Hoosiers Notebook: Coaches not ready to anoint Sudfeld
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Correspondent
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Sophomore quarterback Nate Sudfeld is the man without a title.
He’s thrown 85 of Indiana’s 99 passes, had a hand in 11 of the team’s 20 offensive touchdowns and sports one of the 20 best completion percentages (70.6) in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Just last week, coaches awarded Sudfeld his first career start on the basis of his sensational play against Navy on Sept. 7.
Sudfeld did not disappoint in the 42-10 victory over Bowling Green, passing for 335 yards and throwing for two scores and running for another. Days later, though, the coaching staff still declines to publicly acknowledge they have a starter at the game’s most important position.
“We’re still going to try to continue to use the strengths of other quarterbacks,” Hoosiers coach Kevin Wilson said Tuesday.
That means listing Tre Roberson as a co-starter on the depth chart for Saturday’s primetime showdown with Missouri. It also means subbing Roberson in for goal line and red zone packages, as Indiana did against the Falcons. Roberson has rushed the ball 133 times for 602 yards in his career, an average of 4.5 yards per carry. His talent and skills evidently are too enticing to ignore.
“We’ll implement Tre to keep working on that dynamic,” Wilson said. “He’s going to be a great quarterback for us.”
Sudfeld admitted to being nervous as a freshman when he had no idea when he might see the field. He played a lot, but switched in and out with Cameron Coffman after Roberson broke a leg in the second game. This year, Sudfeld describes himself as more anxious to go under center, despite what has been an unusual three-way quarterback competition in fall camp and a continued timeshare in the regular season.
“I didn’t have as much confidence last year,” Sudfeld said.
But now that Sudfeld is clearly a star in the making, Indiana’s staff is still in no hurry to say he’s the guy. On the table is a peculiar scenario in which Sudfeld plays the vast majority of snaps but is never named the starter.
“Sometimes you anoint a starter, put a crown on his head, he doesn’t work as hard,” quarterbacks coach Kevin Johns said.
Sudfeld is not merely the product of a system that allows for big numbers passing. He has size, serious arm strength, accuracy and talent that frightens opponents. Just ask Bowling Green coach Dave Clawson.
“A stud,” Clawson said of Sudfeld after Saturday’s game. “We didn’t get much pressure. We gave that kid time and he put the ball on the money.”
Yet Indiana coaches are restrained in their comments about Sudfeld, almost going out of their way to understate his dominant performance three games into the season. At 2-1, Sudfeld is leading the Hoosiers to a better, brighter future – good enough only for a grade of “very solid” from his head coach.
“We’ve executed as a team,” Wilson said. “All our guys are capable. Maybe it’s some luck. Some of the playcalling has worked. Guys around him have played well.”
That may be. But Sudfeld is stretching the field – 19 completions for gains of at least 20 yards – beyond any capabilities Roberson and Coffman have shown. And Sudfeld is distancing himself overall, even if he lacks the label to remove all doubt.
MANGIERI EMERGES: Defensive lineman Nick Mangieri had what Wilson described as an “awesome” preseason camp. Mangieri carried over his strong play to the regular season. Against Bowling Green, the sophomore secured four tackles, 1.5 sacks and made his first career interception while playing at both end and tackle. An end by nature, and an outside linebacker in high school, Mangieri beat the Falcons’ talented interior offensive linemen with speed and quickness when he moved inside.
“He’s a very skilled kid,” Wilson said. “He’s still young. He’s got a lot of growth potential. He has good energy. He’s a long way from being an upper-level end, but he’s off to a good start in his career.”
IMPROVING SPECIAL TEAMS: One of the few downsides to Saturday’s lopsided victory was shaky play on special teams, and Indiana has targeted those areas for improvement this week. Punter Erich Toth had a kick blocked after multiple protection breakdowns. Returner Damon Graham fumbled away a kickoff. Wilson considers fumbles unacceptable and has little tolerance for missed blocks or failed execution.
Indiana has emphasized special teams play so much this season that several of the team’s brightest stars, such as receivers Cody Latimer and Kofi Hughes, are a part of kick packages.
“That’s something we’ve got to clean up,” Hughes said. “Usually if you look at the turnover ratio and special teams play, that’s who wins the game. We were fortunate our defense shut out BG.”
BIG PLAYS: The Hoosiers reeled off 10 plays of at least 20 yards in 60 snaps through three quarters Saturday, and 12 20-yard plays in 74 snaps for the game. Conversely, Bowling Green had just two plays which gained 20 yards or more. The Falcons had 87 snaps.
Entering the season, defensive coordinator Doug Mallory wanted the Hoosiers to quit giving up big chunks of yardage and make opposing offenses nibble their way downfield. While Bowling Green gained 409 yards of offense, it took 87 plays to get there. Mallory will live with that any day of the week.
“We felt good about the result,” he said. “They moved the ball. Our kids feel good about where we are.”
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
