IU didn’t overhaul its defensive scheme after the first half.
The Hoosiers had allowed 371 total yards and 24 points. Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson had tossed three touchdowns and the Wildcats had finished a drive with points on four of its eight first-half possessions.
But the Hoosiers didn’t panic.
IU made a few minor adjustments, kept attacking and, in the second half, didn’t allow a point.
“We just came out with more energy in the second half,” sophomore defensive lineman Mike Barwick Jr. said. “We’ve got to bring that more in the first half as well. That’s really the only change, just came out with more energy, played harder.”
Barwick recorded his first career sack in the second half, and as a whole all of the Hoosiers’ three sacks against Northwestern came in the final two quarters.
IU also had five tackles for loss and a safety in the final two quarters, although Northwestern did force the safety on its own as it chose to run out of the end zone instead of risk a punt block in the final minutes.
“We just played our keys,” Barwick said. “Coach Hagen preaches attacking, attacking the offensive line, and in the second half, we came out and attacked the offensive line as a team.”
It was a second-half effort that kept the Hoosiers in the game. Although the offense wouldn’t reciprocate, even after a blocked punt gave it great field position, the defense kept coming up with stops.
Still, that doesn’t mean it didn’t leave plays on the field.
IU leaves Evanston, Illinois, with zero takeaways. Each game, defensive coordinator Tom Allen aims for his defense to have three to five takeaways to supplement any offensive miscues as well as simply give the offense better field position.
At times players like junior defensive back Rashard Fant and sophomore safety Jonathan Crawford let balls fall to the grass that should have finished in their hands as interceptions.
“We definitely left a lot of opportunities out there,” sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver said. “I think Fant had two interceptions in his hands. We had a few that hit us in the facemask, a few that bounced off of them. Tipped balls should be picked balls.”
In a game where IU’s offense wasn’t going to be able kick start itself, defensive errors like those allowed Northwestern to simply punt balls away instead of watch as the Hoosiers racked up points off turnovers.
IU’s defensive players have the confidence in each other to be able to make those plays. Oliver said all the time the squad has spent together, from the spring up to the preseason and today, has all factored into a level of trust that gives each player faith in the man standing next to him.
Going forward Oliver wants his defense to have the mindset it had in the second half from the opening kick.
“These are Big Ten games,” Oliver said. “Everybody’s good. You can lose on any day.”
Today, as well as the past two weekends, have ended with the Hoosiers adding another loss to their record.
The defense had areas of improvement, but IU Coach Kevin Wilson knows what it was able to do against Northwestern.
“They kept us in the game,” Wilson said. “Quite honestly they gave us a chance.”
