With Indiana head coach Tom Allen having to deal with Reese Taylor and Tiawan Mullen out with injuries, the Hoosiers had safety Noah Pierre slide down to the corner spot against Michigan State last weekend.

It worked.

Despite the Spartans targeting Pierre, as expected, he came up with a career-high 9 tackles against MSU, and one big interception. Pierre’s pick in the final period set up what turned out to be the Hoosiers final drive, and even though IU couldn’t convert, it made a statement.

Allen had plenty to say about Pierre and his approach to the game:

“Noah Pierre really sticks out to me. Matter of fact, I mentioned him yesterday,” said Allen. “9 tackles, huge interception at the end. Just so proud of him.

“[He’s] just a tough, hard-nosed kid that we loved when we saw him out of high school. [I] just thought he was a competitive guy, loved his heart, loved his passion, loved the way he played the game… and that’s proven to be true.”

Pierre and the Hoosiers will be put to the test this weekend, hosting No. 5 Ohio State in primetime on Saturday, Oct. 23 with a 6:30 PM EST kickoff.