Picks, sacks and runbacks

KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Something got into the IU defense Saturday night – something Hoosier fans aren’t accustomed to seeing. \nUnder rainy conditions at Western Michigan and playing against a near-capacity crowd, the Hoosiers’ defense swarmed all over the field, causing five turnovers and eight sacks and forcing the Broncos to platoon three quarterbacks in a 37-27 IU victory. It was the most turnovers the Hoosiers had forced since Oct. 28 of last year, when they had four in a 46-21 win against Michigan State.\n“It was a really good win to come up here,” said IU coach Bill Lynch. “Having experienced coaching here before, I know this is a tough place to win, and when you get one, you’re awful happy with it.”\nAfter initially taking a 7-3 lead over the Hoosiers, nothing went right for the Broncos. Deep in IU territory, Bronco quarterback Tim Hiller threw an interception straight into the hands of IU freshman safety Mitchell Evans at the goal line.\nWhen the Hoosiers’ offense failed to score off the first turnover of the game, IU defensive linemen Greg Brown and Greg Middleton took matters into their own hands. On the Broncos’ fifth play from scrimmage, Brown broke through an offensive line that had held up to that point and forced Hiller to fumble. Middleton, who also came streaking through to rush the passer, picked up the loose ball and scampered 44 yards for the score.\n“That was huge,” Lynch said. “When Greg ran that thing back, any time it jumps from a three point game to a 10 point game, it gives you pretty good momentum.” \nBrown’s sack was the third of the game. IU would sack Bronco quarterbacks five more times, to give them a total of 13 sacks on the year. The Hoosiers only recorded 14 sacks all of last year.\nBut after two quick turnovers, the IU defense wasn’t done. After Western Michigan replaced Hiller with quarterback Drew Burdi, junior cornerback Chris Phillips forced yet another fumble on a cornerback blitz. A Hoosier recovery led to junior wide receiver James Hardy’s first reception of the night – a 10-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Kellen Lewis – to give the Hoosiers a 24-7 lead.\nThe ensuing drive introduced the IU defense to the third Bronco quarterback, Thomas Peregrin, who threw his first interception of the game only three plays later. Evans was once again on the receiving end of the turnover and became the first true freshman to intercept two passes in a game since senior cornerback Tracy Porter did so against Central Michigan in 2004.\n“I just try to keep positioning,” Evans said. “We talk every day about positioning in your drops and alignment and it all helps getting to the ball. I just tried to focus on that, read my keys and play football.”\nEvans’ second interception led to Hardy’s second touchdown of the night, an 11-yard strike from Lewis with only three seconds left in the half.\nOn the opening drive of the second half, the Broncos lost another quarterback fumble – their fifth consecutive turnover.\n“We put emphasis on creating turnovers,” Porter said. “So the thing that we do, first guy hit him and wrap him up and everybody else go in and try to strip the ball. I think we did a great job with that.”\nThough the Broncos made a significant comeback in the second half that made IU fans uneasy, the 21 points the Hoosiers scored off of turnovers put the game too far out of reach.\n“We learned that we can play in a hostile environment,” Porter said. “We didn’t get rattled. We went out and took care of business.”