Reign of Roberson could begin against Minnesota
By CHRIS GOFF
ISL Assistant Editor
Opponent: Minnesota Golden Gophers (6-2)
When: 3:30 p.m. Saturday at Memorial Stadium
As usual, Indiana coach Kevin Wilson is mum on his exact quarterback plans for tomorrow’s crucial bout with Minnesota. What’s out of the ordinary is Wilson acknowledging a change might be in store.
Sophomore Nate Sudfeld has started the last five games. He has passed or rushed on 235 plays this season. Backup Tre Roberson has played in every game but had in a hand in just 100 plays. From Week 2 on, Sudfeld had clearly been the primary quarterback, with Roberson serving as an occasional sub and red zone option.
That dynamic took a break two weeks ago when Sudfeld was benched after four drives. Roberson then did an amazing job of moving the ball up and down the field at Michigan. Now Wilson is considering a switch to Roberson as the Hoosiers’ featured quarterback.
Roberson is a better athlete than the other two options – Sudfeld and Cameron Coffman. His completion percentage is 62.9 and his quarterback rating is 186.3. Meanwhile, over the past two games, the struggling Sudfeld has a puny 5.3 yards per attempt mark.
Offensive coordinator Seth Littrell suggested Sudfeld is trying too hard to make something happen. Recent accuracy problems appear to have affected his confidence. During practice last week, Wilson pulled Sudfeld aside and said, “Quit being moody and moping.”
Although Sudfeld showed flashes of greatness against Navy, Bowling Green and Penn State, tough days at Michigan State and Michigan combined with a mediocre outing against Missouri have weakened his claim on the job. For Roberson, this is a chance to rebuild his career after a serious knee injury cost him most of 2012, when he won the starting job outright.
Both quarterbacks are on the same page with Wilson’s spread offense and have an ability to work the no-huddle. Wilson’s decision Saturday will impact their development and perhaps reveal which of the two he is most confident can take the Hoosiers to new heights.
Three players to watch
Ra’Shede Hageman, DT: He’s got all the physical tools a coach could possibly desire in a defensive tackle. The humongous senior is 6-foot-6, 311 pounds, fast, muscular, has good hands and can jump. Hageman tormented Nebraska last week. Dating back to the start of last season, he has 62 tackles, eight sacks, eight pass breakups, a forced fumble, an interception and even two blocked kicks on special teams. Don’t be surprised if No. 99, a serious weapon, keeps appearing in the Indiana backfield.
Theiren Cockran, DE: Hagemen’s younger line mate is leading the league in sacks (5.5) after recording only one as a freshman.
Mitch Leidner, QB: He’s essentially in a platoon with Philip Nelson, but Leidner has elite athletic abilities and faces an Indiana defense that had all kinds of trouble with Michigan’s Devin Gardner. Leidner ran for 151 yards and four touchdowns earlier this season against San Jose State in his first career start. At 6-foot-4 and 233 pounds, he’s not easy to get down.
Series history
The Gophers have won four of the last six meetings and hold a 37-25-3 advantage. However, the Hoosiers have done well at home in the series, going 16-6-2. Indiana won the last meeting in Bloomington by a 40-20 decision in 2007. The schools have not faced each other since Oct. 14, 2008 in the Metrodome.
Familiar faces
Starting linebacker James Manuel is an Indianapolis native who went to Warren Central High School. Backup tight end Nate Wozniak is from Greenwood, Ind. and attended Center Grove High School. Indiana strength and conditioning coach Mark Hill held the same position with Minnesota from 2007-10.
Injury report
Hoosiers safety Antonio Allen, who made his first career start at Michigan, tore his ACL and is lost for the year. Indiana is down to its third option at right guard, Jake Reed, and he’s probable (ankle). Reed is needed after losing Dan Feeney (Lisfranc) and David Kaminski (torn anterior cruciate ligament) to season-ending injuries. Linebacker Chase Hoobler (stress fracture) will not play this year and right tackle Peyton Eckert is out for the season with a back issue. As for Minnesota, starting cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun (torn ACL) is unavailable. His fill-in, Derrick Wells (shoulder), is probable. Gophers reserve running back Rodrick Williams (foot) is questionable and fellow back Berkley Edwards (knee) is out. Backup quarterback Chris Streveler (hand) is sidelined.
Trivial
Minnesota has produced 35 scoring drives, and nearly half of those – 16 to be precise – took at least nine plays. The Gophers rank 27th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in average time of possession (32:32).
He said it
“It’s almost like your girlfriend. You do something every single day, it doesn’t really give you the opportunity to miss it. And so I think getting to go home for the weekend — like a lot of guys did — and finally coming back gives you a chance to kind of miss football, get your hunger back.” – Indiana’s Kofi Hughes, to the (Minneapolis) Star Tribune, on the benefits of the team’s second bye week
Outlook
It’s a must-win for the Hoosiers. An up-and-down season comes to a climax Saturday afternoon. Should the Hoosiers lose, their bowl hopes are all but over. The Hoosiers have lost two home games this year, mainly because their defense is vulnerable. The Hoosiers rank 121st defensively and are giving up 37.1 points per game. They don’t have enough good defensive players. Wilson admitted for the first time that his style of offense may adversely affect Indiana’s defense. But he also believes the hurry-up is one of the reasons the offense is so good. So it’s a tricky issue. Indiana runs a fast-paced attack in which plays are run every 19 seconds. The team is averaging 76.6 offensive plays a game. The defense is on the field for 83.4 plays. Although not a huge difference, that’s seven more plays for the opposition each week. Considering the Hoosiers are giving up 5.97 yards a play, that’s 41.8 yards of additional offense for their opponent each week. Minnesota is a physical, run-first team. Still, the Hoosiers should have an edge if they avoid three-and-outs. Indiana is an 8-point favorite over the Golden Gophers.
Follow Chris Goff on Twitter: chrisgoff_ISL.
