It wasn't supposed to be this way.
Not after Indiana quarterback Michael Penix did everything in the offseason to get his body in shape for the 2020 season and paid close attention not to put himself in harm's way of taking unnecessary hits so he could stay on the field.
But, with one play, all that changed.
In the third quarter of last week's game against Maryland, Penix scampered 21 yards downfield and when he went out of bounds, he appeared to trip over his feet and landed awkwardly. Head coach Tom Allen admitted he didn't think anything of it until he saw Penix stay down and slap the turf inside Memorial Stadium.
For the third time in as many seasons, Penix's season had been cut short with an injury that was initially described as a "lower-leg injury."
On Monday, Allen confirmed the worst -- Penix had torn his ACL, the same ACL he tore as a freshman.
As he struggled to keep his emotions at bay talking about Penix, who leaves as the Big Ten's leading passer in terms of yards, Allen talked about the characteristics that will allow Penix to come back from another season ending injury.
“It attacks the core of who you are and how you are going to respond truly to things that happen that just don’t seem fair and there isn’t a really good answer for why. And that’s the case here,” Allen said. “You just basically fall back on what you believe in, you fall back on your faith, you fall back on your family, you fall back on the people that care the most about you. And you battle. You fight. You don’t back down.”
Penix was enjoying his best season with the Hoosiers, as the redshirt sophomore had thrown for 1,645 yards and 14 touchdowns. He had the pylon plunge on the two-point conversion against Penn State and 342 yards and three touchdowns against Michigan, lifting the Hoosiers past the Wolverines for the first time in 24 tries. However, his greatest efforts came in a loss at third ranked Ohio State, as Penix threw for a career high 491 yards and five touchdowns as Indiana fell just short, 42-35 against the Buckeyes.
It appeared as if all the injuries that robbed Penix of his seasons at Indiana were behind him, as he was garnering national attention and Indiana fans were putting his name and Heisman in the same sentence.
Gone were the memories of the torn ACL as a freshman and the multiple injuries as a sophomore, including a collarbone injury that ended his season.
However, all that changed Saturday, prompting Allen to tell the media this week, sometimes there are just no words to describe the pain.
“I hurt for him, I do. I hurt really bad,” Allen said. “Sometimes there’s just not any words. I don’t have any magic things to say. I just want to love on him and be there for him and pray for him and support him in every way possible and help teach him through this," Allen said.
However, Allen said Penix will learn what kind of man he is in how he responds.
"That’s what this is about — is the kind of man you’re becoming through the experiences that life throws at you, and especially ones like this that are so hard … it’s about perseverance and passion towards a long-term goal,” Allen said.
Penix's former high school coach, Jayson Roberts, agrees with Allen, telling TheHoosier.com that he was "heartbroken" when he heard the news.
"I was heartbroken when I heard the news. I was watching the game and feared it was that or an Achilles since he went down with no contact. I know how hard he worked to originally come back from the first injury," said Roberts, who added the worst injury Penix had was sore ribs that he played through for a few weeks in high school.
Roberts said he is "confident" Penix will be back in uniform for the Hoosiers next season.
"I am 100 percent confident in his ability to come from this," Roberts said. "He's mentally strong and a guy who plays with a chip on his shoulder. When I do talk to him, I would just tell him God doesn't make it easy for the ones He has blessed the most. I would tell him he is special and your story will be one to inspire others."
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