'I Played Pitter-Patter Too Long': Walt Bell Addresses Play Calling, Quarterbacks

Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell called a conservative game for inexperienced quarterbacks Brendan Sorsby and Tayven Jackson in Week 1 against Ohio State. Bell thinks both have bright futures, and Friday's game against Indiana State is a chance to prove that.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana offensive coordinator Walt Bell faced a daunting challenge Saturday: Dissect a powerful Ohio State defense with two quarterbacks who lacked any true college football experience.

In short, it didn’t go well.

Indiana lost 23-3, and its offense generated just 153 total yards, split nearly even between passing and rushing. As Bell walked off the field Saturday, he said he told head coach Tom Allen that his No. 1 goal was to stay in the fight and make it a 60-minute game, especially given the matchup’s history.

In Allen’s first six full seasons, Ohio State led Indiana at halftime by a combined score of 171-65, good for an average deficit of roughly 29-11. On Saturday, thanks to strong red zone defense, an interception by Phillip Dunnam and a few clock-churning offensive drives, Indiana trailed Ohio State at halftime 10-3. It easily could have been closer. Only 24 seconds separated each team’s time of possession, and Bell was exactly where he wanted to be and halfway to his goal of making it a 60-minute game.

“We accomplished that, but we played pitter-patter too long,” Bell said Monday. “I played pitter-patter too long. At some point, you've got to go be aggressive.”

Bell’s conservative approach was based around the idea that two inexperienced quarterbacks weren’t going to beat the nation’s No. 3 team in a high-possession game. He didn’t want to put Brendan Sorsby and Tayven Jackson, who split reps 28-27, in a position to make a catastrophic error.

While the quarterbacks avoided catastrophe, there were not any major triumphs. At some point, Indiana had to take a few down-field shots and be the aggressor to have any chance at an upset. That never happened on a large scale, and Bell regrets some of his decisions early in the second half.

After Indiana’s defense forced a three-and-out on Ohio State’s first possession of the second half, Jackson remained at quarterback for Indiana. Facing 3rd and 8, Bell called a quarterback draw up the middle. Jackson burst through the line of scrimmage, but the down-field blocking wasn’t there to spring him free, allowing Ohio State to bring him down three yards shy of a first down.

Quarterback Kyle McCord led the Buckeyes on a 76-yard drive the following possession, but the Indiana defense bowed up when it mattered most to force a field goal. Trailing 13-3 with 6:42 left in the third quarter, the Hoosiers were still in the game.

After two runs that amounted to three yards, Jackson took a shotgun snap at his own 28-yard line. He zipped the ball just outside the left hash, but Kamryn Perry kept running and fellow receiver Donaven McCulley stayed near the boundary.

“Maybe that’s why we haven’t seen more passing,” CBS broadcaster Brad Nessler quipped.

Bell called it a miscommunication and took ownership for the miscue.

“That's coaching. That's not on them,” Bell said. “We've got to make sure they understand the plan and that they're doing right.”

Following two, quick three-and-outs by the Indiana offense, the defense started to wear down and Ohio State took advantage. To cap off a six-play, 88-yard drive, Ohio State running back Miyan Williams plowed ahead for a three-yard touchdown that put the Buckeyes up 20-3 with 1:42 left in the third quarter. And that was the dagger.

Allen said after the game Indiana definitely played more conservative than it will moving forward, but that will require continued improvement from the quarterbacks. Sorsby completed 8-of-16 passes for 58 yards, zero touchdowns and zero interceptions. He picked up an 11-yard gain with his feet early on, but finished with negative two rushing yards on six attempts, factoring in sacks.

Indiana entered Week 1 knowing it would start Sorsby but also play Jackson. Both will get a chance against Indiana State on Friday, too, with Jackson starting and Sorsby coming off the bench. That was the plan Indiana decided on during fall camp, according to Allen.

Allen and Bell agreed that Jackson and Sorsby have similar skill sets, which makes game preparation simpler because the quarterbacks don’t require two distinct plans. Bell said Jackson is a better “foot athlete” than one would expect, given his 6-foot-3 frame, and Indiana originally recruited Sorsby because of his physical running style.

Expect Indiana to continue option looks with both Jackson and Sorsby, as Bell said the scheme makes things easier for young quarterbacks in the passing game because it limits the defense.

“[The defense is] always going to have somebody inside and outside the quarterback and somebody for the pitch,” Bell said. “What that does is it creates a back-end structure the majority of the time that is much simpler to see in the throw game.”

Friday’s matchup against Indiana State appears to be an opportunity for Sorsby and Jackson to build some confidence after playing an Ohio State defense filled with NFL talent. Indiana State lost 27-0 at home to Eastern Illinois last week and was 2-9 in 2022.

Despite their performances against Ohio State, Bell remains optimistic about the futures of both quarterbacks. He said Monday he wouldn’t be surprised to one day see Jackson and Sorsby in the NFL. If that’s the case, it’s time to give the young quarterbacks a chance to let it fly against Indiana State.

“I know that's a heaping amount of praise that they may not live up to, but they're both really talented,” Bell said. “They both earned the right to have an opportunity to play. That and the fact that they're so young, you really don't know until the lights go on. We've all seen guys that get better, we've all seen guys that kind of become a shell of who they are. And I don't think either one of them did that, so we've got another game to look at and we'll keep evaluating as we go."

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