Hoosiers try to beat Gophers to save the tough season

Indiana coach Tom Allen was dissatisfied with last weekend’s performance.

So he looked for a solution this week.

He asked the player to be better prepared, play harder, and eliminate mistakes that would lead to six turnovers and another embarrassing loss. And even in the midst of a lost season, Allen believes the Hoosiers can save something valuable at Saturday’s home finale against Minnesota-like the first Big Ten victory.

“They have gained the right to play at the level of strength, toughness, and passion that we know to be the standard here, with a strong finish,” Allen said.

This is not a typical farewell celebration for the elderly.

Indiana (2-8, 0-7 Big Ten) lost 6 consecutive games. They missed the postseason for the first time in three years, and in the absence of the top two signalers Michael Penix Jr. (throwing shoulders) or Jack Tuttle (lower legs), a true freshman Donna Ben McCurry in quarterback. It may resume. t has been cleared to play.

It’s also unclear how many of the players attending the annual farewell festival may return next year.

“It’s unique,” Allen said. The number has increased due to the COVID-19 situation we all experienced. Everyone has another year. Whether this was officially the last or not, they were all part of the group that came here and believed in what we were actually building. I did it. “

Golden Gophers (6-4, 4-3) are chasing other goals.

Minnesota has lost a series of games, scoring only 28 points since winning four straight games in October to qualify for the Bowl. Like Allen, Gophers coach PJ Freck didn’t like what he saw last weekend, especially when it comes to attacks.

Freck also challenged his team to clean up their performance, against the team he believes will bring a real challenge to building momentum for the last three games.

“We treat them as 8-2 soccer teams instead of 2-8,” Freck said. It will happen again. “

Morgan suffering

Flek has not shaken his commitment to his fifth year quarterback, Tanner Morgan. Tanner Morgan was named the second team of All Big Ten in 2019 and was an honorable mention last season. This season, Morgan has only one TD pass in the last four games and his 57.7% completion rate is a low career.

Morgan’s first career start was against Indiana in the rain of 2018. He threw 302 yards and three TDs, leaving 1:34, including a tiebreaker score of 67 yards.

“I love this college and I love playing soccer here. It’s my job to play better,” he said.

Injury list

Allen has already begun asking what went wrong this season, and one factor is injury. Earlier this week, he said Hoosiers had 30 players in the match, 18 of whom were injured at the end of the season. This is a long list containing some of India’s most important players in terms of attack and defense.

“These are things we have to see,” Allen said. “We just look at the whole program from top to bottom, make those fixes and keep pushing.”

Running story

Minnesota’s Rand Defense is 9th in the nation and 2nd in the Big Ten, with only 99.9 yards per game, with only two Gopher opponents surpassing 144 yards this season.

These numbers could improve this weekend against Hoosiers’ stagnant ground games. Indiana averages 117.5 yards per game and 3.2 yards per carry. And Stephen Carr, India’s top runner, has been excluded from ankle injuries for the second straight week. Former walk-on Davion Ervin-Poindexter got off to a good start.

For the record

Minnesota’s left guard, Connor Olson, is expected to break the Big Ten record with a career start from 56th on Saturday. The Ohio State Center Billy Price has set the previous mark to 55.

Due to the COVID-19 season, it wouldn’t have been possible without the NCAA’s one-year qualification. Olson has started all games since Freck arrived in 2017 and will attend medical school at the end of his football career.

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Minneapolis AP sports writer Dave Campbell contributed to this report.

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Hoosiers try to beat Gophers to save the tough season

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