Have to Wait
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Mystery rules over Indiana’s new football offense and new offensive coordinator Walt Bell is all in.
“Our ultimate goal is to win that first game,” he says with a hint of a smile. “As little as we can possibly let Illinois know is probably good for us.”
IU opens its season against Illinois on Friday, Sept. 2, at Memorial Stadium and questions dominate. Who will be the starting quarterback? How will Bell’s offense look? Can the offense line thrive? Is this more of a passing or running attack?
For now, with Friday’s first scrimmage looming, nothing is sure except no wishbone.
Probably.
“We have to protect the organization and make sure we’re putting our team in the best position we can,” Bell says. “We’re going to be really quiet and work on us.”
Then the mystery deepens.
“We’ll go out against Illinois and on the first play there will be 11 people,” Bell says. “There will be somebody catching the snap.”
What, you were expecting game-plan details?
“For us, it’s go play,” Bell says. “It’s allowed our group to build good camaraderie to know we’re just working about us. We don’t have to worry about any outside things. Just us.”
Head coach Tom Allen wants a balanced offense with tempo-changing ability. Mostly, though, he wants to get into the darn end zone as much as possible and, until the season starts, how IU will do it is on a need-to-know basis.
No one outside the program needs to know.
The reason, Allen adds, is “Who our first opponent is.”
He wants to keep the Illini guessing until kickoff, and beyond. It forces their coaching staff to prepare for basically everything.
“When there’s those question marks,” Allen says, “it creates multiple options you have to prepare for, which detracts from the focus you really want to have.”
Allen knows secrecy might upset fans but, “But it doesn't really matter to me. It's what we're going to do. The whole goal is what we feel is best for our team. We're going to stick with it.”
Adds Bell: “That’s Coach Allen’s plan. That’s what he wants, so we’re going to keep this close to the vest and get ready to play our best football that Friday night.”
As far as the overall installation of the offense, Bell says, “Our kids have done a phenomenal job. From where we left in the spring to where we are now, there's a big difference. We're in a much better place.”
Bell has joined with offensive line coach Darren Hiller to work extensively with the offensive line, which struggled last season.
“I’m really proud of our offensive line,” Bell says. “They have done a nice job in the run game and in a pass-protection standpoint.”
Beyond that, Bell adds, “We've taken care of the ball relatively well, which is obviously the most important thing you do. Turnovers and explosive plays are going to make the difference in who wins and loses, so there's ball security every day. That's a huge part of what we do.
“From a mentality standpoint, they're hungry to learn. They're hungry to improve; they're hungry to be better than we were a year ago, almost to the point of they're starving.
“I really enjoy the mentality of this group. They're a joy and blessing to work with every day.”
Camp buzz centers on the quarterback competition. Returning veteran Jack Tuttle and Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak are battling for the starting spot, although Bell says Dexter Williams II also shows promise.
Allen says Friday’s scrimmage likely will be a huge factor in the ultimate decision.
“That will be pretty telling for us to get the feedback we’re trying to get,” he says.
“You see flashes from both guys to be able to run the offense with a commanding mindset, to be able to make all the throws you need to make.”
“That will be pretty telling for us to get the feedback we’re trying to get,” he says.
“You see flashes from both guys to be able to run the offense with a commanding mindset, to be able to make all the throws you need to make.”
Coaches put Tuttle and Bazelak in various game-like situations and times (such as two minutes and ball on the 30-yard line, or 47 seconds and ball on the 40-yard line), and see who has the most success
Allen calls it “move-the-ball periods.” He says it’s, “just playing real football; it's not scripted.
“Just see who is able to move the football and run the offense.”
Tuttle is in his fourth season at IU, and while he’s learning the new offense, he’s proven what he can do as a Hoosier, which includes a huge victory at Wisconsin in 2020.
“Jack is so competitive and such a great preparer,” Allen says. “He is doing a good job of learning; where to get his eyes, where to make the throws. Running the system from the holistic perspective is where I'm seeing growth there, which is what you want.
In two seasons at Missouri, Bazelak threw for 5,084 yards and 23 touchdowns while completing 66.4 percent of his passes.
“With Connor, just the quick-release ability,” Allen says. “You're seeing the growth in the mastery of the system because he hasn't been here as long as Jack, but the bottom line is throwing catchable balls.
“One thing that sticks out about Connor is that he can throw a catchable ball. That is really the key. The completions are what you're looking for.”
Coaches evaluate every practice throw, including whether they come against the No. 1 or No. 2 defense.
“We are charting everything: completion percentage, accuracy, whether it's dropped, all to get a fair assessment of where guys are at,” Allen says.
Assessment includes leadership.
“When you have a competition like this,” Allen says, “you don't have one guy that is always addressing the team. They're both doing that in their settings.
“Guys are looking to see (Tuttle and Bazelak) be those leaders in those situations. I see progress without question, but am anxious to see the first scrimmage. That is really where you'll get the most reps of just pure playing football.”
In terms of the quarterbacks’ understanding of the offense, Bell says, “From an overall system knowledge, we're so much further along. As elementary as this sounds, you talk about the A, B, Cs of certain concepts, and then eventually through repetition you start to learn some D, E, Fs. To be able to start with the D, E, Fs, as we're on our way to the X, Y, Zs is a nice thing.
“They have done a really nice job. They're both handling this competition incredibly well. They both help each other. They're always good teammates because they're both good human beings on top of being really good players.”
Bell is also optimistic about Williams, who has yet to play as a Hoosier after missing all of last season with a knee injury after redshirting in 2020.
“Dexter is going to be a really good player someday," Bell says. "I'm really impressed with the improvement he’s made between spring and now.
“All three of those kids are doing everything they possibly can to win and compete for the job.”
And that’s no mystery.