Marcus Freeman expects his defense to have its hands full when Indiana and its high-powered offense come to South Bend for the First Round of the College Football Playoffs on Friday night.
“It’s an 11-1 football team,” Freeman told reports on Sunday. “Very talented but you can tell they’re coached well. They play, as I often say, with the clarity that you look for.
“When you watch film, it’s a team that plays fast. A team that understands what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, how they’re doing it. You can tell they understand what’s expected of them. They make quick and fast decisions.”
The Hoosiers ranked second nationally in Total Points (520) this season and second in Points Per Game (43.3), one spot ahead of the Irish (39.8).
It starts with Indiana quarterback Kurtis Rourke. The grad transfer from Ohio has completed over 70 percent of his passes (202-287) for 2,827 yards with 27 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
“Every great offense is led by a quarterback and this is no different,” Freeman said of Rourke. “He's a veteran. He's been in big games, he's played a lot of football games and he makes really good decisions.”
He led the Bobcats to back-to-back 8-3 seasons in 2022 and 2023, winning MAC MVP and Offensive Player of the Year last season
“He knows where he's going with the ball,” Freeman continued. “He knows what he's looking for, and he is able to execute at a high level.”
The Hoosiers’ attack may start with Rourke and the passing game, but that isn’t where it ends.
“Being able to run the ball is something that they've done really efficiently,” said Freeman.
Led by Justice Ellison and TySon Lawton, Indiana has averaged 173.6 rushing yards per game this season.
“You think about weather conditions, you think about a Friday night in South Bend, Ind., weather could have an impact on the football game,” Freeman added. “They've done a really good job running the ball.
“So, we have to prepare, obviously, for the things he does well in the passing game, but we’ve got to make sure we can stop the run.”
Fortunately for Freeman, he’ll be getting back one of his most valuable defensive players in defensive tackle Howard Cross, who missed the final three regular season games with a high ankle sprain.
”Howard Cross is an excellent football player,” said Freeman. “When you don’t have him, he’s missed. We’ve had guys step up. Donnie Hinish has played really well and Gabe Rubio and some of those guys. But we also know what type of football player Howard Cross is and to have him back is going to be huge for our defense.”
Freeman also remains confident in Christian Gray, who was picked on a bit in the regular season finale against USC, although the sophomore cornerback ended up making the biggest play of the game, when he returned an interception 99 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
“They made some plays, but again, when Christian picks off that last ball and takes it to the house, it's a reflection of one play/one life,” said Freeman. “This is one thing that matters, and we have the utmost confidence in all of our DBs, Christian Gray included.
“You've got to learn from some of the things that happened, but also understand and build off the confidence that he has after that last interception he took to the house. So they'll be ready to go. They'll be ready. All of our DBs will be ready for the challenge that presents itself on Friday.”
Freeman is confident that goes for all of his position units.
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