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Indiana football defense ready to shatter expectations after dominating tune-up opponents

BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football defensive end Mikail Kamara responded with a pained expression when he was asked about Western Illinois getting into the red zone at the end of the first half.

While the drive was mostly an afterthought in IU’s historic 77-3 win — it was the second most lopsided victory in program history and the offense set records for most points scored and total yards of offense (701)  in a single-game — the defense was striving for perfection against an opponent they knew was overmatched.

Western Illinois’ possession at the end of the first half was the only time they crossed midfield the entire game. The Leathernecks had four total yards of offense when the drive started.

“That was pretty bad, I’m going to be completely honest, that was pretty bad,” Kamara said.

Kamara’s frustration speaks to the high standards he and his fellow JMU transfers are setting for IU’s defense this season.

Indiana put up some eye-popping defensive numbers for a second straight week by holding Western Illinois to just 121 total yards of offense (12 rushing) and eight first downs while forcing three turnovers (one interception was returned for a touchdown) and sacking the quarterback six times, but Kamara said that’s what he expected when the season started.

“Coming from JMU staff and everything we did over there, it’s nothing really new,” Kamara said. “We just got to show it in Big Ten play. I think the biggest thing as long as we get that stuff on film, game planning wise for the offense that should give them a problem.”

Kamara is leading the charge through the first two weeks with a team-high nine quarterback pressures and three sacks, according to Pro Football Focus. He was one of 10 defenders with at least one quarterback pressure.

Indiana has 10 sacks through the first two games after putting up…


Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/indiana-football-defense-ready-shatter-081830351.html

Author : The Herald-Times

Publish date : 2024-09-07 08:18:30

Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source.

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