Indiana fires coordinator after offense stalls again

Adam Rittenberg, ESPN Senior WriterOct 1, 2023, 02:03 PM ET
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- College football reporter.
- Joined ESPN.com in 2008.
- Graduate of Northwestern University.

Indiana fired offensive coordinator Walt Bell on Sunday, a day after the team failed to score more than 17 points for the third time against a major conference opponent.

Rod Carey, who had worked as a quality control coach and also as an offensive line coach since joining Indiana’s staff in 2022, will take over as coordinator. Carey, an ex-Indiana offensive lineman, is the former head coach at Northern Illinois and Temple, where he went 64-50 with seven bowl appearances.

Indiana ranks 111th nationally in scoring offense at 20.8 points per game. The Hoosiers had only three points in their opener against Ohio State, 14 against Louisville and 17 in Saturday’s lopsided road loss to Maryland. Bell, the former UMass coach who joined IU in 2022, oversaw an offense that finished 98th nationally in scoring last season.

“I felt we need a new direction on the offensive side of the ball,” Indiana coach Tom Allen said in a statement. “Rod brings a wealth of experience and success along with a familiarity with our personnel. I wish Walt and his family the best moving forward and thank him for his contributions to our program.”

Carey last served as an offensive coordinator at Northern Illinois in 2012, when the Huskies won the MAC championship and went to the Orange Bowl. He was promoted to head coach after Dave Doeren left for NC State and coached the team against Florida State in the Orange Bowl. Northern Illinois ranked 12th nationally in scoring that season.

Indiana, which fell to 2-3 on Saturday, is off this week before visiting Michigan on Oct. 14.