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The Hoosiers came into Columbus knowing they had their guy, Connor Bazelak, back at quarterback after missing last week's game against Penn State due to injury.

In that game, third-string quarterback Dexter Williams II came in to replace true freshman Brendan Sorsby who could only allocate six total yards after filling in for the injured Jack Tuttle who started the game.

Williams immediately showed his dynamic play-making ability, extending plays with his feet and showing off his strong arm. He gave a new gear to Walt Bell's offense. Many people instantly questioned Allen's choice to have Sorsby ahead of Williams on the depth chart.

After his up-and-down but still notable performance in Indiana's 45-14 loss to the Nittany Lions, Williams hadn't just cemented himself as the backup quarterback to Connor Bazelak; he cemented himself as someone who could compete with Bazelak for the starting job.

However, Allen decided to start Bazelak against Ohio State on Saturday afternoon. Despite his declining play over the past couple of weeks, the decision to stick with the season-long starter wasn't exactly a shock to anyone.

What was shocking, however, was how quickly Allen decided to pull the trigger on lifting Bazelak from the game and replacing him with Williams, giving the Missouri transfer only three drives to make something happen.

"The plan was to play Dex and see how things went with him," Allen said. "It was going to be dependent upon how he responded for how it would play itself out for the rest of the game. I thought Dex was moving the football, obviously, he took us down and got us in the endzone."

Allen elaborated on the "experience" that Williams got against the Buckeyes. He spoke on his sophomore's throwing game and also touted him for the ability to extend plays with his legs.

"It obviously takes pressure off your offensive line in both the passing game and the run game," Allen said. "It affects the hats in the box in the run game and how they fit those runs. Anytime you have a guy that can do both, it can help you, without question, as long as you throw the ball with a high enough accuracy."

Williams's game on Saturday was reminiscent of Donaven McCulley's first collegiate start against Maryland last season. The then-true freshman completed 14 passes on 25 attempts for 242 yards and two touchdowns. The future of the quarterback position looked to be in good hands for the Hoosiers.

The ensuing weeks saw such poor play from McCulley that he would eventually be benched. Allen made it known how displeased he was with McCulley's inefficient throwing game and reliance on his legs. Not only was Allen not comfortable trotting the Lawrence North graduate out the remainder of the season, but it also got to the point where McCulley didn't want to play quarterback at all.

Williams has shown a more dynamic arm than McCulley did last season. His 49-yard strike to Andison Coby on his first drive at quarterback set Indiana up deep in Ohio State territory. A willingness to stay in the pocket and not abort until absolutely necessary opened a few windows for Williams to strike through the air.

Similar to McCulley, Williams would target his tight end and find A.J. Barner for six on his first drive. Both of McCulley's touchdowns against Maryland were to former Indiana tight end and current Dallas Cowboy Peyton Hendershot.

"I was just happy for the opportunity to play when my time came," Williams said. "Did I think I would play the full game? No. But I was ready to play the full game."

Williams would later find McCulley for the receiver's first career receiving touchdown.

I would be shocked if Williams weren't chosen to be the guy for the rest of the 2022 campaign. The poor offensive line play is not as big of a glaring issue when you have a quarterback that can be mobile and extend plays, as Allen mentioned before.

Additionally, the scoreboard or stat book doesn't tell you the whole story of Williams' day. 6-19 with 107 yards throwing won't pop out at you, understandably. The 16 rushing attempts for 46 yards might.

He drove Indiana into the red zone multiple times, and twice the coaching staff chose to leave the offense on the field to go for it on fourth. It's the right call when you're playing a team like Ohio State; a team you're not supposed to beat. Unfortunately, Indiana turned it over both times.

If they had chosen to kick field goals in those situations we could be looking at a 56-20 score, which covered the spread and looks somewhat better than the actual final of 56-14, obviously.

"At the end of the day just getting in there and competing, playing; that's what the Hoosiers want to do," said Williams.

Barner and McCulley both were clear they would be comfortable with Williams under center through the remaining two games.

"He's a warrior, a competitor," Barner said. "I'm just glad he was able to show what he can do. It's something to build off of. He played well but I know he can play better."

"I always wanted to help this team," Williams said. "I didn't know which way it would be, whichever chance it was. Coach Allen called my name today, I went out there and I was ready to play."

Only time will tell who will start at quarterback against Michigan State next week. Indiana hasn't exactly been open about naming their starter early in the week, so I wouldn't expect an answer at Allen's Monday press conference. If it ends up being Bazelak, Allen should expect a fair amount of blowback from the media and his fanbase.

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