Indiana’s offensive line rotation will continue in its Week 8 road matchup with Rutgers on Saturday.
Fresh combinations – both in personnel and coaching – have been tested along the offensive line, but Indiana is still searching for the right mix more than halfway through the season.
The constant shuffle started in Week 1 when right tackle Matthew Bedford tore his ACL, and West Texas A&M transfer Parker Hanna stepped in. Hanna has been less reliable than the 28-game starter, Bedford, and redshirt freshman Josh Sales has rotated with Hanna throughout the season. Two weeks later, in pregame warmups against Western Kentucky, starting center Zach Carpenter injured his thumb. Redshirt freshman Caleb Murphy, who entered the season as the third-string center, started the first two games of his career in Weeks 3 and 4.
Carpenter returned to action when Indiana traveled to Nebraska, but his thumb injury hindered his ability to snap the ball. He moved to left guard, and Mike Katic took over at center. The only constant along the offensive line in 2022 has been left tackle Luke Haggard, who has started Indiana’s last 18 games after transferring from Santa Rose Junior College. Tim Weaver has started all seven games at right guard, but he frequently rotates with redshirt freshman Khalil Benson.
“I don't think we've still settled in on that top or that best five yet, as we go through this year with coach Carey going into [his] Week 2,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said. “But definitely moving forward with that, and that's something we're always talking about."
Indiana fired offensive line coach Darren Hiller following a 31-10 loss to Michigan that featured seven quarterback sacks and an unreliable run game in Week 6. Indiana coach Tom Allen promoted Rod Carey from quality control to offensive line coach and run game coordinator before the Maryland game. Allen said he’s seen a step in the right direction from this group since the change, but the rotation will continue.
“Our o-line has had another good week working together,” Allen said. “Working extremely hard, which I love that about that group and the way they've pulled together through all this.”
Sales and Benson, although young and with plenty of room to develop, are two players that stand out to Allen in particular. Out of Southaven High School in Mississippi, Benson joined Indiana as a three-star recruit and the No. 46 guard in the class of 2020, according to the 247Sports Composite. He tore his ACL during 2020 fall camp and did not appear in any games in 2021.
Sales arrived at Indiana as a three-star recruit and the No. 60 offensive tackle in the class of 2021 out of Brownsburg High School in Indiana. He was named to the 2020 Indiana All-USA Super Team, and did not allow a sack during his senior year, according to the IU roster. Both Sales and Benson are listed at 6-foot-6 and over 300 pounds, already rivaling the fifth-year senior Bedford in size.
“I see their role growing," Allen said. "We really like those guys. They've continued to get better each and every week. Obviously they're young, they're both redshirt freshmen, but they're big athletes who care a whole bunch, work really really hard.”
Indiana’s offensive line has a tough matchup against a Rutgers defense built to stop the run. The Scarlet Knights allow 91.7 rushing yards per game, the third-fewest in the Big Ten behind No. 4 Michigan and No. 18 Illinois. On the flip side, Indiana’s run game is among the least productive units in the country. At 83 rushing yards per game, only Iowa, Temple, Colorado State, Boston College and Akron generate fewer yards on the ground.
For Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell improvement in this area comes at the point of attack, and it’s an 11-man effort. Bell also wants to attack defenses on the edge, supplementing Indiana’s run game with perimeter screens.
“Until we can do that at a highly-functional rate,” Bell said. “We're not going to be as powerful as we could be, so that's a daily pursuit.”
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