Three & Out: Cream and Crimson Game

The Hoosiers hit the field on what is supposed to be a beautiful spring Saturday in Bloomington on April 12th

Written By Sammy Jacobs (@sammyj108)

Welcome to the Cream and Crimson Game edition of our Three and Out Series.  This will be a little different from our usual set up where we give our keys to victory.  Instead, we are going to give you things to watch on each side of the ball.  We will start with the offense.  Sit back and enjoy, as this will be the last of IU Football we see on the field until August.

1. Will the Quarterback Situation be Settled?- Seems like a tradition now to include this question in every three and out, but it still is a mystery as to who will be QB 1 for the Hoosiers.  Nate Sudfeld and Tre Roberson are still neck and neck for the starting job and I do not see Coach Wilson making a decision after the spring game either.  I do believe Indiana will go with a two quarterback system, much like last season, but there has to be a clear starter.  Having Sudfeld and Roberson on opposite teams would give them a chance to get lots of reps as a “starter”.  I would not be surprised to see the two signal callers rotate teams in order to work with new receivers.

Tevin Coleman looks to continue his success in 2014

2. How Will the Hoosiers Replace the Lost Production in the Passing Game?- Indiana loses four one thousand yard receivers in Cody Latimer, Kofi Hughes, Ted Bolser, and Duwyce Wilson.  The Hoosiers do not have an empty cupboard however, as they return Shane Wynn, Nick Stoner, and Isaiah Roundtree, while adding 4-star recruit Dominique Booth.  Another recruit, Jordan Fuchs, should fit in nicely at tight end.  Both Booth and Fuchs enrolled at Indiana early and will participate in the spring game.  Indiana can also make up for the loss of these four players by leaning on Tevin Coleman and the running game more.  Coleman, who was set to become the first Hoosier runner to crack the 1,000 yard mark since 2001 before an ankle injury knocked him out of the final three games, returns for his junior season and if he progresses like he did last year, he should put up monster numbers.  Also returning in the backfield is D’Angelo Roberts, who ended the season strong running for over 100 yards in the win over Purdue.

3. Will the Hoosiers Be More Consistent on Offense?- In 2013, IU was a boom or bust offense and would either score or punt in under a minute many times.  While it will be hard to judge consistency in the spring game, one can look at the offensive pace to see if new offensive coordinator Kevin Johns will slow things down a bit.  I doubt it, and slowing the offense down is not the answer to consistency.  The Hoosiers need to improve upon their third down stats and start converting the more manageable third downs.  Maybe Wilson will have special sessions during the game where the offense will get more reps on third and short plays.  If the Hoosiers convert more of these short third downs, they will be a very difficult team to stop