Tuttle’s exit cracks offense, rotating quarterbacks unable to repair damage
Things were going well for Indiana under quarterback Jack Tuttle in the beginning of the No. 5 Ohio State matchup. He and the offense responded to a 7-0 deficit against Ohio State during their first drive, gaining 75 yards and tying the game.
More importantly, Tuttle converted in the red zone with a 7-yard touchdown pass. In a press conference Monday, offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan emphasized that failing to score a touchdown in the red zone was plaguing the offense.
Although IU was able to capitalize on its first opportunity, Tuttle was struck hard after the touchdown pass. His absence left the Hoosiers looking for a replacement to continue the pressure on the Buckeyes’ defense.
After the game, Allen said Tuttle was suffering a lot of pain. The X-ray results came back negative, but Tuttle still needs to undergo an MRI.
“Without him in there, it just wasn’t quite the same,” head coach Tom Allen said in the press conference after the game.
Backup quarterbacks Donaven McCulley and Grant Gremel had not obtained a first down by the time Tuttle returned from the locker room halfway through the second quarter. From then on, IU appeared to crumble, as nothing was working despite attempts to rotate the three quarterbacks.
The student section, full of life before the game, faded steadily by halftime, akin to how the offense steadily lost yardage.
The statistics after IU’s first drive showed each team with 75 total yards. By halftime, the Hoosiers had only 54 yards, marking a loss of 21 yards with no first downs. Meanwhile, Ohio State dominated IU with 334 yards and five touchdowns.
Although Tuttle returned to the game before halftime, he did not take a single snap in the second half. Instead, McCulley primarily took over with Gremel occasionally substituting in.
“There were some times it felt like when Donaven was a little bit rattled,” Allen said. “Grant obviously is a guy that can throw the ball but that was never a thought going into the season.”
Gremel walked on to the team in 2019, didn’t see any action in 2020 and made his collegiate debut in the 54-14 win over Idaho.
Regardless of who was under center, Ohio State’s defense attacked with severe pressure. Tuttle and McCulley were sacked twice and Gremel was sacked once. On top of that, Ohio State’s defense had 14 tackles for loss.
The Ohio State fans chanting loudly in Memorial Stadium toward the end of the third quarter was a reflection of Ohio State’s overwhelming offensive powerhouse; the Buckeyes outgained IU 539 to 128 in total yards, while scoring six more touchdowns.
The three quarterbacks combined for 80 passing yards while completing less than half of their throwing attempts. Tuttle’s touchdown was IU’s only score in the game.
Going into next week’s matchup against Maryland, there are many uncertainties for IU including whether or not McCulley will start and if the offensive struggles will continue. The Hoosiers will enter the game 2-5 after suffering their fourth consecutive conference loss.
----
• Talk about it inside The Hoops Forum or The Football Forum
• Subscribe to our podcast on iTunes
• Follow us on Twitter: @IndianaRivals
• Like us on Facebook.