Perhaps it is not surprising that this season is a(nother) disaster for the Hoos. However, the manner in which the season has played out is a bit of a surprise. Last year, after all, the Hoos finished 5-7 and several of those losses were close games to good teams (for example: 28-20 to UCLA, 20-13 on the road against a 9 win Duke team, and 24-20 to Virginia Tech).
Last year's defense was, at times, dominant. They piled up sacks (20th in the country in sacks) and turnovers (17th). They finished 28th in total defense and 32nd in scoring defense.