Tobi Osunsanmi has gone from a solid Kansas State contributor to one of the most disruptive edge rushers in college football, and Indiana is reaping the benefit at exactly the right time.
In four seasons with the Wildcats, Osunsanmi posted 8.5 total sacks. Eight games into his first year in Bloomington, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive end has already moved past that number with 9.0 sacks, along with 13.5 tackles for loss.
That kind of leap has made him impossible to ignore on a defense that brought back plenty from last season’s national championship team. Osunsanmi has quickly emerged as the Hoosier who can tilt a game on his own.
“He’s so explosive, I think he runs 21 mph as a defensive end,” safety Amare Ferrell said Tuesday on Osunsanmi. “You’re not finding too many guys like that.
He’s smart…very physical. I haven’t seen anybody really block him.”
Every Saturday seems to bring the same scene: Osunsanmi flying off the edge, collapsing the pocket and finishing plays before quarterbacks have a chance to escape. Indiana has now recorded at least one sack in seven straight games, and the last two weeks have been especially loud, with Osunsanmi accounting for 2.0 sacks against both Ohio State and Michigan - two programs known for their offensive line play.
Curt Cignetti pointed to the coaching staff’s role in unlocking that production.
“I credit…Bryant Haines, Buddha Williams and Pat Kuntz for finding his niche and developing him from a technique standpoint,” the Indiana coach said Monday. “He’s a really twitched up guy. You could see that on the Kansas State tape.”
Osunsanmi’s impact has gone beyond the box score, too. Indiana’s last three victories have all come in one-score games, and he’s delivered 5.0 sacks in those contests alone, with several of them landing at key moments.
Against Nebraska on Oct. 10, Indiana was up 20-17 in the fourth quarter when Osunsanmi dropped Anthony Colandrea on fourth down, helping the Hoosiers chew up the rest of the clock.
A week later against Ohio State, he struck twice in the first half against Julian Sayin. Then came last Saturday’s visit from Michigan, when the Wolverines were pressing to seize the lead in the third quarter and Osunsanmi blew up Tommy Carr on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
The sack pushed Michigan backward so far that it settled for a field goal, and the miss that followed kept Indiana in front. Cignetti later called that stop the “play of the day” after the game.
Osunsanmi said the key has been relentless effort.
“Just effort. A lot of those sacks I feel like come off of effort,” Osusanmi said following the Michigan game.
“You can’t really stop rushing when you’re blocked because a lot of times, there’s going to be good coverage on the back end, and the quarterback’s going to start scrambling. So, you want to get there.”
Indiana will need that same edge again Saturday against Minnesota at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m.
Eastern on CBS, with ESPN’s “College GameDay” also in Bloomington that morning, live from Showalter Fountain starting at 9 a.m. Eastern.
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