Amidst a historic season and entering the week of one of the program's biggest games in decades, Indiana is dealing with a significant injury to star linebacker Thomas Allen, son of head coach Tom Allen.
The younger Allen was badly injured last Saturday during the Hoosiers' 24-0 road win at Michigan State, a game in which the linebacker had recorded two tackles and recovered a fumble before he injured his hip.
Coach Allen on Monday updated the situation, when he told reporters via Zoom that his son, Thomas, would have hip surgery on Tuesday and revealed that doctors had informed Allen that the injury is similar to the one suffered last fall by then-Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa's injury was a dislocated hip and posterior wall-fracture.
The No. 9 Hoosiers battle No. 3 Ohio State Saturday at noon in Columbus, Ohio, in a game filled with both Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff implications.
An emotional Coach Allen addressed the situation.
“We're going to compete,” Allen said. “We're going to fight. I don't care what anyone says about this doggone game (at Ohio State).”
Perhaps worse, it's the second-straight season cut short for Thomas Allen, a 6-foot-3 linebacker from Tampa, Florida's Plant High School, due to injury. Last year, during the Hoosiers' eight-win campaign and eventual Gator Bowl berth, Thomas Allen injured his shoulder against Nebraska and was forced out to miss the remainder of the season.
With their No. 9 national ranking, the Hoosier have the program's loftiest national perch since peaking at No. 4 in 1967. They've already this season registered wins against Penn State, both Michigan and Michigan State, and Rutgers.