Even before taking the field on Saturday, this has already been a big week for Indiana football.
At the program’s weekly Monday press conference, head coach Tom Allen announced that redshirt freshman Tayven Jackson will be IU’s starting quarterback going forward. He and redshirt freshman Brendan Sorsby had been battling for the job going back to spring camp, and the competition extended through Indiana’s first two games.
So it will be Jackson leading the Hoosiers out on the field at Lucas Oil Stadium this weekend against Louisville.
Allen, offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Walt Bell, co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri, and several players talked about the quarterback decision and more on Monday. Here are a few key updates and points that came out of the media session.
Tayven time
IU made its quarterback decision over the weekend after reviewing film from both the Ohio State and Indiana State games.
Jackson and Sorsby both struggled against the Buckeyes and played well against the Sycamores. Bell said there wasn’t really a gut feeling either way after the ISU game, and the film study was necessary. He was part of the decision, and was in the room when Allen told Jackson and Sorsby, but he let the head coach handle that aspect of the job.
Bell praised Jackson’s poise and ability.
“For a taller, basketball-ish build, for a lankier build, he is a good runner,” Bell said. “He’s a physical runner. That, to go along with his other skills, that’s the biggest thing. Cause you never know. You see people’s feet get on fire, you see people all of a sudden make poor pocket management decisions when there’s live bullets. And we haven’t seen much of that.”
Teammates — and coaches — throughout the process have lauded both Jackson and Sorsby, and expressed confidence in both players. Running back Josh Henderson has said both play a free-flowing style and have shown good vocal leadership. But he said he’s excited for Jackson to be the starter.
“He balled out last game,” Henderson said. “It’s fun to see these guys come in when they’re young, and maybe don’t have as much experience, and just kind of play free. Just do what he does in practice, and look like he has fun playing. He’s a great player and I’m excited to be with him.”
Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. recalled playing against Jackson in high school, when they were at Lawrence North and Center Grove. They played against each other several times, and Cooper always admired Jackson.
“He seemed like a more poised quarterback,” Cooper said. “He always had a good arm and made the right reads and was able to deliver a good ball. So I used to like watching him when we played against them, even though we was losing.”
Wide receiver Donaven McCulley was Cooper’s quarterback at Lawrence North, so he was in those same games. And since Jackson arrived in Bloomington, McCulley has been impressed with his demeanor.
“I love how he carries himself. He carries himself with a lot of confidence,” McCulley said. “Sometimes we’ll make eye contact during the game, and I’ll know exactly what he wants me to do. So I love how he carries himself with confidence.”
Guerrieri off to strong start
Indiana’s defense has been impressive in the team’s first two games of the season. The Hoosiers held Ohio State to 23 points, before shutting out Indiana State’s offense (the Sycamores’ lone points came on a defensive touchdown).
IU hasn’t been perfect, but for a defense filled with new faces that had a lot of question marks entering the season, it’s been a promising start to the year.
Co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach Matt Guerrieri deserves credit for the encouraging play by the IU defense. Tom Allen brought him in to the program this offseason and immediately handed him defensive play-calling responsibilities, and so far, so good.
“He’s a serious guy when it comes to game preparation,” linebacker Aaron Casey said. “He wants to make sure everything’s good and it starts with him on the back end, but he also delivers it to the linebackers and D-line as well.”
Allen emphasized he has a lot of trust in Gurrieri, noting his character and coaching ability. He said Gurrieri checked the boxes for several things Allen was looking to add to his defense in the offseason, in terms of scheme.
And, Allen said, Guerrieri has done well with identifying various things during the games and making necessary adjustments.
“It’s been a real good fit so far. I think he’s great on game day. He’s a great communicator. Does a good job — he’s up in the press box with several of our coaches — but making adjustments,” Allen said. “He’s a really good teacher and he has the ability to capture the whole room and make guys feel a part of it as a staff, which is critical in that role. I have high expectations for our defense, and it all starts up front. But I think he’s doing a good job of taking the skill sets of the guys we’ve added to our team and trying to highlight those, and that’s what we’re going to continue to do.”
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