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BLOOMINGTON — Indiana football’s defense has left chaos in its wake this season.
That’s the biggest takeaway Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman had when scouting the Hoosiers ahead of Friday night’s game in the first round of the College Football Playoff between the teams.
The stats back Freeman up — Indiana finished the regular season with the No. 3 rushing defense in the country, 34 sacks (tied for 22nd in the FBS) and 86 tackles for loss (21st in the FBS) — and he traced that success to IU defensive coordinator Bryant Haines’ “unique” scheme.
“It’s hard to simulate some of the things they do in practice,” Freeman said.
Freeman specifically mentioned the stunts and twists IU likes to call where defensive lineman exchange responsibilities with each other and attack different gaps, and he’s not the first coach to mention them either.
“There’s some twist and movements we didn’t pick up,” Michigan coach Sherrone Moore said, after his team put up a season-low 206 yards in a 20-15 loss to the Hoosiers. “That was the story.”
Indiana’s defense is hoping they can add another chapter to that story in South Bend.
Indiana’s Aiden Fisher (4) and the Hoosier celebrate a fumble recovery during the Indiana versus Michigan football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Nov. 9, 2024.
More: The Runout: Previewing Indiana football’s first-round CFP game against Notre Dame
Indiana defensive coordinator Bryant Haines turns game planning into simple science
Haines’ defensive philosophy is built around being “aggressive at all levels” and the stunts he’s called with increased frequency are an extension of that.
“I’m a big fan of angles,” Haines said. “I want to create angles and picks and rolls, like I said, good way of getting home and freeing guys up. If I can find a new one that Coach (Pat) Kuntz,…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/indiana-football-defense-plans-bringing-100955975.html
Author : The Herald-Times
Publish date : 2024-12-20 10:09:00
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