IU Coach Kevin Wilson is using his team’s early bye week as an extension of preseason preparation before hitting a critical six-game stretch that starts with Bowling Green on Sept. 13.
Wilson shined some light on the backup quarterback situation and the current state of his passing game Wednesday.
Covington moves to quarterback, backup job uncertain
Former defensive back turned quarterback Chris Covington took the final snap of IU’s 28-10 win against Indiana State last Saturday and is now working to climb the quarterback depth chart, Wilson said.
Wilson said Covington still isn’t 100 percent after a knee injury last fall and still has catching up to do while learning the quarterback position.
During practice, he stands with coaches and is quizzed on the signal call, the snap count and is asked to call the play. But he won’t see any significant practice time until he is fully healthy, which Wilson expects will be soon.
“We haven’t really turned him loose yet,” Wilson said. “I think we’re about a week or so from saying, ‘OK, you can take the gloves off.’”
Wilson was given the hypothetical question by a reporter of what he would do if junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld had to miss playing time Wednesday, but Wilson didn’t give any new insight on the backup quarterback job.
“We’d just play with 10,” Wilson joked. “Take a knee. Take a timeout. You get three timeouts. That’s three calls.”
Wilson fine with passing game despite early struggles
Despite junior quarterback Nate Sudfeld attempting only 18 passes and passing for only 111 yards, Wilson said Sudfeld “played kind of good.”
“(Indiana State) tweaked some things in coverage where with a couple concepts we didn’t have a complete enough plan,” Wilson said.
Wilson has been publicly pushing Sudfeld in camp to bring his play to the next level.
He wants to see Sudfeld and the offense, which featured a number of rookies getting playing time at receiver, continue to improve during practice throughout the season with the starting job resting squarely on his shoulders.
“We need that group to continue to practice at the level where there starts to become that trust and timing that you need,” Wilson said.
IU is using the early break in the schedule as a preseason build-up of sorts, making corrections from the Indiana State game and trying to be fully prepared for the team’s Sept. 13 game against Bowling Green.
Bowling Green quarterback injured
Bowling Green, IU’s Sept. 13 opponent, lost junior quarterback Matt Johnson for the remainder of the season after he suffered a hip injury in the Falcons’ 59-31 loss to Western Kentucky.
Johnson came into his junior season highly touted after finishing seventh in the nation last year in yards-per-attempt. He posted a 25-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio, giving him the No. 11 ranked passer rating in the FBS.
Against IU last season, Johnson threw for 248 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception in what ended up being one of his worst games of the season.
Redshirt sophomore James Knapke is expected to start in Johnson’s place this weekend and could be the starter against IU in two weeks.
