Junior running back Jordan Howard’s first spring lasted about as long as IU Coach Kevin Wilson’s ?goatee.
Brian Bennett of ESPN reported Tuesday that the UAB transfer has a hyperextended elbow and could miss the rest of spring football. As unfortunate as this is, spring football is for evaluating question marks.
Howard is not exactly a question mark. He rushed for 1,587 yards for a Blazers team that was eligible for a bowl game last season. So as frustrating as it is that we will not be able to watch Howard play football until September, there are other interesting storylines to focus on during the April 18 Cream and Crimson game.
IU was 4-8 last season — let’s remember that. There is a quarterback returning from surgery, a secondary that got dominated by nearly every passing attack and a receiving corps that dropped balls last fall like Derek Jeter drops ?girlfriends.
Let’s take a look at the most interesting storylines now that Howard is out.
For starters, how does the rest of the running game look?
There are a lot of interesting pieces in the IU backfield, even without Howard. There is sophomore running back Devine Redding and his luscious dreadlocks. He looked great in IU’s landmark win at Missouri with 49 yards on 10 carries and will likely earn major time this season.
Tevin Coleman was not your everyday running back. He would break unfathomable 90-yard runs, but he was not as much of a five-yards-at-a-time runner. While Redding is no Coleman, he is more of your prototypical back that has a balance of power, size and shiftiness. He, like Howard, is good at moving the chains in the flow of an offense.
I am also interested to see walk-on freshman Alex Rodriguez, who has been getting a lot of acclaim for his toughness lately and freshman Tommy Mister. Mister was granted a medical redshirt last season but was labeled as a Coleman-type breakaway runner in high school.
The passing game as? a whole
The return of senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld is the story — not a doubt about it. But the overall passing game is what I will be focusing on. As mentioned before, many of the receivers struggled at times to hold on to the ball towards the end of the season. I do not think that is necessarily indicative of the wide outs’ abilities, but I want to get a look at the connection between quarterbacks and receivers.
How is the timing? How are the receivers getting open?
IU Offensive Coordinator Kevin Johns said no one guy has separated himself at receiver, but he has several guys he is confident with and are improving.
Sudfeld will only be the quarterback for one team in the scrimmage, which means backups such as sophomore Zander Diamont and freshman Danny Cameron, among others, will get time. Diamont added some weight in the offseason, and the coaches rave about his progression from his first game to now.
Cornerbacks attempt? to grow
As written about yesterday, sophomore Rashard Fant is dedicated to becoming an elite corner. He has been adding weight and has the right attitude. I would argue the cornerback position has the most to prove this season. Every other area has some reason for confidence. Cornerback was arguably the weakest position on the team last season.
Tim Bennett and Michael Hunter are gone; now it is time for Fant, returning senior Kenny Mullen and sophomore Donovan Clark to try and make the jump. Fant and Clark have a lot of talent, it is just a matter of if they can show it on the field.
Whoever goes against Sudfeld will have a difficult task, but more importantly, it will be a good indication of how far they have come.
Jordan Howard will not be around, but the question marks are plentiful this spring.
brodmill@indiana.edu
