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Spring football is over for Indiana but that doesn’t mean there isn't work left to be done. Tom Allen and the Hoosiers hosted a new event on campus called “Spring Football Saturday” an open practice for fans and a scrimmage to finish. The laid-back football atmosphere provided fans with a small taste of what the team could look like but as they finish out the school year and head into the summer, here are three things that stuck out to me about the first-ever “Spring Football Saturday”

1. Sorsby and Jackson's battle looks to be still in full swing

This is the question that everyone wants to be answered. Who will be the starting quarterback for Indiana in 2023?

The Hoosiers had three main quarterbacks in the same group on Saturday. Braden Sosrby, Tayven Jackson, and Broc Lowry. All three quarterbacks took reps with the offense during the scrimmage and although there were no official stats for the game, it seems to be that there is still a close battle between the redshirt freshman and the Tennessee transfer.

Sorsby was the first man out on the field when the scrimmage began. Sorsby led Team Cream Saturday afternoon and looked impressive. He was able to move the ball comfortably and I believe scored on every drive with his team. He worked the ball towards the outside but his passes were accurate for the entire hour long game. Sorsby seems to have played well enough this spring to keep his name right next to one of the biggest names the Hoosiers have had in awhile.

Jackson led Team Crimson and also looked good on his feet. There were no official stats for the scrimmage but just based on what I saw, I think Jackson took the most snaps out of the quarterbacks. He did have the lone interception of the afternoon but was also able to move the chains with relative ease. If we want to be technical, he did earn his first win as a Hoosiers as Team Crimson defeated Team Cream 25-17.

Regardless, Indiana will go into the summer with their quarterback battle still in question. Allen has been around both of these guys for a couple of months but he still will take some time to make a decision.

“To name a guy, no we are not going to do that yet,” Allen said. “They got a lot of work ahead of them. Summer camp is huge, and fall camp is massive…They can both throw it, they can both run it so that’s going to be a big part of what we want to be able to do is be able to take advantage of their skill sets and maximize our run game. So I think that the bottom line is going to be who's able to do that to the highest level, protect the football and move our team down the field.”

2. Carter looks fantastic

Western Michigan transfer Andre Carter looks to be the biggest force of the Indiana defense. He looked to be a part of the majority of snaps during the scrimmage and looks right in place. Indiana did not allow full tackles during the game but if they did, Carter would have had at least five sacks to his name.

According to Allen, Carter still has work to do during the summer but has fit well during his time at Indiana. For the past two seasons, Indiana has been led by Micah McFadden and Cam Jones, this year I have a feeling it is going to be Carter.

“He’s 270 pounds,” Allen said “He's the biggest most physical one we've had here since I've been here and very, very disruptive. Gotta get him in elite shape, he's not there yet but excited about him. He's a great kid. He's bought into everything we are about here… But you can tell what he can do so it's about the details of his technique that he’ll improve this summer but he’s a very good football player, glad he's with us now and he's got a chance to prove he belongs in the Big Ten.”

3. Allen will look to utilize the running backs more in 2023

Last year, the running backs room was inconsistent. A lot of pressure was put on Shaun Shivers during the season and with the high tempo offense that Indiana ran, the running game simply at times didn't work. Indiana has taken a new approach during the spring. They have added more dynamic plays in a way that allows them to use their backs in a different manner.

“I like that room a lot,” Allen said. “I feel like we have so more flexibility in there but we have to run the football. We have to run effectively…Huge emphasis without question.

Indiana’s offense last year didn't have enough force to push them through games but now heading into the summer, Allen seems to believe that this is the strong group on the offense.

“I think the running back room talking about offensively sticks out to me,” Allen said. “I love the way they work every day… that’s five guys that I really believe are really good football players that give us a lot of weapons."

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