BLOOMINGTON — Through two games, Indiana has yet to name a starting quarterback.
The plan after fall camp — as head coach Tom Allen said last week — was always for both Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby to play in the first two games. Sorsby started against Ohio State last week, and Jackson started Friday against Indiana State, as IU ran away with a 41-7 victory at Memorial Stadium.
Allen was not ready to declare either redshirt freshman the starter after his team’s first victory of the season. That decision, he said, will come ahead of next week’s game against Louisville.
“I think they both played well,” Allen said. “They both started a game, they both played meaningful minutes in both games. We’re going to go back, evaluate both games, and make a decision. We’ll have a starter for week three.”
Jackson played 50 snaps for the Hoosiers on Friday. He wasn’t flawless, despite a strong 18-for-21 line with 236 yards. He left some throws behind intended receivers, and made a couple option reads that could have gone better. But overall, Jackson had a very strong night. He threw a lot of well-placed balls — the best of which didn’t count, as his gorgeous dime to Cam Camper over the top that would’ve put IU at the 1-yard line was negated by a penalty. He showed good instincts in both passing and running, including his 10-yard touchdown scamper in the first quarter.
Sorsby played 34 snaps, including 15 in the fourth quarter with mostly other reserves on the field. He completed nine of 16 pass attempts for 108 yards. He also rushed for 28 yards on six attempts; Jackson had nine rushing yards on six attempts with the touchdown. Sorsby entered the game unexpectedly in the first quarter, when Jackson needed to leave the field for a play after taking a hit and needing attention from trainers. He only missed the one play, but Sorsby made it count, hitting Omar Cooper Jr. for a 31-yard pass.
“They’re playing free,” running back Josh Henderson said. “They’re excited to be out there. They’re fun guys in practice, and they’re fun guys in the game. They’re just letting loose and playing the way that they know how to play. They’re not too high-strung. And that’s something you want to see out of a young quarterback like them. So I’m excited for them.”
These first two games give Indiana extremely different tape to examine on both quarterbacks. IU’s offense struggled mightily last week against No. 5 Ohio State, but the Hoosiers racked up 558 yards of total offense against FCS opponent Indiana State. Neither quarterback particularly excelled against the Buckeyes, and both flashed their potential against the Sycamores.
Offensive coordinator Walt Bell, earlier in the week, said both of the different types of opponents are “good laboratories.”
Henderson said both Jackson and Sorsby responded well to the disappointing output in the season-opener.
“Last week, the offense wasn’t really where we’re supposed to be. So those guys were on top of it in practice this week,” Henderson said. “They were locked in, focused, and they’re leading us, today. And next week, we expect to attack the same mistakes that we made today and come back ready next week.”
Allen said the decision will be made by IU’s coaching staff — they won’t poll players.
Throughout fall camp and into the regular season, Allen has praised the camaraderie Sorsby and Jackson have shown throughout the competition, and mentioned how the team has faith in both players. But he emphasized that it would be unsustainable to play two quarterbacks for the entire season.
“I think our guys played well in both (games), to be honest with you. But at the same time, you’ve got to have a guy. I really do believe that. I think that’s important,” Allen said. “We’ll watch game film, we’ll watch decision-making. Sometimes you see things, a play turns out a certain way, and it’s not even executed properly. Or it’s like, someone makes a mistake, it was really somebody else’s fault. So just make sure we have accurate information, obviously a very important decision, but just proud of both of them.”
