Indiana quarterback Michael Penix throws during an Aug. 6 practice outside Memorial Stadium.
(Scott Burns / Indiana Athletics)
It’s been a little more than a week since the Big Ten announced the resumption of the football season, and in that time, it’s been a preseason unlike any other for Indiana coach Tom Allen.
There’s daily COVID-19 testing, of course, but the Hoosiers – and the rest of the Big Ten – have not been allowed to practice in full pads yet. That begins Wednesday.
And Allen plans on ramping up quickly, with the first scrimmage on Saturday.
“We’ll have a preseason game one on Saturday,” he said. “It will be a modified version of a scrimmage, but we’ll go with live reps and full pads for the first time.”
That will go a long way toward getting the team ready for the start of the season, because there’s only so much players can do practicing in helmets and shorts.
“Within the realm of it being a different situation, I want to create as much live football as we can,” Allen said.
Dealing with the coronavirus has added another level of preparation for the season.
Florida State head coach Mike Norvell tested positive for COVID-19 and missed the team’s game against rival Miami Saturday, and Virginia Tech played Saturday without 23 players and three staff members due to positive tests.
Allen said the Hoosiers are making contingency plans to deal with such a situation.
”It’s made us talk about it quite a bit both as coaches and players making sure we have that depth addressed on our staff and feel good about those guys in that position and being able to step up,” Allen said. “Before it was always about the players on the field having to step up, now we’re talking about coaches having to rise up and maybe have to call a game they weren’t expecting to call when the season started.”
Allen said more than 1,200 rapid-response tests have been administered to the team, including players, coaches and staff, since testing began last week. The only positive test was not a coach or player.
The Hoosier defense took a hit last week when defensive back Marcelino Ball tore an ACL in a non-contact drill and will miss the season. Ball finished fourth on the team in tackles last year with 47. He also had two sacks.
“I hate that for him,” Allen said. “He’s been such a great player for us and has matured so much as a young man.”
Allen said he still doesn’t know if Indiana’s season opener at home against Penn State will be on Oct. 23 or 24. Either way, the Hoosiers will be starting the 2020 campaign against a team ranked No. 10 in this week’s Associated Press poll.
“There’s no ramping up on your schedule this year,” Allen said. “There’s no doubt it creates a sense of urgency in our guys.”
The Big Ten is starting later than most conferences, and that means Allen and the Hoosiers have been able to watch games across the country and see how teams handle no crowds and missing players because of the coronavirus.
“You have to take advantage of watching games being played, because we’re going to be in that situation real soon and going to have to go full bore against a top-10 team in the country,” Allen said. “We’re going to have to tackle extremely well, block extremely well and execute extremely well.”
After opening with Penn State and a road contest at Rutgers Oct. 31, the Hoosiers return to Memorial Stadium to host Michigan. That’s followed by road trips to Michigan State and Ohio State.
The Hoosiers are back home Nov. 28 to play Maryland, then travel to Wisconsin before returning home for the finale against rival Purdue in the Old Oaken Bucket game Dec. 12. The Big Ten championship game and the six divisional cross-over games are scheduled for Dec. 19.
