Louisville Presents Challenge For Indiana's Improved Defensive Front
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Adding forceful pass rushers and run stoppers to the defensive front was near the top of Indiana coach Tom Allen's priority list this offseason.
Indiana ranked toward the bottom of the Big Ten in nearly every defensive statistic in 2021 and 2022, and fixing those downfalls starts in the trenches.
Indiana brought in 11 transfers to play various defensive line and linebacker positions this year. Through two games against Ohio State and Indiana State, they've been a bright spot on the team.
With four sacks through two games, Indiana is on pace to surpass its totals in 2021 and 2022. Sure, it's a small sample size, but the 2023 Hoosiers have also allowed roughly 50 fewer rushing yards per game compared to the last two seasons.
Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said Monday he thought Ohio State had one of its most unproductive days in a long time against Indiana. Even Allen, who is rarely satisfied with anything less than perfection from his defense, was impressed by the Hoosiers holding Indiana State under 100 total yards the following week.
"That's hard to do, I don't care who it is," Allen said after Indiana's 41-7 win over Indiana State. "I'm still ticked about the fact that we didn't get a shutout."
Indiana's Andre Carter (1) waits for the start of the play during the first half of the Indiana vs. Indiana State game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
In the offseason, Indiana defensive line coach Paul Randolph said his approach to the transfer portal started with identifying players that fit with Indiana's culture. With character and work ethic references, he identified a group of targets. The next step was evaluating their film, looking for athletic ability and how players fit in Indiana's defensive scheme.
It was a challenge to do this in a shorter window, compared to high school recruiting, as it sped up the process and forced him to be more diligent. But so far, it seems Randolph and Allen hit on a number of transfers.
It starts with Andre Carter, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound defensive end from Western Michigan, who earned the title of team captain before playing a single game at Indiana. He already has four tackles for loss, split between his first two games as a Hoosier.
"Of course he's playing at a high level," Randolph said. "But just continuing to be that leader and that spark for us when we need a play, when we need energy, when we need juice, just continuing to elevate his energy and effort."
Marcus Burris Jr., a transfer from Texas A&M, has helped the Hoosiers in a variety of ways already. He played almost exclusively at defensive tackle for the Aggies, but has played both tackle and end for the Hoosiers, which gives Randolph depth and options as he rotates personnel throughout the game. Burris said he was close to 300 pounds at Texas A&M, but would like to stay around 285 at Indiana so he can play both positions.
Since joining Indiana, Burris said Randolph has tweaked his stance and constantly pushes him to improve every day. Out of Pleasant Grove High School in Texarkana, Texas, Burris was a four-star recruit and ranked No. 137 in the nation. He played sparingly in two seasons at Texas A&M, but recorded his first career sack against Indiana State.
"I think he's got a great future and can play this game for a long time if he stays healthy," Allen said. "I love his mindset, love how he works, love how he practices."
Lanell Carr Jr. was Indiana's Co-Defensive Player of the Game against Indiana State, sharing the award with cornerback Nic Toomer. Carr transferred to Indiana this offseason after three seasons at West Virginia. He made his first sack as a Hoosier against Indiana State and also shared a tackle for loss with Philip Blidi, a transfer from Texas Tech.
Carr plays Indiana's Bull position, basically an outside linebacker with pass rush and coverage responsibilities. He thinks this position fits his style of play better compared to his role at West Virginia, due to the increased pass-rushing opportunities.
"Lanell has had it in him," Randolph said. "He's shown it and shown it. We were really excited for him to have it happen in the game."
Indiana's Lanell Carr Jr. (41) pressures Indiana State's Evan Olaes (7) during the first half of the Indiana vs. Indiana State game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 8, 2023.
Rich Janzaruk/Herald-Times / USA TODAY NETWORK
Along with Carter, Burris, Carr and Blidi, a number of transfers have stepped into an immediate role on Indiana's defense. These include outside linebacker Anthony Jones (Oregon), linebacker Jacob Mangum-Farrar (Stanford), linebacker Joshua Rudolph (Austin Peay), cornerback Jamier Johnson (Texas), cornerback Kobee Minor (Texas Tech) and the previously mentioned cornerback Toomer (Stanford).
"I give our staff credit to find the right guys that we felt like coming here would be a good system fits for us schematically and culture fits for us to be able to do the right things on and off the field," Allen said. "I think we've hit on some guys that I think can really do some good things, and you're seeing it already."
Indiana and its revamped defense approaches a Week 3 matchup against Louisville at Lucas Oil Stadium with potential season-long implications. If the Hoosiers hope to return to a bowl game after a two-year hiatus, this is a win they could really use before hitting the impending Big Ten East gauntlet. In this matchup, Louisville's run game and whether Indiana can stop it will be crucial.
Brohm's Purdue teams were typically known for their aerial attack, but he's 2-0 in his first year at Louisville largely because of a strong rushing attack. That isn't to say Brohm has made wholesale offensive scheme changes or shied away from passing, but rather that Louisville has excelled in the run game early on.
In a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech in Week 1, Louisville averaged 6.7 yards per carry on 34 attempts, good for 227 rushing yards and a touchdown. The Cardinals gashed Murray State for 344 rushing yards and six touchdowns the following week, gaining 7.8 yards per carry.
Randolph has noticed the Louisville offensive line doing a good job of sustaining blocks, which has opened lanes for a group of fast, physical running backs. Jawhar Jordan leads the team with 231 yards, and his 16.5 yards per carry are tops in the nation thus far, but Louisville will also mix in Isaac Guerendo and Keyjuan Brown.
So how will Indiana stop the run?
"We do us," Randolph said, understandably not wanting to reveal much.
Allen is familiar with Brohm's offense from his time coaching Purdue, calling him one of the best play callers in the country. Allen had a 1-4 record against Brohm-coached Purdue teams, and said Brohm has not gone away from his overall system since taking the Louisville job. But there will be some adaptations due to personnel.
In preparation, Allen will look at film from Brohm's time at Purdue and his first two games at Louisville. But due to a smaller sample size of Brohm's play-calling at Louisville, especially in a blowout win over Murray State, Allen anticipates making frequent in-game adjustments on Saturday.
If the Hoosiers are able to move to 2-1, they'll need the transfer-heavy defensive line to wreak havoc.
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