NOTEBOOK: Allen Expects ‘Great Things’ from Jackson, Sorsby
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - The summons came without fanfare.
Tom Allen wanted to see Tayven Jackson and Brendan Sorsby in his office.
A nine-month quarterback battle that was competitive and friendly had reached its Sunday conclusion and Allen, unlike previous competitions, wanted to tell both at the same time.
Jackson was the starter. Sorsby was the backup. Both needed to be ready every week.
“We've got two quarterbacks who can successfully lead our program and do great things on game day,” Allen said during Monday’s media availability.
“I’m excited for Tayven’s opportunity. I’m excited for Brendan to be in his role. Together they’ll do great things for us.”
Allen said the decision came down to picking the quarterback, “who would allow us to be our best on game day.”
That was Jackson.
Because both are redshirt freshmen with limited college experience, Allen used a two-game evaluation period -- a loss to Ohio State, a win over Indiana State -- along with spring practice, summer workouts, and fall camp.
Jackson came out stronger, but it was close, Allen said. Sorsby might have practiced better, but ultimately game performance made the difference.
“I think Tayven plays better than he practices in some execution things,” Allen said. “Some guys are like that. When the lights are on and the pressure’s on, you’ve got to make throws and make plays when people are in your face and you’re getting hit.”
Jackson got hit against Indiana State, and was knocked out of the game for a play when he got the wind knocked out of him, but came back to play well, as did Sorsby.
“Tayven needed to have game-day poise and execution,” Allen said. “You’ve got to do it on game day. That’s where the final piece of the evaluation was for me.”
Allen and offensive coordinator Walt Bell waited until after they had evaluated the Indiana State game film before making a final decision.
“We needed to get a full-game evaluation to see, who moves the ball down the field and scores points,” Allen said. “That’s what it comes down to. There’s a field presence you have during games. There’s nothing like the ebbs and flows of the game, the motion of a game.
“Both guys can score points at a high level. It was close, but this is where we are.”
Jackson has the statistical edge. He completes 73.1 percent of his passes for 260 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s rushed for 20 yards.
Sorsby completes 53.1 percent of his passes for 166 yards, no touchdowns, and no interceptions. He’s rushed for 26 yards.
Bell again said both players have NFL potential.
“At the end of the day, we have two good players,” he said. “You have to figure out who the guy is and who you give the chance to. Both are talented. We’re excited to move forward.”
Jackson said after the Indiana State game he had no idea he would win the starting job, but that wasn’t his main concern.
“I walked off the field happy we got a win. It was the first win since I’ve been at Indiana. It was a cool feeling.”
On Sunday, Jackson and Sorsby still didn’t know who had won the competition. They had lifted weights, attended team meetings, and gone through a walk through when they were summoned into Allen’s office.
“Coach Allen told us what his plans were,” Jackson said. “He told us we have to stick together. In Week 5, somebody could go down and somebody has to be ready.”
Readiness resumes Saturday against Louisville (2-0) at Indianapolis’ Lucas Oil Stadium, and Allen likes his quarterback situation.
“I’m excited about the decision moving forward.”
IU (1-1) faces a potent offensive Louisville team that averages 47.5 points a game with impressive balance. It’s thrown for 593 yards and rushed for 571.
The Cardinals are coached by Jeff Brohm, the former Purdue head coach in his first season at his alma mater. They shut out Murray State 56-0 last weekend after opening the season with a 39-34 win over Georgia Tech.
Brohm, a former Louisville quarterback, is known for his high-powered offenses, first at Western Kentucky, then at Purdue.
“We’re familiar with Coach Brohm and his staff,” Allen said, “personally as well as what they do.
“They are a good team. They have a lot of talent. A lot of athleticism. They’re a physical team that plays really hard.”
Brohm’s staff includes Mark Hagen, the former IU football standout and assistant coach. Hagen is the co-defensive coordinator and defensive line coach.
“We’re excited about this opportunity to develop as a program, grow this team, and get better,” Allen said.
Redshirt junior cornerback Nic Toomer has had a strong start to his IU career after transferring from Stanford. In two games, he has six tackles, an interception. and a pass breakup. His end zone interception against Indiana State helped the defense hold the Sycamores to zero points (the visitors scored on an interception return).
“He’s done a great job,” co-defensive coordinator Matt Guerrieri said. “You can tell if a guy is battle tested, especially in early season games. Nic has that presence. You can tell he’s played significant snaps.
“He’s elevated his game with the way he competes. He’s physical. He has length. You saw his range with the way he intercepted the pass. He mixed it up with perimeter run support and edge control. I’m pleased with Nic. I expect that to continue.”
Added Allen, “Nic has continued to play well. I’m encouraged by his progress and learning our system.”
IU’s new Takeaway Belt continues to be a big hit as the Hoosiers continues their takeaway emphasis.
The belt was the idea of husky Noah Pierre, who worked with redshirt freshman running back Declan McMahon, the grandson of WWE executive chairman Vince McMahon. The family gave IU the pro-wrestling style belt during fall camp.
“It’s pretty cool,” Allen said. “When they brought it to me, I was like, ‘Holy smokes.’ It's legit. It's heavy. It's big.
“The guys love it. It’s another way to have some fun with it. But more than anything since I've been here, takeaways on defense is a huge emphasis. That's how you win games.”
So far, the Hoosiers have two takeaways -- interceptions by Phillip Dunnam against Ohio State and Nick Toomer against Indiana State.
“We only got two,” said Allen, who shoots for three per game. “That’s not near enough. We’ve got to get more takeaways.”
IU made a huge offensive jump from the Ohio State game to Indiana State, going from three points and 153 total yards to 41 and 558.
While a major reason was the talent difference between the Buckeyes and the Sycamores, the Hoosiers execution was substantially improved.
“We played better,” Bell said. “There’s still plenty to clean up. We’re nowhere near close to perfect. We left a lot of routine plays on the field. We’re still not at our best. Moving forward, we have to be the best versions of ourselves.”
IU offensive preparations include fine-tuning its attack to maximize a solid group of running backs and receivers behind an improved offensive line.
“Whether it’s college or the NFL,” Bell said, “you have to find out what your matchups are, and who can win.
“Whatever it takes for us to win, play fast, play slow, throw, run, whether there’s an option to it, whatever we have to do to win, that’s what we’ll do.”
Two games into his IU co-defensive coordinator role and Guerrieri is exactly what Allen wanted when he hired him last winter to replace the head coach as defensive play caller.
“I trust him,” Allen said. “That trust is earned. I trust him as a person first, which is why I hired him. I think he's a high-character guy who is a hard worker. He’s going to do things to represent us in a first-class way on and off the field. That means a lot to me.
“I wanted to bring someone in to learn our stuff and then add to it. That would allow us to really take this where I knew I needed to take it to.
“He's very thorough, extremely bright, a humble guy who listens to his assistants.”
IU held Indiana State to just 93 total yards. That’s the second fewest it has allowed since at least 1996, topped only by the 75 yards allowed to Rutgers in 2019. Guerrieri said he doesn’t set yardage goals before a game.
“I want guys to play as hard as they can. I’m a process guy. Is there a higher level to this defense? Yes, there is.
“We reward the things our guys do well. We point out this is what we have to do better.”