Indiana head football coach Tom Allen gave his weekly Monday press conference today.
Here are some noteworthy Monday items from Allen and the program.
IU opens the season the weekend of Oct. 24 at home against Penn State. The date and time for that game is still to be determined.
Two positive COVID-19 cases on football roster
The program gave an update on its COVID-19 testing since it began daily testing on Sept. 17.
Overall there have been 2,102 negatives and four positives. The positives involve two players and two members of the staff.
While the overall percentages are favorable, three of the four positive cases are active.
Saturday scrimmage was first day in full pads
As Indiana attempts to ramp up into game ready form, the team held their first scrimmage on Saturday.
It was also the first day in full pads during fall camp and just the second time since the Gator Bowl. With such a long layoff since the last game-like conditions, one might have expected significant rust.
But overall, Allen was pleased with what he saw inside Memorial Stadium.
Allen said he thought the tackling was positive, with most players getting around 25-30 snaps of “live goes.” The goal is to double those numbers at this Saturday’s scrimmage.
“For the first time doing some of those things in a long time, it was a pretty clean execution from my perspective,” Allen said of the scrimmage.
It wasn’t all positive on Saturday. Allen was hoping to see better movement of the football on offense.
“Didn’t feel like we moved the ball as well as we should have,” Allen said.
Allen noted that backup quarterbacks Jack Tuttle and Dexter Williams have been impressive.
Swinton standing out
Freshman receiver Javon Swinton made a highlight reel play on Saturday that the program published on Twitter.
Go up and get it. @famoussvonn | #IUFB pic.twitter.com/Xw1POlxgP0
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) October 3, 2020
But it has been about more than just one play from the 6-foot-2 and 170 pound Virginia proudct.
Swinton has impressed Allen in a number of ways.
“He does everything he’s supposed to do,” Allen said. “There’s never issues academically. Whenever he’s told to do something, he never shows up on a list. He studies. He prepares. He makes plays.”
Allen also mentioned receiver Da’Shaun Brown and tight end Gary Cooper as additional young, inexperienced players that have impressed him thus far.
Receiver Jacolby Hewitt is also making progress as he regains his rhythm following an ACL injury that cost him the 2019 season.
“Definitely making progress,” Allen said of Hewitt. “He’s a guy that we need to win some of those one-on-ones because of his athleticism.”
Campbell with a 57-yard bomb
Another video that IU released from Saturday was a long field goal by Charles Campbell.
Chuck from 𝐃𝐄𝐄𝐏.@chuck_campbell3 | #IUFB pic.twitter.com/peH8Nwv29y
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) October 3, 2020
Campbell stepped in and made a field goal in 2019 against Purdue after Logan Justus struggled, and he is expected to be the 2020 starter.
“He nailed, he has a strong leg, has a lot of confidence and is a strong kicker,” Allen said of Campbell.
Campbell is a redshirt sophomore from Tennessee.
Western Kentucky rescheduled for 2029
Save the date — if you have a calendar that goes out nine years.
Indiana has rescheduled one of its nonconference home games that became a casualty of the pandemic.
The Western Kentucky game scheduled for this season will now be played on Sept. 15, 2029.
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