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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football made a change to the starting lineup that paid big dividends in a 56-7 win over Nebraska.
The No. 13 Hoosiers (7-0; 4-0 Big Ten) started Terry Jones Jr. at rover against the Cornhuskers and shifted Amare Ferrell over strong safety in place of Josh Sanguinetti. Shawn Asbury II remained at the other safety spot.
They allowed 4.05 yards per play, the fewest since a 2021 loss to Michigan State (3.89 yards), and forced five turnovers, the most since a 2009 loss to Iowa (six).
“We like the way that played out on Saturday,” IU coach Curt Cignetti said, about the personnel changes. “I thought we played really well on defense. Created five turnovers. Had 28 points off turnovers Saturday, which you don’t see very often.”
Jones had a standout game with four tackles and four quarterback pressures (one sack) while allowing just one catch for two yards in coverage while Ferrell continues to thrive wherever he lines up.
The changes came after Indiana had some uncharacteristic breakdowns against a Northwestern offense that ranks near the bottom of the FBS. The Hoosiers gave up three plays of 30-plus yards after giving up just five of them in their first five games combined.
Indiana used the bye week to review all the mistakes it made against the Wildcats.
“It definitely helped,” Asbury said, on Tuesday. “We were able to look at the plays we messed up and look at different rotations and packages and be able to find the best fit.”
Asbury said the communication in the back end was as good as its been all season long, but that shouldn’t necessarily come as a surprise given his history with Jones.
Indiana’s Shawn Asbruy II (1) returns an interception during the Indiana versus Nebraska football game at Memorial Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 19, 2024.
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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/indiana-football-look-starting-secondary-080108311.html
Author : The Herald-Times
Publish date : 2024-10-23 08:01:08
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