The meeting room in Bloomington would fill up, defensive linemen crowding in, waiting for a coach to read off statistics.

The reward, simple. When fifth-year senior defensive end Jammie Kirlew got a couple sacks, he could mark it off on a board in the room, moving ever closer to goals set in the preseason. If senior Greg Middleton picked up sacks, he could do the same.

Together, the two defensive ends became what had the capability to be a dynamic pass-rushing tandem for Indiana, a woebegone football program forever in search of a .500 season.

Two years ago, Middleton became a defensive force, rocketing to a first-team All Big Ten selection with 16 sacks. He garnered national attention as Indiana qualified for a rare bowl game.

Last year, Kirlew emerged, notching 10.5 sacks while also making up for Middleton, who slowed to just 4.5 sacks in what Kirlew deemed a “mental” issue more than a physical one.

Now, both defensive ends are in their final season, and for the Hoosiers to be any good and have any chance at a bowl game, they need both to play up to their top potential.

“It makes it a lot easier for the linebackers to have two people on the edge like that,” Indiana linebacker Will Patterson said. “It’s pretty important to our success to have both of them playing well.”

It’s more than that. It’s absolutely critical.

Indiana coach Bill Lynch, whose job could be in jeopardy this season after a 3-9 season in 2008, described his defense as like the state’s NFL team, the Indianapolis Colts.

In order for it to be successful, it has to stop the run and allow its two star pass rushers to roam free.

“We have to be good against the run and force people into passing situations on third down where we can let our guys loose,” Lynch said. “If the other teams constantly have 3rd-and-2, that neutralizes their effectiveness. Not that they aren’t good run stoppers, but numbers-wise you look at them as sack guys and a lot of them are created by situations in the game.”

This is bad news for Indiana. First, the Colts are not known as an NFL juggernaut, more known for Peyton Manning and the team’s passing game. Indianapolis was 11th in total defense last year and even worse at run defense, allowing 122.9 yards a game, good enough for 24th in the league.

Meanwhile, the Hoosiers allowed 171.7 yards a game on the ground last season and even more shockingly, 30 rushing touchdowns.

So teams didn’t need to pass on Indiana, and that eliminated two of its better players from almost every game.

“We’ve got to get offenses in passing situations,” Lynch said. “I think that’s where numbers come and if we can get teams in passing situations and get both those guys going full go, then we have a great chance to give offenses trouble.”

Kirlew, though, is confident about Indiana’s defense. He said if he has to carry the Hoosiers at all, it’ll be through leadership and not necessarily through what he does on the field due to the talent level.

It’s a talent level that has been sorely lacking throughout Indiana’s history, nowhere as close to the Ohio States, Michigans and Penn States of the Big Ten. Kirlew at least believes one thing - he expects Middleton to return to his 2007 form, which would give Indiana a chance.

“People were criticizing him more than they should have,” Kirlew said. “He came off a 16-sack season (in 2007) but if you really watch the film and I went back and watched it, he was right there and the ball just slipped out of the quarterback’s hand or someone cut him.

"He did great moves, did a great job breaking down the O-lineman but one thing happened or you’re a quarter-step too slow and he could have had potentially another 10 sacks.”

Indiana can’t afford to have any sort of slow steps this year.

Michael Rothstein covers University of Michigan basketball for annarbor.com. He can be reached at (734) 623-2558 or at e-mail him at michaelrothstein@annarbor.com.