Indiana football offensive line a ‘quiet group that’s confident’ and Bob Bostad looks to unlock it

There is no hiding it. No questioning it. The Indiana football program saw massive struggles over the past two seasons from its offensive line. Whichever way you look at it, that group entered this offseason with the biggest need for improvement.

Following an early exit from former offensive line coach Darren Hiller, Rod Carey took over the group to finish off the season. While Carey is still on staff this year, that position was only temporary.

Tom Allen knew in order to turn around the disappointment that was 2021 and 2022 it needed to start where football is won — in the trenches. He went out and secured one of the best hires of his Indiana career, bringing in Wisconsin offensive line coach Bob Bostad.

His reputation preceded himself. Nine NFL draft picks, including three first-rounders were on Bostad’s resume. Wisconsin averaged at least 200 rushing yards in each of Bostad’s five seasons as run game coordinator, and led the Big Ten in rushing during three seasons.

The Indiana offensive line was quite the opposite of what Bostad had built in Madison. The Hoosiers ranked in the bottom three in total rushing in each of the past two years and gave up 67 sacks in that same timeframe. That was second worst in the Big Ten over that span behind Iowa (72).

So, as Bostad begins his first fall camp with the Indiana football program, he has a tall task ahead of him. But it’s one he is ready for.

“We’re just starting all over,” Bostad told reporters on Wednesday. “When you go into this in the beginning, I have a certain way I coach a play … we have so many other things right now. Building some confidence and having some success, we’re trying to get to that.”

While the Indiana offensive line has struggled, it’s now a group that has been together for quite some time. It’s a veteran group, something that with a few small changes to technique can change quickly.

“Bob has been a tremendous track record in our conference. I already feel like we’ve gotten better, certain things that he’s brought,” Indiana football head coach Tom Allen said at Big Ten Media Day. ” … Got several guys that play a lot of football at that position for us. I’m excited for that group to lead us on our way on offense.”

Despite Bostad not being with the program for the past two years, he’s excited about the group he has and understands that experience is sometimes all you need.

“We have some guys who have played a lot of football,” Bostad said. “We have a quiet group that’s confident that have done some good things. It’s there, we just have to put it all together.

“I’m not trying to put the cart ahead of the horse right now. We have a lot of other things to do, so let’s just slowly build this thing together and get it done. But I like the approach. I like the attitude. I like the willingness. Those things are all there. ”

One key returning piece for Bostad and Indiana is Matthew Bedford. Bedford, who suffered an ACL injury in the season opener last season, is full-go this fall. His leadership is critical for the Hoosiers and something they missed last season. He has 28 starts in 29 appearances and has at least three starts at every offensive line position outside of center.

“Getting Matt Bedford back is huge,” Allen last week. “Losing him week one was a big blow to us; he was our best offensive lineman. He’s back now 100 percent which is exciting. I’m very excited for him. I think the whole group needs to be able to mesh with them. He’s been with them all spring, being able to bring in his thoughts and ideas, the toughness he brings, the attention to detail, the way he coaches them, and just the relentlessness of the way he approaches offensive line play.”

Whether you’re old or young, and no matter how detail-oriented Bostad is, one job remains intact for him and his group. Do your job — protect the quarterback and help the running game.

“Whether you have a veteran guy or a young guy, you have to protect the quarterback, that goes without saying. You’ve gotta be productive in the run game so you have some manageable down and distances, and all those things that go together,” Bostad said. “So yeah, we’ve got a young guy (quarterback) and we can take a lot off of his plate and be good when we’re trying to run the ball and shorten down his play list and say ‘hey here are some things you have to be good at to move the chains’ …”

While Wednesday was a good start, one day won’t change the narrative with this unit. Not until Sept. 2 when they take the field against Ohio State.

But for now, Bostad likes what he sees.

“We’re running around in our underwear our there, but I like what I see so far.”