Hoosiers Enter Bye Week With More Questions Than Answers

Written by Zach Greene

Indiana Football has a lot of questions to answer, especially on offense. Here are the main questions facing the 2023 version of Indiana football as they enter their bye week.

1. What concepts will IU run under Rod Carey?

Less than 24 hours after the 44-17 loss at Maryland, Tom Allen dismissed offensive coordinator Walt Bell and replaced him with Rod Carey who was on staff as an analyst and served as the offensive line coach last season after Darren Hiller’s firing.

During his most successful years at Northern Illinois, Carey loved to run the quarterback, especially with Jordan Lynch who passed for over 3,000 yards and ran for nearly 2,000 yards in 2012.

However, Carey has been an analyst and while some schemes can change or be dumped, I doubt it’s an overhaul.

2. Will we have a Quarterback Competition once Dexter Williams is healthy? 

Tom Allen made the move to Brendan Sorsby during the second half of the loss to Maryland and the offense got a spark. Whether that is because Maryland started to empty the bench or that IU’s offense was just sharper is up for debate. However, with Carey’s affinity for a running quarterback and Jackson’s struggles the last two games, Sorsby may have reopened the quarterback competition. IU and Allen are in desperation mode right now and need to play the quarterback who gives them the best chance to win. The wild card in this discussion is Dexter Williams. Will he be given a shot when he is healthy?

3. Could Dexter Williams be the answer at Quarterback?

Dexter Williams gave IU fans some hope over his five quarters as the starting quarterback as the Hoosiers knocked off Michigan State and had he stayed healthy, maybe even knocked off Purdue.

However, I don’t think Williams is the savior that IU will be looking for in 2023 even if Carey loves to run the quarterback. Allen didn’t play Williams as a true freshman in the Outback Bowl despite starter Jack Tuttle separating his shoulder early in the game. Then last season, Williams was the fourth quarterback off the bench. He has a solid skill set, but can a quarterback less than a year removed from a serious leg injury be counted on to save the season?

4. Can the Defense Recover Enough to Win a Few Games?

Football is a complementary game and one unit is highly affected by the successes and failures of the others. IU gave up 44 points to Maryland and while there were many misfires on defense, they were not helped by special teams or the offense at all. IU gave Maryland the ball inside the IU 35-yard line three times. That will never end well. IU needs to use the bye week to recover on defense as well and maybe win a couple of their remaining games.