Indiana University Athletics
IU Still Searching For Breakthrough Plays
11/11/2015 2:11:00 PM | Football
By: Sam Beishuizen |Â Twitter
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -Â Every play matters. That's what head coach Kevin Wilson is trying to get his team to figure out.
It could be as subtle as picking up an extra yard before running out of bounds in the second quarter. Maybe it's as noticeable as an interception in the red zone to put a stop to an opponent's drive and keep points off the board.
Whatever it is, Wilson needs more of it. Considering six of Indiana's nine games have been decided by one score or less, every play gets magnified. Each decision could prove to be the difference between a win and a loss.
"We're gotten the team where not everything has to be perfect," Wilson said, "but you're going to make one play, a play, and it could be the first half lead draw there the second play of the game."
Wilson carries the persona of an old-school motivator, never afraid to be blunt and to the point. In recapping IU's 35-27 loss to Iowa, Wilson, who earned a degree in mathematics at the
University of North Carolina, quickly illustrated how much a play or two can swing a game's outcome.
"They were 4-of-4 for touchdowns in the scoring zone. We were 1-of-3," Wilson said. "You take those two three points (and they) add up to six. Two touchdowns, it's 14. There's your eight-point differential."
A few plays would have made the difference then. A few plays could make the difference this week against No. 15 Michigan (7-2, 4-1).
Perhaps nowhere does a particular play impact the game more than a forced turnover. Six games into the season, Indiana was at the top of the Big Ten in turnover margin with seven fumble recoveries and five interceptions.
Then things suddenly changed.
Indiana (4-5, 0-5) has forced just two turnovers the last three games. Had IU had an interception or fumble recovery on one of Iowa's scoring drives, Wilson wouldn't even be having these discussions. But as he often says, vision is 20/20 in hindsight.
In the present, redshirt sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver said it's crucial for the Hoosiers to get back to creating turnovers. Those are the types of plays Wilson refers to when he says any one action could change the game.
"I don't feel like people have the competitive edge to get the ball," Oliver said. "People aren't stripping at it like we usually are. I just don't see the competitive plays that we usually have. That's part of the confidence thing."
Confidence. That's another buzzword floating around Indiana's practices.
It's noticeably harder for a team to maintain moral when it's losing, but Oliver said it's a necessary part of making those one or two plays to turn momentum.
"Some of the young guys in the secondary getting burnt, that makes them hesitant to try and go for the ball now," Oliver said. "They don't want to take shots and be aggressive because they don't want to get beat deep. I think that's the biggest thing, just knowing you're going to get burned sometimes, but you've just got to keep doing it."
Keep doing it and the plays should be there. Indiana's proven it before. Oliver feels like they can prove it again.
All it might take is one play.
"We still think that we can get so much better," senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "That's football. You always can play better. It's just about going out there and executing."
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IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -Â Every play matters. That's what head coach Kevin Wilson is trying to get his team to figure out.
It could be as subtle as picking up an extra yard before running out of bounds in the second quarter. Maybe it's as noticeable as an interception in the red zone to put a stop to an opponent's drive and keep points off the board.
Whatever it is, Wilson needs more of it. Considering six of Indiana's nine games have been decided by one score or less, every play gets magnified. Each decision could prove to be the difference between a win and a loss.
"We're gotten the team where not everything has to be perfect," Wilson said, "but you're going to make one play, a play, and it could be the first half lead draw there the second play of the game."
Wilson carries the persona of an old-school motivator, never afraid to be blunt and to the point. In recapping IU's 35-27 loss to Iowa, Wilson, who earned a degree in mathematics at the
University of North Carolina, quickly illustrated how much a play or two can swing a game's outcome.
"They were 4-of-4 for touchdowns in the scoring zone. We were 1-of-3," Wilson said. "You take those two three points (and they) add up to six. Two touchdowns, it's 14. There's your eight-point differential."
A few plays would have made the difference then. A few plays could make the difference this week against No. 15 Michigan (7-2, 4-1).
Perhaps nowhere does a particular play impact the game more than a forced turnover. Six games into the season, Indiana was at the top of the Big Ten in turnover margin with seven fumble recoveries and five interceptions.
Then things suddenly changed.
Indiana (4-5, 0-5) has forced just two turnovers the last three games. Had IU had an interception or fumble recovery on one of Iowa's scoring drives, Wilson wouldn't even be having these discussions. But as he often says, vision is 20/20 in hindsight.
In the present, redshirt sophomore linebacker Marcus Oliver said it's crucial for the Hoosiers to get back to creating turnovers. Those are the types of plays Wilson refers to when he says any one action could change the game.
"I don't feel like people have the competitive edge to get the ball," Oliver said. "People aren't stripping at it like we usually are. I just don't see the competitive plays that we usually have. That's part of the confidence thing."
Confidence. That's another buzzword floating around Indiana's practices.
It's noticeably harder for a team to maintain moral when it's losing, but Oliver said it's a necessary part of making those one or two plays to turn momentum.
"Some of the young guys in the secondary getting burnt, that makes them hesitant to try and go for the ball now," Oliver said. "They don't want to take shots and be aggressive because they don't want to get beat deep. I think that's the biggest thing, just knowing you're going to get burned sometimes, but you've just got to keep doing it."
Keep doing it and the plays should be there. Indiana's proven it before. Oliver feels like they can prove it again.
All it might take is one play.
"We still think that we can get so much better," senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld said. "That's football. You always can play better. It's just about going out there and executing."
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