle on Saturday, Nov. 7, at noon ET on FOX Sports 1. Indiana has the momentum, coming off a top-10 win over Penn State in week one and a decisive victory over Rutgers in its last outing. Michigan, meanwhile, enters Saturday's contest fresh off a 27-24 loss to Michigan State after beating Minnesota, 49-24, in the opener.

While Indiana is off to an early roll and checks in at No. 13 in the AP Poll, head coach Tom Allen isn't satisfied and is still looking for more, with the Wolverines coming to town this week.

"I do not feel like we've played our best football yet. We need to start getting some of these mistakes corrected," Allen said earlier this week.

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Under head coach Jim Harbaugh, Michigan is 5-0 against the Hoosiers, including last year's 39-14 Wolverine win in Bloomington.

"We’re excited to welcome the Michigan Wolverines to campus on Saturday for a noon kickoff," Allen said. "Tremendous respect for Jim Harbaugh, the coach that he is and the kind of talent that they have on that football team. They’re one of the top programs in the country, a top-25 program, and we’re going to have to keep getting better every single time we take the field.

"It's a big challenge for us this week, as we have a chance to go for opportunity No. 3."

RELATED: From The Sidelines With Michigan Radio's Doug Karsch

RELATED: Five Key Questions Ahead Of Michigan's Trip To Bloomington

RELATED: Beyond The Box Score

The Wolverines have actually won 24 straight and 39 of their last 40 games against Indiana. Allen acknowledged that will be a storyline coming into the game, but he pointed out that the history of the series won't have much to do with the outcome of Saturday's tilt.

"Well, it’s definitely sports-writer talk," Allen said. "... I mean, the record is what it is. We talk about things pretty openly and honestly in our program, and this fall camp we’ve been challenging our guys about the way they think.

"I’ve always been a big believer in mindset, but just more specifically, talking about the past not being predictive. I don’t believe it is, unless you don’t change what you do on a daily basis, and then it will become predictive. To assume it’s going to be predictive just because it’s going to be that way is what people will talk about and they’ll give the stats ... and the past is real. But it’s not predictive unless you don’t do something different. It’s what you do next — we talk about that, even as a football team.

"The bottom line is this is about us playing our best football, that’s the focus. We haven’t done that yet. I feel like we’ve had opportunities, since I’ve been here, against Michigan, and haven’t been able to finish those opportunities, much like with Penn State in the past.

"I told our team again this morning, it doesn’t matter what I believe, but it’s what they believe and how are they are going to prepare and more importantly how are they going to perform on game day? It’s our preparation that’s going to be key. We have to clean up the mistakes that we made the last couple weeks, keep getting better and we have to finish."

What Allen has done in Bloomington has seemingly worked so far. He helped the Hoosiers change their fortunes and enjoy an 8-5 mark, including a 5-4 showing in Big Ten play, last year — the program's first winning season since going 7-6 in 2007, and its first conference record over .500 since 1993 (5-3). The eight victories were just one shy of the school record, set in 1945 and tied again in 1967.

Next up on Indiana's 'change' to-do list is reaching a different outcome against the Wolverines.

"We’re in a position here that I expected us to be in and talked about being in the last couple years," he said. "Now it’s here, and we have to be able to continue to elevate our focus and our attention to detail in our preparation process, which is why our word this week is ‘elevate.’ I feel like that’s what we have to be able to do to create a different outcome than we’ve seen in the past."

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Indiana Offensive Coordinator Nick Sheridan Talks Michigan Football

Former Michigan quarterback and current first-year Indiana offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan (2006-09) saw his unit improve from week one to week two, after posting just 211 yards against Penn State they put up 347 yards against Rutgers. Additionally, after a sluggish start against the Scarlet Knights, redshirt sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. completed nine of his last 10 pass attempts.

Michigan's defense is struggling, following a loss in which it allowed 323 yards through the air. Sheridan said that with the small sample size so far this season, the Wolverines' defense is still hard to prepare for.

"It's hard to say to say you know a ton about Michigan's defense after two games other than what you'd expect from a [defensive coordinator] Don Brown and Jim Harbaugh defense, which is extremely fast and physical, extremely well coached, multiple," Sheridan said. "Just being transparent, Michigan State was able to hit some big plays down field.

"Don Brown is a fantastic defensive coordinator, and it will be a great challenge, we know that. They will be ready to play, as they always are and always have been. There have been times since I've been here that Michigan's defense has been suffocating. I'm certain they feel like that's what they are building towards."

Indiana Defensive Coordinator Kane Wommack Praises Michigan Football Quarterback Joe Milton

Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack recognizes Michigan redshirt sophomore quarterback Joe Milton's talent. Milton has gone 47-of-73 passing for 525 yards and one touchdown, while also running 20 times for 111 yards and one score.

"I think Joe Milton is a player that can extend plays with his feet," Wommack said. "For me, that will be a challenge that we've just grown accustomed to. He's a big body who can make all the throws.

"There are things we have to do better in. I thought containing the quarterback in week two from week one was better. Each week, the challenge is still the same — covering their people and containing their quarterback."

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