cam jones

Previously: Indiana Offense 

I came into this year reasonably optimistic about the IU defense. They lost some big pieces on the defensive line and star LB Micah McFadden, but returned an experienced secondary with several key pieces. So far, my optimism has not been rewarded. Indiana enters Saturday's clash with Michigan ranked 73rd in SP+ defense. Their pass defense, which was supposed to be a strength of the team, is getting gashed week after week. The remnants of the 2020 defense are still here, but the unit is not clicking. 

The Film: For this game I used the Nebraska tape. The Huskers have a pretty solid offense and this was the most recent game that Indiana played. Cincinnati also seemed like a suitable option but I opted to go with Nebraska because the Huskers had more success on the ground and I wanted to see what that would look like, given how Michigan's offense sets up. However, some Cincinnati clips will appear, as I made my way through that game looking for clues. 

Personnel: Click the chart for big or here for PDF. 

Indiana is still true to the Tom Allen fundamentals, running a 4-2-5 with a stand-up BULL on the DL and a "HUSKY" which is functionally a slot corner. On the defensive line, Indiana is running the geriatric Alfred Bryant out there at the BULL position, which has the ability to pass rush or drop into coverage. I didn't like Bryant much last fall, but he didn't do poorly enough in this game for me to put the cyan back on him. For now, he's beaten the allegations. Beau Robbins is the new starter at the other EDGE spot and this is a major step down from Ryder Anderson last season. Robbins generated no pass rush and got shoved around too often on off-tackle runs for my liking. Those two play the lion's share of snaps at the ends of the line, while Dasan McCullough plays a lot as the fifth lineman when Indiana goes 5-2-4 (often on running downs). UCLA transfer Myles Jackson is the nominal reserve at these positions. 

The interior of the DL sees DeMarcus Elliott return. I was not a fan of his last season and thought his tape this year was better, but we opted to keep the cyan on him. Weston Kramer exits from the program and is replaced by Sio Nofoagatoto'a, who was rotating in with Elliott last season. They don't get any passrush from these positions, but Nofoagatoto'a did okay at not budging. JH Tevis gets a lot of snaps to the point he's basically a starter, rotating in on many passing downs. The backups beyond these three are a step down, LeDarrius Cox and Patrick Lucas in particular were culpable for some rushing plays against, while I didn't see that much of Nick James but he has played some this season. 

The linebacker position sees veteran Cam Jones still around and he was the best player on the Indiana defense against Nebraska. Having a fine season, Jones is one of the few veterans who has not concerningly regressed on this team. Aaron Casey is the new starter, filling the hole left by the pass rushing savant that was Micah McFadden. Casey did not have a particularly great showing in the game I saw, particularly with tackling, but he did manage to avoid getting the cyan. The two deep is populated by transfers, including Miami's Bradley Jennings and Jared Casey, but they don't come on too often. Matt Hohlt was used a decent bit against Nebraska but hasn't played much in other games this season. 

The CB room was supposed to be the strength of the defense but right now it has been a disappointing season. Tiawan Mullen, 2020's Dangerman and the author of one of the great freshman corner seasons in B1G history back in 2019, turned down the NFL and right now it's looking like he really should've gone. We will delve into his performance later but the numbers are ugly and he has lost his star. Jaylin Williams dealt with injury against Nebraska and has also been unusually choppy, losing his star in the process as well. Noah Pierre is a first time starter at the HUSKY position and he did okay, but all three of these players contribute to the struggling pass defense. These three corners rarely come off the field but when they do, Alabama transfer Brylan Lanier, Christopher Keys, and Louis Moore fill in. 

Super seniors Bryant Fitzgerald and Devon Matthews are returning starters to anchor the safety position. They are responsible for some of the explosive, over-the-top plays that Indiana has allowed on defense and are not approaching the star level. There's only one other safety to speak of here which is Josh Sanguenetti, who rotates in and has played quite a bit over the last couple of seasons. He's fine. 

[AFTER THE JUMP: We have to blitz to stop bad things from happening]