With neither team having recorded a drive of more than five minutes, IU continued to run the ball 18 times and passed just three times. It chunked two, five-minute drives (5:05 and 5:59) to limit WKU to one fourth quarter drive and solidify its lead, 38-35.
“I said, ‘Do you think the no-huddle hurts your defense?’” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said about a meeting with an NFL defensive coach. “He says, ‘No, not really. ... But what really hurts the defense is the teams that can play at different gears. If you’re just a huddle team, if you’re just a no-huddle team, when you can do both, that’s harder to prepare for.’”
The Hoosiers ran a mix of no-huddle and huddle offenses throughout Saturday, after running an up-tempo style of offense the first two weeks. This allowed the balance in the offense that senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said he likes.
“We really used the run to open up the pass and the pass to help with the run,” Sudfeld said. “That balance really helped us later in the game.”
Wilson said the Hoosiers practice tempo during the week.
“We found instead of standing at the line and standing around and doing nothing, it’s better to stay in the huddle and then run up like we are just running a play, and then we get like in our rhythm,” Wilson said. “It’s almost like you are just stalling, taking 20, 22, 24 seconds off the clock, OK, call it now. Nate’s got a feel for when to call it and get out of the huddle.”
Playing on the road
Wilson said he sees the process of maturing being an advantage as IU heads to North Carolina to take on Wake Forest in IU’s first road game of the season.
He said the players who have worked their way up through the depth chart to a starting spot will show that same perseverance on the field, as they have in their first three games, coming from a deficit at each halftime to start their season 3-0.
“Zack Shaw was the first four-star recruit in his school by your deal, right?” Wilson said. “The first one? This is his first year truly starting in his fifth year, first one. Took time and perseverance, which is one of the things which I appreciate, the perseverance of our team. That’s the quality of a good team and a good player, and that’s not a common quality with a lot of kids.”
Wilson also said he needs the older guys, like Sudfeld and senior offensive lineman Dan Feeney, to take on leadership roles and needs the team to create its own energy somewhere other than Memorial Stadium.
Tegray Scales and Chase Dutra
Sophomore linebacker Tegray Scales and sophomore free safety Chase Dutra returned to the field Saturday, after Scales served a two-game suspension and Dutra missed the first two games for an undisclosed knee injury.
Wilson and defensive coordinator Brian Knorr both said the two defensive players seemed rusty, as they hadn’t played a game since beating Purdue in their season finale in 2014.
Scales recorded five tackles and a pass deflection, while Dutra recorded six tackles.
