Last Saturday was perhaps the greatest moment in Indiana football history. The Hoosiers completely dominated #9 Illinois from start to finish, beating the Illini 63-10. While this was the largest victory over a top-10 team in FBS history, head coach Curt Cignetti is not letting the team rest on their laurels ahead of their road matchup against Iowa. He cautioned them that the Hawkeyes could prove to be an even tougher test. Here is what linebacker Aiden Fisher had to say about their “business trip” to Kinnick Stadium this Saturday.
A large part of the Hoosiers’ success against Illinois was due to the stellar play of the defense, who sacked QB Luke Altmeyer a whopping seven times on Saturday. Speaking about the pressure on Tuesday, Fisher said,
“Seeing the way [Illinois] set their protections, we knew we could get back there and be effective, and honestly the D-line, we were doing fine just rushing four. Anytime you can rush the quarterback with just four, that’s a really good thing for your defense. But just talking about how aggressive we are and the playstyle of our defense, a lot of sacks and TFLs should be every game.”
While the Hoosiers’ defense has certainly been aggressive through the first four games of the season, they face a tough test this Saturday, facing off against a notoriously physical Iowa offensive line.
“They’re big, they’re physical, they move well. So when you go against a physical O-line like that, you really have to be on your P’s and Q’s and strike well at the point of attack. And then scheme-wise you have to be able to manipulate some fits. [We] have to do what we do best and just be aggressive and play really fast.” Fisher explained.
In addition to a physical Hawkeyes’ front, the Hoosiers will have the added challenge of playing in one of the toughest venues in the Big Ten: Kinnick Stadium. When asked about the challenges of playing on the road, Fisher said:
“It’s a historic stadium, a really good venue, but at the end of the day [it’s a] business trip. We’re going in there to win a football game, so you can’t be consumed by the history and tradition there, but obviously [it’s] a really good experience.”
One of the keys to winning the game on Saturday will be how well the defense can communicate with each other. Learning from the two big road games against Ohio State and Notre Dame last season, Fisher said:
“I think it’s something that we had to learn from. It got loud, [and] I think at times it did falter our communication, so [we] just have to be better with that. Making sure that we know [the communication] is not always going to be verbal, it’s going to be a lot of signs to each other, a lot of nonverbal stuff. So just acknowledging that and moving forward with an effective plan.”
It sounds like the Hoosiers have an effective plan to communicate on Saturday, as Fisher explained, “When you play at other stadiums it doesn’t really get as loud with their offense on the field, so we’re able to communicate verbally. We always want to have a plan for, like, ‘If you can’t hear me, I have a signal for you.’ But [we] just have to be cleaner, especially pre-snap with [communication].”
Ultimately, Fisher and the Hoosiers’ defense have a clear game plan and understanding of the task at hand this Saturday. As he says, “It’s really just going forward to the next game. We know the challenge that they present. They’re a really well-coached football team, always physical, always in the right place, really disciplined. [But] we’re the same way, so it’s going to be who can break the other team’s will first.”