Ryan Day Says Indiana’s Defense Doesn’t Get Enough Credit, Praises Trio of Hoosier Linebackers

Though it is No. 2 Indiana’s high-flying offense that captures the attention of the national media, Ohio State head coach Ryan Day believes the Hoosiers’ defense is also elite. 

Day highlighted Indiana’s strength on the defensive side of the ball on Wednesday.

“Indiana plays excellent, excellent defense,” Day said. “They’re fast. They’re quick. They use their hands, really, really well. They’re opportunistic in terms of creating turnovers, getting their hands on a lot of balls. They are as good as anybody in the country. I’m really impressed with how they play, how physical they are, and so it’s a great challenge for our offense.”

Heading into the Big Ten Championship Game, Indiana’s defense ranks second, just behind Ohio State, with just 10.9 points allowed per game. The Buckeyes top the nation with a mark of 7.8 points allowed. 

The Hoosiers are also ranked fourth nationally allowing 251.8 yards per game. Indiana allows the second-least rushing yards per game at 79.3 and just 172.5 yards per game through the air, the 14th-best mark in the FBS. 

Day particularly highlighted Indiana’s linebackers — Aiden Fisher, Rolijah Hardy, and Isaiah Jones — as a position unit where the Hoosiers defense is particularly strong.  

“They diagnose plays and they’ve played a lot of football. They’ve seen a lot of football, they play a lot of plays, they play a lot of defense. You can tell they’re all football junkies,” Day said. “I don’t know them. I’ve actually never really spent much time with any of those guys, but I can just tell watching the game, that’s the way they play and they can do multiple things. They’re versatile. They can play man, they can match, they can play zone, they can blitz. They play the run well and I can tell they’re well coached from just watching.” 

The trio of linebackers have been the heart and soul of the Indiana defense, as the Hoosiers’ threesome in the middle have combined for 207 total tackles. 

In 2025, Hardy was the most effective of the bunch, leading Indiana in total tackles (76) and sacks (seven). Jones, on the other hand, leads Indiana with 12 tackles for loss, and ranks third on the Hoosiers with 5.5 sacks. Fisher has totaled 72 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two interceptions, as well as a team-high five quarterback hurries. 

Day said that Indiana isn’t just good because of its offense or defense, stating that the Hoosiers are a complete team that’ll be a great challenge for Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. 

“It’s not just one phase, it’s all three phases,” Day said. “They’re as good as anybody in the country. The reason why they’re ranked No. 2 in the country, it’s a really, really good football team and it’s going to be a battle on Saturday night.”