For three-and-a-half quarters, Indiana University quarterback Michael Penix struggled.
There was rust.
There were balls that sailed.
There were moments where the signal caller struggled.
“We just adjusted. First game, wish we could have hit some of those targets early. I kept telling receivers we were going to connect, stay 1-0, stay positive whole game,” Penix said.
But there was also belief.
After all, Penix was made for moments like these. Offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan talked about it, telling the media during the week that the moment would not be too big for Penix.
With 1:42 remaining in the fourth quarter and Indiana trailing Penn State, 28-20, Penix went to work.
He hit wide receiver Whop Philyor on first down, and following a sack and incomplete pass, he stepped up and hit Javon Swinton on back-to-back passes to put the Hoosiers down inside the PSU 20-yard line. Following a 14-yard pass to Jacolby Hewitt, Penix had Indiana down to the PSU 5-yard line for a first-and-goal before calling his own number from a yard out for a touchdown.
After a Penn State timeout, Penix went back out and converted the two-point-conversion, knotting the game at 28-28.
However, he was only getting started as he would be called upon to lift the Hoosiers. And, did he ever.
With ice in his veins, Penix hit Philyor for a 9-yard touchdown pass and then was able to extend out fully, getting the ball to the pylon as Jaquan Brisker applied a hit, lifting Indiana to a 36-35 overtime victory that was assured after a lengthy review by officials.
“In my mind, I knew I scored. I just knew and made sure I gave everything I had,” Penix said. The win was the first over a top ten ranked opponent since Oct. 10, 1987 and first at Memorial Stadium since 1967.
Penix told the media that staying positive and keeping a 1-0 mindset was what he did, along with taking advantage of the opportunity.
“It was an opportunity to go out and show everyone what the Indiana Hoosiers were all about," Penix said. "I couldn’t let the team down and the guys down. Can’t count us out. We preach finish, and the guys made plays and we made sure we finished. It was a relentless effort the whole way and the offense stuck together."
While Penix believed, the same can be said of his head coach, Tom Allen.
“I am so proud of this football team. I had confidence in our offense. He (Penix) showed a whole lot. He didn’t play very well the majority of the game, and hasn’t played football in a long time. He took some shots, showed toughness, overcame some drops, miscues and little things, and when it counted, he made a play," Allen said. 'That’s what great players do. He scored, got the two point conversion and got them again. That’s why he was voted captain. I believe in him,"
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