Column: Sudfeld can lead the offense

It was going to be another summer of reading between the lines and over-analyzing to determine who would be the starting quarterback for IU this season.

It appeared it might be a season of playing two quarterbacks each game.

As recently as Thursday, IU Coach Kevin Wilson still said neither junior Nate Sudfeld nor junior Tre Roberson stood out as a clear No. 1 quarterback.

Well, Tre Roberson made the decision for us.

Roberson’s surprising announcement that he will no longer be suiting up for the Hoosiers has put the job in the capable hands of pocket passer Sudfeld.

It is a shame Roberson is leaving, but it is relieving to know who the IU quarterback will be this fall.

There has yet to be any indication of whether Roberson is leaving because it appeared it was becoming Sudfeld’s spot, or if he was tired of competing and felt he could start elsewhere.

Nonetheless, I am happy with the quarterback that will be representing the Hoosiers this fall.

Nate Sudfeld is “the guy.”

Sudfeld can run an offense. In my opinion, Roberson can just be a great piece of an offense.

The key fear with Sudfeld is that he can look like a superstar against bad defenses, but struggles to figure it out against any real competition.

Examples: He threw three interceptions against SEC East champs Missouri.
He was 14-30 against Michigan State, 8-19 against Michigan and 9-22 against Wisconsin.

And Missouri was the only one of those games he threw more than 150 yards.

Roberson looked strong in games where Sudfeld struggled.

The difference is, Roberson is able to use his overall athletic ability to make something happen when facing defenses that are overall better than IU’s offense.

Roberson was not running a great offense, he could make some good plays out of the bad situations.

That does not make him a better quarterback or a guy who can carry IU to wins against better teams.

It is the equivalent to when Chris Bosh would put up large numbers with a bad Raptors team.

Sudfeld can run an offense that flows perfectly. He can be “the guy.”

Roberson can make some great plays and be the jack-of-all-trades, but the master of none.

Things didn’t work out perfectly for Tre Roberson.

A former Indiana Mr. Football, he was the first freshman starting quarterback in IU history, but a broken leg delayed his career.

Sudfeld did not waste the opportunity to catch up to him during the past two years.

Roberson was a big signing for IU at the time, but it might be best for everyone.
Because now the Hoosiers know who they are.

brodmill@indiana.edu