TERRE HAUTE, Ind. – The U.S. Lawns Fall Football Preseason continues as Indiana State football prepares for the upcoming September 1 kickoff against North Alabama.
 
The Sycamores will be breaking down the team throughout the fall camp toward the opener in Terre Haute with position-by-position group previews, as well as opponent previews. In today's edition, we take a look at the quarterbacks.
 
From the Coordinator
"We have plenty of potential in the quarterback room and some guys who can make plays. We want to have an offense that runs with an edge, but also hunts and takes some shots." – Offensive Coordinator Mike Bath on the quarterbacks.
 
Positional Breakdown
Returners: Cade Chambers, Michael Haupert
 
Additions/Newcomers: Evan Olaes, Gavin Screws, Anthony Garzolini, Dane Andrews
 
Things to Watch
QB Battle Continues
The Sycamores came into the 2022 Fall Camp looking at a quarterback battle and the competition has remained fierce throughout the entirety of the preseason. The battle has narrowed down to three quarterbacks continuing to take first-team repetitions as Indiana State zeroes in on their Week One opponent North Alabama.
 
The three quarterbacks currently battling include redshirt sophomore transfer Gavin Screws, redshirt freshman transfer Evan Olaes, and returning redshirt freshman Cade Chambers. Screws joined the Sycamores in the spring coming by way of Butler Community College after a standout 2021 campaign that featured him going for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns with the Grizzlies. Olaes redshirted in his freshman campaign this past season at Colorado State, but the left-hander was a three-star recruit out of Legacy High School in North Las Vegas, Nev. and posted 3,693 yards and 29 touchdowns over his final two seasons. Chambers is the veteran of the group and saw action in two games last season including reserve stints against South Dakota and Western Illinois.
 
All three continue to get ready for the upcoming season and could see time in the backfield throughout the 2022 season.
 
Veterans Return
Of the six quarterbacks listed on the roster, only redshirt freshman Cade Chambers and redshirt junior Michael Haupert have seen playing time with the Sycamores. Chambers was on the field twice for Indiana State in the 2021 campaign with relief efforts coming against both South Dakota and Western Illinois, while Haupert has been utilized in the Indiana State wildcat package over his time at ISU and has posted nearly 400 rushing yards and three touchdowns over his two seasons on the field.
 
Both quarterbacks are expected to provide veteran leadership for the group that features 67.0% of the players that were not on the roster in the 2021 season. Both players have lined up and taken snaps in the backfield throughout their careers and could see time on the field in a variety of ways this season as ISU continues to develop their scheme under new offensive coordinator Mike Bath.
 
Welcome to the Field
Indiana State welcomes two additional quarterbacks to the 2022 roster as the Sycamores continue to get ready for the upcoming year. True sophomore Dane Andrews and true sophomore Anthony Garzolini have been getting repetitions working with the ISU defense as the duo continue to help prepare the Sycamores for the upcoming year.
 
Andrews transferred into ISU this year after serving as the starting quarterback at Franklin College in Spring 2021. He posted 1,526 yards and 11 touchdowns, including a 463-yard, five-touchdown contest in his freshman campaign. Garzolini is a Terre Haute native with the South Vermillion graduate making the short journey to the Sycamores following a standout high school career. The 6-5 freshman posted 7,523 passing yards and 77 touchdowns over his high school career and his ability to let plays bring excitement toward the Sycamore future.
 
Numbers Watch
177.5 – Indiana State's passing offense averaged 177.5 yards per game through the air and posted at least 150 passing yards on eight separate occasions.
 
243 – Kurtis Wilderman threw for a season-high 243 yards over 21 attempts in the Sycamores' season-finale 15-10 win over Illinois State.
 
3 – ISU posted a season-best three passing touchdowns last season in a loss at Southern Illinois with Dante Hendrix (two) and Rontrez Morgan (one) both hauling in scores last season.
 
9.96 – The Sycamores averaged nearly a first down per completion last season with the Sycamores sitting just shy of 10 yards per catch in 2021. The number is expected to be higher in the first season under new coordinator Mike Bath as the quarterbacks look to utilize a deep receiving corps and challenge downfield.
 
Position Group Interviews







 
2022 Indiana State Football Season Tickets On Sale
For more information on Indiana State 2022 football tickets, fans can contact Assistant Manager of Athletic Ticketing Austin Bishop by phone at 812-237-8972 or via email at Austin.Bishop@indstate.edu. Fans can also call 877-ISU-TIXS or email ISU-Tickets@indstate.edu.
 
Fans have the opportunity to also buy or renew season tickets online by clicking HERE. Fans will also have the option to get their season tickets printed for an additional $5 charge.
 
Follow the Sycamores
For the latest information on Sycamore Football, visit GoSycamores.com. You can also find the team on social media, including Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. Fans can also receive updates on Sycamore Athletics by downloading the March On App from both the App Store and the Google Play Store.