""It's all about keeping the speed of the game," Smith said Saturday. "The biggest thing for us in the offensive line room has been going like it's a game, every single breath, because we know that being away from the game for so long can affect that.""
""We really got into game prep and I think that's kind of how you do it. ... You start to really lock in and get back into normal game-speed stuff and game type of practices," Nowakowski said. "I think it's important to stay locked in mentally.""
""There might be a slight adjustment early in the game, but I feel like our guys will be ready to go and the experience within our group will help us there as well," he said."
No. 1 Indiana secured a College Football Playoff quarterfinal berth after defeating Ohio State 13-10 in the Big Ten championship. A long layoff before the New Year's Day Rose Bowl against No. 9 Alabama required balancing recovery with maintaining game speed. The first two weeks after the season featured lighter workouts and extra reps for younger players to protect older players from overwork. After Alabama was confirmed as the opponent, practices intensified into game-speed, game-type preparations and mental lock-in. Offensive linemen emphasized practicing every breath like a game to preserve speed, and coaches cited experience as key to handling game-time pressure.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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