Indiana Football: Time For a Change at Quarterback?

After Saturday's performance, it's easy to point to the negatives of Indiana's offense with Bazelak under center. His 54.8 completion percentage ranks 13th in the Big Ten, and he leads the conference with nine interceptions. At times he's looked unstoppable, leading a few clutch touchdown drives against Illinois and Western Kentucky. But he's been woefully inconsistent each week, depicted perfectly by his performance against Rutgers.

If Indiana wants to make change to Jack Tuttle or Dexter Williams for the sake of change, go ahead. But it won't change much, if anything, moving forward. It might even make things worse. 

Tuttle has been at Indiana for four seasons, and he's never won the starting job. He knows he won't be Indiana's starter in 2023, so he announced intentions to transfer after the season. Tuttle's most memorable performance as a Hoosier came in a 14-6 win at No. 16 Wisconsin on Dec. 5, 2020 when he completed 13-of-22 passes for 130 yards and two touchdowns. 

Tuttle doesn't bring anything Indiana is missing with Bazelak, either. He's a career 55.9 percent passer and was never a great deep-ball thrower. Similar to Bazelak, Tuttle lacks mobility to evade pass rushers behind Indiana's shaky offensive line. Indiana experienced major personnel turnover at wide receiver, and Tuttle has never thrown to them in a game situation. 

The other option some called for is redshirt sophomore Dexter Williams, the current third-string quarterback. Williams redshirted during the 2020 season, and tore his ACL in the spring of 2021. He arrived at Indiana as a three-star recruit and the No. 34 dual-threat quarterback in the class of 2019, and Indiana coaches have recognized his upside.

"He's gonna be a really good football player," Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell said last week. "Just from a reps standpoint in practice, especially at this point in the year as reps get smaller, not only for him but for everybody, you've gotta make the most of those concentrated periods. He prepares every day, he studies every day, and he's gonna be a guy that has a chance to be a really good player when called upon."

Williams appears to have the mobility that would give Indiana's offense a different wrinkle compared to Bazelak or Tuttle. But throwing him into the fire against Penn State and Ohio State is a daunting way to start a college career for a young quarterback. 

Throughout Indiana's five-game losing streak, it's clear that problems run deeper than the quarterback position. The defense is allowing over 400 yards and 30 points per game, and only Temple, Akron and Boston College, among FBS teams, run for fewer yards per game than Indiana. Indiana made changes with Josh Sales and Khalil Benson starting on the offensive line, but the productivity of that unit is still a concern.

At this point in the season, reaching bowl eligibility appears impossible following missed opportunities against Maryland and Rutgers. Indiana would have to win three of its next four games, and it would take more than a change at quarterback to pull off those kinds of upset.

Allen often preaches accountability, and starting someone else at quarterback would hold Bazelak accountable for his recent play. It won't, however, change the trajectory of the 2022 Indiana football season.