IU football players are getting a well deserved but short rest after tough preparations for the Insight Bowl game on December 31. The team members were allowed to head home for the holidays Friday night to take a break before they return December 26. While most students were enjoying their first week of holiday break, the Hoosiers were going through two-a-days for a week. Coach Bill Lynch seems to like the things he is seeing from his team so far.
In an interview with IUHoosiers.com, Lynch indicated that practice this week should prove to be very important went it comes to the team’s success. “We went at it pretty good. We got a lot of Oklahoma State work done and a lot done with the younger guys,” Lynch told IUHoosiers.com. “I also think the preparation for Oklahoma State went well and we stayed relatively healthy.” When the team returns to Bloomington December 26, they will have less than 24 hours before leaving for Tempe, Arizona, on December 27. The players and coach are very excited, but Lynch sees more for IU football in the future.
While many in Hoosier Nation are just happy that this years’ squad made a bowl, Coach Bill Lynch sees it as more of a step to better things in the future. “You have to take it one step at a time, like everything else we've tried to do here. We've reached that first step and now we have to try and take advantage of it,” Lynch said to IUHoosiers.com. “We have to take advantage by competing to win the football game and use the momentum going into our off-season development. It certainly helps your recruiting, and that is what builds your program. And it develops confidence, which is the mark of a good, consistent football team. You have to take that first step to get to that next step.”
Lynch has also noted that the preparation for the bowl game will have a huge effect on next year’s success in general. Besides recruiting, it also is allowing for more practice time. “When we start in the spring we'll be that much further ahead,” Lynch told IUHoosiers.com. “You only get 15 practices in the spring and sometimes the first four or five practices you are installing the offense and defense because the players haven't been taught it. After you go through this [bowl practice], your first day of spring you can hit the ground running. That is the real benefit of it.”
With ten days remaining before the big game, fans still have time to make plans. If you are interested in more information about the Insight Bowl, check it out at the
IU Football site. Indiana will take on Oklahoma State on New Year's Eve at 6:00 p.m.
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IU Football forum.
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