Indiana rolled over Western Kentucky and the defense pitched a shutout. Curt Cignetti seemed pretty pleased with his defense after such a dominant performance.
Any time a team keeps a defense under 10 points in today's college football, that's a really solid performance. Indiana's D just pitched a shutout against Western Kentucky on Saturday afternoon and Curt Cignetti started his post-game press conference with the fact that it was the first back-to-back shutout since 1963. Once again, the offense was efficient and did its job scoring 38 points, but the defense was just as important keeping a big goose egg up on the scoreboard. Several defensive players really stepped up in the dominant effort.
Using a tool like Pro Football Focus allows us to see what happened on a player-by-player basis and gives some insight as to how the game really went. It's not gospel, but there are some things that just don't show up in the box score that can tell another part of the story.
Top Three Defensive Performers (25 snap minimum)
1. Edge Tobi Osunsami - 88.7
The Kansas State transfer made his presence felt against Western Kentucky. He only recorded one tackle, but it was Indiana's lone sack on the day and it came early in the first quarter. He finished with an overall grade of 88.7 from PFF mostly because of how good he was as a pass rusher. He actually missed three tackles, but his efficiency as a pass rusher saved his grade.
2. CB Jamari Sharpe - 78.3
For a defensive back, Sharpe was solid at putting Hilltoppers on the ground. The 6-1, 190-pounder recorded five tackles on the day including one for loss. He also had a pass breakup in the game. Sharpe was targeted three times but only gave up one reception and it only went for a yard. Unsurprisingly, his two best grades were as a tackler and as a cover man.
3. S Preston Zachman - 76.1
Finally, there's Zachman, who racked up eight tackles against Western Kentucky. He didn't stuff the stat sheet anywhere else but his tackle total was the second highest on the team and PFF had him for zero misses. He did give up two catches on the day, but he was in the right position only surrendering eight yards total after those receptions.
Interesting Notes
It's clear that Curt Cignetti has a tight rotation on his team. The 11 starters were the top 11 players in terms of snap count. There was no deviation at all. That might not seem like a big deal, but it just illustrates that everyone has a specific role and knows it.
Cornerback Ryland Gandy led the team in snaps playing 59-of-61 total defensive snaps in the game. Linebacker Rolijah Hardy, safety Amare Ferrell, linebacker Isaiah Jones and Sharpe were right behind him with 58 logged snaps.
