Indiana Resumes Practice, Expects Healthy Team for Outback Bowl

After dealing with COVID-19 over the last two weeks, Indiana football is returning to practice this week and plans to be 100% for the final game of the year.

Dylan Wallace | Dec 21, 2020

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football hasn't taken the field for a game since Dec. 5 when it kept Wisconsin out of the end zone for 60 minutes at Camp Randall Stadium.

Since then, the Hoosiers had 28 members of the program test positive for COVID-19, causing them to pause all team-related activities on Dec. 8.

The Old Oaken Bucket game had to be canceled, and then it had to be canceled again when it was rescheduled for the Big Ten crossover games last Saturday.

Simultaneously, Indiana watched its program remain just outside the top ten of the College Football Playoff rankings, keeping the Hoosiers out of a New Year's Six bowl.

On Sunday, Indiana found out it was going to be playing in the 2021 Outback Bowl against Ole Miss on Jan. 2 in Tampa, Fla.

Indiana has one final chance to take the field again this season, and for the first time since Wisconsin, Indiana will be able to hold a full practice again, starting on Monday, Dec. 21.

"We've been through a lot these last couple of weeks," head coach Tom Allen said. "Our medical staff is awesome here. Just got our guys taken care of in regards to identifying who had the virus and getting it stopped."

Indiana was able to do some cohort work last week, having the players who tested negative come in to the weight room and do some conditioning in small groups.

But starting this week, Indiana is planning on having full practices like it usually does, giving the Hoosiers about two full weeks of preparation for Ole Miss.

"I believe we have the time to get ready," Allen said. "We're getting all our plans figured out. I feel good about the preparation we'll have to get this team ready to play."

But Allen also knows just because the team has progressed to the point where they can practice again doesn't mean the Hoosiers are safe.

"The guys who did test positive should all be back, but it's a daily challenge," Allen said. "We're not out of the woods. We got to continue to work on that. Guys have got to keep testing every day. That will not change."

Prior to Indiana pausing its activities, the Hoosiers had played seven-straight weeks, which started Oct. 24.

Indiana was one of just four Big Ten teams that had lasted that long without having a game canceled.

As a result of playing physical, Big Ten football for seven weeks straight, Indiana had a lot of nagging injuries.

Offensive lineman Matthew Bedford was one of those guys who had the chance to play in games, but he wasn't fully 100% yet with an ankle injury.

Allen said there were a lot of ankle injuries on the team this season, and even though the Hoosiers didn't want this time off, there were some parts of it that were positive.

The Hoosiers were able to rest up and get healthy before the final game of his memorable season.

"I expect us to have a very healthy football team when we take the field here in a couple of weeks," Allen said.

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