IU football defensive coordinator on Notre Dame loss: 'I had intentions of being a little more aggressive'

IU football defensive coordinator on Notre Dame loss: ‘I had intentions of being a little more aggressive’

Posted by Admin December 21, 2024 Football

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SOUTH BEND — Indiana football defensive coordinator Bryant Haines looked physically pained when talking about Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love’s 98-yard touchdown run on Friday night.

Haines spoke to reporters after the No. 8 Hoosiers (11-2) 27-17 loss to Notre Dame in the first round of the College Football Playoffs. The Irish never trailed after Love game his team a 7-0 lead with the second longest play in FBS postseason history with 10:57 left in the first quarter.

“I put in a simple kind of gapped-out call,” Haines said. “I was thinking of being even more aggressive. I was talking to Aiden Fisher; you want to go attack them, maybe we can get two points here? No, let’s put in a nice conservative call.”

Love took advantage of a defender being out of a position — “a misfit” — and broke off the touchdown run against an IU team that only gave up seven rushes of 20-yards or more all season. The single run accounted for more yards than eight different opponents had against the Hoosiers across entire games this season.

“That’s how small the margin for error is against elite teams,” Haines said. “I felt that way against Ohio State. I felt that way again tonight.”

The numbers were a mixed bag for the Hoosiers.

Notre Dame had its fewest yards (394) in six games and finished below its season average (421.3). While they gave up a season-high 193 rushing yards, that number also less than the Irish’s season-average (224.8). Indiana stopped seven rushing attempts for no gain or a loss and held Love to just 10 more yards in the game.

The Hoosiers also forced Notre Dame to settle for field goals on two of their four trips inside the red zone, but it wasn’t enough. Notre Dame was 7 of 13 on third downs and finished the game with a near 11-minute advantage in time of possession.

“Maybe I should have brought that one extra guy,” Haines said. “Maybe that would have been the difference.”

It was especially frustrating for Haines since he prides himself on being an aggressive play caller in the style of his head coach.

“All said and done, looking back at it, especially on third down, I had intentions of being a little more aggressive,” Haines said, with a shake of his head. “But that 35 seconds goes fast. You’ve got to come up with a call, put it all together. And hindsight is 20/20.

Michael Niziolek is the Indiana beat reporter for The Bloomington Herald-Times. You can follow him on X @michaelniziolek and read all his coverage by clicking here.