IU Defense Could Not Execute and Stop Back-up Quarterback

Written by: Zach Greene (@zachegreene) 

It comes down to execution. Tom Allen talks about it a lot. The Hoosiers knew that the Terp's backup was a run-first QB, but they failed to stop him. Billy Edwards Jr. is his name and he rushed for over 10 yards a carry and had the Terps game winning touchdown.

“I think the last run was a third and long. We got to get him on the ground. It was just bad execution on our part. I’m disappointed, we put our defense in a tough spot. Frustrating without question.”

The loss hits hard for Allen and his players who were also visibly frustrated after the loss. 

"It's just about having a finishing mentality," head coach Tom Allen said. "We were in position to do that. That's what makes this really disappointing."

The Hoosiers desperately needed a stop and could not get one. It stung and especially since they knew what the backup Quarterback was going to bed.

The Hoosiers put themselves in a good position to win the game, but the defense just could not string together a stop.

“He’s fast and can run the ball. I feel like we all know what we need to do. We’ve all done it before. Just need to focus and finish the play. Execute tackles and execute plays. We got to capitalize on opportunities. We are letting to many things slip away from us.” Starting linebacker Aaron Casey said after the game on Edwards run’s. “It’s something that we just need to do a better job of. He came in and was able to make plays. We need to do a better job of defending it.”

Going into next week the Hoosiers will have a difficult task against Rutgers who are coming off a bye week. The goal for this program was to make a bowl game and get to 6 wins. Now that seems unlikely. Things can change with a win next week at Rutgers but there will need to clean up the turnovers and execute on crucial plays.