Indiana University Athletics
Johns, Hoosiers Embrace “Tremendous Challenge” in Ohio State Defense
10/7/2016 12:11:00 PM | Football
By: Nick Reith
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Kevin Johns and the Indiana offense are closing in on their toughest defensive matchup of the 2016 season to date.
The Ohio State Buckeyes hold the third-ranked defense in the FBS, in terms of total yardage (237.8 per game), and have only allowed two offensive touchdowns in four games.
Johns is confident in the Hoosiers' preparations this week, but he knows that this Buckeyes defense makes it tough to find a weakness in its armor.
"They're the best that we will have seen this year," Johns said. "They're fast and athletic, they have a great scheme, and they're extremely well coached."
The main concern for Johns with Ohio State's defense isn't their physicality, although that certainly comes into play given the Buckeyes' accomplishments on that side of the ball this season. Currently, the Buckeyes are second in the country in turnover margin, averaging at least two more takeaways per game than their opponents, and they've yielded just 140.3 passing yards per game (6th in FBS). Their speed and ability to fly to the ball only tells half of the story, however, as much of Johns' observations relate to their mentality.
"Defenses that are disciplined, who have their eyes in the right spot, are very hard to go against, and Ohio State has one of those defenses. They're physical up front, and they present a lot of problems. It will be a tremendous challenge."
Saturday's game at No. 2/2 Ohio State will require all hands on deck for the Indiana offense, as they'll lean on the upperclassmen along with some of the newer faces. Luckily for Johns, some of the younger players proved their mettle in last weekend's win over No. 17/16 Michigan State.
One of those newcomers, true freshman running back Tyler Natee, has come a long way since his arrival in Bloomington this summer. The Hoosiers are so confident in Natee's skill set that they called his number on a halfback pass play last weekend. Natee's attempt just missed the mark, but that didn't waver Johns' confidence in the first-year ball carrier.
"That was one of the things that really attracted us to him," Johns said of Natee. "When you watch his film, he's able to handle the ball really well and he has a good command and presence on the field. He really has a great skill set of a quarterback. You kind of need a guy that can handle the ball and is comfortable with it, and he can certainly do that."
In addition to a unique diversity in the backfield, Natee's build has served him well in his first collegiate season. Entering this season at 6'0" and a thundering 270 pounds, Natee is the most physically imposing running back in the Kevin Wilson era. But simply being bigger than the linebackers he faces in the box isn't the secret to Natee's early success.
"He's a physical presence," Johns said. "From the get-go, he's been able to pick up our offense very quickly. He processes things well and is very coachable, and he's grown quite a bit since he started here in the summer."
Another standout youngster comes from Johns' receiving corps, redshirt sophomore transfer Luke Timian. He joined Indiana last season and entered the stat sheet toward the end of the season, snagging his first career touchdown in the New Era Pinstripe Bowl against Duke.
This season, Timian has been instrumental to the Hoosiers' success through the air. Through four games, he's hauled in nine catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, including a clutch three-catch, 52-yard outing versus Michigan State.
"He was quick in and out of his breaks, he caught the ball really well and showed good speed, but we didn't offer him at that time and he ended up going somewhere else," Johns said, recalling the first time he saw Timian up close. "He transferred back to here, and I'm so thankful and glad that we have him. The young man works so hard, he's very determined, and has a lot of skill sets that you want. He's only getting bigger, more physical and more confident every single week."
Players Mentioned
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