A season ago, the Indiana University defense was ranked 10th in the Big Ten in scoring and total defense, giving up 29.7 points and 394 yards per game.
Defensive coordinator Kane Wommack knew his defensive unit had to improve in his second season as defensive play caller and he spent the offseason evaluating fundamentals, talent and changing defensive schemes.
The evaluation process has paid off for the Hoosiers, who used a stifling defense to help pick up a 38-21 victory over Michigan Saturday. With the win, Indiana improved to 3-0 and picked up the first win over the Wolverines since 1987.
Wommack's unit contained Michigan quarterback Joe Milton, who Wommack said could hurt the Hoosiers with his feet if they gave him a chance.
For the game, the Indiana defense contained Milton, but the biggest play came just over 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. After a 12-yard pass from Milton to Giles Johnson, Jaylin Williams came up with the play of the day, intercepting Milton and giving Indiana's offense a chance to put the game out of reach. For Michigan, it was its first turnover of the season, and the Indiana offense would cash in minutes later with a Stevie Scott touchdown.
Minutes later, a Michigan drive would come to a halt as Devon Matthews would intercept Milton, giving the ball back to the Indiana offense.
Yes, Indiana contained Milton, who finished 18-of-34 for 344 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions.
However, the biggest takeaway is the Indiana defense held Michigan's rushing attack to only 13 yards.
Indiana quarterback Michael Penix sees the unit every day in practice and said the takeaways are a "main emphasis" for the defense.
"It is something they work on. Jaylin works extremely hard and works his tail off," Penix said.
For Tom Allen, a former defensive coordinator, the play of the defense is something he expected.
"That is how you win games. I am very pleased with our defense, but that is what I expected. We thought we would be a top 10 defense, and the guys bought in. It is a talented group of guys, and I am really proud of the defense," said Allen, who was sporting a cut on his cheek from a celebration with Matthews.
After knocking off both Penn State and Rutgers, Indiana’s defensive unit entered the Michigan game ranked second nationally in turnover margin per game and third in the Big Ten in yards passing allowed. Furthermore, the unit’s efficiency against opposing quarterbacks ranks fifth in the league.
In the win over then-8th ranked Penn State, Indiana forced three turnovers and held the Nittany Lions scoreless on three trips into the red zone. Last week, the Hoosiers kept Rutgers at bay, sacking quarterback Noah Vedral four times and forcing three more turnovers.
This week, Wommack told the media that his defense has done a good job of mixing man and zone coverages this season.
“I’m pleased with where we are as a man coverage team and frankly it was something that was a bit of a concern with how few reps we got,” Wommack said. “We didn’t get near the volume of reps we normally get, but I thought our guys did a good job of maximizing that, taking advantage of that. I will say the other thing we focused on, schematically, was changing things up where we aren’t in man coverage so much. Changing things up to where we are not in man coverage as much. Being able to play some zone coverage, mix up the windows on the perimeter has been effective for us. At times, we were too man oriented… and the offense knew what we were in. We had to do a better job schematically."
Allen echoed those sentiments.
“You want to be multiple schematically and that’s one thing we’ve tried to become more of. The ability to play man and zone is super positive for us."
Allen added that Wommack has been a special addition to his coaching staff.
“Appreciate the time he puts in and how much he cares. He loves his players, he’s very sharp and bright. I really do believe he’s bought into the culture we have here," Allen said. "I just appreciate the work ethic, the attention to detail and caring about this team and working hard for the other coaches to help make this team successful. We know we have to play great defense if we want to win championships.
"He’s made it better, and we have to continue doing things better on defense. We are always chasing after the perfect call and want our kids to play to play with fanatical effort, tackle extremely well and create takeaways. We are doing those three things and it has to continue as we continue to elevate this program."
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