Hoosiers Need Better Communication Without Cam Jones

Written by Matt Smith

On the defensive side of the ball, the Hoosiers have been strong throughout the first three quarters of games this season, but struggled during the fourth quarter. This past weekend against Maryland the Hoosiers struggled in both stopping the run and in the passing game.

A big part of the Hoosiers struggles this weekend is because they are playing without their leader Cam Jones. Jones is one of the most talented players on the defense, but not only for his physical ability. 

“Cam is just phenomenal,” Chad Wilt said. “You can’t just plug and play, it’s not possible, but a lot of guys have had to step up and we’ve seen it.”

Some of the names that have stepped up in Jones absence have been Matt Holt and Aaron Casey. However, the communication and the leadership isn’t the same without Jones there.

Wilt also told a story of how Jones sent his five year old son a picture while he was at the doctor with a sprained foot, to speak to the character that Jones has.

“We got to all pick up our load,” Wilt said. “In my opinion, we didn’t play well enough at the linebacker position in order to win the football game.”

As far as the struggles against Maryland, Wilt contributed part of it to the game plan. Wilt said that Taulia Tagovailoa ia very talented player and has been making people miss and destroying game plans for more teams other than Indiana.

Another part of the defense that was supposed to be a strength of the Hoosiers is the secondary, but opposing receivers have been able to get open and make plays.

“First thing is communication, we gotta make sure all 11 guys are on the same page,” Wilt said. “The next thing is execution.”

The players in the secondary are experienced and know what they are doing, but they need to be more consistent in how they play in certain packages on the defense.

Another key injury for the Hoosiers is Jaylin Williams, but Chris Keys has stepped up and played well for the Hoosiers in his absence. 

“Chris is one of these young men that has continued to grow up and mature,” Wilt said. 

Wilt said that it is all part of youth, having to learn new systems and small fundamental things as they develop in the program.

Next up for the Hoosiers is Rutgers, who have a new play caller this week. This is something the Hoosiers could struggle with at the Scarlet Knights who are coming off of a bye week.

“We got to control us,” Wilt said. “The focus this week is getting ready to be us, and getting ready to be our best.”