IU

Does IU bowl trip earn Kevin Wilson an extension?

IU AD Fred Glass will 'soak in' Bucket win, talk with Wilson soon

Zach Osterman
zach.osterman@indystar.com
Has Kevin Wilson done enough to earn an extension?

WEST LAFAYETTE — Fred Glass smiled through questions about extending IU coach Kevin Wilson’s contract Saturday, after Indiana’s 54-36 win against Purdue moved the Hoosiers into bowl eligibility.

Questions regarding that contract, which will enter the sixth of seven years after this season, have persisted during the Hoosiers’ postseason chase. While he would not commit to any definitive plan of action, Glass sounded very much like an athletics director in lockstep with his head coach.

“It’s three (wins) in a row (against Purdue) for the first time in almost 70 years,” Glass said after IU’s third-straight Old Oaken Bucket victory. “I’m just going to soak in this Bucket win, and then Kevin and I will get together and talk in the next several days.”

After the Hoosiers clinched their longest winning streak against Purdue since 1947 — Glass made his way through Indiana’s postgame on-field scrum at Ross-Ade Stadium, hugging Wilson and what members of IU’s coaching staff he could find. He also reserved a moment for fellow Brebeuf Jesuit alum and redshirt senior punter Erich Toth.

And though he did not commit to anything, Glass’ comments about both Saturday’s win and Indiana’s 2015 season at large in many ways mirrored Wilson’s own candor throughout the fall.

“I’ve been really proud of this team this season,” he told assembled media Saturday afternoon. “As Kevin likes to say, some of the losses have been disappointing, but not discouraging.”

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Four of Indiana’s six Big Ten losses this season came by one score, including seven-point defeats to Ohio State and Michigan, and an eight-point loss to Iowa.

“I had a longtime season-ticket holder, who’s kind of a curmudgeon, send me a text and say, ‘This is some of the best Indiana football I’ve seen in my 70 years going to games,’” Glass said. “That may be a tad bit of hyperbole, but I’ve been pleased our fans have been able to see through some of the losses and see what I think is clear progress with the program.”

Glass was adamant Saturday’s game was never a must-win for Wilson either way.

“I just think it’s kind of silly when people say it’s up or down in one game,” he said. “There’s a lot of other pieces to analyze. It’s a little bit of a cop out for an administrator to say that. It was never about that last game.”

Whatever Wilson’s long-term future holds, his immediate attention is guaranteed to turn to bowl preparation.

It has been eight years since Indiana participated in the postseason. The Hoosiers will be allowed extra practices before their bowl, and Wilson has spoken about the importance of being able to bring recruits to December practices as well.

Given its sizable alumni base and high-scoring offense, Indiana has been projected to land in a range of different bowl games, from New York to Nashville to northern California.

Wilson turned the attention to his players, saying he wanted bowl eligibility as a “reward” for his team’s hard work.

“I’m just proud of those guys as seniors, those fourth- and fifth-year guys. To me, they had already done a lot, win, lose or draw,” he said.

The bowl schedule will be announced after next weekend’s conference championship games.

While he stated no preference on location, Wilson did have one hope for the upcoming draw.

“We’re very blessed in the Big Ten to have some great options,” Wilson said. “I would hope we’ll get a chance to play a marquee name.”

Glass joked that Indiana would go “politicking” in the bowl field, and that “it probably won’t matter much.”

Again, much like Wilson, he sounded like a man happy to have the option at all.

“A bowl game’s like some other things I could mention, maybe like cold beer — there’s not any bad ones,” Glass said, smiling. “We’ll be happy wherever we end up.”

Follow Star reporter Zach Osterman on Twitter: @ZachOsterman.