BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen began his latest rebuilding project by asking his players to believe in themselves.Now comes the hard part: turning that new attitude into victories this fall.One season after the Hoosiers ended an eight-year bowl drought, their new associate head coach believes he can change the perception and direction of an oft-criticized defense in need of a major overhaul.You try to rebuild that confidence, for sure, Allen said when the Hoosiers opened practice. Its a simple process to rebuild that, and thats what were going to do. But its not an easy process.Over the past two decades, the Hoosiers (6-7, 2-6 Big Ten) have tried everything to improve the defense -- coaching changes, philosophical changes, lineup changes, even schematic changes. When nothing worked, Allen became Indianas third defensive coordinator in four years.He takes over a group that allowed more points, touchdowns, total yards and yards passing than any Big Ten team last season. The Hoosiers also allowed the second-highest rushing total in the league.Allen will take the traditional nickel package and use it as his primary defense, substituting a hybrid safety for a linebacker in hopes of getting better coverage against spread offenses while still being stout enough to hold up against the run.The new defense simplifies everything, linebacker Marcus Oliver said. It allows us not to think but to play fast and to play hard. If you have to think, you dont know what youre doing.Will this finally be the game-changer Indiana has been looking for? Allen believes it will work, and perhaps, more importantly, so do the players.Well have more athletes out there, well be more versatile and that nickel guy can cover and help you off the edge, cornerback Rashard Fant said. Its exciting.Here are some other things to watch this season:DEVINE INTERVENTIONIndiana replaced 2,000-yard rusher Tevin Coleman with 1,000-yard rusher Jordan Howard last season. Now the Hoosiers are asking another 1,000-yard runner, Devine Redding to replace Howard. The 5-foot-10, 208-pound Redding is smaller than his predecessors but has added about five pounds this season to survive the weekly grind. Hes also on the right trajectory, rushing for more than 500 yards in the last three games of 2015.FINISHING TOUCHIndiana won six times last season and they would have had nine -- had they protected a 31-point third-quarter lead against Rutgers and prevented Michigan and Duke from forcing overtime with touchdowns in the final minute of regulation. Coach Kevin Wilson is hoping last seasons tough lessons will pay off with better finishes in 2016.QUICK STARTIndiana had to win its final two games -- on the road -- to become bowl eligible last season. This year, theyll need a fast start to wind up in the mix. After a trip to Florida International, Indiana hosts Ball State and Wake Forest before things get very difficult in Big Ten. They host Michigan State on Oct. 1, then visit Ohio State on Oct. 8 and host Nebraska on Oct. 15.SEASON OPENERIndiana is trying to find a successor for quarterback Nate Sudfeld. The battle is likely to come down to Richard Lagow, a highly touted junior college transfer now at his third Division I school, and junior Zander Diamont, who has more experience with Indianas offense. But a winner may not be declared before the Hoosiers visit FIU on Sept. 1.PREDICTIONThe Hoosiers seem set for a 6-6 season. 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In the era of leaving no stone unturned in terms of coaching support, it is an oddity - or even an oversight - that the England Test side has not had a dedicated spin-bowling coach since Mushtaq Ahmed left in early 2014.It is not that by having someone around the squad, they will magically emerge with a match-winning spinner. As Trevor Bayliss said earlier this week we have to work with what weve got, and theres also the argument that the place for intensive coaching is not around the Test set-up, but in terms of mentoring, guidance and a sounding board it could hardly hurt at a time where England are thin in spin resources.For this week - and that is all it is for now - Saqlain Mushtaq, the former Pakistan offspinner, is with the England side at Old Trafford as they aim to level the series against his countrymen. If he fits in well, it could well lead to a longer-term deal for the winter series in Bangladesh (if it goes ahead) and India. On the evidence of Lords, both the facing and bowling of spin will stretch England to their limits.While Mushtaq was fortunate to work with England at a time when they had two of their finest spinners - Graeme Swann and Monty Panesar - and therefore his impact may have appeared greater, the reverse argument can apply to Saqlain; in the few days he has been around the side, he cant be expected to transform Moeen Ali and Adil Rashid into world-beaters.But he may be able to impart something that makes a difference. It is telling that one of the key pieces of advice that aided Moeen in his first season of Test cricket - when he helped secure the series win over India in 2014 - was after a conversation with umpire Kumar Dharmasena in the nets, when the former Sri Lanka spinner told him to grasp his pocket with his non-bowling arm to impart the required pace for international cricket. Sometimes little tips can make all the difference when there are raw skills to work with, which is clearly the case with Moeen and Rashid.Saqlain is the second overseas guest coach to be used since Andrew Strauss took on his role at the head of English cricket following the use of Mahela Jayawardene in the UAE and during the World T20. The onus of Jayawardenes time was on the playing of spin for the batsmen, but Saqlains expertise does not have to be restricted to Moeen and Rashid as England search for a way to combat Yasir Shah on a ground where five of the last seven five-wickett hauls in Tests have been taken by spinners.dddddddddddd.Youve got to use the knowledge of the people youre lucky enough to have come in and work with you, Ben Stokes said. From the batsmen, the questions hell probably get asked are: Who are the best players you bowled at, and how did they go about it?It would be silly if the batsmen didnt try to get anything out of him, pick his brains and ask how the guys who were successful against him played.Saqlains first spell in an England training top, however, was alongside Rashid in a one-on-one session on the Old Trafford square, appearing to use his mobile phone to take some ad-hoc footage (unless he was catching Pokemon). Conflicting views abounded as to whether that meant Rashid was more or less likely to be playing in the Test, but he fizzed a few legbreaks on a pitch adjacent to the Test surface. Later in the session, after a spell in the nets, Saqlain returned to the middle this time with Moeen and then the pair of spinners spent a stint together, eventually with Jonny Bairstow behind the stumps.There are factors in Rashids favour when it comes to the chances of a call-up for a first home Test, either as a replacement for Moeen or as a second spinner. His record at the ground in first-class cricket is healthy - 29 wickets in five matches at 23.48 with four five-wicket hauls - and he also bowled well here in one of the two ODIs against Australia last year, taking 2 for 41 as he and Moeen combined with five wickets.There is a strong link to Old Trafford for Saqlain as well. In 2001, he helped bowl Pakistan to a dramatic final-day victory when England had appeared set for a draw: from 174 for 1 they were bowled out for 261 late in the final session in a match that became remembered for a raft of missed no-balls on the last afternoon, although the overstepping did not change the fact that his spin befuddled England.Five years later, England were the winners by a vast margin of an innings and 120 runs. Steve Harmison took 11 wickets - after Pakistan had prepared for Manchesters bounce by practicing on marble slabs - and Monty Panesar eight on a pitch offering considerable pace. Any margin of victory will suffice for England over the next few days, and this time Saqlain will be hoping to help, even if only a little. ' ' '