By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The numbers don’t reflect the potential. This much we know when it comes to Indiana defensive lineman Marcus Burris Jr.
Head coach Tom Allen confirms it.
“Marcus is a very special person, and is going to be an elite player,” Allen says. “His upside is really high. He’s got a great future, and can play this game for a long time, if he stays healthy.
Burris, a redshirt sophomore in his first Hoosier season after transferring from Texas A&M, recorded his first career sack last Friday night against Indiana State. He also assisted on a tackle against Ohio State.
It’s a small sample size, but just wait. At 6-4 and 290 pounds, Burris has the size, strength, and athleticism to make a difference inside and outside on the defensive line in Allen’s attacking scheme.
That size could grow dramatically on Saturday when IU (1-1) plays Louisville (2-0) at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium.
“He can play two different positions,” Allen says. “He can be a big end, or an athletic 3-technique. We’re going to play him at both.
“I love his mindset, how he works, how he practices. He’s a big guy who cares a lot and who gives great effort. His ceiling is really high. He’s going to be really special. I expect him to keep being developed.”
Development responsibility falls to defensive line coach Paul Randolph and co-defensive coordinator Chad Wilt, whose duties include the defensive line and linebackers.
“Coach Randolph does a phenomenal job with that group,” Allen says, “and Coach Wilt does a tremendous job with the front seven. Between those guys, Marcus is getting excellent coaching and preparation.”
Randolph recruited Burris when he was a four-star Texas high school prospect. Randolph was at Texas Tech at the time, and while Burris ultimately decided on Texas A&M, he remained impressed with Randolph, who joined the Hoosiers for the 2022 season.
“I heard great things about him,” Burris says of Randolph. “I knew he was one of the guys I wanted to play for when I entered the transfer portal.”
Now that they’re on the team, the goal is to maximize Burris’s potential. He says his main priority is getting off the ball and pass rushing.
“Coach Randolph emphasizes doing the little things right. There were a lot of little areas I wasn’t good at before, but now I’ve made huge jumps.”
More jumps are coming, co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri says.
“Marcus can be special. He can play inside and outside. He practices hard. The sack he had was probably somebody else’s sack, but he kept fighting through and got to the ball.
“He has a big-time future and it’s because of the way he practices.”
IU has a big defensive challenge against Louisville and its 47.5-point-a-game attack. The Hoosiers, anchored by a number of college transfers such as Burris, seem up to it. They didn’t allow a point against Indiana State (the Sycamores scored on an interception return) and held Ohio State to 23 points.
Still, the Hoosiers want more.
“We’re far from satisfied,” Burris says. “You haven’t seen the best of Indiana defense yet.”
Allen, Guerrieri, and Wilt have built a unit well suited to stopping potent offenses. And when performance slips, even if only briefly (see Indiana State’s 12-play, 67-yard, second-quarter drive that was ended by Nic Toomer’s end zone interception), tough coaching results.
“We stepped off the gas at one point and didn’t play to our standard,” Guerreri says. “The expectation is to play our standard all the time. We are very critical about that. It’s not about who the opponent is, it’s about us every week.”
Louisville has a strong running game to match its strong passing attack.
In two games, the Cardinals have rushed 78 times and passed 65 times. They average 285.5 rushing yards a game, and 7.32 yards a carry. Both averages rank third among major college programs. They throw for 296.5 yards.
Tailback Jawhar Jordan has rushed for 231 yards and three touchdowns in just 14 carries. That 16.5-yard-per-carry average leads the nation. He already has a pair of 70-plus yard runs.
IU is familiar with Louisville head coach Jeff Brohm’s offense from his time at Purdue, although Guerreri wasn’t on the Hoosier staff then.
“He’s been very successful calling plays throughout his career,” Guerreri says. “He has a system he believes in. There’s obviously familiarity in this building with that system.
“The study of that is important, but so is studying personnel. What do their guys do best?”
The Hoosiers will counter, Burris says, by doing what they do best, with a long-term goal of regaining their bowl-making edge.
“We have some work to do,” he says. “We have to keep grinding, keep getting better. We’re not satisfied. We know how we can be good.
“We want to be the guys who change things. We want to get things turned around. We want to win out. That’s the goal.”
