In Indiana's 42-28 win over Maryland, the offense was not at its best, despite the 42 points put up on the board.
Curt Cignetti mentioned that the game was "far from perfect, trust me," which can be attributed to the four turnovers given up by the offense, something that was especially surprising given that IU had not turned it over once in its first four games
Even with all the turnovers, IU won decisively, mostly thanks to the defense responding well after all the turnovers.
Cignetti said postgame "Yeah, there were a lot of good responses in that game. The defense responded to offensive turnovers" illustrating that he noticed how well the defense played.
Players that stepped up include James Carpenter, with his huge sack after the first interception, Maikal Kamara, with his major sack after the second interception, and Marcus Burris, with his key tackle for loss after the first fumble, but the entire defense took charge after each turnover, and pretty much the entire game.
The defense did not allow Maryland to convert a first down on any of the four drives immediately after a turnover, something that is not only extremely impressive, but was extremely crucial to IU coming away with a win.
Turnovers are something that Cignetti has mentioned throughout the season, always speaking to their importance and the fact that the turnover battle usually decides the outcome of the game.
This was not the case in this one, as IU lost the turnover battle 4-0, but still won thanks to the defense and its performances throughout the game.
Cignetti said that "4-0 in the turnover ratio against us, had not turned it over going into the game one time and still won by two scores. But defense really responded to every one of those turnovers."
This was Cignetti once again speaking on the turnovers, but this time he had to speak to the media after losing the turnover battle, luckily for him the defense picked up the slack the of the offense.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke said that the offense "can't have those turnovers moving forward if we want to win" mentioning, just like CIgnetti, that this was a rarity in the fact they they lost the turnover battle 4-0, but still managed to win.
This was all thanks to his defense, Rourke saying that the "defense was amazing" and that its ability "to be able to not allow any points off the turnovers was huge."
And it really was huge, as not allowing a single first down in the four drives after the turnovers was something seemingly everyone in the stadium, including the offense, noticed.
Rourke said that it was "something that we noticed as an offense" and that it was incredibly beneficial "looking back as an offense knowing that the defense can make the stops after turnovers."
Rourke wasn't the only offensive player to recognize the defenses showing, as Elijah Sarratt had some comments on how the defensed picked up the offense.
He said "losing the turnover battle like that you don't win much games, but houtout to the defense they saved us a lot" mentioning that the defense truly "saved" the offense and that is not an exaggeration.
Sarratt also said that "without them we wouldn't have been able to win the game" doubling down on the sentiment that it was the defense who led the Hoosiers to victory, despite the impressive 42 points from the offense.
Sarratt had a very impressive day with over 100 yards and a touchdown so, like Rourke, his comments speak volumes to just how important the defense was in this one given the four turnovers and the ensuing three and outs.
Another offensive player, Omar Cooper Jr. had similar comments, saying "them going out there and being able to get them stops show that we can trust our defense" while also saying that he was "grateful for them" for their performance.
All this praise really shows just how important these stops, and just the defense as a whole were, and offensive players themselves recognizing it makes it just that much more meaningful.
The offensive players weren't the only ones to take note of how great the defense was against Maryland, with linebacker Aiden Fisher mentioning how his group was vital to the win.
He said "it was big for us to answer the call every time we turn the ball over and to keep them at no points" recognizing that its their job to pick up the offense after a turnover.
Fisher also talked about how the defenses mentality led to their great performance, saying "we want to be a dominant defense in this league and you know three and outs are a part of being a dominant defense."
This is exactly the mentality the defense has game in and game out, especially after allowing a turnover, which is what led to the four drives after turnovers resulting in zero Maryland first downs.
Kurtis Rourke said that if the offense "did our job and not turned the ball over, the margin of victory would've been much bigger today" which may be true, but even with those turnovers, IU still won by two touchdowns and that is thanks to the Hoosier defense that was dominant on a rainy Saturday against Maryland.
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