They made the trip to Penn State. They dressed in full pads. They went out with the team for warmups.
But when the IU offense took the field Saturday, senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld and junior running back Jordan Howard remained on the sidelines. Their respective ankle injuries kept both of them out for the Hoosiers’ matchup with the Nittany Lions.
Without them, the offense failed to gain momentum and IU lost 29-7 to Penn State.
“We never stretched them out today,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We didn’t put any stress on their defense.”
In Sudfeld’s absence, sophomore quarterback Zander Diamont took his place behind center and completed 9-of-17 passes for 90 yards and ran for an additional 38 yards on 11 attempts. These numbers only converted to seven Hoosier points in more than a half of football.
IU started the game off with six consecutive pass plays and didn’t hand the ball off to a running back until the third drive.
And without Howard or a consistent pass attack, the run game combined for only 41 yards on 22 carries when Diamont’s scrambling numbers are taken out of the equation.
“When you cannot stretch the field or really strike the fear in them that you’re going to throw the ball, they can really function and load up,” Wilson said.
But those two injuries were not the only ones that halted the IU offense. Diamont went down with both a shoulder injury and concussion symptoms in the third quarter, Wilson said, and freshman quarterback Danny Cameron attempted to reignite the offense in his stead.
The score may have been 29-7 when the clock hit zeroes, but it was 19-7 through the third quarter.
The IU defense and special teams gave the offense opportunities with a fumble recovery and an onside kick recovery in the first half. Then the Hoosiers shut out the Nittany Lions from scoring in the third quarter.
The game remained in reach, but the offense struggled to find a spark without Sudfeld and Howard.
Cameron finished the game 6-of-16 passing for 65 yards, but he looked comfortable in the pocket and had many accurate passes dropped, like a pass early in the fourth quarter that went straight off senior tight end Anthony Corsaro’s hands and into Penn State cornerback John Reid’s hands.
“Danny did a nice job coming in,” Wilson said.
Wilson said the team waited throughout the week to see what Sudfeld and Howard could do before deciding whether or not to play them.
He said Sudfeld was available, but he was too limited in movement, and Wilson didn’t want to put him in harm’s way.
Junior receiver Ricky Jones, who finished with five receptions for 59 yards, said the injuries are not an excuse.
The team was in this situation last year, and should be more prepared for a 2nd- or 3rd-string quarterback. As a leader of the offense, he said the team needs to capitalize on opportunities the defense and special teams were providing.
“We have to step up,” Jones said. “We have to make plays, and right now, we aren’t doing that.”
Wilson echoed that statement, as IU has its homecoming matchup coming up next Saturday against Rutgers.
“We gotta find a way to create some points,” he said. “Because for a few weeks it’s not been as good as we need it.”
