Samuel Johnson Shines in Spring Debut

[Piercewise1]

(BLOOMINGTON, IN) The questions about Indiana’s 2024 quarterback situation had been circulating for months. Should @Piercewise1 play the established veteran, or turn things over to the promising young recruit? Is the team focused on winning this year, or developing for the future? It’s a debate that raged in magazine columns and online forums, in grocery stores and barbershops, all across the state. 

On Friday, Samuel Johnson needed only 60 minutes to end that argument for good.

In his first game as a Hoosier, the redshirt freshman threw 5 touchdown passes to lead Indiana to a thrilling 1-point victory over Northern Illinois. It was his 4th scoring drive in the second half and his 2nd touchdown pass in the final four minutes of regulation. In total he completed 28 of his 44 passes for 298 yards. 

Johnson has been a fan favorite ever since he committed to Indiana in Pierce’s first season. The team has featured a revolving door at quarterback, trotting out a new senior starter in each of the last 3 years with variable success (Aaron Gossett was above average in 2022; Michael Miles…was not). Many hoped that Johnson would finally put an end to the carousel, and were upset to hear that his first season of eligibility would feature an open competition with senior Jusuf Ebner. The latter’s performance in the first spring game against Ole Miss (going 15-32 with a touchdown and 2 interceptions) did nothing to quell their grumbling. 

After a mistake-free but uninspired beginning, Johnson made his first big play when he hit Tyler Looney for a 26-yard touchdown pass down the right sideline with only seconds remaining in the half. The gutsy play brought Indiana to within 3 and provided a huge boost going into the locker room. In their first possession of the 3rd quarter, the team drove 83 yards in only 6 plays, highlighted by a 46-yard bomb to Troy Thomas. The final 4 yards came on a screen pass to Mike Bradley, and Indiana had its first lead of the game. 

Johnson’s biggest mistake came later in the quarter, when a pass intended for true freshman J.J. Pilaf was picked off and returned to the Indiana 1-yard line. 3 plays later the Huskies reached the end zone to take a 23-14 lead. But Johnson recovered in the 4th, leading scoring drives on all three of the team’s possessions. He found Troy Thomas on a couple of short touchdown throws and, with only 0:48 seconds remaining, tossed a screen pass that backup RB James Whitt turned into a 5-yard score. Despite missing the 2-point conversion, the team survived with a 34-33 win. 

Being a spring game, this result won’t show up in the standings for this season. And technically coach Pierce hasn’t made a formal announcement about the depth chart for the team’s final matchup. But Johnson’s performance is a huge relief for Indiana fans who have been waiting for a true QB of the future to show up in Bloomington and bring consistent, high-level play to the program.

Hopefully, that wait is over.