Preston Zachman Sees Experience Paying off for Indiana’s Defense

Preston Zachman has played enough college football to know that a close game is no reason to panic.

Now in his seventh season, the Indiana defensive back sees that same comfort across a defense that has been tested repeatedly in recent weeks. The Hoosiers have learned to keep fighting without getting caught up in the scoreboard, and Zachman believes that experience is helping them heading into this week’s matchup with USC.

“I think it’s very valuable to our team just being comfortable in those moments like that,” Zachman said. “Whereas there’s some teams that might have some young players that they might get frantic in situations like that, but you can tell that our team’s been in those situations. They’re very comfortable handling it, and I think that’s good for us moving forward.”

For Zachman, the biggest lesson from his first nine games in Indiana’s defense has been less about a specific coverage or assignment and more about the way the group responds when a game gets difficult.

“I think that the biggest lesson for me is just that as long as there’s time left on the clock, I mean, we’re still in it,” Zachman said. “We’re going to keep swinging. We’re going to keep fighting.”

That approach has helped Indiana handle its recent close games. Zachman said the entire defense has bought into continuing to fight rather than worrying about how the game might end.

The bye week offered a chance to step away from those high pressure moments. After nine consecutive games, Zachman said the time off was needed, both to recover physically and to evaluate where the defense can improve.

“I think it was very important for us to kind of rest up and then kind of just review the film from the first nine weeks and kind of find ways that we can keep getting better,” Zachman said.

He said the team came out of the break feeling healthy. That recovery comes before a USC matchup that will absolutely test Indiana’s ability to pressure the quarterback, stay disciplined in coverage and finish tackles.

Zachman pointed to the Trojans’ ability to distribute the ball as a challenge. Rather than relying on one or two receivers, USC can involve several different targets in its passing game.

“They have lots of talent, and they don’t just pick and choose one or two receivers to throw the ball to,” Zachman said. “They kind of spread it around to a bunch of different guys.”

The response starts up front. Zachman said Indiana needs to pressure the quarterback and prevent him from getting comfortable in the pocket, where he can make calculated decisions and hurt the defense.

That is an area where Zachman has seen growth from Indiana’s defensive line. Its ability to disrupt the quarterback has made life easier for the secondary, shortening the time defensive backs need to cover and creating opportunities to take the ball away.

“They keep getting after the quarterback and keep giving the quarterback problems,” Zachman said. “It’s very nice as a secondary when we keep getting after the quarterback like that.”

When USC does complete passes, limiting what happens afterward will be just as important. Zachman acknowledged that the Trojans will have some big plays. Indiana’s job is to keep those gains from becoming something bigger.

“They’re going to get theirs. They’re going to get some explosives, but don’t let them become super explosives,” Zachman said. “You got to knock them down then and just move on to the next play.”

That next play approach fits the mentality Zachman described throughout his availability: stay composed, respond and keep playing.

Even with the stakes surrounding a matchup between ranked conference opponents, he is not looking beyond the immediate assignment.

“I try not to get into all the…what it means kind of moving forward or even what happened in the past,” Zachman said. “We’re focused on this week.”

Seven seasons into his college career, Zachman recognizes how much the sport has changed since he arrived. For now, though, his focus remains on the opportunity still in front of him.

“We’re just kind of living in the moment,” Zachman said, “and just very grateful that we’re still playing.”