It's official: Ben Chappell enters spring ball as starting QB.

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Mar 24, 2009 12:43 PM EDT Comment 9 comments

Bill Lynch announced on Monday that Ben Chappell, who started several games last season, will be the starting quarterback. Redshirt freshman Adam Follett and redshirt sophomore Teddy Schell will gets some reps at quarterback as well. Kellen Lewis, IU's all-time leader in touchdown passes, one of only seven quarterbacks to start a bowl game for IU, will be a wide receiver, although he surely will be involved in some trickery related to his passing ability.

While the move may be designed to end a quarterback controversy, that controversy will likely rage for months, particularly if IU has a bad start. This is eerily reminiscent of Cam Cameron's decision to start Tommy Jones in the opening game of 2001 with Antwaan Randle El as a WR/gimmick. The game (a nationally televised ESPN Thursday night game at NC State) was a disaster, Lee Corso staged an on-air intervention targeted at his former player Cameron, and Randle El was back at QB the next week. Unfortunately, Randle-El was weeks behind, and IU dropped a home game to Utah before righting the ship and finishing 4-4 in the Big Ten, but out of the bowl picture because of the 1-2 nonconference record.

Bill Lynch certainly has more skin in the game than any of us. A bad football season will ruin a few Saturdays for fans, but Lynch's career is on the line. Another season as horrific as 2008 almost certainly will cost him his job, and any sort of losing season will create some pressure. Still, it's hard to understand the rationale. Lewis struggled last year. He didn't adjust well to the absence of James Hardy, and after he was suspended for spring practice, he never seemed to catch up. Even in his much better 2007 season, Lewis had major fumbling problems. But I think this move overestimates IU's ability to go head-to-head, position-by-position with other Big Ten teams. If the recruiting rankings are any measure, IU is #10 or #11 in the conference in overall talent. Certainly, that can be combatted in any number of ways: experience, fundamentals, hard work, scheme, and so on. But another way to combat that talent differential is with a dual threat quarterback like Kellen Lewis, a capable passer who can turn a busted play into a 40 yard gain. If you were Rich Rodriguez, or Brett Bielema, or Ron Zook, and were coaching a team with more talent than IU but probably not a championship-caliber team, which would concern you more: preparing for IU running a traditional offense with Chappell at QB and Lewis at WR, touching the ball maybe 6 or 7 times a game; or with Kellen Lewis at QB, touching the ball on every offensive play? If I were a coach, I would cross my fingers regarding trick plays, but would much rather play an IU team trying to win straight up with a drop-back passer.

Lynch says this:

"The biggest difference in our offense is that we're going to be more of a downhill running football team," Lynch said. "I think that fits us better if Kellen isn't back there at quarterback."

With what offensive line? Last year's sieve? With what running back? I like Bryan Payton, and have heard good things about redshirt freshman Darius Willis, but was there any evidence last year that IU can be a "downhill running team"?

I hope that I'm wrong. I hope I'm wrong about IU's talent level, about the capacity of the O-line to improve, about the skill set of our running backs, about what the threat of one or two trick plays a game will force defenses to do with Lewis at WR. But I have a hard time believing this move will be for the best.

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Got to agree with you there

I remember when they moved Randle El. Even as a Purdue fan I thought it was stupid. I can tell this is not going to end well.

A futile crusade to prevent mass ignorance

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by BoilerTMill on Mar 24, 2009 3:01 PM EDT reply actions

Agreed

I cannot imagine how IU is going to be a down hill running team. Even when we made a bowl game after the 2007 season we made it with great skill position play. During the bowl game the announcers mentioned that our skill position players were good and could compete with Oklahoma State, but we were not on par with their line play on either side of the ball. Taking our best, or at least in my opinion best, skill position player and putting him in a position where he does not touch the ball as much as he did before seems to counter intutative to me.

The other part of this equation that does not make sense is the direction that NCAA football has moved. There is more and more of the spread offense and seems to me (keep in mind that I am not a football coach, nor have I ever been) that Lewis would be the superior player in this style of offense that has been so effective throughout college football. The key part to the spread offense is being able to get the ball into the hands of your skill players as much as possible, no matter the position on the field, including the threat of the QB running. With Chappell as the startng QB there is not much much of a threat of him running. Football is a copycat sport, see the Wildcat in the pros and the spread in college, and IU would be smart to employ a system that has worked for other more successful programs.

Seth
www.thesports-guy.com

by Sports By Seth on Mar 24, 2009 10:08 PM EDT reply actions

Why?

I really do not understand Bill Lynch’s approach to the offense.

In my opinion, Kellen Lewis (when healthy) is hands down our best option and 1000 times more fun to watch. The shared QB role doesn’t appear to be effective the way we use it. And while Lewis at WR might be interesting sometimes, he really needs to have his hands on the ball at QB. And if I see that Stunt Run garbage one more time in inopportune situations, my head will explode. We do some sort of stalled interior run/QB sneak thing that makes me want to vomit. Either run the ball, run the option, or the occasional sneak/scramble, but that stunt has got to go when defenses just feast on it.

Bill, Kellen is a senior and a hell of an athlete. We have athletic receivers and this could be a high potent offense. Stop playing flip a coin with the QB. Chappell is not the answer this season.

I hate to say it, but Fred Glass, watch closely this season, very closely, you might have to flex your AD powers sooner then expected.

I really, really hope I’m wrong here, but this could be a disaster waiting to happen in a season when we really need (and could have) a big turnaround.

by XLI on Mar 25, 2009 9:48 AM EDT reply actions

For what it’s worth, Lewis is listed on the roster as WR, not WR/QB, and the plan seems to be to give him no reps at quarterback this spring. When healthy, available for spring practice, and with a great WR, Lewis posted one of the finest seasons in IU history. Now, even if Chappell and Follett turn out to be flops, an in-season switch to Lewis seems impossible, given the revamped offense that he will not have been running as QB.

I realize there is only one James Hardy, but I thought Demarlo Belcher, as a true freshman, showed glimmers last year of being that kind of player. Lewis hit him on the “Hardy fade” for at least one TD last year.

I’m not really objective on this issue. I’m a huge Kellen Lewis fan. I Ioved the whole story, how Hep found him the summer after his senior year after IU lost a quarterback, the comeback he led against Ball State, the huge game against Iowa in 2006, the huge game against Iowa in 2007. It killed me to look at the roster yesterday and see WR next to his name. I can’t believe we’re doing this.

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Mar 25, 2009 10:28 AM EDT up reply actions

OTP's thoughts on the matter

As a group of people who watched Lynch at BSU while we were there, suffice to say, we aren’t a fan of his. Even taking into account our dislike, this is an absolutely awful decision.

http://overthepylon.blogspot.com/2009/03/indiana-university-lynchd.html

http://www.overthepylon.net

by OverThePylon on Mar 25, 2009 12:41 PM EDT reply actions

Interesting.

If only Bill Lynch were as good as Tubby Smith, an objectively above average coach who just wasn’t Rupp/Pitino good. Other than that, it’s really hard to disagree with much of what you say.

But hey, you guys just hired a coach with a 2-30 record as a Division I-A head coach. You may want Lynch back before too long.

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Mar 25, 2009 1:16 PM EDT up reply actions

Perhaps.

But I’ll take my chances with what Stan has coming back than what Lynch continues to bring in.

http://www.overthepylon.net

by OverThePylon on Mar 25, 2009 2:38 PM EDT up reply actions

Remember....

Not that long ago, IU football was really, really fun. Fun to watch, fun to go to games, fun to just think about, and that was with a 4-7 record in 2005. (Dang that UK game was a great time) Then they went to a bowl game in 2007, and I had never realized IU football could be so exciting. (The Rock as Starr kicked that field goal, and all the Hoosier fans in the desert)

Then last year, the shenanigans started. They are still continuing this year, and now I’m wondering….Is there an intentional effort by people in the program (Lynch, Lewis, Middleton, whoever) to bring the program down? How could they so plainly see what was successful in 2007, and then go completely in the opposite direction ever since then?

I have no hope for the coming football season, and it is way too depressing after tasting a wee bit of success.

P.S. Go Lady Hoosiers! NIT Quarters! Take down Illinois State!

by Hoosier_Hound on Mar 27, 2009 12:39 AM EDT reply actions

Well, everyone involved has every incentive to do what’s best for the program. I just think Lynch is overthinking it. Certainly, there could be some circumstances where moving Lewis to WR would make sense, including if Chappell were truly an all-Big Ten caliber quarterback. I just don’t think he is. Even if I concede that Chappell is a more talented and versatile passer than Lewis, I’ve seen nothing out of Chappell that suggests that Chappell as a whole player is more dangerous than Lewis as a whole player.

Of course, if you buy the rumors, then maybe the coaching staff really wants Adam Follett to play. That makes even less sense. Even if Follett is the QB of the future, what are the odds that he is more ready to play this year than IU’s all-time TD pass leader?

I think Lynch is forgetting where he is. At a program like IU, there’s nothing wrong with gimmicks. A player like KL can level the playing field. Can Ben Chappell? Can Adam Follett, as a freshman?

by John M (The Crimson Quarry) on Mar 27, 2009 9:30 AM EDT up reply actions

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