Sheridan Calls Game From the Sideline to Help McCulley Adjust

Written by Matt Smith

The Hoosiers are coming off a solid offensive game against Maryland. The unit put up 35 points including a 100-yard rushing day for Stephen Carr. The Hoosiers will need to use this momentum going forward for the rest of the season.

One of the biggest changes to the offense this weekend, was offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan decided to coach from the sidelines instead of from a press box. 

Sheridan made the move to help Donovan McCulley feel more comfortable during his first start.

“I thought it was positive being able to help him out, just to be there for him, to communicate directly to him and not just over the phone, to be able to just look him in the eyes and ask him what he was seeing and how he was feeling,” Sheridan said.

There are pros and cons to coaching on the field and the box. Sheridan said you can see the field much better from the box, but the people giving him information from the box on Saturday did a great job.

McCulley was a bolt of energy during his first start, there were things he did well and there were things that he needed to improve on. Sheridan said he was very proud of his competitiveness during the game.

One of the more difficult things that the offense has to do is adjust to each quarterback coming in because each of them have different strengths.

“You’re trying to feature the things that each guy feels most comfortable with and where that can really be a challenge is for the other players, for them to get into a groove with all the schemes you’re trying,” Sheridan said.

McCulley continued to grow as the game went on during his first college start according to Sheridan.

“I thought he got better as the game went on, I probably expected that to some degree that there would be ups and downs throughout the game, but I was just proud of his mentality throughout the game, he’s a competitive kid,” Sheridan said.

Throughout the week the Hoosiers will continue to assess the quarterback room and injury situation. That means helping the development and growth that McCulley makes at practice throughout the game.