Football team ready for spring game

With spring practice ending, here are five things to watch for in the spring game:

Quarterback battle

Right now it appears sophomores Edward Wright-Baker and Dusty Kiel are competing for the starting job. The two quarterbacks will likely be placed on separate teams in the spring game, so whoever performs better may have a leg up going into the offseason.

Neither player has been available to the media since early in the spring, and IU coach Kevin Wilson said he is no closer to naming a starter.

Wright-Baker and Kiel made brief appearances in five games last season, but with an entire new offensive philosophy in place, the starting job is up for grabs.

When asked if he had a timeline for naming a starter, quarterbacks coach Rod Smith said, “When’s the first game? The week before is when we’ll name a starter.”

Secondary

Particularly, senior cornerback Andre Kates. Kates was suspended before the Northwestern game last season due to critical tweets and didn’t play in another game. The junior college transfer is back with the team now and ready to make an impact.

On Sunday, keep an eye on how much Kates plays, how many good plays he makes and how many times he gets beat. While one scrimmage doesn’t mean a whole lot, the spring game could be a tryout of sorts for Kates.   

The battle between wide receivers and the secondary should also be interesting. A core of Tandon Doss, Damarlo Belcher and Terrance Turner dominated the Hoosiers’ secondary a year ago, but only Belcher returns from that group. Can the cornerbacks and safeties finally hold their own?

Wilson’s new offense

What will he run? How often will he use the tight end? Will he go with five wide receivers?

All of the questions should be answered Saturday. Wilson probably won’t reveal all of his formations, but fans should get a good idea of how the offense will look in the fall.

Defensive energy

We know co-defensive coordinator Mike Ekeler has plenty of energy, but will his defense match it on the field?

The Hoosiers have to be better than the team that gave up 34 points per game last season.

Nick Turner

With Darius Willis still out due to injury, Turner has a big opportunity to show he deserves more carries.

The Southport High School (Indianapolis) grad carried the ball 28 times for 157 yards last season, but 67 of those yards came on one carry against Wisconsin.

Turner was used sparingly as a speed back in 2010. He added some weight in the offseason — he is now up to 187 pounds according to the team’s website — and wants to prove he is an every-down back.
With Willis’ injury history, he may have to be.