Tuesday, April 8, 2008

Hoosier spring practice

No I'm not talking about basketball. Hoosier football spring practice is in full swing, and with a new offense nonetheless.

The new Hoosiers, for now without starting quarterback Kellen Lewis, have switched to a no-huddle scheme. New QB Ben Chappell led the team in the first spring scrimmage, throwing for 137 yards and a touchdown. The team ran 60 plays, according to IUHoosiers.com.

Is this a good thing? Well if Lewis is not coming back for a while, the Hoosiers need an offense that can fit a non-mobile quarterback with a suspect offensive line. The virtue of the no-huddle is it makes defensive substituting difficult. And if the Hoosiers can keep those big defensive ends off balance just a little bit, they should have a slight advantage.

Lewis always was a threat to run, especially if the pocket broke down. Now the Hoosiers need something else to keep the defense honest. We'll see if this works.

Another scrimmage is scheduled for Friday.