Keys for Indiana’s Defense to End the Bowl Victory Drought
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Image: Indiana University Athletics
Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
The Indiana Hoosiers are taking on one of the most explosive offenses in the country in the Ole Miss Rebels when they play in the Outback Bowl. The Rebels ill be without several key players on offense and could be out more when it comes time for kickoff, but they are still a scary offense. The Hoosiers will need to focus on these keys to come away with a win on Saturday.
1. Tackle the Ball Carrier
The Ole Miss Rebels are averaging 7.06 yards per play in 2020 and are tied for the most plays of 40+ yards in the SEC with 17. Mississippi has had 64 plays of more than 20 yards. This is an explosive offense that can score from anywhere on the field, which makes tackling the ball carrier more important than usual. One missed tackle and the Rebels could be celebrating in the end zone.
The Hoosiers have been a sound tackling team in 2020 outside of the Ohio State game and when they get their hands on a ball carrier, they IU defense usually brings them down or slows them up enough for the cavalry to clean it up. Hoosier linebackers Micah McFadden, an All-American, and Cam Jones will have to continue to make big plays in space.
2. Take the Ball Away
The Indiana defense led the Big Ten in takeaways with 20, including intercepting 17 passes. Ole Miss sits at 12th in the SEC by giving the ball away 18 times. The Indiana defense, especially the secondary headlined by All-American cornerback Tiawan Mullen, will have their chance at taking the ball away. It will be vital for Indiana to end Ole Miss drives in this fashion. The Rebels can score and have a very good punter in Mac Brown who is averaging over 46 yards per punt.
3. Third Down and Red Zone Efficiency
Ole Miss is very good on third down finishing third in the SEC by converting just over 50-percent of their third down attempts (64-127). The Hoosiers finished fourth in the Big Ten allowing a first down just 36 of their 98 third down attempts on defense. Success on third down begins on first down. The Hoosiers need to force the Rebels into third-and-longs by stopping the Ole Miss attack on first and second downs. In addition, just because the Hoosiers stop Ole Miss on third down it does not mean the job is finished. The Rebels have gone for it on fourth down 31 times this season, which is good for fourth most in the country. They have converted 20 of those attempts.
The Hoosiers are also leading the nation in red zone efficiency. When the opponent gets inside the IU 20-yard line, the Hoosiers are only allowing a score 57.9 percent of the time (nine touchdowns and two field goals). On the other hand, Mississippi sits at 106th in red zone offense. That is surprising for a team that scores over 40 points per game, but it just speaks to how explosive this Rebel team is. Ole Miss has made 56 trips to their opponents’ red zone and have scored 42 times (38 touchdowns and four field goals). Ole Miss will make it to the red zone, the goal for the Hoosiers is to keep the Rebels out of the end zone and force field goals and turnovers.
4. Keep Matt Corral in the Pocket and Make Him One-Dimensional
The Rebels have a dynamic playmaker at quarterback in Matt Corral. He can make plays with both his arm and his legs and may be better throwing on the run than he is when staying in the pocket. Corral has completed 201-of-282 (71.3%) passes this season for 2,995 yards and 27 touchdowns. He is also the Rebels second-leading rusher gaining 469 yards on 105 carries and has scored four times on the ground.
Corral will be without a number of weapons including All-American Elijah Moore, but even without Moore and their best tight end Kenny Yeboah the Rebels put up 48 against LSU. The Hoosiers have confused every quarterback that they have faced in 2020, coaxing them to throw 17 interceptions. Corral is very talented, but he does turn the ball over. The Hoosiers need to keep him contained in the pocket while also pressuring him into poor throws.
The Hoosiers take the field for the final time in the 2020 season on Saturday, January 2nd when they take on Mississippi in the Outback Bowl at 12:30pm ET in Tampa, Florida.