Column: IU defense must step up against Massachusetts

As IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s Hoosier squad trotted off the field on Saturday night, they probably breathed a collective sigh of relief.

The team had narrowly escaped the Indiana State Sycamores, capturing a 24-17 victory that went down to the wire.

When the clock hit 0:00, the team’s focus immediately shifted to Saturday’s opponent, the Massachusetts Minutemen, who are in their first season as members of the Football Bowl Subdivision.

The Minutemen endured a disheartening welcome to college football’s highest level, failing to score during an eventual 37-0 loss to Connecticut on Aug. 30.

Massachusetts, which is under the direction of first-year Head Coach Charley Molnar, has ditched the traditional two-tight end sets in favor of a spread offense that closely resembles the Hoosiers’ attack.

That new scheme has a few kinks to work out before Saturday afternoon, as the Minutemen accumulated a shockingly low 59 total yards in their season-opening loss.

That’s music to the ears of the Indiana defense, which is seeking redemption after allowing 192 rushing yards to Indiana State running back Shakir Bell.

Sophomore linebacker Chase Hoobler, the leader of the Hoosier linebacking corps, wasn’t shaken by the defense’s performance against Indiana State and is peering ahead to the matchup with Massachusetts at 3:30 p.m. Saturday in Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass..

“I feel real confident in our defense,” Hoobler said. “Obviously, this is our second year in the program. We’re just focused on doing our job and making plays. It’s what we need to do as a defense.”

Despite allowing such a staggering number of rushing yards a week ago, the Hoosier defense did an excellent job of making plays Saturday night, forcing two turnovers.

Creating takeaways is a facet of the game that will enable Indiana to be competitive against elite teams on its schedule.

The defense already possesses a relative advantage against the Minutemen, Hoobler said.

“They’re a spread offense, and we’ve been playing against that (in practice) since last spring,” Hoobler said. “So I feel like we’ll be ready. We just have to watch a little film to see what their tendencies are.”

The Minutemen didn’t show a tendency of successfully running the football last week, as the offense compiled a grand total of three rushing yards.

Massachusetts quarterback Mike Wegzyn couldn’t get the offense moving through the air, either, completing 9-of-22 pass attempts for a mind-numbing 56 yards.

Having a pristine understanding of just how much Massachusetts struggled to move the ball against the Connecticut defense has Hoobler desiring the first shutout in the Kevin Wilson era.

“Getting a shutout is always our goal on defense,” Hoobler said.

The Hoosiers must do more than win on Saturday.

They have to win big. They have to win in style.

And they have to show they’re capable of truly dominating a weaker opponent.

­— ckillore@indiana.edu