enough to make up for losing the top two
quarterbacks on the other side of the ball.
"They're still towards the bottom, but the
defense has probably improved enough for
them to have been a bowl team, if not for
what has happened to the offense," Weaver
said. "The biggest issue IU has on defense
is they don't get enough of a pass rush,
which puts their secondary in a tight spot.
"Their secondary is not what I would
call elite; they're solid players, but they
need help and they're not getting it. They
get exposed because, one‑on‑one, they
just can't cover guys for a real long time."
The good news for Indiana is that junior
bandit Nick Mangieri, who plays the de‑
fensive end/linebacker hybrid position in
the new alignment, is expected back this
weekend after he was banged up in their
last game.
"He's their main pass rusher, and with
an athletic quarterback like Devin Gard‑
ner, they've got to figure out a way to keep
him contained and not let him out of the
pocket," Weaver said.
"Something is going to have to give on
Saturday, either IU is going to get stopped
or they're going to find a way to run the
ball.
"They have to be able to throw, though.
You can't throw for 11 yards and win in
college football today. That puts way too
much pressure not only on your running
game, but on your defense. Indiana's de‑
fense is not good enough to go out there
for 35‑38 minutes and keep them in the
game.
"They're going to have to find a way to
throw the ball better, or they're going to
have a hard time winning." ❑
Sophomore linebacker T.J. Simmons leads Indiana with 43 total tackles, including 2.5 stops
behind the line of scrimmage and a sack, through seven games this fall.
PHOTO COURTESY INDIANA
