Creating Takeaways for IU's Defense is a Product of Culture, Experience and Talent
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Some call it “turnover luck”, but don’t tell Tom Allen that, because it’s not lucky that IU’s defense is leading the nation in interceptions with 17. heading into Bowl season while playing just seven games. Georgia Southern recorded their 18th interception in their 13th game last week. The Hoosiers have 20 takeaways total as a defense which leads the Big Ten and is top 10 in the country. Yes, there is some luck involved at taking the ball away, a fumble can bounce out of bounds, a tipped ball can sail off defenders’ hands and into the turf, but it’s no accident that Indiana is having this much success at taking the ball away. Look at any game and when there is a ball on the ground or a pass up for grabs, there are a handful of Hoosiers ready to pounce. It’s a product of what Tom Allen has preached since day one about taking the ball away. When that culture and scheme meet talented players who are now becoming upperclassmen, this is what you get.
“I think the the philosophy was already, it was in place.” Indiana safeties coach Jason Jones said. ones helped coach a secondary at Florida Atlantic in 2019 that led the nation with 22 interceptions. “Coach Allen and, you know, and coach Wommack takeaways is one of the biggest things that that we put an emphasis on defensively. And I think, you know, the guys that that I'm coaching. They last year they were young and you know this season being older and more mature and those guys have played and played in some, some big time games and have a lot of steps underneath to built. I think is just the. They just understand the importance of creating takeaways.”
The people outside of the program who believe it is just dumb luck, either don’t see the focus IU puts on this part of the game or just never paid attention.
“We stress and in practice balls in the air we stress going up and attacking it.” Jones added. “If you drop a ball or drop a pass in practice have a chance to get an interception and you drop it you know as a, as a penalty, you know, and things like that are sort of like a punishment or a reminder, because Oh, the interceptions are precious. They're hard to get so when we have opportunity to get them we have to take advantage of them.”
Kane Wommack’s attacking 4-2-5 defense also has something to do with creating those opportunities. It’s a defense that is designed to confuse and put pressure on opposing quarterbacks and force them to make bad decisions. “The scheme that we run. You know, one of the things that coach Womack has done a great job of is, this scheme that we that we run it allows the guys to have have vision guys can see the ball and we can match routes and that allows us to be aggressive and and go attack it.” Jones explained.
Then there are the players, who tie it all together. You can have the best schemes and preach takeaways all you want, but without the talent on the field, it just doesn’t come to life. The Hoosiers had four defensive backs named All-Big Ten this season in Tiawan Mullen, Jamar Johnson, Devon Matthews and Jaylin Williams. Reese Taylor, another good corner with two interceptions to his name didn’t make the list. Outside of Mullen, who is a special talent, each of these players is a junior. They have taken their lumps in past seasons and IU is seeing that experience pay huge dividends.
The Hoosiers defense is taking on an explosive Ole Miss offense in the Outback Bowl on January 2nd, but it is an offense that has turned the ball over 18 times this season, with 14 interceptions. “But I do think structurally there's some things that that we do that, you know that we can take advantage of when I'm seeing on film to this point” Indiana defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said last week.