BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - Tre Roberson watched Nate Sudfeld dazzle Indiana’s coaches all spring.
It was Roberson’s turn Saturday.
The junior quarterback ran 65 yards for one touchdown, threw 16 yards on a scramble for another and hooked up with Shane Wynn for completions of 56 and 59 yards, leading the cream past the crimson 24-14 in Saturday’s annual spring game.
A year ago, the big question was whether Roberson could regain his form after missing most of 2012 with a broken left leg. Having a full offseason to focus on football, rather than rehab, has changed everything.
“It helps a lot with helping to be myself,” he said. “Last year, I was a little slow in thinking, so it helps out a lot.”
Roberson certainly looked the part, going 10 of 22 for 176 yards with one TD and one interception and running seven times for 66 yards and a score.
Selling coach Kevin Wilson on a full-time starter after rotating quarterbacks the last three years won’t be easy - especially with Nate Sudfeld in the mix.
He appeared to have the better spring, but wasn’t his usually efficient self Saturday. Sudfeld finished 29 of 40 for 273 yards with one touchdown but was picked off twice and stopped on downs twice. He take the crimson 92 yards for a score in the first half and hooked up with Myles Graham on a 12-yard TD pass midway through the fourth.
Here are five others notable things from Indiana’s spring game:
INSIDE-OUT: The 5-foot-7, 167-pound Wynn has been mostly an inside route-runner his first three seasons in Bloomington. Now Wilson is trying to take advantage of Wynn’s speed by moving him outside and perhaps all over the field. If he plays like he did in the spring game, he could be a tough matchup for anyone in the Big Ten. He had five catches for 141 yards and the TD.
DE-FENSE: Fans got their first real glimpse at what that new 3-4 defense will look like. But rather than showcasing its full array of blitzes, Indiana went essentially vanilla Saturday. The good news was that the two defenses combined to force four punts, intercepted three passes and allowed just 38 points total.
RUN HEAVY: After spending most of the past decade throwing the ball out of the spread offense, Indiana put a heavier emphasis on the run Saturday - and could put a heavier emphasis on the run in short yardage and goal-line situations in the fall. Offensive coordinator Kevin Johns likes the fact that Indiana now has two or three running backs who can “pound the ball.”
SLOW DOWN: The Hoosiers did not run plays at their usually frenetic pace Saturday. But that’s not expected to be the case next season.
NICE TOUCH: Before the game started, Sudfeld threw a ceremonial pass to receiver Isaac Griffith - marking an emotional end to Griffith’s spring. Less than a month earlier, he nearly drowned after getting caught in a rip current off the Florida Gulf Coast. Two of his teammates and a third friend pulled the unconscious Griffith out of the water, saving his life. Griffith has been cleared to run but isn’t likely to practice until the Hoosiers report in August.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.