Indiana redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Penix returned to the field Saturday in East Lansing, and even though the Hoosiers lost 40-31, the offense seemed to find a path toward an identity through Penix's arm.
Indiana head coach Tom Allen said he and his staff don’t want to play any player that isn’t ready to play, so redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Penix was sidelined for two games before he got the start in East Lansing on Saturday. And when it came to proving he was ready to play, he did that and then some.
In a game where Indiana was expected to be limited on the scoreboard and in field position, Penix flipped the script and guided the Hoosiers to 31 points despite receiving the ball at his own 22-yard line on average.
Indiana lost another close game to a top-25 opponent – something that’s become familiar to the program in recent seasons – but Penix showed that the offense can lean on his arm to drive the ball down the field.
“The biggest thing was to just do what he did in this environment with just a couple games under his belt and really nothing similar, in regards to the opponent or on the road,” Allen said after the 40-31 loss. “We just felt like he was ready.”
There were indications that Penix might not be ready. He had only participated in practice “a little bit” before Connecticut and then was active and throwing during practice last week but didn’t practice every day, Allen said. The staff wasn’t even sure if he’d last the entire game in East Lansing. Allen said Peyton Ramsey was ready to take over if need be.
But Penix was ready, and he lasted the entire game, to the fortune of the Hoosiers’ offense.
Much of the offensive production was rooted in Penix’s arm, from his 33-for-42 efficiency, to his rushing touchdown in the second quarter, to the new schemed attack to get the ball in space instead of punching it through the line. Penix elevated the offense in every facet that involved him.
It was evident in the throws he made, throws that haven’t been made in the program for some time. Throws like the one he made to Donavan Hale across his body for 28 yards while under pressure. Or throws like the half-lined, half-lofted toss from the right hashes to the left corner of the endzone. Even the throw he made on 3rd-and-9 in the final three minutes of the game to keep Indiana’s hopes alive, which extended a drive that was capped by a touchdown pass to Whop Philyor.
Those were the obvious throws, but his arm strength and accuracy was evident in other ways too, such as getting the ball outside the numbers quickly or even just in the chest of his receivers a split second quicker to give them opportunities to shake defenders. Philyor opened up with Penix in the game – 14 catches, 142 yards, two touchdowns.
Indiana was able to avoid the Michigan State front seven with that gameplan, and with those short-to-intermediate passes came the success on the ground, as Stevie Scott was able to find some seams once the Michigan State front was stretched horizontally.
“Catch and throw – that’s what we preach,” Penix said. “We’re out there just playing our hearts out.”
It’s clear that this is what Indiana’s offense is going to look like for a majority of the 2019 season, as IU lost its best offensive lineman for the season and wasn’t particularly impressive on the front before that injury either.
But with that strategy and the arm that the staff felt best executes it, Indiana made a top-five defense look less stellar. The Hoosiers compiled 356 total yards Saturday against a defense that only allowed an average of 254 per game and eclipsed the averages allowed in passing and rushing as well.
While Indiana will certainly want to rush for more than 70 yards in future contests – still an impressive number against the Michigan State defense – the Hoosiers finally seemed to step foot on a path toward an identity on offense, and it’s through Penix’s arm.
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