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The Indiana Daily Student

sports football

COLUMN: IU searching for defensive focal point

Linebacker Zeke Walker (6) and Oliver Marcus (44) and safety Chase Dutra (30) tackles Ohio State's Jalin Marshall (7) on Oct. 3 at Memorial Stadium. The Hoosiers lost to the number one ranked Buckeyes, 27-34.

New defensive coordinator Tom Allen has brought a lot of changes to the IU defense. One of the biggest changes is the new husky position — a hybrid defender whose responsibilities on the field are a mix between those of a linebacker and a cornerback.

How the husky position fares in its first year will determine how well this defense plays as a whole.

Allen wants his man at husky to be the focal point of the defense.

“It’s a guy who is a playmaker,” Allen said. “We want to get a guy who is going to be in space at times, pressure at times and cover at times. It’s a critical position for us. As that guy’s skillset develops, it defines what we can do as a scheme.”

The husky is going to be a critical player, but do the Hoosiers have the exact guy Allen wants?

Junior Ben Bach could start at the position, and as a converted cornerback, he offers the coverage skills Allen wants. But, Bach and his fellow huskies are still in the midst of a learning process as they transition to the new role.

“Some of the man-to-man-type stuff is different than corner,” Bach said. “It’s a lot more in the open field. We’ll have a lot more speed and athletes on the field at one time.”

Bach played in 13 games last season, but has just one career start to his name. Is he ready to be IU's defensive focal point?

IU safeties coach Noah Joseph knows what he’s looking for in the husky.

“Big plays, game-changing plays," Joseph said. "Whether it’s a sack in a key situation or a stop in a third down situation, that guy is going to be a focal point and somebody that’s going to be around the football quite a bit.”

Bach has made just one of those game-changing plays in his career so far, and the other options are as inexperienced as he is. Sophomore Zeke Walker has only appeared in five games, but has forced a fumble and tackle-for-loss, both things the husky must do.

Junior Jayme Thompson is a transfer student who originally redshirted at Ohio State before spending time at a junior college. Freshman Marcelino Ball has been given rave reviews from the coaching staff, but he’s still just a freshman, and the husky position is a difficult one to master.

The Hoosiers are smart to want a faster, more athletic player on the field, especially with the proliferation of spread offenses. The four current options to play the position aren’t perfect, but that’s to be expected when you break in a new position.

Do Bach, Thompson and Walker have the requisite playmaking skills that are necessary for the defense to be successful? Can Ball pick up the new position quickly enough to make an impact?

These questions will be critical for IU's defense as it transitions into a new scheme.

The husky is supposed to be difference-maker, and the Hoosiers might not have that on their roster at the moment. Some of those four might develop into it after playing the position, but they aren’t right now, and that could be a problem for this defense.

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