As he stalked the sidelines of IU’s auxiliary fields and directed his team through a practice on Wednesday, Tom Allen’s emotions oscillated between frustration and delight.
On one hand, the Indiana head coach fumed at his defensive backs’ struggles in one-on-one perimeter battles. For a defense that covets takeaways and strives to create havoc and confuse opponents — particularly on the back end — the lack of picks and deflections left Allen feeling unfulfilled. And yet, on the other hand, the aggressive, sure-handed play of his receivers lifted his spirit.
As IU prepares to welcome back its top quarterback to game action next month, the receiving corps seems to be doing its part to make sure that transition will be a smooth one.