IU will look to defense against Western Michigan

In IU’s home opener, not only was “The Rock” well-defended, so was every player wearing an Indiana State uniform. \nThe Hoosiers’ defense held ISU to 176 total yards of offense, and only 46 rushing yards. The defense tallied five sacks on the night, putting them more than a third of the way towards their 2006 season total of 14. In addition to stalling the Sycamores, IU was also able to go deep into its depth chart on defense in the latter stages of the game. That game experience could help the Hoosiers later this season.\n“The defense was very active, which is a good sign,” IU coach Bill Lynch said in his weekly press conference. “Not that we didn’t make mistakes, but they were active and we played hard, and we were able to play different guys.”\nThe coaching staff is hoping to see more of the same out of the defense for the rest of the season. But if the Hoosiers are to carry their success with them when they travel to Kalamazoo, Mich., to face Western Michigan on Saturday, they will need to find a way to slow down the Broncos’ junior wide receiver Jamarko Simmons. In Western Michigan’s season opener Saturday, Simmons had 14 receptions for 144 yards and two touchdowns against West Virginia, the No. 3-ranked team in the nation in The Associated Press Top 25 poll.\n“Simmons is a good football player; you’ll probably see him a lot at the next level,” sophomore linebacker Will Patterson said. “But we’re going to prepare, prepare some more and try to take him out of the game plan the best we can. “\nLynch said Simmons is unique, because although he is a big, physical receiver, he is also a possession threat \nat receiver. \nWhile Simmons is the focal point for the Hoosier defensive game plan, they are also preparing for Western Michigan’s other offensive weapons.\n“We’re looking at their whole receiving core,” senior cornerback Tracy Porter said. “Our coaches are watching film just as we are, coming up with different schemes and play calls to put us in the right position”\nA key for the defense will be to carry over the momentum established against Indiana State. Senior linebacker Adam McClurg also said stopping any momentum Western Michigan gains on Saturday is just \nas important.\n“The main thing is breaking their momentum, and that’s what we have to do somehow, someway.” McClurg said.\nThe Hoosiers’ defense can look at last year’s game against Western Michigan – when they defeated the Broncos 39-20 at Memorial Stadium – as a starting point for Saturday’s game. Last year, the team forced three turnovers and had an interception returned for a touchdown in the victory. \nHowever, this year’s game will be played at Waldo Stadium in Kalamazoo, where the fans won’t cheer for IU.\n“To go to Western Michigan, they’ve had this thing circled a long time,” Lynch said. “It’s going to be a hornet’s nest, plus it’s a very good football team.”\nEven with the crowd cheering against them, McClurg has no doubt that the IU defense will play with the same amount of energy that they showed last Saturday.\n“It’s college football,” McClurg said. “If you can’t get jacked for that, then something’s wrong with you.”