Column: It's time for Sudfeld to start

The stage was set for sophomore quarterback Cameron Coffman to finally put a stranglehold on the starting quarterback position, which would put an end to discussion about controversy at the position.

The moment presented to Coffman couldn’t have shone any brighter.

With two minutes remaining in regulation and his team trailing by one point, Coffman was poised and ready to lead his team to a dramatic, come-from-behind victory.

Then, in a matter of seconds, the air was let out of IU’s tires.

Coffman rolled to his left, fired the ball into a crowd and watched as it sailed into the hands of a Navy defender, ending any hope the Hoosiers had of securing their first victory since a 45-6 demolition of Massachusetts last month.

IU Coach Kevin Wilson, a man rarely unsure of what to say in any given situation, was seemingly dumbfounded by what had transpired just minutes before he met with the small group of media personnel outside the visitors’ locker room.

“I don’t know what he saw,” Wilson said in reference to Coffman’s interception. “We can ask him.”

The uncertainty evident in Wilson’s statement, along with an offense that suffers through intermittent stagnant stages, has intensified the flaming speculation that freshman Nate Sudfeld will usurp Coffman as the Hoosiers’ starting quarterback.

Give proper credit where it is due, though. Coffman was forced into an unexpected role as starting quarterback when sophomore Tre Roberson was lost for the season with a broken left leg during the game against Massachusetts.

Coffman has thrown for 1,320 yards while completing 63.6 percent of his passes.

Despite the flashy numbers, the Peculiar, Mo., native has disappeared when the offense has needed him most, particularly against Navy.

There isn’t a concrete explanation for Coffman’s struggles in crunch time. As Skip Bayless would likely say, “He lacks the clutch gene.”

That’s where Sudfeld comes in. The freshman hailing from Modesto, Calif., has provided the Hoosier offense with a nearly indescribable swagger this season, having completed 31 of 50 pass attempts for 434 yards and five touchdowns while maintaining a zero in the turnover column.

His efforts in four appearances this season have warranted Sudfeld an opportunity to start against Illinois on Saturday, a move Wilson has been reluctant to discuss in recent weeks.

It’s high time for a change, though.

With Sudfeld taking the snaps from center, the Hoosiers might not find their winning ways. But the 6-foot-5-inch, 218-pound freshman will provide a change of pace to an offense desperate for a solid, consistent leader at quarterback.

The players and coaches will tell you a change at the position isn’t necessary and that the kinks will smooth themselves out, but don’t let the coach speak fool you.

IU currently sits with an overall record of 2-5, with a 0-3 mark in conference play.

Any spark will be useful at this point in time.

Sudfeld might be the spark the Hoosiers have been searching for.

­— ckillore@indiana.edu