That’s what redshirt sophomore safety Chase Dutra takes pride in the most in the group of young defensive backs slated to start Saturday, beginning the season.
“We want the ball,” Dutra said. “That’s a big key for us in the secondary.”
While the Hoosiers, as a team, forced 17 turnovers in 2015, good for 11th in the Big Ten, 13 were interceptions, ranking sixth in the Big Ten over schools such as Nebraska, Wisconsin and Maryland.
Dutra, though, is the only returning player from 2014’s secondary with significant playing time, as starters Michael Hunter, Mark Murphy and Tim Bennett have all graduated, while Antonio Allen was dismissed from the team in June.
Not only does that eliminate five of the 13 2014 interceptions, but it blanks three of the top six leading tackling spots on the team, including top tackler Allen, who racked up 74 last season.
Now with no starters remaining from the Hoosiers’ seventh-ranked Big Ten defense, the leadership role has fallen on the redshirt sophomore to guide the inexperienced secondary to the bowl game that has been predicted by the media and coaching staff all preseason.
“We’re ready,” Dutra said about the secondary. “It’s been a great summer. We had a great spring, great preseason. Camp went really well, and a lot of players are stepping up. I’m pretty sure everybody on the team can say we’re ready to roll.”
While the Hoosiers’ secondary is making a full transition from last season, Dutra is making a transition as well as he switched from strong safety to free safety.
He will change from a run-stopping position at strong safety to a pass coverage position, normally compared to a center fielder in baseball because he sits back and lets the play unfold before making a play.
“It was a little different, but it’s a lot of fun,” Dutra said about the transition. “I know what the quarterbacks like to do. I’m able to communicate to everybody. Shifts are coming and motion is happening, so I can help them and communicate with them faster. It helps us all get on the same page.”
While no starters have been officially named, except for Dutra, and no depth chart has been released since two-deeps during Big Ten Media Days in late July, choosing starters for the three other positions will be like drawing from a hat.
“We don’t really know who’s starting,” Dutra said. “Coach Joseph and Coach Shelby will let everyone know. I’m a little eager to hear as well.”
Sophomore Rashard Fant, who received minimal playing time in all 12 games last season and posted 23 tackles and five pass breakups, has been one candidate for a cornerback position and has gained praise from IU Coach Kevin Wilson.
Freshman Jonathan Crawford out of Largo, Florida has also received praise from Wilson and his teammates. He has Largo High School’s record for 12 career interceptions and is working out at safety for 2015.
Other names thrown around by the IU coaching staff have been sophomores Tony Fields and Ben Bach and freshmen Andre Brown, Jameel Cook and Devonte Williams.
“I’m just trying to get everyone up to a high level,” Dutra said. “We try to make it go as fast as we can, just to make it like a game. With us in the DB area, having so many players who haven’t played yet, we’re just letting them know that it’s fast right now in practice, but it’s going to be even faster during a game.”
The leadership does not stop on the field for Dutra, though, as he witnessed the most troubled offseason of his three-year career in 2015, including the dismissal of former teammate Allen on drug charges.
“Obviously, I’m trying to teach them what to do on the field and what to look out for on the plays, but second of all, what to do off the field,” Dutra said. “Not trying to get in any trouble, and being smart with what you’re doing and who you’re around.”
The defensive side of the ball is not the only group taking notice of the secondary’s changes, though.
Senior quarterback Nate Sudfled, who is coming off a season-ending shoulder injury in 2014, has also noticed the side’s youth but does not see it as a weakness.
“Our secondary is very young, but guys like Dutra are there just taking over the leadership,” Sudfeld said. “I’m expecting them to take a huge step from where they were last year, and by the end of the year they will come on really strong. I think they are a strength for the team at this point.”
No matter what predictions are made about the secondary, though, the group is focused solely on themselves and the team, Dutra said.
“You’ve heard it all over the summer,” Dutra said. “We don’t have any starters coming back, we’re a young team, and it makes a lot of question marks, but we’re not worried about it. We’re focusing on ourselves, getting on the same page and making sure we are 100 percent ready to go on Saturday.”
