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Indiana's third down defense shows signs of progress heading into Maryland

As Indiana comes off its strongest third-down performance of the season as a defense, it will travel to Maryland hoping to build on the plays it made in critical moments, something the defense lacked against Michigan State before the bye week.

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Indiana sophomore linebacker Micah McFadden leads the team in defensive stops made, according to Pro Football focus.
Indiana sophomore linebacker Micah McFadden leads the team in defensive stops made, according to Pro Football focus.

When Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Woomack looks back on the Michigan State loss in East Lansing before the team was able to reflect on the first five games collectively, he believes that one or two more third down executions could have given Indiana a 4-1 record going into the bye rather than 3-2.

While most position groups feel a similar feeling to Wommack regarding their own players, Wommack’s point stands. Even though Indiana limited Michigan State to 5-of-13 in total third down scenarios, there was a 3rd-and-4 conversion in the fourth quarter that allowed Michigan State to eventually kick a field goal to take the 31-24 lead, and 3rd-and-8 and 3rd-and-9 conversions on the same drive allowed Michigan State to go ahead 14-7 early in the second quarter.

While Indiana is third in the conference on third-down conversion percentage (27.5) and continues to improve as the season moves along, third-down defense hasn’t been perfect and has sometimes broken when bent in key moments, Wommack said.

“Here we are, sitting in a pretty good place on third down as a defense, but there are things we could have done where if we execute a little differently on one or two of those critical downs, it’s the difference in the game,” Wommack said.

Indiana could not have responded better to that mentality against Rutgers. The Hoosier defense barred the Scarlet Knights from crossing the line on third down, as Rutgers left Bloomington having gone 0-for-11 on third down as an offense.

Indiana came through in those critical moments, like its defensive coordinator hoped it would, as Marcelino Ball rushed in on Rutgers quarterback Johnny Langan in his own endzone to force an incompletion on third down and Cam Jones crashed a gap on Langan’s blindside to record a third-down sack. The Hoosiers made those third-down plays, and sophomore linebacker Micah McFadden said they’re only getting better.

The rotation linebacker pointed to communication as the primary priority on third down.

“That’s the most difficult thing on third down,” McFadden said. “If everybody’s on the same page, I think we’re good. If we’re not, that’s when blown coverages start happening or the blitz doesn’t get ran correctly.”

There have been plenty of breakdowns in the IU defense, even outside of third-down situations, such as a miscommunication before an easy pass-and-catch touchdown for Michigan State at the end of the first half. Head coach Tom Allen and Wommack both discussed a need for better communication between players and coaches along the defensive line after the Ohio State game as well.

Those breakdowns and missed checks are beginning to disappear, McFadden said, and, particularly on third down, the individuals of the defense are becoming more comfortable with expectations and with each other.

“Without a doubt, I think we’ve gotten better,” the linebacker said. “There was a check Saturday that we made that was a game-changer. That’s just growth, everybody maturing and playing more.”

McFadden himself was a contributor searching for growth as the beginning of the season showed some vulnerabilities in the center of the defense, his tackling being one of them, as he posted one of the worst tackling performances against Ball State in the season-opener, according to Pro Football Focus.

But since then, his tackling has improved with every week, and his ability to get into the backfield has become one of Indiana’s strengths on defense – as he is tied with Demarcus Elliott for the team lead in tackles for loss (5.0) and is third on the team in tackles (22). He leads the team in defensive stops – a statistic tracked by Pro Football Focus that constitutes plays made by an individual that signify a failure for the offense.

McFadden, and the linebacking rotation of Reakwon Jones, Cam Jones and Thomas Allen, has seemed to find its stride heading into the most consistent segment of its schedule and three winnable games.

To get those wins, though, Indiana’s third-down defense must remain strong against a Maryland team that can break big plays on a moment’s notice and is rated 10th in the Big Ten in third-down conversions (34-for-91).

“I’m very excited about what this young defense is doing,” Wommack said. “I think we just need to continue to grow and keep moving forward and focus on us to take steps in the right direction.”

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