Who would have thought Indiana and Miami in the Natty final in the 2025 pre-season? On one side is a trash-talking, almost unabashed head coach in Curt Cignetti, adamant on building a dynasty with the Hoosiers. On the other hand is Mario Cristobal, who refuses to even crack a smile until maybe he lifts that trophy on January 19. What no one expected, however, was Indiana bringing a defensive trend that could quietly decide the game before Miami even settles in.

Indiana has several records to its name, but none more terrifying than what they do with opponents’ QBs in opening drives. Just when the opponent snaps the ball, and the QB throws it, an Indiana player is always there to pounce on it like a wolf. The Hoosiers have intercepted opponents on their opening possession multiple times this season — a trend that has repeatedly set the tone early.

Everyone saw the pinnacle of that dominance against Oregon. Oregon snapped the ball, Dante Moore threw it to an apparently open wide receiver. It should have been a first down easily with some yards after contact. Except D’Angelo Ponds pounced on it from nowhere and ran it 25 yards into the end zone. Oregon never really recovered from that tragedy.

But Indiana’s victim isn’t just Oregon. Against Purdue, safety Amare Ferell intercepted Ryan Browne’s pass in just the team’s second play of the game. Similarly, against UCLA, Indiana intercepted Nico Iamaleva’s pass on the Bruins’ second play. Even against Iowa, Amare Ferell lunged quickly on Mark Gronowski’s pass in the team’s second play.

This trend of securing opening-drive interceptions is exceptionally rare in college football, making it remarkable that Indiana has pulled it off multiple times in a single season.

Both Indiana’s D line and secondary have functioned in rare synchronization. Upon starting the plays, the D line clogs the gaps, limiting the rushing game, and the secondary showcases unseen coverage discipline, consistently winning contested-catch situations and making plays on the ball. Owing to the impeccable coaching discipline, safety Louis Moore boasts 81 tackles and 6 interceptions. Whereas D’Angelo Ponds has 56 tackles to his name, including 2 interceptions.

Every mistake is analyzed under a lens, and every miscue is removed by persistent practice. We saw it happen after the Iowa game. Despite the team winning the Illinois game, there were some errors in the secondary. Head coach Curt Cignetti quickly vowed perfection. “We have some egregious mistakes on the back end, particularly at safety,” Curt Cignetti said.

“We have about five of them in that game. And we only got exposed once because of them. If we don’t clean those up, we’re going to get fractured. And you can’t put that stuff on tap,” the head coach added. The statement was before facing Iowa, and just like that, when Indiana traveled to face the Hawkeyes, the secondary executed a pick in just their second play. That’s a coaching masterclass, nothing less.

Owing to this attitude of consistent perfection and incorporating almost a Nick Saban-esque process, Indiana has been undefeated. Next up is Miami, and it won’t be hard to point out who has the edge in Hard Rock Stadium under the floodlights. Can Carson Beck withstand Indiana’s relentless onslaught and emerge victorious?

Why Indiana’s rare record should worry Carson Beck?

Without a doubt, Beck has been a major part of Miami’s success in 2025. Passing for 3,581 yards at 73.3% efficiency alone says a lot about the QB’s talent and immense improvement. Nevertheless, we have seen questionable decision-making at times from the Miami senior and persistent turnover issues.

Against Louisville, Carson Beck threw four interceptions and gave 2 more against SMU this season. We have seen the Miami QB repeatedly throw in double coverage, and he has also struggled in processing defenses. Without Miami’s elite run game in 2025, we may not even have seen such a high pass efficiency from Beck.

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“I don’t think Carson Beck was seeing the picture very well against a Louisville defense that changed what it was doing a lot,” podcast host Mike Ola Jr said after the Cardinals’ game. “Louisville shifted from a two-high safety look to single-high coverage, but Beck failed to recognize the rotation,” the host added.

Subsequently, Beck’s performance under pressure still has some issues. Of course, he was the one who capped off that laser-perfect pass and another touchdown run to seal the Ole Miss game. But his overall performance in 2025 dropped when Miami’s world-class O-line faltered. So, while Beck initially had an 82.6 PFF grade in clean pockets, it fell quickly to a meager 47.5 when the QB was pressured.

The championship may well be decided in the opening minutes. If Carson Beck protects the football and settles Miami early, the Hurricanes can control the game. But if Indiana’s defense strikes first as it has so often this season, the Hoosiers could once again tilt the entire contest before their opponent even finds a rhythm.