Those who have followed IU football for any period of time might find it difficult to believe, but the IU defense made the plays that defeated Florida International University on Saturday.
Much like IU Coach Kevin Wilson projected way back in July, success for the Hoosiers started at the line of scrimmage. The IU front seven caused pressure on FIU in the moments that mattered, in the 36-22 victory, that at times seemed unlikely.
Whether it be Nick Mangieri’s fourth quarter sack and strip during a tie game that set up a touchdown, or the goal line pass rush that forced the game-sealing interception and touchdown return, the defense stepped up and finished the job.
“We fed big time off their energy,” junior receiver Mitchell Paige said. “They were bringing energy for us and it’s really nice to have them playing like that.”
The primary difference between Saturday and the 659 yards of offense allowed in week one against Southern Illinois? The reappearance of junior defensive linemen Darius Latham and Ralph Green from week one suspensions.
The two normally share time at strong-side defensive tackle, but Green spent much of the game at nose guard. This allowed IU to sometimes trot out a defensive front four of Latham, Green, Mangieri and senior bandit Zack Shaw. The stat sheet only says IU had two sacks against FIU, but the pressure felt by the pass rush caused ripple effects.
Take for instance the 96-yard interception return by freshman defensive back Jameel Cook Jr. that put the game away. IU led 29-22 with 4:14 remaining and the Panther offense pushing the Hoosiers on their heels at the 2-yard line.
FIU quarterback Alex McGough rolled out left, and sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver was there ready to deliver a hit before McGough could turn around. The pressure led to a weak pass into the hands of Cook and a return that improved the Hoosiers to 2-0.
“It was really the pressure on the quarterback more than Jameel had to be in the right place. There’s a lot of things going on,” Wilson said.
But the game was not one without mistakes by the IU defense. There were defensive backs getting burned downfield and missed tackles allowing big plays. But Wilson expected this.
He said he told secondary coach Brandon Shelby before the game that there will come a point in the game in which some of his defensive backs will get burned. He told Shelby not to get mad or to jump down their throats. These young players still need to grow up.
“It doesn’t matter what happens, it’s what’s next,” Wilson said.
What was next was a stout defense that allowed eight points in the second half. IU scored 20 of its 36 points off of FIU turnovers and looked far different from the defense last week.
What Wilson said about the young defensive backs needing to grow through adversity can be said about the defense as a whole. There were moments in which the defense looked to be no different than the week prior, but it improved as the game went on and was crucial to the 14-point win and a 2-0 start to the season.
“You have to learn how to wobble around a bit before you can start running,” Wilson said.
