Here's What Tom Allen Said on Thursday in Final Media Session Before Game At No. 4 Penn State

Indiana coach Tom Allen talked about the health status of cornerback Jaylin Williams, the improved play of Sean Clifford and dealing with the noise at No. 4 Penn State this Saturday.

Dylan Wallace | Sep 30, 2021

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana has a saying that the biggest game is always the next one because its the most recent task on the schedule.

Penn State is the next game for Indiana this Saturday in Happy Valley — a place Indiana has never won — and the primetime ABC slot makes this game that much bigger.

It's an opportunity for Indiana to really make a statement this season heading into the game at 2-2. Head coach Tom Allen knows that, and he met with the media one last time before his Hoosiers take the field Saturday night.

Here's what Allen had to say on Thursday about this big-time matchup with the Nittany Lions.

- On the status of cornerback Jaylin Williams in concussion protocol

TOM ALLEN: "He's progressing very well. Optimistic for his opportunity to be able to play on Saturday. We'll know for sure tomorrow, but I feel good about him."

- On dealing with the crowd noise in State College

ALLEN: "It is definitely, I think, to answer your question, [playing at] Iowa definitely will help. Any time you have a chance to experience something that gives you something to draw from and that experience. It won't be quite like it will be [Saturday at Penn State]. It's going to be a night game this Saturday and more fans in the stands and be louder. That helps for sure. You pump in the noise, and you do all of that for practice. You just have to fall back on the habits and the fundamentals and the technique that you have built upon and the foundation that you have to be able to handle that environment so you can play your best."

- On how Marcelino Ball has progressed this season after missing all of 2020

ALLEN: "He has progressed quite a bit. His first game back was probably challenging, being out for an entire year, even the psychological confidence of being able to play after that type of injury and coming back. We didn't do a lot of live with him [during fall camp], he's obviously not a quarterback, but we were very careful with him. I think he only tackled in one scrimmage.

That was something we knew we were going to king of build through and, even per the style that Iowa played, we thought he would probably be more involved as the season progressed because of being a little more base defense against that type of personnel. I feel like every week he has grown in that confidence and there was definitely some rust from [the injury]. Bottom line is he continues to get better and even understanding some of the adjustments we have made in our system - things we have added - to be able to make us better. He has really picked those things up and continues to grow. It is just about trusting that he is 100 percent healthy, which he is, and the ability to get out there and just read and react to make plays. He obviously has a tremendous amount of physical talent, of strength, and speed to get to the football, and that way he can just trust his reads and keys and not have to think too much. I think every week he gets a little bit better."

- On Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford

ALLEN: "He is a great quarterback. A tough, hard-nosed kid and a great competitor and we have a lot of respect for him. Love how he plays the game. He has a toughness to him that you want to see at that position. I would say, commenting on watching the film, last year we played him in the first game of the season, so you didn't have any film to watch, but he is throwing the ball with a lot of confidence and a lot of higher percentage completions and doing a great job of protecting the football. You have seen his growth. He continues to be effective with his legs and he has hurt us in the past with that. Obviously, he has hurt us throwing the ball, as well. You can just tell he is a great leader and a great player. He is a big reason why they are as good as they are and in the position that they are in. So, great quarterback."

- On Saturday being the first ABC game for Indiana's program

"Well, it's just the next big game here at Indiana, and our players know it's the biggest game of the season because it's the next one. It happens to be at night. It happens to be on ABC in a great venue, tons of tradition and history there at Penn State. Just excited for the opportunity. You build your program and you build each and every year, and you want to be able to put your players in position to be able to have opportunities like this. When you talk to them in recruiting to be able to come to Indiana with the chance to compete against the best teams in the country on the national spotlight. So, awesome opportunity for this program, and I'm excited for our kids to be in this environment and play their very best."

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