The overwhelming narrative for Indiana football going into this season has been centered on whether or not the Hoosier defense can show marked improvement under a new coordinator installing a different scheme. Though it’s difficult to make a concise judgment on the matter after a single game against an FCS opponent that went 1-11 last year in Indiana State, there was certainly a great deal of promise shown. This becomes even more apparent when comparing Saturday’s meeting with the Sycamores to the 2013 season opener with the same team.
Last year’s Thursday night tilt was defined by Indiana State’s ability to put together and sustain long drives. They had three plays of 70 yards or longer, all of which resulted in touchdowns. Their other two scores were defensive touchdowns that occurred on opposite ends of halftime as a result of Indiana turnovers. In the end, the Hoosiers would roll almost exclusively through their high-powered offense, winning 73-35 and more than doubling the Sycamores total yardage, 632-306.
Symbolically speaking, Indiana was dedicated to shutting down this same team offensively Saturday afternoon to demonstrate more than anything that noticeable strides are being made on the defensive side of the football. Suffice it to say that they were remarkably successful in this regard. Of Indiana State’s 12 possessions, only their opening one exceeded 50 yards and it culminated in a missed field goal. Much like the 2013 matchup, the Sycamores scored off of two Hoosier turnovers, but in this case those 10 points were all they would be able to muster on the day.
Senior defensive tackle Bobby Richardson appears poised to prosper in the new 3-4 setup as was evident on Saturday. The Tampa, FL native sacked Sycamores quarterback Mike Perish three times, and after a single week of college football leads all defensive players in that category. The hallmark of an effective 3-4 scheme is having that solo interior tackle dominate the A-gaps on both sides of the center, both from a run-stopping and quarterback pressure standpoint. Richardson was a force to be reckoned with in regard to the latter category over the weekend.
Limiting big plays, whether they occur in the air or on the ground, was another point of emphasis for Indiana’s defense in preparation for 2014. Though even elite defenses surrender the occasional long-yardage touchdown run or pass, for Indiana’s defense in recent years, giving up highlight reel touchdowns have been more common occurrence than surprising aberration.
In last year’s game with Indiana State, the Hoosiers gave up two plays of 30 or more yards at an average of 51 yards per play, including a 57-yard touchdown pass by Demory Lawshe. The longest play of the day on Saturday by the Sycamores was a 23-yard rush by running back Buck Logan on the opening drive that, as mentioned earlier, resulted in no points.
It’s always difficult to analyze and prognosticate collective performance over the course of a year based on one game. This rings especially true when you are well aware of the fact that the level of competition will increase substantially in subsequent games. However, the writing was on the wall that IU’s defense was going to struggle last year based solely on what was seen in the opening game. Sure enough, the unit finished among the nation’s worst and prompted head coach Kevin Wilson to shake up his coaching staff on that side of the ball.
Something feels different in 2014, and I mean that in a good way. Though issues remain, including the fact that Indiana forced no turnovers at all in Saturday’s game, there are plenty of positive developments that fans of the Cream and Crimson can find solace in as the Hoosiers prepare for a massive road challenge at MAC favorite Bowling Green next Saturday. Consider the following chart I’ve put together which shows IU’s national ranking in a few key defensive statistics after Week 1 of the previous two seasons, having obviously played the same opponent:
Indiana Hoosiers Key Defensive Statistics After Week 1
2013 (vs Indiana St) 2014 (vs Indiana St)
Scoring Defense T-84th T-20th
Passing Defense T-35th 27th
Rushing Defense 51st 9th
Total Defense 38th 8th
Again, a single stellar showing on defense against a lower tier in-state opponent cannot tell the entire story, and as they say in finance, past performance is not necessarily an indicator of future results. What’s heartening to see, however, is that the improvement as indicated above came against a team that should be much better this year than in 2013, when their only win came against a Division II team. Time will most definitely tell as to how much of the “we’re for real” factor the Hoosier defensive unit possesses.
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