‘Takeaways, tackling and effort is our DNA’: With system in place, Matt Guerrieri ready to lift Indiana defense back to old ways

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — New Indiana football defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri will do something not many coaches have done under Tom Allen, especially not in the past few seasons. That is control all the play-calling duties on the defensive side of the ball.

Ever since taking over the head coaching role in 2017, Allen has always had a hand in the play-calling. A defensive-minded coach, it was difficult for Allen to be 100 percent hands off. Even during Indiana’s success in 2019 and 2020, Allen played a role on the defensive side of the ball. So, it was a significant step for Allen to pass that torch off to Guerrieri when he was hired this offseason.

“I feel like it’s important for me to become the best head coach I can be, the best game-day manager of the entire game, both sides of the football and special teams, for me not to be focused on calling the defense,” Allen said at Big Ten Media Days last month. “… I also want the ability and flexibility to be in that offensive meeting time as well, making sure all three phases is being where we need to be to be our best on game day.”

Guerrieri comes to Indiana with the mindset of keeping Allen’s principals while adding his own tweaks to the ‘system’.

“It starts with the system. Coach Allen has a system. There’s fundamentals of how we play defense, of how we stop the run, pressure the quarterback and stop the throw game. So you start with a system. The tweaks to me, are week-to-week in the game plan of twofold,” Guerrieri told reporters on Wednesday. “What does the opponent do best and how do you limit that? What do we do the best? So that’s part of the process of learning the players, new faces and new bodies that are here from transfers and figure out what do those guys do best and, how do we highlight that? But, definitely what does the opponent do. This is a pro style system. An air raid system. How do those function. How do you live it from there? We have a system in place with Coach Allen whose system has been here a long time.”

Read: ‘It’s important for me to become the best head coach I can be’: Tom Allen taking a step back to — hopefully — take a step forward with Indiana football

Guerrieri’s tweaks come from his experience on the sidelines in many different roles. He served as a position coach and defensive coordinator for Duke for numerous years before joining the Ohio State staff as an advisor and analyst.

Despite spending just one season with the Buckeyes, it gave him a new perspective on play-calling, schemes and most importantly, self-reflection.