In four seasons at Kansas State, Tobi Osunsanmi had 8.5 total sacks.
Through his first eight games as an Indiana Hoosier, the 6-foot-2, 250-pound defensive end has already surpassed that mark, racking up 9.0 sacks to go along with 13.5 tackles for loss.
For a defense that returned plenty of talent from last year’s national championship squad, Osunsanmi is making a compelling case as the most indispensable Hoosier on Bryant Haines’ unit.
“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.”
The former Wildcat’s speed off the edge is on full display every single Saturday. Osunsanmi is a remarkable finisher, almost never letting the opposing quarterback out of his grasp.
IU’s unstoppable defensive force now has at least one sack in seven straight games, including 2.0 each of the last two weeks against Ohio State and Michigan, two teams who are known for their dominant offensive line play.
But what has allowed Osunsanmi to break out in the way he has?
“I credit…Bryant Haines, Buddha Williams and Pat Kuntz for finding his niche and developing him from a technique standpoint,” head coach Curt Cignetti said at his Monday presser. “He’s a really twitched up guy. You could see that on the Kansas State tape.”
The star pass rusher has also developed a knack for making big-time plays when Indiana needs it most.
IU’s last three wins have come in one score games. Osunsanmi has 5.0 sacks across those games, multiple of them being game-changers.
Against Nebraska on Oct. 10, up 20-17 in the fourth quarter, he had a fourth down sack on Husker quarterback Anthony Colandrea that allowed IU to burn most of the clock out.
A week later against Ohio State, Osunsanmi had two huge sacks in the first half on Buckeye signal-caller Julian Sayin.
Most recently, against Michigan last Saturday, with the Wolverines threatening to take the lead in the third quarter, Osunsanmi sacked quarterback Tommy Carr on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line.
Because of the massive loss on sack, the Wolverines were forced to kick a field goal, which they missed. Cignetti called Osunsanmi’s sack the “play of the day” postgame.
The senior is playing the best football of his life at the perfect time for No. 4 Indiana. The Hoosiers have needed Osunsanmi to come through over these last few weeks, and he has delivered in a big way for this defense.
“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.”
His disruption off the edge has become a massive part of IU’s defensive identity. If the Hoosiers are going to go on a run like they did a season ago, Osunsanmi will be a massive part of it.
Indiana will host Minnesota on Saturday at Memorial Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. Eastern and the game will be televised on CBS. ESPN’s “College GameDay” will also be live from Bloomington on Saturday morning, starting at 9 a.m. Eastern in front of Showalter Fountain.
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