BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – With two redshirt freshmen quarterbacks entrenched in battle for the spot of QB1 on the Indiana depth chart, head coach Tom Allen has circled certain dates on the fall camp calendar as potential tipping points that could help aid the decision he and his program must make.
Saturday scrimmages, or as they're referred to by Allen as their "preseason games," are the situations Allen has routinely placed the most pressure on. For Tennessee transfer Tayven Jackson and returner Brendan Sorsby, the opportunity to go live – albeit against their own defense and with no threat of being hit – could showcase their ability to manage game-like situations, move the ball in a variety of ways and make their case as to why one should leapfrog the other in the race.
The first of these scrimmages came this past Saturday inside Memorial Stadium, and according to Allen, neither QB out-performed the other enough to create separation.
"I would say no separation at this point," Allen told reporters on Wednesday afternoon. "I think the last couple of practice they have continued to grow, develop and kind of get past the installation part. We were still going through that going into the first scrimmage. That plays a variable."
Allen has mentioned in the past that the team likely won't make their decision public, but he'd like to have a decision made with some time to spare, likely around the time procedures switch from fall camp install and into game week preparation.
In deciding a quarterback between Connor Bazelak and Jack Tuttle last season, Allen mentioned that he'd like to have his decision made after the second of their fall scrimmages. With their second one on the horizon, Allen expects things to ramp up as more elements of the offense become natural and the progress is more player-base, not system-based.
"When you're just installing, you're trying to focus on the concepts every day," Allen continued. "You don't really get, on the other side of the ball, experiences – not really getting the best.
"We have two young quarterbacks, so when you have the whole install, it's hard. It really is. I think as you kind of zero in on what the call is going to be and that individual person, it helps a lot in the first practices and Saturday's scrimmage."
Although last fall camp was highlighted by a quarterback battle as well, the decision Allen makes this August could ultimately be more impactful in the long run, toting higher stakes than last season's. The youth and inexperience makes this decision tougher due to almost no previous precedent to go off of at the college level, but a correct decision could trend things forward for Indiana for multiple seasons to come.
The pressure is on for each of the potential week one starters, sure. Allen mentioned that it can be viewed as a positive to deal with the pressure of a battle for position, likening it to the preparation required to handle hostile environments and expectations when the bright lights come on.
"Do you have what it takes to be a quarterback at this level?" Allen said.
But there's also a sense of pressure on Allen and his staff, with so much uncertainty and question marks to begin with, that could either be alleviated or aggravated with a right or wrong decision.
That's not to mention the complexity of the situation that comes about when an ahead-of-schedule Dexter Williams II returns to game-ready form – someone who likely would be taking the first-team reps after the conclusion of last season had he not horrifically injured his knee in the season's final game.
These decisions are pivotal. Indiana can't make a decision out of haste, but they are nearing the midnight hour on alerting the team as to who their offensive leader will be for the first drive on September 2 versus Ohio State.
Allen likes both of his quarterbacks. Soon enough though, he'll have to decide which one he likes more.
"They are going through this process together," Allen said. "They're going to lean on each other throughout the season and lean on each other now on a weekly basis. I want to continue to see that. I think they can do a lot of good things."
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