How Indiana Football Could Slow Miami's Vaunted Pass Rush Duo: 'Big Challenge'

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Indiana football coach Curt Cignetti is a self-described film junkie, but he didn't need game tape to familiarize himself with the scheme, ideas and intentions behind Miami's defense entering the College Football Playoff National Championship.

Cignetti hired Miami defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman for the same role in 2019 at James Madison University, where he stayed three years and led one of the best units in the country en route to winning AFCA FCS Assistant Coach of the Year in 2021.

Hetherman left Cignetti and the Dukes for Rutgers thereafter. Now, the top-ranked, Cignetti-led Hoosiers will face Hetherman's vaunted defense in the national title game at 7:30 p.m. Monday night at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida.

"I've got a lot of respect for Corey," Cignetti said Jan. 12. "He did a tremendous job. I hated to see him go. I hold him in very high regard. He's one of the best football coaches I've ever been around. His day-in-and-day-out intensity and his commitment to the game is unparalleled."

Cignetti and Hetherman aligned to form the principle that still spearheads both Indiana and Miami's defensive identity: Attack.

Hetherman's scheme has evolved, Cignetti said, be it the volume of man and zone coverage, the types of blitzes or the defensive fronts. But he's still steadfast on the same play style he thrived with under Cignetti at James Madison.

"He's going to create havoc up front, stop the run, TFLs, sacks," Cignetti said. "He's going to attack. The philosophy is still the same in terms of, it all starts up front."

There, on Hetherman's defensive line, rests two of college football's best pass rushers and perhaps the nation's best defensive end duo. Miami pairs junior Rueben Bain Jr., the ACC Defensive Player of the Year who has 8.5 sacks this season, with sixth-year senior Akheem Mesidor, who tied for the ACC lead with 10.5 sacks.

Bain is second nationally with 80 quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, while Mesidor is sixth with 63 pressures. Bain leads the nation with 66 quarterback hurries, 11 more than the next-closest player, while Mesidor is tied for third with 48 pressures. Both players are top 20 in the FBS in pass rush win rate.

Collectively, Miami has totaled 47 sacks, the most in the nation. Cignetti said Hetherman is creating havoc up front — a process aided heavily by the terrific tandem of the 6-foot-3, 270-pound Bain and 6-foot-3, 265-pound Mesidor.

"The two ends," Cignetti said, "are a big challenge."

Indiana sixth-year senior tight end Riley Nowakowski agreed with his coach's assessment.

"The D-line, you got those two edges, those are good players," Nowakowski said Tuesday.

Indiana's offensive line is no stranger to facing big, strong, athletic and skilled defensive fronts, be it Oregon, Ohio State or Alabama. The Hoosiers have fared reasonably well — they earned a 78.2 pass blocking grade from Pro Football Focus, the 18th-best mark in the nation, and have allowed 22 sacks in 15 games.

Pat Coogan, Indiana's senior center, said the Hoosiers' offensive line is focused on winning the line of scrimmage, keeping quarterback Fernando Mendoza on his feet and creating rushing lanes for senior running backs Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black.

"It's one of the best," Coogan said of Miami's defensive line. "But at the same time, we take great pride in protecting the quarterback no matter who we're playing. I think that's just an absolute key emphasis for us this week to protect the quarterback and obviously run the ball. That's part of who we are and our DNA.

"We have to protect the quarterback in every situation, every down. We know how special he can be and how good our offense can be when we give him the time to execute. No matter who we're playing, we need to protect the quarterback and it's the same message this week."

The Hoosiers' offensive tackles will be tested by Bain and Mesidor. Indiana junior left tackle Carter Smith won the Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year after not allowing a single sack this season, but the right tackle position has more questions.

Indiana has started seniors Kahlil Benson and Zen Michalski, along with redshirt freshman Adedamola Ajani, at right tackle this year. Benson, who's allowed a team-high 24 pressures this season, is the primary candidate and projected starter entering the championship game.

But the Hoosiers have options to lessen the burden on Benson or whoever they opt to protect Mendoza's strong side.

Indiana may use its tight ends as an extension of its offensive line. Nowakowski or senior Holden Staes can chip Bain or Mesidor off the edge, delaying their rush plan and knocking them off course. Running backs like Hemby and Black can do the same when they release to run routes.

The Hoosiers have tinkered with heavier personnel packages in recent games. They played a few snaps in 12 personnel, or two tight end sets, against Oregon in the Peach Bowl, and they've used Michalski as a sixth offensive lineman to add mass to their line.

Indiana's six-linemen package has been used on both runs and passes. The Hoosiers may opt for heavier protection calls, which Coogan noted puts the defense in conflict.

"The defense could sub in their heavier package in relation to that," Coogan said. "Sometimes they don't match, though. Oregon matched a few times and other times they didn't. First 11 personnel, they went heavier, which they never did during the season. They went 5-2. And then other times when we brought in that heavier package, they stayed in 4-2 base.

"So you just always good to be aware of it, especially as a center, because the specific plays that are within that package consist of a specific (middle linebacker) ID, so you got to be aware of it for sure."

The trade-off from heavy protection is fewer pass-catchers running routes, which strains the efficiency and success of Indiana's receivers. Senior wideout Elijah Sarratt said Miami primarily runs zone defense — cover four and cover two most frequently — but with a complementary dose of man-to-man cover one. There's usually one safety playing overtop, Sarratt said.

Bain and Mesidor, two proven game-wreckers, should be atop Indiana's game-planning focus. But Sarratt has no worries, no fears, if Indiana struggles getting its run game going or needs to enhance its protection measures against the Hurricanes' defensive line.

After all, he says, with a Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback in Mendoza, there's no reason to let doubt creep in.

"I'm always comfortable when you got somebody like Fernando back there throwing you the ball," Sarratt said Tuesday. "And, of course, I believe in myself and the guys in the receiving room with me. So, I'm always confident no matter who we're going against, no matter if it's Miami, no matter if it's Indiana State.

"So, very confident in my beliefs. It's going to be a challenge, of course. They're in the national championship for a reason, but I will always go into every game being confident."

After watching the Hurricanes on film, Nowakowski saw a fast, physical and violent unit across all three levels. They don't worry about making mistakes because of a shared trust, and each defender rallies to the ball with urgent, aggressive intentions.

But Cignetti didn't need game tape to know as much.

Cignetti knows Hetherman, knows his philosophies, knows his strengths. He also knows Bain and Mesidor will be a "big challenge" — one the Hoosiers must conquer to hoist their first national championship trophy Monday night in Miami Gardens.