Southern Illinois Defensive Showing "unacceptable" says Knorr

Indiana’s coaches know to have a successful season their defense cannot have a repeat performance of the 48-47 outing against football championship subdivision opponent Southern Illinois- a game that saw the Salukis tally 659 total yards.

Obviously we need to be much better,” said defensive coordinator Brian Knorr. “It is unacceptable to give up that many points.”

Knorr said the Hoosiers didn’t get off the field the way they needed to.

"I'm really disappointed with the drives at the end of both halves,” Knorr said. "We have to prepare Tuesday and Wednesday like it is Saturday.”

Pinpointing the exact cause of the Hoosiers’ struggles is difficult, but Knorr mused it could be a combination of youth and miscommunication. He was also quick to state unequivocally that the nine suspended players, many of whom are cornerstones in the Indiana defensive scheme, was no excuse for the poor showing.

“We will be excited to get some of those young men back but by no means was that a huge part,'' Knorr said. "We had our guys out there and had to play better. It took us a little time to be able to identify what they were doing, tell our guys, and make adjustments. We didn’t communicate and that’s what we are trying to fix this week. We have to simplify it for the younger guys and be more disciplined in man coverage.”

Of the 659 yards of offense, 411 came through the air, an aerial assault that lasted essentially all game sans a few possessions in the third quarter. The Hoosiers could have had a better defensive outing had they logged more than a single sack, registered by senior leader DL Nick Mangieri. Simply put, IU’s defense left a lot to be desired.

“I think everybody is embarrassed by our performance,” Knorr said. “By no stretch of the imagination is that how we wanted to start our season defensively, and we will look for a much better performance this Saturday.”

One area that the Hoosiers have little reason to be embarrassed is on the opposite side of the ball. IU’s offense looked every bit as potent as it the hype built it up to be, and they produced when it mattered most.

“We were put in a situation where we had to score a bunch and it was good that we did,” said IU offensive coordinator Kevin Johns. "We responded in the third and fourth quarters and made some big plays. I imagine we will find ourselves in those competitive spots where we have to score to win.”

You have to score to win the game, and Johns feels his offense is equipped to handle that.

“We expect to score every time we have the ball,” he said, “It's our goal to be the number one offense in this league and to do that we need to score a lot.”

Some of the individuals giving Johns confidence include Nate Sudfeld, Jordan Howard and Ricky Jones.

Jones noted that as a senior Sudfeld has been carrying himself differently.

“We think he’s the best in the league,” Johns said. "He does a great job explaining what he sees and wants.”

One of Sudfeld’s most important targets, Jones, is finally primed to break out now that he has overcome injuries. Johns expects Jones to be productive this season.

“He’s worked hard and the game has slowed down for him, now he is ready to go make some plays,'' Johns said.”

Also making plays this year is Howard, the transfer from UAB. It was noted that Howard is normally fairly quiet, but Johns mentioned that quiet is far from the adjective he would use to describe Howard during games.

“When the lights come on he is like a different person,” Johns said, praising Howard’s work ethic and intensity.

The coaches know that steps must be taken this week against Florida International if this season is going to be a success. It is also important in sports to have a short memory, and Knorr thinks that his defense must apply that this week.

“You can’t worry about what happened Saturday, you have to go the next play and the next game,'' Knorr said.