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Indiana's 45-14 loss on Saturday featured three quarterbacks, none of which being their planned starter for this weekend's contest vs. Ohio State.

Jack Tuttle, the steady constant who has served as Indiana's backup each year he's been here, got the start in place of a "dinged up" Connor Bazelak, the Hoosier starter all season long up until this point. However, after Tuttle left the game with an injury in his audition for potential suitors as he hits the transfer portal this season, head coach Tom Allen turned to his youth to try and lead the offense.

True freshman Brendan Sorsby was next in line to get some run before making way for redshirt sophomore Dexter Williams II, who finished the game out. While Sorsby or Williams II's outings didn't completely go the way they had probably hoped, Williams II was able to lead a scoring drive late in the game to score the second and final Hoosier touchdown of the afternoon.

So, although Bazelak is slated to be back this week, recovered from his injuries and slotted back into the starting role, Allen and his staff aren't ruling out the possibility for more quarterback rotation throughout the finale of the '22 slate.

"I would say that I saw enough from Dexter that I was very encouraged by the way he responded and the way he played," Allen said Monday. "I like the way he threw the football. Obviously had one poor decision, but I thought that (the way he) ran the football was something that we need, and can help us for sure."

Perhaps it was due to his injury history or the fact that Penn State features one of the Big Ten's best defenses, but Allen was hesitant to mention why Sorsby entered the game and seemingly jumped Dexter on the depth chart after that not being the case for most of the season. Yet, as the two each featured and got their run, it became evident rather quickly that Williams II should have been the guy all along if the Hoosiers were to dig that deep into their stable of signal callers.

There's a lot about the situation that didn't seem to make sense, and a lot that is still unanswered from the staff. Whether or not those answers ever come is probably a lost cause, but regardless, Allen might have seen the light in Williams II's performance on Saturday to give him more opportunities this season.

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"You try to maximize your entire roster," Allen said. "I think Dexter showed me that he's earned a right to be able to be out there. So that will definitely be a part of the moving forward equation, yes."

When offensive coordinator Walt Bell stepped to the podium, it's not surprising that many of his questions surrounded the topic of his quarterbacks. On Williams II, Bell was complimentary of his game and his progression so far, yet realized there's still an endless amount of room to grow.

"Dex went in and did some really good things, but there were also some really bad things," Bell said Monday. "He's got all the natural skills, he loves ball and he's studier, he's a worker."

Bell also quickly laid to rest any notions that Dexter's game is only physical.

"So many times you hear people talk about physical tools and then the assumption, the natural assumption is that, 'Oh, he must lack the mental aspect to it,' and that's just not the case," Bell said. "Dex is unrefined right now, we've got to catch up some of the other tools with the really sharp ones. But he does have a lot of ability, and he's gonna be a really good player for us moving forward."

In comparison to the other quarterbacks on Indiana's roster, his arm talent is on par, but it's his mobility that separates him from the rest. Especially behind the reeling offensive line that was once again shown that the concern for the position group is validated, having someone who is able to escape the pocket and extend plays to help receivers get open and elude pressure may not only be the best way for the offense to move the ball the rest of the season, but also the best bet at staying healthy.

Sorsby was sacked hard his first two snaps on the field. Bazelak missed the game with injuries likely sustained by constantly being knocked to the ground. Even a much more mobile Jack Tuttle than we've seen in the past couldn't stay out of harm's way on Saturday, the injury being the reason Sorsby and Williams II saw the field in the first place.

So, when asked if there's a situation that exists where Indiana could possibly utilize Dexter over Bazelak or force a change moving forward, especially with Allen's openness about the situation, Bell was short and sweet in his response.

"Yeah, I think that's, you know, kind of how the game has gone, you know, and what opportunities present themselves with what we're getting from the defense," Bell said.

Whether more rotation is actually on the way or if it's just talk and recency bias considering the elevated struggles of the Hoosier offensive unit, a move may do just as much to try and salvage anything from this season as it would to set up a possible future for the program moving forward.

Williams II, Sorsby, and Bazelak will more than likely all battle for the position heading into next season throughout spring ball and fall camp. With that in mind, it sounds like the battle may already be underway.

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