Penix leads IU through highs and lows during first start, victory
Indiana trotted out its first freshman starting quarterback since 1998, in Mike Penix, and the experiment paid off in the Hoosiers' season-opening game against Ball State in Indianapolis.
When Tom Allen announced that redshirt freshman quarterback Mike Penix would be starting at quarterback, he also meant that he would be benching Peyton Ramsey, who had started at the position for IU during the entirety of Allen’s tenure as head coach.
The head coach emphasized that the promotion had little to do with where Ramsey fell short but mostly to do with the heights that he believed Penix could take the offense. That potential was on full display throughout Indiana’s 34-24 season-opening victory over Ball State at Lucas Oil Stadium on Saturday.
The second-year quarterback, coming off of a torn ACL suffered last October, completed 60 percent (24-for-40) of his passes for 346 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions.
“We talked to him about his decision-making, but at the same time, I just wanted him to keep growing and learning,” Allen said after the game. “You saw the upside that I saw throughout all of fall camp.”
There were no moments where that upside shone through more than when Penix connected with senior wide receiver Nick Westbrook for a 75-yard touchdown. Off play action, Penix took a deep drop, saw his target one-on-one with the Ball State safety and hurled the ball about 60 yards through the air.
“I knew Mike was ready to throw a bomb down the field because he’s just been waiting,” Westbrook said. “Fall camp is a whole month long, so I knew he was just waiting.”
Everyone was waiting. Most eyes were on Penix heading into the first game of the season. He represents a change from the conservative attributes the IU offense has conveyed in recent seasons, with his strong arm and his ability to run combined with the addition of new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer and his innovative resume. It’s been since 1998, when Antwaan Randle El started, that a freshman has lined up under center for the Hoosiers.
Indiana fans waited with bated breath every time Penix dropped back in the pocket, and he rewarded them with the touchdown that lifted IU to a 10-0 lead over Ball State.
That quickly came to a halt, though, as Penix threw interceptions to end two consecutive second quarter drives, one that resulted in a touchdown for the Cardinals and one that killed what would have been a scoring series.
“I just patted him on the head and said, ‘Hey, flush it,’” Allen said. “Didn’t give him a pep talk. Didn’t say anything negative. I just smiled at him and he smiled back. I believe in the kid.”
There is reason to believe in Penix outside of his big arm. He was intentionally put into as many situations as possible Saturday by DeBoer and the staff. He began with short-to-intermediate throws that worked him into a comfort zone, but throughout the rest of the game, he was executing a read-option that – to Sampson James’ dismay – drew the crashing blitzer to free up space for a first down run. Then he tucked the ball again on the next play and earned first down yardage.
When there was pressure, Penix, for the most part, brushed off the flailing limbs and incoming bodies to ut passes on his receivers. He wasn’t perfect in that regard. He missed Westbrook on a wide third down pass in Ball State territory because pressure was coming in from his right side. But he was effective for a redshirt freshman that received reps in just three games in 2018.
There were going to be highs and lows with Penix on Saturday. Mistakes were going to be made, as Allen later said. He was going to rush some plays and speed through his progressions and pull the trigger before plays fully developed, but he bounced back and far surpassed the 219 yards he totaled in his redshirt season.
“I thought he had a lot of poise,” Allen said. “He missed some reads. He missed some things that we’re trying to work on and trying to key, but that didn’t surprise me. You’re going to have some growing pains. Sometimes we knew when the ball was about to be snapped that it wasn’t the best situation, but he made something out of nothing sometimes. You saw his legs and how valuable those can be and the zip on the football. It’s elite. He’s got a poise about him.”
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