Sack Attack -- Defensive Line Coming After Quarterbacks
10/16/2020 9:11:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Quarterback comfort isn't in Indiana's defensive plans.
Not even close.
Hit them, pressure them, sack them. Make them run on Hoosier terms, not theirs.
If they do that without blitzing, maximizing pass coverage as well as pressure, they have a chance to do big things.
IU has very big things in mind.
So if you're a quarterback, the Hoosiers are coming for you.
"We are trying to get as many sacks as possible," says junior defensive lineman James Head Jr.
How many is realistic? IU generated 27 sacks last season. That was good for ninth in the Big Ten.
Ohio State, by comparison, had a conference-leading 54 in one more game. Wisconsin had 49. Penn State had 45.
The Hoosiers must do better.
"Every time the quarterback drops back to pass, we are trying to get a sack," Head says. "However many times that quarterback steps back to pass, that is how many sacks that we want."
The 6-5, 259-pound Head will play a big role. He had 2.5 sacks last season. Doubling that total isn't unrealistic.
"I liked my motor (last season)," Head says. "I feel like I went hard on every play. I need to focus on the details and my fundamentals."
So far, so good, senior defensive end Michael Ziemba says.
"That man (Head) is raw," Ziemba says. "He is raw, I am not going to lie. He is making plays every day. We all are. I feel that we have all gotten so much better. He is about to have a huge year. He definitely is."
Head figures to have plenty of defensive line company. The group must take the pressure-the-quarterback lead as it hasn't in a generation.
New defensive line coach Kevin Peoples likes what he's seen so far.
"I think we are doing a good job," he says. "That is obviously a point of emphasis for us.
"We have got several guys that have stood out, pass rush wise. I do not want to name every single one, but Michael Ziemba (no sacks, but 6.5 tackles for loss last season) has done a nice job. He has improved his pass rush ability."
So have linemen such as junior Demarcus Elliott, sophomores Jonathan King and Sio Nofoagatoto'a, fifth-year senior Jerome Johnson and Stanford graduate transfer Jovan Swann.
"We have some inside guys that can pass rush," Peoples says. "The biggest thing that we know that we are going to have to do, whether it is four or five guys, is we have to rush as a unit. We have to work together, keep the quarterbacks in the pocket, keep them contained and get them off a spot.
"That is the biggest thing we are trying to do, win one-on-one battles, but at the same time, it is four guys rushing as one. When we do that, we have a chance to be successful."
Peoples joined the Hoosiers last winter with a reputation as a developer of difference-making linemen, and it goes well beyond power, speed and athleticism.
"Coach Peoples is worried about technique all of the time," Head says.
Peoples has moved the 6-3, 260-pound King (1 pass broken up in 7 games last season) from defensive tackle to defensive end, and the payoff is coming, Peoples says.
"I think he found a home at defensive end. He is an athletic guy. He has got some strength and some size. He is doing a really good job playing the run and the pass. His athleticism, at that weight, for us is what we are looking for.
"He is going to be able to play in both situations and I am pleased with where he is at. We think we found a home for him."
The 6-2, 280-pound Swann has picked up the practice pace over the last week or so as he adjusts to IU's four-man front from Stanford's three-man.
"I listened to the coaching points," he says. "It is hard to come in having played in a base 3-4 defense, having limited practices, camp was cut short.
"I took in the coaching points, honed in on the little things and I am taking it one play at a time. I was stressing out trying to be a dominant player up front in a 4-3 base defense. I was trying to be that guy on day one, but I know that it is a process. I tried to slow things down for myself.
"It has been a challenge, but Coach Peoples has helped every step of the way."
Adds Peoples: "He is a better player when you put pads on than when you are walking through. We spent a lot of time without shoulder pads, but he has really been impressive the last week and a half or two weeks. You can see a drastic improvement from him.
"It has been a little adjustment for him because he did not go through spring ball, which a lot of guys did not. He has been a really pleasant player and his progress has been what we are looking for. We are looking very, very much forward to what he can do when next Saturday comes."
Swann, a former two-time all-state player at Center Grove High School near Indianapolis, figured IU would be the perfect place for him when he decided to leave Stanford.
"I thought I fit in back in December when I took my visit. I met some of the guys during the bowl prep and I felt right at home. Nobody had a big ego. Everyone was working for the common goal, and that was something that I wanted to embrace and bring into my game.
"In that way, I appreciate the room and how accepting they are. As far as being a veteran in the position I am in, I have played a lot of football, but I also have to learn from the guys that have played a lot of football here.
"I have been trying to bounce ideas off of them and taking their knowledge and what they know about the game."
Swann has his own knowledge. He didn't just luck into the 85 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his three years at Stanford.
"I am trying to impart some of my wisdom, but mostly we are all here to play the same game. At the end of the day, it is just X's and O's. If I can demonstrate that it is not more than just playing your technique at a high level, it will be simpler from the top down."
Last season IU just missed winning its first bowl game since 1993, losing a one-point heartbreaker to Tennessee.
That remains very much on Hoosiers minds.
"We are trying to get back to a bowl game," Ziemba says, "but you have to go one game at a time. We are not just trying to get back to one, we are trying to win it this year. We are trying to win every game.
"It is definitely motivating. We are definitely trying to get back to one and win it this year."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Quarterback comfort isn't in Indiana's defensive plans.
Not even close.
Hit them, pressure them, sack them. Make them run on Hoosier terms, not theirs.
If they do that without blitzing, maximizing pass coverage as well as pressure, they have a chance to do big things.
IU has very big things in mind.
So if you're a quarterback, the Hoosiers are coming for you.
"We are trying to get as many sacks as possible," says junior defensive lineman James Head Jr.
How many is realistic? IU generated 27 sacks last season. That was good for ninth in the Big Ten.
Ohio State, by comparison, had a conference-leading 54 in one more game. Wisconsin had 49. Penn State had 45.
The Hoosiers must do better.
"Every time the quarterback drops back to pass, we are trying to get a sack," Head says. "However many times that quarterback steps back to pass, that is how many sacks that we want."
The 6-5, 259-pound Head will play a big role. He had 2.5 sacks last season. Doubling that total isn't unrealistic.
"I liked my motor (last season)," Head says. "I feel like I went hard on every play. I need to focus on the details and my fundamentals."
So far, so good, senior defensive end Michael Ziemba says.
"That man (Head) is raw," Ziemba says. "He is raw, I am not going to lie. He is making plays every day. We all are. I feel that we have all gotten so much better. He is about to have a huge year. He definitely is."
Head figures to have plenty of defensive line company. The group must take the pressure-the-quarterback lead as it hasn't in a generation.
New defensive line coach Kevin Peoples likes what he's seen so far.
"I think we are doing a good job," he says. "That is obviously a point of emphasis for us.
"We have got several guys that have stood out, pass rush wise. I do not want to name every single one, but Michael Ziemba (no sacks, but 6.5 tackles for loss last season) has done a nice job. He has improved his pass rush ability."
So have linemen such as junior Demarcus Elliott, sophomores Jonathan King and Sio Nofoagatoto'a, fifth-year senior Jerome Johnson and Stanford graduate transfer Jovan Swann.
"We have some inside guys that can pass rush," Peoples says. "The biggest thing that we know that we are going to have to do, whether it is four or five guys, is we have to rush as a unit. We have to work together, keep the quarterbacks in the pocket, keep them contained and get them off a spot.
"That is the biggest thing we are trying to do, win one-on-one battles, but at the same time, it is four guys rushing as one. When we do that, we have a chance to be successful."
Peoples joined the Hoosiers last winter with a reputation as a developer of difference-making linemen, and it goes well beyond power, speed and athleticism.
"Coach Peoples is worried about technique all of the time," Head says.
Peoples has moved the 6-3, 260-pound King (1 pass broken up in 7 games last season) from defensive tackle to defensive end, and the payoff is coming, Peoples says.
"I think he found a home at defensive end. He is an athletic guy. He has got some strength and some size. He is doing a really good job playing the run and the pass. His athleticism, at that weight, for us is what we are looking for.
"He is going to be able to play in both situations and I am pleased with where he is at. We think we found a home for him."
The 6-2, 280-pound Swann has picked up the practice pace over the last week or so as he adjusts to IU's four-man front from Stanford's three-man.
"I listened to the coaching points," he says. "It is hard to come in having played in a base 3-4 defense, having limited practices, camp was cut short.
"I took in the coaching points, honed in on the little things and I am taking it one play at a time. I was stressing out trying to be a dominant player up front in a 4-3 base defense. I was trying to be that guy on day one, but I know that it is a process. I tried to slow things down for myself.
"It has been a challenge, but Coach Peoples has helped every step of the way."
Adds Peoples: "He is a better player when you put pads on than when you are walking through. We spent a lot of time without shoulder pads, but he has really been impressive the last week and a half or two weeks. You can see a drastic improvement from him.
"It has been a little adjustment for him because he did not go through spring ball, which a lot of guys did not. He has been a really pleasant player and his progress has been what we are looking for. We are looking very, very much forward to what he can do when next Saturday comes."
Swann, a former two-time all-state player at Center Grove High School near Indianapolis, figured IU would be the perfect place for him when he decided to leave Stanford.
"I thought I fit in back in December when I took my visit. I met some of the guys during the bowl prep and I felt right at home. Nobody had a big ego. Everyone was working for the common goal, and that was something that I wanted to embrace and bring into my game.
"In that way, I appreciate the room and how accepting they are. As far as being a veteran in the position I am in, I have played a lot of football, but I also have to learn from the guys that have played a lot of football here.
"I have been trying to bounce ideas off of them and taking their knowledge and what they know about the game."
Swann has his own knowledge. He didn't just luck into the 85 tackles and 11.5 sacks in his three years at Stanford.
"I am trying to impart some of my wisdom, but mostly we are all here to play the same game. At the end of the day, it is just X's and O's. If I can demonstrate that it is not more than just playing your technique at a high level, it will be simpler from the top down."
Last season IU just missed winning its first bowl game since 1993, losing a one-point heartbreaker to Tennessee.
That remains very much on Hoosiers minds.
"We are trying to get back to a bowl game," Ziemba says, "but you have to go one game at a time. We are not just trying to get back to one, we are trying to win it this year. We are trying to win every game.
"It is definitely motivating. We are definitely trying to get back to one and win it this year."
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