You're listening to the back home network presented by home field. Apparel, welcome back to Crimson Cask ale enquiry. Oh Scott Coville joining you once again. It is the 18th of September, we're through week 3 of the college football. All season and Indiana's 3 & 0, they knock off Western Kentucky in overtime Yesterday by a score of 33 to 30. We're going to talk about all of that.
And what we thought about it, as it's another one of those games that I think likely is, it could fit into whatever narrative you'd like to construct about IU. This is, as we mentioned, I think earlier, this feels like the ultimate Choose Your Own Adventure, novel, in terms of trying to interpret how the seasons. Again, how the teams doing so will try to dive into that, a little bit as we go along. First of all Scott, how are you doing? Good to see you again.
I'm doing great. I'm sorry, frog in my throat doing great. Yeah, we are now headed into an interesting period of time. I think with IU, and we're going to talk about that. We're going to talk about, you know, how to evaluate some of the things that happened in the game. Yesterday, we're also going to talk about some former IU players and what they've been up to To lately or at least one in particular as that became a big story last night as well at least in the twittersphere.
But first just a reminder that the podcast known as Crimson cast is a part of the network known as the back home network and the presenting sponsor, the back home network is home-field apparel. Your place to go for the best and softest apparel. Featuring vintage designs from all over the college sports landscape, as well as some Pro Sports. I saw a lot of Filled out there yesterday, and always, always see a lot of other stuff going
on field in the union. Now, I don't know if anybody was aware of that, but they've actually got home field for sale in the new Follett bookstore at the. I am you, which is exciting and well deserved. And hopefully for those of you people who don't use the internet, maybe this will give you an opportunity to actually go purchase some home-field, apparel stuff. They keep releasing new and cool designs and content. They had some Virginia stuff up last week.
Don't use the internet like that's a very small subset of people your marketing to today. Let me, let me broaden. It people who don't use the internet to buy things. Still a very small subset. Do you say that you say that? And yet I talked with people all the time who are shocked about the about home-field, apparel existing, or about us existing?
Sometimes I wonder if we exist Scott because I think for a lot of people we only exist on the internet and those people don't use the internet, you know, it's so Let's say, you know, there's a football exist maybe here is a God people who only use the
internet for basic things. It's like, but it's kind of like, you know, stuff happens on Twitter or on message boards and it seems like the biggest deal in the world and they go ask a person on the street about that same thing and they have either a very moderate opinions on what it is or they haven't heard of it in the first place. So I understand your confusion over my confusion, but it feels like there's this weird Ripple in time where people don't use the internet very much despite
us being on the internet. All the time. And that's what that's why I was excited for homos. And yes, go ahead was home is folded to home field because with the way the home field quickly, releases stuff, I'm expecting next week. Am I real or do I exist, t-shirt line like a new drop of do I exist? Am I just on the internet T-shirts because home feel is always turning stuff around quickly, that would be the new
don't tweet it kreutz, t-shirt. I think that's that seems like the next evolution of things, but now I'm excited that home field apparel is available in the Indiana Memorial Union, because I think a lot of parents who Here on parents weekend, got a chance to see some of the cool I you designs. They've got designs from all over the map.
You should check it out. Go to home field apparel.com use the code home 15 percent off your first order that's home-field apparel.com presenting sponsor the back home network. All right Scott, let's talk IU the Hoosiers. Pull off a victory yesterday in a game that they were favored in by Vegas. And that the analytics thought that they would lose, and as it turned out, both parties were wrong because if you bet I you You - six or six and a half or whatever it was, you lost in
this game. But if you trusted the analytics, you also lost. And we talked about this a bit going into the game. This idea that we really didn't know how good Western Kentucky was, but they looked good. If you look at the way they play it against pretty bad competition. I, you had not looked impressive against Illinois and against Idaho, they had won both of those games. And so, you wondered, well, would I use like Superior Talent level or slightly?
Superior opponent ranking, I guess if you put everything in aggregate, would that carry the day and it kind of fell into the latter category, I guess. But this really felt like a game where Western Kentucky controlled most of it and Indiana. Just after that early score that they had really struggled to exert any kind of Will on the game. They really struggled to get things going. Indiana took the three.
Nothing lead. What with about six minutes gone in the first half and then Western Kentucky scored right before. Sorry, the first quarter Western Kentucky scores right before the end of the first quarter. And from there essentially, Indiana played catch up the entire time did not lead until they kicked the game-winning field goal again. In overtime, didn't even have it tied until they scored, you know, at the tail end of their, you know, and managed to get The score 2:30 2:30.
So Scott I want to hear from you first. I guess. Like, what was your overall reaction to the game? And how Indiana played? And you know, how the process I guess led to the outcome. It's tough. I mean, it's very tough after a
game like this. I a couple of high-level thoughts, you know, I these were the kinds of games where, you know, I sometimes look over the student section and they're just, you know, I remember being a student you're just like, Like, do we win, or did we lose if we won were great and we lost
her happy. And there's, there's times where I'm like, why can't why do I have to be the way that I am now where it's like we can have winds that I'm unhappy about like a lot of things that bug me and like it is just nicer to be like hey we're 3 and 0. Like who cares, who the opponents are? Who cares how we got there? Like we are 3 & 0 and there is something to be said for that.
I also had this thought of, you know this is a bit of a reflection again of just what a disaster last season. That we've already won more games. We want a Big, Ten game we shouldn't do last year, but then, you know, this is also the weird Quirk of us basically playing the exact same non conference.
Like this is basically the drive against Illinois is what hinges the difference right now between this season and last season's, because if we had lost that Illinois game, it's like, alright, what we did everything we did. Last year, we were two and one of this point I'm into all kinds of counterfactual is here. We are two in one, then it would be like are we did everything, you know, we did last year.
But what else is new, but that win against Illinois, really does kind of Loom large now because it's different, you have more wins than last year. You're the Big 10 win, it's
huge. There's a I don't want to get into it yet but there are a lot of things that were concerning that happened yesterday, whether it be, play on the offense, play on the defense coaching decisions, the way the game played out, but, you know, the Ender and I felt the same way against Idaho. As we talked about, I felt the same way against Illinois but in the And, you know, this is, It's, you know, you got to go to the coach speak stuff, but like
this is a results-based business and in the end, the only thing that matters is wins and losses in the final score in Indiana's three. You know, if they pulled this out, I do really wonder if they're going to be able to continue to do that as things start to get a little bit harder on the opponent's side that said, you know, it's funny. We talked about this on the basketballs podcast at the schedule podcast a little bit. It's so hard to project these
things. Cuz when you start looking at the schedule, it's like all right. Well, we still don't quite know what we're going to get at Cincinnati but like the at Nebraska game that may not be as tough as we thought. You know, we will talk about penix here in a second or in the later on. But it's like, you know, washing just destroyed Michigan State. I'm not sure we can do it washed indeed. But it's like. All right.
Maybe Michigan State isn't a top 10 team, like Purdue completely ganked up a game against Syracuse.
Like there is a world where maybe this this IU team just kind of smoking mirrors its way to Six and six and we're like, I don't there's still a lot of concerns that I have, but we're going to Nashville. We're goes Detroit, like we're going to a bowl game and maybe they just get there because there are Parts, like, I still think, Michigan, Ohio, State Penn State, like the, we're not going to fare well, against those, but I, suddenly do see a path to maybe five or six wins.
Just based on opponents and based on this team having grit and kind of getting things to happen at the right time.
But they're so I want to keep it positive on the front end but there are a lot of things that I do want to talk about because you my the way that I left this game at the very first was like, I was so unhappy how we got there and then we won it was almost like man, I wish I could just enjoy the ride a little more, it was more of a relief and there's a million things that I'm like these, none of this looks good.
Like I'm not sure how we're continuing to pull these games out because all the things that concern me I'm seeing but it's just not ending with the result. we're ending with the result that I'm not sure we should be getting but we are getting it and that is something Yeah, you know, I think there's a lot to unpack there and all of it makes some sense.
It's a challenge, anytime you have a situation with a team that's 3 and 0, but really hasn't played well and where the competition level hasn't been that great to try to Divine. Look at, what does that look like? Moving ahead, you know, so it's like we break it down into two categories. I think the first one is, all right, how do how do you evaluate what occurred in that game and I think this is where You know, we've had to do this with all three games. It's like, well, you've won all
three good. You've come back in all three in the fourth quarter and it's obviously in some cases earlier than that. Not the fourth quarter in the Idaho game, obviously, but they came back in the second half in that one after trailing at halftime. But you know, obviously, that's good and you don't want to see, you know, an IU team quit or, you know, just basically click the moments too big for them. So, you want to give proper credit there. And look, I think there were
some individual things. From the previous couple of games that did look better in this game, the running the Run blocking was better you know Henderson and chivers combined for about 120 total yards of rushing. And between the two they would say they were averaging about four and a half to five yards carry which is good.
I mean we've complained a lot about you backs, not being able to average more than three and a half yards, a carry and so to be at that number even against a team like Western Kentucky, I think is a positive Two different receivers got involved in this game. I think, you know Connor Basel II through 33 passes and I think they finished completed like 12 different receivers, over the course of the game.
So you know, that's good in some ways but there was a line in, you know, I think it was one of the stand up here acts pieces, where it's like, well, you know, the passing game was prolific,
but it wasn't efficient. And that really did feel like kind of an issue across the board with the offense for most of the game where it's well, they were making some small gains but it felt like Western Kentucky was able to make stops a lot of times when they needed to until the end when it just became Beyond them to do. So Indiana had to kick a lot of field goals at times. When they would have 12 touchdowns, they didn't really do a whole lot in the Red Zone.
But again, as you said, you get down to the end and they find a way to drive down the field and score in the final minute and score a two-point conversion and and they figure out a way to make a In overtime to keep Western Kentucky from scoring. I mean, all of those things you can't simply look at the process as I think several people in the fan base did and say this sucks,
this team is obviously not good. And regardless of whether they won or lost, we have to be, we have to be concerned about how badly they played in these different phases, but I also don't think these people are entirely wrong because I think if you look at the way that this team has played in total so far, yes, they're pulling out out victories and I do and they deserve credit for that. But I just I kind of have the opposite feeling from what you espoused about.
Now, you see a path to five or six victories because I think down the line, all those teams, you mentioned, yes. Those teams, Lena Michigan State. They ended up not getting blown out against Washington, but they didn't play very well and they were down by a whole lot. Very early, you know, produce certainly choke that game away at Syracuse but, you know, even you know, teams like Maryland and Rutgers. Is these teams when you grade out how they've played have played better than Indiana.
And I would feel better about any of those teams right now in terms of their long-term prospects for the season. Then I do about Indiana because I just don't believe as the difficulty level ratchets up that I use going to be able to continue to pull these things out in the end because they're going to quickly hit a moment where they essentially write a check that they can't cash by not Executing more and earlier in the game. Correct. And by the way, I still see probably one more win.
Like I I'm not saying that I think now I'm Shane I'm not I'm not completely changing my Outlook. I got it's just it's got its got so nervous because he's already hit his win total for the year. So yeah I guess the point. Was it more that I see it? I see us getting sick so it's just like where I never saw a path before I see a light at the end. Of the tunnel. We're like maybe this is just this team where you have those
Seasons worth. Like I don't really know how they're doing it but they're doing it. But your point is about to me the when I look at this game. So yeah, I still see kind of see one win and I agree I think that even though some of those teams like, you know, Purdue have taken a step back from what we thought, maybe they were there, still a higher class of opponent than what we, what we faced.
And, you know, I there's a lot of things but like, where I think when the cop Petition ratchets up, things are going to get tougher. Is I look at this, there was a similar situation in the Illinois game, but you have a situation in this game in the second quarter, so our second half. Western. Sorry, my kids are just wigging out in the background, the up in a series. I apologize. I'm hearing like, smoke is it? It's like, trust me.
I'm assuming everything is okay. Woke up to that in my house this morning, I get it, don't worry. But you, you have as parents out there, you have those noises. We Gather is playing having fun and this was like a they're either really playing or somebody severed, it are crazy. Crimson Crimson cast is the official podcast of people who made the questionable decision
to have children. I'm now making the question from the decision to continue podcast and not checking me check and see what's going on and I hope either. My wife is up for, but they didn't get the knives or one of the kids if they are bleeding, would come to the door and knock on it or not waffles will come. And anyway. All right, we got this out. If we want to, or we can keep it in, but there is a moment in the second half where Western Kentucky, scores a touchdown. They go up 2413.
Indiana, immediately has a foreplay drive that they are pure three-and-out. They punt. And it did feel like that's when the It was kind of hanging over Indiana and it is it does feel like that is where and then Western Kentucky started making a drive like they drove into the Red Zone and then we intercept you know we had interception it did feel like had they scored on that drive.
That would have been the death blow and it felt like I can't I can't go back and look at it. Now I felt like in Illinois, we had a similar situation where we're kind of hanging in this, this kind of danger zone where it's like we can't give up another score and what's frustrating is in those moments where it's like, all right, this is The game seems to be on the line, you know, Western Kentucky scores, they're up 24:13, you
got to do something. It's like our response is a three play Drive where we have to to kind of bad runs an incomplete pass. Then we punt. It's like that. That's not good enough when the game feels like it's on the line and then we just start letting
Western Kentucky move down. Now, you know the counter is, we did get interception, I was talking in the pregame about, you know, we need our defense to make game-changing interceptions and they Did. But there is a part where it's like, do you have to get to the absolute edge of the cliff before that happens because a lot of other teams that we play, even maybe a lesser Purdue team than what we thought, or a Michigan State team like Michigan State didn't look
lifeless against Washington. They just looked a little bit outmanned, you know. It does feel like they are going to when you get to that Cliff's Edge. They're going to push you off. They're not going to make a mistake and bring you back or let you make a pickoff. And so that It feels like we are really Flirting With Disaster and a lot of these games, even the Idaho game, you know? Going down 10, nothing kind of playing of lice.
Lifeless, first half, you know, Idaho never really had that ability to put the hammer down because they're Idaho look and so. But anyway, so I mean making my point. No. I mean, and again, this is where there's a duality with this IU team. That's really hard to get your head wrapped around because on the one hand, look, that, that moment you're talking about I think that you're talking about towards the end of the third quarter, you know, Indiana, they
go down. 24:13. You know, was a good Tai Chi squares with 737 left in the third quarter. And, you know, as you said ìyou, they go for and out. And then Western Kentucky drives all the way down. They have a first and goal and fortunately for IU, they decide to throw the ball for reasons. I still can't quite figure out and they throw an interception. And from that point, you know, I you managed to figure out a way to hold content. Western Kentucky 23 total points.
And then score it was they at that point scored what 17 points in the last 15 minutes basically because they end up scoring a touchdown on that drive with 1451 left in the fourth quarter. That was that Josh Henderson run from 19 yards and so you look at that if you're like, wow that is a level of fight and come back
and focus. That I you really struggled to show last year and you're like, you know, you salute them for being able to do That, and so again, it's like you take the micro and you look at that and you look at what they did, get any get did against Illinois and you say, all right, these are opponents with a pulse. These are teams that you can look at. And you can say, well gosh, it could go either way and I you manage to find out a way to win at home. In both of them go on.
I just gonna say but teach your points like so they are kind of lifeless they lock in. They have that period where they hold Western Kentucky 23, they score some points. But then what's really Frustrated with this team is then it's like all right, we score the touchdown, we get the two point conversion, we are all locked in and focused and then we kick the ball out of bounds which must be just an Indiana, football, Tang across professional and Collegiate
levels. And then we, let you know, Western Kentucky have a 39, 39 yard drive at a drive. They cannot get points or and, you know, they miss a field goal, but it was more, I mean, maybe some pressure, they missed a field goal but it's like they kind of dis locked in. It's like when we really now we've The nut crunching time. So, to speak is 30 30, we need to stop. They don't do that. Then like they lock back in on defense and over time and then maybe coaching decisions, it's
our ball. All we got to do is get a field goal and it's like hey we're going to have a bad run loss of for we're going to sack loss of words, like three horrible play calls that have not worked, most of the game, but then we lock back in on a green. Give it, although it's Charles Campbell for just hitting them. Complete manly feel, but it's like, that's the tough part where this team is. Like, there's Points worth like, all right. Now, we're now the trains rolling.
Now we're humming and then we just completely brain fart back again and let him back it. Well. And this is where when you look at analytics and you look at the way the analytics, look at the way the teams play, it's where in an individual game, you could see certain things happening here and there where it doesn't match the total analytics picture that's being drawn, but it will eventually catch up with you unless You hit another gear that you just haven't shown.
And I say this like again, you know, we like to use the PFF college ratings because there's a qualitative and a quantitative element to it where they're actually watching the games and Grading out the individual players. And as a team right now at 3 & 0, Indiana is ranked 113th in PFF College out of 131 teams and you have to go. I think all the way up. The only, the next lowest ranked. Unbeaten team, believe it or not, is Penn State who's ranked 70th despite being three, you
know? And you know, with Penn State there's a there's a pretty clear reason why they're ranked that low. And it's because if you look at the way that their defense has performed particularly in the tackling Department, it just hasn't, it hasn't been sufficient and with Indiana the you know, the clear. Well the problem is, there's not one clear reason why Indiana hasn't performed to expectations on the Analytics.
It's all over the board you know it's in the blocking, it's in the tackling it's in special teams. You see all of these things happening with IU where it's just like man maybe they'll put it together here but then they also got to put it together here and they also got to put it together here and just to be clear you know in order to aim is in the same boat in order Dame. If you look at the same rankings is 103rd in overall rating, according to PFF college, with a difference is Notre.
Dame's 1 and 2 and Indiana's. 3 & 0, so people look at Notre Dame and they're like that teams got real problems. And I mean, they look like at this weekend, they struggled at home against Cal. Like, that's not a team, you should be struggling at home against under any circumstances if you're Notre Dame and they found a way to win that.
So bully for them, but they just haven't looked very good with Indiana, it's harder because there are 3 and 0 and you're like, well, they must be doing something right, but I don't know if they're actually doing something right, Scott, you know, they're doing just enough proper to be able to win the games and I, Worried that we're going to get to a point very
quickly. Maybe starting as early as next week, where that stops because now you're running into opponents that are more talented, you're running into opponents that are playing a lot better in All Phases of the game and I have yet to see anything through this season so far, that tells me that this IU team is going to be able to ratchet it up to that level. I could be wrong. But you know I was a bit ambivalent about what was going to happen in the in this Western Kentucky game.
I'm much less ambivalent about what happens in that, Cincinnati game because Cincinnati's like a legitimately good team and even Nebraska, and this is where I think people have got to be
really cautious. Nebraska is obviously one in three, they got beaten up, pretty badly by Oklahoma, but overall, that Nebraska team is actually played fairly well in their other games this year, they haven't won, they've lost by one score, you know, that was the meme with Scott Frost and it's been, you know, in Staying to watch them kind of play well. And then lose in spite of themselves Indiana's, almost doing the opposite where they're winning in spite of not playing
very well. I just worry about that being able to continue. Yeah, I'm making and lets, you know if you look at Indiana, I know you are making the comparison but like, you know, Notre Dame is as based on Pro Football. Focus has played the first hardest schedule to date so far this year. Indiana has the 64th which is an awful but it's also not, you
know, it's going to get harder. It looks like For the remaining schedule strength of schedule Indiana as the third hardest remaining strength of schedule in the in the country. And that's I think that that is based on, you know, some games that I think. We all think we're going to lose like Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, but you're not going to get to a top 10 strength of schedule with just those three.
So that does factor in all those other ones and it gets tougher to where, you know, again What this team, what this team has done in every game is kind of put itself on the brink of disaster and then pull it. So it's kind of like macgruber. It's like have a grouper only have 10 seconds left. It's like, you know, but they've been able to disarm the bomb macgruber MacGyver macgruber. No macgruber from SNL. Okay, there you go. Yes, yes. Well MacGyver. I still works.
Honestly. It feels like both the Illinois and and and the Western Kentucky games, they had to kind of like craft a victory out of you know some fishing line. And some macgruber actually dies. Every time driver works on MacGyver might be the best. Hopefully, hopefully we do this through a MacGyver to macgruber transition here in the course of the next week or two. We have a podcast title. There we go. Me. That is the title of the
podcast. No, you're right that it's been more MacGyver but you know it's going to turn into macgruber because if you get to disarming the bomb it's a lot harder to do that in Lincoln Nebraska with six, you know, 60. 80,000 fans there and also not having Scott Frost also helping you pull wires and doing things that he would be doing on his end. So it makes me more concerned that.
So you know, any way to your point, the schedule thing is just a real factor and three it's tough because they keep doing it. It's funny every season we get to this point where it's like, all right, I feel like I'm a no more into games. It's like I'm always doing that throughout this. I will know more to get his bike. It does feel like we're there again now because if they just get their doors blown off in the next two Road games, is kind of like.
All right, well that's that's what we expected or if we get to a point where we're down 24:13 again and then both Cincinnati in Nebraska. Give us the death blow so to speak. That would kind of confirm what we're talking about. It'll be interesting to see if they get to the edge and then they fight back again and are able to win one of the next two games.
And if they do that, I think, then we can say, alright, this team is going to, you know, Maggie Divert its way to maybe one or two more wins after that to, as if to bolster my point posted just about ten thirty minutes ago. Bill Connolly, our buddy, from ESPN. The so you all know about postgame win expectancy, where the computers, look at the statistics from the game and try to figure out who should have won this game and that actually
match. What happened, who had the lowest postgame when expectancy in college football this weekend? It was Indiana Indiana's, post game winner, Like to see was 11% in this game, which means essentially 89 percent of the time.
Western Kentucky wins that game and what's interesting tying into this whole conversation that we're having the third lowest postgame, when expectancy, this week was Syracuse, who had only a 20% postgame, when expectancy, against Purdue and, and Bill tweeted, something, immediately after biggest difference between winds and second-order wins based on Erskine wood expectancy through three weeks. In other words, how many wins have you actually collected versus? How many wins should you have
collected given? The statistics Indiana is plus one point six in wins so far on the season and then you take the rivals that we were just talking about Purdue is -1.2 and Nebraska's - point eight so this is essentially what I'm saying Indiana I think you can feel good about the 3 & 0. I think you can feel good about the fact that they are showing
some fight. You can feel good about some of the individual performances, I think I would be very cautious if you try to extrapolate, that moving forward. Because every number that we are used to using, to figure out college football tells us that Indiana has been very, very lucky. Not very, very good. And while you need luck to be good, I don't think that luck is a plan anymore than I think hope is a plan. Yeah, and that's what worries me because, you know, after the
Illinois game, we talked about. Well, look, they clearly struggled in Pass blocking they have to fix that and they did, but they did it at the expense of run blocking. It looked like in that Idaho game. You know, we talked at the beginning about well, gosh, they're secondaries got to play a bit better that, you know, they've got a cover better and that has not improved in either of the two games following that Illinois game.
And look, you guys, this is, this is where this job is not simple where you're like, how do we talk about this? You got to give IU Credit for winning the games, but you have to look at the underlying things and say, we're really concerned about where that Needs if there's not some significant Improvement in a bunch of different areas because I just don't know that the team is going to be able to match up
long-term. You know, I use always been do one of those weird Seasons where everything goes wrong but they win games regardless. So I hope that this continues and as we've talked about, you've got Nebraska, Maryland, Rutgers /. Do you think you can throw Michigan State in as a team that that's clearly in position to regress? A bit to the mean, how much we
don't know. But none of Of those games are unwinnable on the schedule moving forward and even you know, even Cincinnati, shouldn't be viewed as an unwinnable game. That's a lot of potential wins. The big question now becomes. Alright with three games left to go until Bowl eligibility and essentially what 346 of those games remaining on the schedule. Can you win half of them? Is that actually, is that within the possibilities of this roster?
And I just, I don't know, I would guess know at this point and I think Would as well but I could see someone arguing to the contrary because as we've talked about so much we talked about this in the preseason. So much of this, I you program is built upon Vibes, you know, there was a tweet yesterday, it was like the Tom Allen. I you experience the details are unimportant which I think people took it as an insult.
Really what it was meant as was you almost have to not pay attention to the numbers because you know in an individual game our overall because so much of what Indiana seems to thrive on On or last year suffer from is emotion. And you know, belief and this idea that if the team if Alan believes he's going to try to speak it into existence and try to get the team to believe. And if the team can believe they can pull off wins that we don't think that they can.
I just I've yet to see anything from an X's and O's perspective that makes me excited about that, but it also is a possibility that I think you have to hold out there. It's you know, Bill Connelly stuff is so good. I just wish he was with a larger media operations that, you know, given the website website to put all this stuff on. I wait, no. He's with ESPN like this. I think I'm seeing the Tweet now. That's great stuff. Like, why don't they just post
all of? I'd love to see all of the good bad wind probabilities on ESPN, like he should have its own, it's such a such. So weird, is going on there anyway? Yeah, no, it's dude, it's true. I guess a larger question for you, you know? Is there if I don't know how to ask this correctly but you know I don't want to start going anyway, I'll ask it, I'll just ask it, you know, what does to your point, what does Alan and this team need to do to continue to make this this season of
success. So we were kind of talking about, you know, 56 wins. Like does this change anything? Because there's a world where you basically could now go, like 1 & 5, yo, one in seven, the rest of the way and like, that's a pretty bad way to finish. Year has a 3 and 0 start changed. I don't say expectations for you but kind of for everybody, like they just lose out for the rest of the way. Is this still considered like, well, that was a fun ride. We had a good time.
The first couple of games, like, do you think this is changed it? We're now it's like bowl or nothing. For maybe the larger. Not just you or me, but kind of the larger fan base? No, I mean, look, every time you get into a season, you get caught up in whatever the moment happens to be. And you know what, this is, why the preseason is so dangerous to podcast in. Because you can't insert yourself into moments that don't
exist. You can imagine the moments and then insert yourselves into them. But the by that point you kind of ruined the whole exercise. And right now, you know, I don't know that anybody and I you fandom is particularly well, there's a there's a small Fringe of people who are only just like excited about the fact that I used three and out. And that's fine. You know, I think for for everybody else, I think they look at this and they say, well, I use 3 and 0 but they're given
up 24 points a game too. No Idaho in Western Kentucky, not the cream of the crop in college football. I look at it and I say okay the offense has been competent enough. They've scored 23 35 and 33 points and that was the thing that I was somewhat concerned about even you know in this Western Kentucky game in particular are they going to be able to score enough points to do what they need to do to win that game?
And I give them credit for doing that but to me the big issue right now is the defense and the defense has Graded out pretty poorly over the course of this, you know, first three games that they played that really does concern me if you rank. All of the defense has on on PFF College, you know, right now Indiana's, what ranked 100th that is not good enough and
that, I guess what? Concerns me even more is Tom Allen taking over as the defensive coordinator, was supposed to fix a lot of the problems that Indiana's defense had last year and I don't know that it's necessarily.
Done that. Now it's early, you know, so you have to some degree, give Alan a little bit more time to work his magic but I mean last year, despite having not a very good season whatsoever Indiana's defense on this the whole ranked, I think 71st in the country and to rank 100 through three games against pretty questionable competition that really does concern me quite a bit. You know, the certainly I used Defense, had some bad games last year. Iowa was a bad game.
Ohio state was a bad game. The Minnesota game at home, was a bad game, but they also had games where they essentially kept, I you in it and it was the ineptness of the offense that kept, I you from capitalizing. I really worry that this defense is actually pretty poor as a scheme as a collection of players. They've got great individual
players. Cam Jones has had a tremendous start to the season, you know, I think that you got to tip your hat to, you know, some of the Very members making individual plays like that interception. We saw yesterday from from NOAA Pierre. There's been individual moments like that. Obviously, Bassam McCullough's had a few good moments as well, but collectively, this defense does not look like they're on the same page. And I guess what worries me is, I don't know that.
That's something that you can fix. Once you get past week three, because you're not gonna have enough time. Now, you got a, you have two games on the road, followed by Michigan at home. That's a really rough. Stretch to try to put your defense together and get them playing at the level that I used to play at. I think, you know, I use defense has got to they've got, you asked me to answer your
question. They've got to get to a point where they can start winning quarters in winning games by themselves. And what we saw in that Western Kentucky game, ain't it? Like that's that's just not going to get the job done long term. I will say I know we talked about a little bit Tucson. McCullough is he's amazing. The trouble is you saw Western Kentucky, start doing this. I think you're going to see more
More of this. They would just basically key where he was on the field and just play the other way or run a bubble screen that kind of went over his head. They would basically take him out of the game by, it's a coma calls. On the left side, will go right side or or is it Go bubble screen over him by two yards? He's out of the play. And, you know, they, I think you're going to see more and more of that. And so it's going to be other guys who have to step up.
Hey, I agree with you and it's I I think to me it's the same setup. Where we're at you know 3 and 0 is a very good start but I still look at the season as you know if you want to get to a point like I said to me a successful year this year is I think it's still a really tough bar to get to, I'd love to go into that Purdue game with five wins, make that Purdue game or something. And I think to get there, you got to win one of the next to look.
You just have to figure out one of these Road games. These are the two, probably, two of the last three, easiest Road games, you're going to have this season. You can get one of those too, you know, Michigan's L will count Michigan's the loss. You then have the Maryland and at Rutgers game to me it's like you can't go into that game.
Three and three that Maryland game and need basically both of those wins to get 25, you know, it's a tough to ask this team to do this two weeks in a row, in a Big Ten schedule with one on the road. If you can go into that game, four and two. And now it's like, we just need one of the next to I think that's doable. Because then I do think Penn State, Ohio State, Michigan State. That's a three-week high.
Hiatus will to take that off and we get to the Purdue game like I look at that as I anyway that's how I look at this season that I still think. Like I said that's to the beginning part. That's where you get to there's a path but I think you got to find a way to win one of the next to because I think going into Maryland three and three is just that's a recipe for probably going to the Purdue game with maybe Four Winds. Yeah. Well yeah, it's going to be interesting.
And look, I think any everything still on the table for this Indiana team. I think that they, they Done to some degree, the bare, minimum of what they needed to do, if they wanted to get to a bowl and they, you know, they won the first three, they had to win all three as we talked about before. They weren't going to have a good season if they lost one of these three. But a Bad season is not off the cards yet. And so they get credit for that.
And I'm happy that the three, you know, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they can do beyond that. I would just be concerned about the underlying signs that we're seeing up to this point. So, As you mentioned, Indiana going to be taking on Cincinnati on the road next week. And, you know, Cincinnati struggled a little bit at Miami of Ohio, but I do worry because I you, you know, on the road that's not a great proposition normally for this, I you
program. So it will be fascinating to see what they do going into that contest. We will talk more later in the week. We've got some podcasts scheduled to talk about that IU game. At Cincinnati. Should be an interesting one to say the least anyway. Any final, thoughts on. Game.
We've got a couple other things. We want to get to before we wrap up, but anything else from the game that you wanted to touch on Scott. Know I talked about it a bit but just the last three play, the three plays that we picked for over time. We're just, those were awful. Yeah, it just it needs needs to be mentioned again.
Like that is just that was shades of, you know, Nick Sheridan offense and I think I treated some point you had these moments during the game where it's like are there still pages of his offense floating around in here like just these wild offensive? Calls that don't make any sense. And I would just say this, the other thing too, is it, you know, you've mentioned this a couple times like, you know, we just don't have the ability or the, you know, the latitude to
make minor mental mistakes. I will also say that this team, just it's a tough place to be when you're Indiana, but it's the truth. You really don't have the luxury of being conservative on a lot of these calls. Like, when you get in the Red Zone, you can't just start like well we're just gonna, you know, do it. Do it inside run and it's like, wow. We knew we were going to kick any way that you cannot have
that mentality. Like, you have to, and I know it's hard and it's not easy getting in there, but you've got to start getting seven points and stuff. Because basically, you got to start running you. This TV Scott to run those, you know, passing game gets very tough, but you've got to devise other ways to run your offense
to get that. And it does feel like, sometimes we play the conservative or kind of the standard football, where it's, I got we're here, we're just going to, you know, now we're in the Red Zone. We know we have three points and like, let's just, you know, be safe and get our three, it's a key. You don't have that luxury at Indiana. You can't do that. And that's the frustrating part. That was the over time.
It felt like those were very conservative play calls and there's a line there where you can't be wild aggressive and just throwing, you know. But that's a line that I feel like they've got to figure that out better. Because right now, it does feel like they're a little bit too much on that conservative side and it it ends up killing you. When you get in the red zone, four times and you get three field goals out of it, that's just not good enough in Indiana.
Well, it was good enough on this day and I know, But you're right, you know? And I dunno, I will say congrats to Charles Campbell for not making kick will not. And not just that mean that kick was, was certainly awesome to see. And, you know, we've certainly, we've seen Indiana missed field goals that would tie or win games. But to go for four and, you know, in a, in a game where his team had to rely on him, to kick the ball, effectively, he was able to do it.
And, you know, congrats to him in the punting game. James Evans had a pretty good game, 44 yards per attempt, Indiana, Guys, stop kicking the ball out of bounds. You know, that's one of those little detail items that that really almost ruined the game for them. You know, that stuff like that. That's just got to stop. But overall, even even in the, the play calling Department,
it's very hot and cold. I like, I like what Walt Bell is kind of trying to do in certain cases, but then there were also plays that lateral whether that was actually a lateral. Not, it was close enough. That that like there was no reason for that play to be called their most of the two-point conversion plays that they've This season had been real bad. There are parts of the field where they really do struggle with the what they're doing on
play calling. But there's also parts of the game where they're moving the ball pretty well. And so it's I think the jury is still out but I do think Bell so far has represented a net gain offensively in terms of what this team was doing last year because the team we may not like the plan but they list. The at least look like they have a plan out there right now and that really was not the case. Case for most of the season last year under Nick, Sheridan.
So anyway, we a couple of the things we want to talk about first. Let's, I guess let's talk about the. I don't know if this is a bad topic but it's certainly a topic. They got a lot of attention on social media yesterday, which was Michael penix jr. Going on national television and leading a pretty impressive crushing of the Michigan State Spartans. You know, 3928 was the score in
that game, penix, 30 or SKU. 24:43, 197 yards, 4 touchdowns, it was the Michael penix that we knew and loved and missed terribly. I mean, just throwing lasers all over the field and, you know, really just dictating the offense. It was, it was really impressive to watch him doing that. And, you know, did almost all of his work in the first three quarters of play.
I mean, this is a tough one because you look at that and you you could say Gosh, I'm so happy for for Michael penix, jr. And I am I'm glad that he's in a position where he's able to to play effectively and he's got targets to throw to and he's got time in the pocket and it's but it's also like it's just weird. It's like that guy was on the roster for four years he transfers and it really felt like nobody made that big of a deal of him transferring last year.
It was just like oh Michael penix is leaving and there wasn't a lot written. I mean Mentioned, but it was just kind of like this Fay accompli, that penix was not going to be on the roster anymore and then he transfers to Washington and I was like, oh that's a nice story.
He's reunited with Calum Deboer and Nick Sheridan but you know a lot of it for me and even when we heard that he had been named starter at Washington, it's like well that's great for them but I really worry about you know is he going to look like he looked last year and about he looks like he looked at the beginning of the 2020 season like he's got this command of the field that Is so rare in that made him such a compelling figure, just a lot of kind of mixed up emotions there.
Scott because it's one thing to lose a player who's just not able to do it anymore. It's another to lose a player at that level of importance of a position who like goes out and has that kind of a game, had a great game in his first game. Just, just a hard thing to get your head wrapped around, is an IU fan. Yeah, this is something we have experience in basketball. So, you know, a lot like, you know, Maurice Creek leaves. And then he has like a nice run
in the tournament. I meant, you know, you see it happen in basketball, where it feels like a lot of guys that we leave and of having a nice run in, the NCAA tournament were sitting at home, we even had it with a K Samson. Now, Houston the coaching it is, there's definitely, there was definitely a Bizarro Indiana feel where it's like, oh, it's our old coach and our quarterbacks, like, how much like are they gonna have like, you know, is Hope it'll paralyze
they have. Watch this stuff to come feel apparel doing. You old gear there too. And like, do they have you know how much I used stuff? Do they have a, there was a A weird part where it's like maybe that could have been Us in an alternate universe. This is also I mentioned this at the time when you know, the board left and everybody's like, oh this is awful. It's like no. This is building the coaching tree it, it's kind of nice. Having again happy with Alan
were three and oh it's great. It is nice. Having a younger hot coach out there who has rely you ties that. If things go bad we have a break in, you know, break glass in case of emergency, when normally there's Coaches out there doing anything that of neiu ties were always like the closest. I you tie is like, oh, Kevin Wilson once Flew Over Indiana. So, like bring it in, buddy. It there's definitely a Bizarro few to it. I will say, I think this is one of this is where I kind of hate
the coaching tree thing. Like the whole concept of a coaching tree because Kalin Deboer has no ties to Tom Allen, other than Tom Allen hired him for one year to be the offensive coordinator. He wasn't even here a full 12
months. And did great work here obviously at IU. And I think maybe for the first time in a long time, relatively speaking, put in an offense that wasn't just gimmicky but also worked, you know, I think that Kevin Wilson had some great offensive ideas but they felt like a lot of gimmicky stuff there to cover for a lack of personnel but then he leaves and it's like do you really get to count kahlan Devore is part of the Tom Allen coaching tree like
shouldn't there be more DNA at that point. Like I make Sheridan I think is definitely. Bentley part of the Tom Allen coaching tree came Wommack is part of the coaching tree because it's like, he cultivated them to some degree as coaches and then they go off and do things but your I get your point I just I've always enjoyed.
It's like, it's like when people talk about like when you get in the college basketball, coaching and a guys on the bench for one year's like always part of the part of the, you know, the the Mike Davis coaching true is, if that's not really how it works, but we're shouldn't be at least, but anyway, go ahead. Well, to be fair. This is the closest thing. We have to a coaching tree, true, gotta take it.
I would also say along those lines, I think it's always bugged me is like, so we love Kalyn devorah's offense here, when he was offensive coordinator. Now, he's head coach, and they're doing great. And his hand prints are all over this, but, like, their offense of coordinators. Ryan gum, shouldn't it be or grub, shouldn't it be their offensive coordinator? Or his head coach? Like, because then, then using
that same logic. If he's doing such a great job, as Washington head coach, shouldn't it be Tom? Allen was the head coach and he like It's like guys can just you can kind of pick and choose like when the offense is good. It's the coordinator or is the head coach depending on who you want to be anyway. Yeah. Back-to-back two paddocks. Yes. I know at the time that he left and I stand by this it, I set it on this pot. It definitely felt like it was
the best thing for both parties. It felt like his time here had run run out that like for whatever. Now it's like why were we tired? Appendix but it's like, it had, it had been, you know, I feel like it was best for the University to move on fields, best for him to death. Be best for him to move on. Like he had had a good ten year here. Was unable to stay healthy and it did feel like this is the right move but I also did kind
of feel like it was weird. You know, this is 60% of what penix is ever going to be and seeing him at like 90, 95 percent Health. It does just bring you these questions. And again, I still stand by the. That was the best move for everybody. And you know, you pointed out on Twitter a couple times like this is also seeing penix behind a functional offensive line.
Be able to do things that Not like you just plug him in to I you right now and it's like, oh, he's throwing for 390 yards and four touchdowns like, he's probably having a, you know, sternums training and getting sacked, but it does make you wonder going into last season. We knew very early on penix, didn't look right. But the whole talk was Alan is bahat. This is he is behind, the whole narrative. Is he's behind his guy, like you
can't just bench. The start of he has faith in his guy penix to the point they played him probably Lee two or three weeks more and I remember like Zach, Osterman talking about it on his podcast like, you know, but this is what you'd you can't just pull a leader like, you know, Alan is behind him. You got to do that. And then by the end of the year, if I got we gotta go, we gotta move on. It's like, we're going to move on to a, I don't know. Like maybe Tuttle, maybe a
transfer. Like we're going to move on to basically the great unknown and it does make you wonder like did where was the trust? Like how did you go from a point where it's like, you trust him and then it also does it does? Beg this question? I don't know. The on the, the medical staff but it's like you do in the MBA have like Phoenix has this medical staff at, just everybody seems to be healthy that he had programs like New Orleans were, it's, like everyone always seems to be hurt.
It does make you wonder, you know, what's going on here that? Like he got to wash and maybe just got better. Maybe he just needed a whole year off, like there's a lot of things and that's that they may not be connected, but it is just it's it's, it is tough to see that said, I'm rooting for him. I hope he does great. Great. I hope he has a great season and in the end, I don't think that this great season would have happened at Indiana.
So to him like more power to him and go do great things. Man it does. I will say, the big thing that I took from it from watching him play yesterday was how confident he looked in the pocket. How confident he looked in his throws. And that was not present last year. And I think if you look at last year, the Iowa game, the Western Kentucky game, the I mean any of those games at the start of the season.
Cincinnati was probably the biggest example example of this where he he looked very unsettled. He looked like he didn't trust his leg and he looked like he didn't trust his blocking, both of those were reasonable. And I think it's important to remember, you know, he got injured in 2020 in what mid-november and it that was probably a an injury. He needed a full year to come back from and didn't get it. They put him out there and look,
I'm not blaming. Anybody for this, I just it's unfortunate the way it worked out, you do wonder about a scenario where they just say look, Mike. You need a year off to recoup and put yourself in a position where you're physically healthy now, would that have fixed his confidence in his leg? Maybe would have to fix the offensive line. No. And that's the big issue is like watching him Thrive behind the line that he, he looks like he trusts is such a huge
difference. Go back and watch the Cincinnati game, go back and watch the Iowa game. He's so ten of all the the time and it's causing him to sail his passes. And that's the real disappointment in all of this is to me, you know, I think you're right. And a lot of people who jumped in, its thought I was being critical, we're ripe, I wasn't
being critical. But the idea that this was probably a parting that had to work for all parties, it was the best thing but I also think, you know, if it goes back to what you were just saying, Alan let Peyton Ramsey transfer who was healthy and kept penix who had a history by.
That point already of multiple injuries that had knocked him out of Seasons. It's it's this weird thing where it's like I it's just it's fascinating and you know, it's it because it's like, okay, we need to have the separation and we need to go a different way. Need to go a different way, but it does make you wonder to some degree. If that process is thought of a little bit differently and they're like all right Mike wasn't right?
We had you know, you got shut down with another injury but let's give him some time and is it even a situation where he's looking at it? And saying, I just don't want to be in that environment where I am concerned about my health because of what is around me versus what I might get transferring to a different power 5 school.
So I don't know. And I don't think last thing on this, I don't think there's nothing indictable there necessarily in terms of like, I'm not blaming anybody for it, but I do You think as you go through the process of thinking about where I you is at right now, it's just it's hard to watch panics having this kind of success elsewhere and not think what else could have been done to put a better structure around so that he could be having that season here?
Because he's got another year of Eligibility left after this which I think is the fascinating thing to think about it's like it's not just like what you lose him for a season anyway go on. No. It's that said I hadn't even honestly fully rabbi Around that that's a good points.
I could two more years of this know, the last two things I will say is, you know, there is a world that you you can't do this but it's like, if you knew we were going to go to and 10 next year, which again going into last year you and I are driving to Iowa, I think we're gonna win. Like there was very high expectations. It's like if you just knew like, Hey, we're going to and 10. There's a world where it's like, okay ship.
But like we know we're going to go 2 and 10, you can shelve penix for the year and then we can come back and have this penix in 20:22. I'd be like, okay, like I might have taken that gamble because I've gone through a lot of bad years. It would have been easy being like, I'm gonna take panics, but I do think this is where I, I also need to remember this as well, and definitely some fans who are older than us, need to get this coasting stuff on Twitter. Like, you know, how could you
let him go? And like, why would I you, you not want a guy like this. Like, we are in a world now we're like the players, get a vote to and you have to like, I never look at what Paul George does. When the Clippers taken to the NBA for a second, be like damn. I would have loved to see him on the Pacers because you know what, he didn't want to be here and like he left and there's no world where Paul George is. Like, I can't wait to live the
rest of my life. He wanted to play in l.a. like he made that very clear and I'm not saying I know anything here, but we do have to remember the players now have a decision. This is a two-way decision, headaches might have looked at the offense like we did saying hey Stevie Scott's gone. All the receivers are gone. Like this is not a awesome situation to come at like the oh whines been garbage. The coach is still here but just look at the skill. Positions. We're returning.
No, running backs. No wide receivers. I don't want to redo all this. Like I want to go somewhere. There's better players and it's very possible. There is no world where penix lips is this and says I want us to know, man, n IL dollars keeps him here. Like I do think people have to remember, this is also his
decision. He's able to just get and leave like 15. You know, ten fifty years ago, players were not able to do the same thing like they have agency and you know again the NBA is the Perfect Analogy. There's nobody in Cleveland being like, man. I wish LeBron would have done this like what you know in l.a. would have brought, you know, Brian. See Davis like there's no world where LeBron was staying in Cleveland after he won like he wanted to go to La.
Anthony Davis. Wanted to go there like NBA teams. Don't do this and I do think this is it is a little bit different but you have to I really think penix look to this is like I don't I don't want to be here like this is not an offense, I want a captain no clearly and and again it's I just it's hard not to talk about it when you're whining and dismantle a Big Ten opponent on National Television. And that's the thing I know. And so look, I know this is not a going to be consistent point
and I wish him. I hope he'll be wins the Heisman Trophy this year next year they could be amazing. It's just a shock that it on Crimson cash. He was a 10,000 to one. Yeah or something. He was he was listed. You could have had 10 bucks and if he wins the Heisman it's somebody made that bet you know, bias and home field gear, please. So, let's wrap up, we've got a little bit of time left tailgate. You had your first one in stock. We had their new sections A talk.
Okay tailgate talk. So so hit me with it. What, what was your experience? I love. I love your talk on tailgates. By the way, I'm going to find the audio of you talking about two beats on a black stone Grill. We're going to make that an audio drop just great galen's to meet talk. Maybe you do a whole podcast just scaling on to meet, you know, I will say I love my wife, she gave me a c-plus. I couldn't get to a bi-level. She gave me a C+. She said that. I had good preparation, but not
ideal execution. Well, we're good. I forgot a couple things. Things along the way as want it to happen. Forgot to cook the biscuits the night before, that's the trouble. So I did it in the morning, they're a little bit undercooked or kind of hustling around. I, you know, in my defense I also have a 9 and a 6 year old. I'm also trying to pack for them to be entertained during the tailgate and during the game. But overall we had a blast, we had a really good time.
Got their little wife, woke up a little bit late, but I still love her, but we ran a little bit later than we wanted, but we got there, you know, set up by 9:45, ish, going by Ten had a couple people stop by and say hi and I really appreciate it. But yeah, that you know, the I forgot tongs. So I made a little gripper out of aluminum foil, thank you for bringing the EOP, aluminum foil call. I also forgot a table. Yeah, I'm getting a list
together, dude, first time. But the kids had an absolute blast. They were talking on the sidewalk. I brought sidewalk chalk for them. That was a big win. I thought on on my part. So yeah, the the little sandwiches were okay. We have some ideas for You know, we're thinking of doing like a, an egg casserole that will kind of cut up, and then maybe put that on other sandwiches, you
know? So we're coming up with some other ideas for the next breakfast, and maybe doing like a little like breakfast, sliders like Hawaiian rolls with some eggs and some sausage, I bought the wrong kind of sausage that ended up being like a little sausage pucks. So, you know, overall like a a mixed bag.
Definitely, you could tell it was, it was my first time, you know, in the coach's seat, the thing that I had a hard time with that, you are Fantastic about having been to many of your tailgates is what got me is some of my friends showed up, right? When I was starting to get things together to make the food and I had a very, if you can't tell on the podcast, I like to talk.
I had a very hard time, kind of modulating between what needed to be done to cook and food prep while also entertaining friends, and that, that definitely sunk me. That was I was I was a head coach, who was calling? I was calling bad plays. I was throwing the red. I get the rock out. Like I was all over the map and it's like, I'm spending too much time with friends that I'm spending too much time cooking and like I wasn't able to modulate so a lot of things to improve on.
But you know, my wife God love her. Gave me a c. Plus, I try to talk my way into a b-minus couldn't get there. So, yeah, but overall do great, absolute great time. We will be doing it again. Obviously, this is where you need to take a page out of your own criticism, and be like, I can't be both the coach and the grilling coordinator, you know, you got it. You got to give up one of those, one of those duties, because it is hard. I mean, Had to round into shape
on that over the course of time. And to, you know, you have to this is we're actually having more people come to your tailgate is a good thing because they can entertain each other while you provide them with food and then you, you know, you do it in waves and you know, you say, look, I'm going to cook x amount of things for this next phase is 20 or 30 minute phase and then I'm going to stop and I'm going to go mingle and then you have to have an internal timer to say.
I'm going to go back and cook some more. More and get more things ready. Now, sometimes you're going to get hit with a whole bunch of people coming if your tailgate
is popular. And that's at that point you have to learn kind of how to be, you know, the classic short-order cook in the diner in a movie scene, where you, you know, how to cook the food and keep an eye on it while you're also talking with the people that are coming and saying hi, you know, so that's where it is more art than science at that point. But it's also where I think you learn Own limitations and a lot of the things that you're talking about those are just practice.
Those are simply, you know what, I need to make a list and really think through everything I need and I need to get a tailgate bag and put everything in there. My wife is great about helping to organize that stuff and yeah you gotta there's certain materials that you're going to have to cook ahead of time or buy premade because ultimately it's not like cooking from home. It's cooking at in a parking lot. Basically, and and that is a different thing altogether.
But I'm glad you had a good first tailgate that you hosted and that's, that's nice. Awesome. Yeah, for spot is awesome. We have grass right there. Here's the thing I'll ask you, this is a okay, my son and I were talking about this. This is definitely very campy and silly and probably something you're going to despise. But at least, you can give me some ideas. So we're in lot 9 and there's a walkway.
It's lined with IU flags, and it's a walkway up to the stadium with the practice field on the other side. That's talking to my son like he drew, like an IU. Go and chalk and like, you know, clap for IU and people were doing stuff and we're right there on the edge and I was talking to him, like, you know, maybe we should build something like a bell or like something that people it becomes a tradition people have to ring the bell on the way in or you know some. Hey this is where football is
football. Is great because like there is no Traditions like we could start something where it's like hey this is this is this is great you know like there's a few things like in LA tete, right above us. There's a guy who flies the IU flag and then whoever produced playing has always done that. So I don't know, I was thinking like is Or something, you know, I'm a little handy, I could build like a little, you know, peace with a bell that people
could ring it could. Bring that like, is there something you could think of that would be fun for people to do who are walking into the stadium because we have access to that, it's right on the edge of our tailgate spot. And we plan on staying there for a while. Now I'm just throwing that out there to you. You can say hey that's the dumbest idea ever don't do
anything. You can't even focus on cooking and talking let alone adding a belt to the mix in which case I hear you and maybe that's a 2025. I do that when 69 is finished. One of the things I've learned in life is that when someone answers their own question, I won't answer it again. So, we'll just leave it at that.
I will say, I think I would, I would be cautious about taking too big of a serving before learning how to eat, what's already on your plate when it comes to tailgate because look, ultimately tailgating requires a lot of logistics throughout the before. And during and if you put a bail out there, like are you It also while you're cooking and entertaining, whoever you've got there also be yelling at people. Hey, hey, ring, the bell, on the way, I mean, that we'll really
it's some point. I think that will lose you will lose something that you need to be doing in order to try to do that. And I think you're better off selling the experience of being at your tailgate. Not trying to create something for random passers-by. Many of whom are drunk or are not particularly interested in invading somebody else's space for fear of doing something
wrong. So I would say get the tailgate itself established first, you know, it's like it's kind of like eiu football pattern, like get get to six wins, get to the Music City, or the Motor City Bowl or whatever. Like, you know, get get play a Mac team win that game, then worry about contending for the Big Ten like, like do things in order. So right now, you are in the, we've got to get to the Little Caesars Bowl part of your tailgate. So, Focus on my first, I need to
sign up in my in my garage. Not, you know like let's build a bell today. Like, what have you done to make the tailgate better tomorrow? There you go. Did you done to not overcook, your sausage? Yeah. Last thing I will say that I want to hear about yours. There is a new development that happened in lot 9 that I'm not happy about. There was a guy in a very Time Square. Ask set up a guy at a full Ironman costume walk by, and I'm like, oh, kids look it's Iron Man.
Then he's got the buckets. Like, hey, you guys want a picture? And it's like the tip jar. It's like, no, like I don't, I don't want to be accosted for a Dollar, by the way, who the hell carries cash? You have been Mo on there, but it's like there's a kind of Spider-Man outfit is a two or three. Guys, in full dress up, walking around like trying to do
pictures for tips. And I know those guys at Times Square, they have cost you, if you take a picture and then it's like, they don't you don't tip they get super annoying. It's like, that's I used to curity. Let's, let's get that out of there. Like we don't need, I don't need to be. Are you footballs got enough things going on? Like I don't need hit my kids being accosted by Iron Man to get tips. So just let's Keep an eye out, don't like that. Now that did not happen in my
parking lot, thankfully. So anyway, that'll wrap it up for us today. How'd yours. Go get him on your the, it was I mean it was it was a standard good tailgate. We did breakfast sandwiches and everything worked out really well and we had a nice crowd and it went very quickly like we got set up at 7:00. I've right at seven, drove in and we were there. I mean, you know, packed up at about 11:30. I mean it was a steady stream of people the whole time people brought a lot of really good foods.
I mean, there was there wasn't a lot to report because it worked the way that it was supposed to. And I was we've done a lot of breakfast tailgates. We have to We do a lot of noon kicks here at IU and I was pleased with how it all went and looking forward to probably another one for homecoming.
This is where it gets tricky, because breakfast sandwiches are so easy to do. So my wife has been pushing the breakfast taco idea for the next one, which we could certainly do. I've got a good method with the griddle with tacos that worked last week. But you know, I mean, I will say this was the one reflective piece I have on this and this is where it gets tougher. This time of year. You know, you get the truck packed you got to get out there at 7:00 a.m. it's really early.
At least it was warm. It was like 60 degrees. It's hard to plan. What you're going to wear, how you going to set up, how you're going to feel the tailgate because it goes from 60 with the Sundown. When you first set up to being like 85 with a blazing, you know, early day, son by 11:00. That's a huge transition that's hard for people. Not just the host, but also the guests to get their heads wrapped around. But, no, it's good. Good times all together.
There wasn't true. Like, I left here at, like, you, we left here, like 7:45, eight o'clock, and it's like cool and crisp. It's like I'm loving having coffee and I brewed an extra thing, a coffee and brought in a thermos. And the time we get to Found a Bloomington. It's like 80 degrees of sons blazing. It's like coffee was a bad idea, so I just don't want any more coffee.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. You gotta kind of if it's a cold and this is where it's tough because as it gets colder, it's much harder to get out there and and load the vehicle and get in there and you know, you're setting up and it's 33 degrees and you know, you're going to literally go up 30 degrees in the next two hours, or three hours, or whatever it is when the sun comes up. If you're lucky, then you get into November and you Even have that benefit.
So it's, it's this to me like, these late September. Tailgates are my favorites, because you've got a little bit of temperature variation, but overall you can handle it and I'd rather have hot then overly cold. There's just something about, you can always take layers off, but when you get really cold it's hard to put stuff back on
in those sorts of environments. And I think it's doubly hard when you're hosting a tailgate because as you elucidated earlier you're not just there to hang out, you're there to entertain and that Add another layer to you and what you have to do, that is ripped. My wife is nodding ruefully over here as I'm saying this, but that's, that's the complicating factor that you have to think about. Anyway, the nice thing with tailgate time on our podcast is
I want to keep doing this. And I think this is a good like you are the Alabama Clemson Georgia tailgate. So people can gleam great ideas from you and I think I can offer kind of the Illinois. Indiana level of tailgating, where it's like, I'm starting off and so you You can learn through my foibles and then they can get the expert advice from you. Well, I know that the fans seemed to enjoy it. So we will definitely continue to talk about it as we move forward.
But anyway, that'll wrap it up for us today. We will be back later on this week. We should have a couple of special guests joining us. As we talk about IU Cincinnati, that game coming up. Cincinnati, looking pretty good. Overall, I you the analytics aren't real big fan of. I you right now as we talked about, but if you can pull this off, it changes the whole season. As it gets them significantly closer to bowl eligibility so we'll see what happens with all
of that. And we will, of course talk about what's going on in the betting markets, with Crimson cash. Be sure to tune in for that, for Scott, I'm Gail. Mm, this is Crimson cast part of the back home network. Thanks don't feel the Peril. We will catch you folks on the flipside. Bring back the Bison, so long, everybody.