Hoosier Huddle's Postseason Review: Defensive Line Didn't Create Enough Havoc
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Image: Sarah Miller, Hoosier Huddle
Written by Zach Greene (@zachegreene)
After getting a chance to digest the season and go back and review some games, Hoosier Huddle is doing a full post-season evaluation of the Indiana Football program. Today, we look at the defensive back position and how the group performed in 2022.
It’s hard to imagine where this defense was two years ago. The defense in all aspects has regressed. The defensive line had a couple of bursts of good play. Bull rushes by veterans seemed all too easy for the opposing offensive lines to handle. The group led by veterans is now left without much depth and very little to no experience.
The Hoosiers had 20 sacks as a team, but just 2.5 with with non-Bull position players. That’s not good enough and leads to what our own T.J. Inman wrote in the defensive back review.
The Veterans
The defensive line is comprised of mostly veteran’s half of whom are transfers. While the rest have been in the program multiple years.
James Head played most snaps when playing. He appeared in 10 games and missed the first first two due to injury. He finished with 22 tackles but failed to record a sack or tackle for loss.
Beau Robbins had a big impact on Hoosier's first win against Illinois. He was a semifinalist for the William V. Campbell trophy and had only one sack. Disappointing, but considering the performance of the other vets one sack is reasonable.
Sio Nofoagatoto’a started in 10 games this season, but he just did not seem right this season. He did not produce and underperformed. He totaled 18 tackles failing to record a sack.
JH Tevis a transfer from Cal prior to the season, Tevis was pretty much nonexistent outside of the first few games of the season. He made some good plays but also failed to record a sack.
Patrick Lucas Jr. Ole Miss Transfer Lucas recorded double-digit tackles and was another player who failed to record a sack.
LeDarrius Cox Another Ole Miss transfer. Zero sacks on the season. Made nine total tackles. Appeared in 10 games.
Demarcus Elliot was the most productive player stats-wise on the defensive line this season. He recorded a tad over 30 tackles with 1.5 sacks. His presence on the field made a difference.
The Underclassmen
Vernson Sneed Jr. Early Enrollee. He appeared in two games. Made a tackle against Penn State.
Nick James Got some action this season against Illinois and Michigan. Expect him to be playing a lot going forward. Four-star Prospect out of IMG academy.
Final Analysis
1) Little Productivity/No Sacks
The lack of productivity in this position, paired with the inability for the secondary to cover consistently in man-to-man coverage is a recipe for disaster. Both 2021 and 2022 proved that. In order to get pressure, IU had to blitz more often than they would like and without a dominant defensive lineman that called for a double team, blitzes were easily picked up most of the time.
2) Little Hope for the Future
The Hoosiers will lose some of their most productive defensive lineman to graduation and the transfer portal this season and the recruiting class, as it stands now is a little thin. However, the Hoosiers do have several young linemen who have the potential to turn into Big Ten players. Add in the development of Patrick Lucas and LaDarius Cox throughout the season and IU has a thin, but decent foundation to add to.