My Two Cents: Once Penix Hits His Stride, Indiana's Offense Takes Off in Win over Rutgers

Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. got off to a slow start for the second straight week, but once he got rolling, there was no stopping Indiana's offense in a 37-21 win over Rutgers.

Tom Brew | Nov 1, 2020

PISCATAWAY, N.J. — The list of superlatives to describe Michael Penix Jr. can get pretty long, and you've heard it all before about Indiana's standout quarterback. The redshirt sophomore from Tampa has a huge arm, he's a great leader, and he has an off-the-charts quarterback IQ.

But his best trait? Or at least his most important?

It just might be the fact that he has a very short memory. Nothing that's happened before ever seems to bother him.

That was clearly evident in Saturday's 37-21 victory over Rutgers in the swamps of Jersey. The No. 17-ranked Hoosiers validated their big win over Penn State from a week ago, and Penix was a big reason why. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for another, passing for 238 yards with no turnovers. Rutgers forced seven turnovers last week in its upset win at Michigan State,

The numbers are fine, but how Penix did it was even better.

Penix and the Hoosiers' offense was a touch rusty a week ago, not doing much at all until a game-tying drive late in the fourth quarter. And Saturday's game started the same way, with Penix starting out just 3-for-10. There were three drops, but there were also a few passes that barely missed their mark.

And it didn't bother Penix one bit. There was no stress, no concern, no panic. He knew it was coming, and when it did, the Hoosiers went wild, scoring on seven of their next nine possessions. His favorite target, fellow Tampa native Whop Philyor, had 137 receiving yards and tight end Peyton Henderson had six catches, two for touchdowns.

They're coming.

“I feel like we were on today. It was complete execution from the offensive side of the ball,'' Penix said. 'Guys were just making the simple plays, going out on each play and doing what (offensive coordinator Nick) Sheridan called.

"Coach Sheridan called a great game. All we had to do was execute and that is what we did today.”

Michael Penix Jr. (9) scans the defense during Saturday's win over Rutgers. (USA TODAY Sports)

There's no denying that Penix had to shake off some rust early in the season, because he hadn't played a game at full speed since early November a year ago. He started six games a year ago, but finished only three, getting knocked out with an injury against Eastern Illinois, Maryland and Northwestern.

And that brings us back to that short memory. He lost his freshman year to an ACL injury in his first career start, and he couldn't stay healthy last year either.

Does that even come into play at all this year? Not at all.

No one does a better job of staying in the pocket and delivering a fastball a split second before getting smashed than Penix does. He did it several times last week, and did more of the same against Rutgers. He has no problem getting hit, and he doesn't play scared at all. There's not a shred of fear running through his veins.

He also wasn't afraid to take off on some runs in Jersey, and it made a difference in Indiana's offense. There's a lot more to prepare for if Penix is going to take off more often. His first run — a 25-yarder, the longest of his career — got a huge first down. And when he got hit in the head by Rutgers linebacker Mohamed Toure, who was ejected for targeting, Penix popped right up and didn't blink.

He was better in Week 2 than he was in Week 1, which leaves us all the more excited for what we'll see in Week 3, when the Hoosiers host Michigan next Saturday in Bloomington.

“We had some drops in the first half that were not on him. Overall, I thought he threw the ball pretty well,'' Indiana coach Tom Allen said. "It takes time. We had zero 7-on-7 throws this summer, because we were not allowed to per our COVID-19 protocols. It hurts your rhythm. You can say what you want, but it does. It is a big deal and I knew it was going to take some time.

"What you saw at the end of last week and what you saw today is him just getting better. I thought we were able to protect him better, which was good. We had better protection of the football. I am proud of Michael. He is a talented young man and he will only keep getting better.”

Michael Penix Jr. threw for three touchdowns during the 37-21 win over Rutgers. (USA TODAY Sports)

The Hoosiers have started their Big Ten slate 2-0, something they haven't done since 1991 when they opened the league schedule with wins over Michigan State (31-0) and Northwestern (44-6). They would finish 5-3 that year, tied for third in the league.

Indiana wants more than that this year. This is a program on the rise, and Penix is a big reason why. And he seems to be at his best when Indiana needs it the most, like last week's late drive and an instant response Saturday when Rutgers scored to make it 23-15.

Indiana went right down the field and scored in six plays, two of which were pass interference calls. Penix was 4-for-4 on the drive, which put the game away.

“I thought that was an amazing response by our offensive staff and players. To me, that is what good football teams do,'' Allen said. "It was going to be a battle. To handle a spot like that was impressive. We saw some things that we thought we could take advantage of and hats off to Nick Sheridan to lead that crew. He is doing a great job of calling it.

"Michael Penix is doing a great job of executing and the receivers are catching the football. I thought that was a great response from our offense at the right time.”

When Philyor and Hendershot are at the top of their games, Indiana's offense can be lethal. They are his favorite receivers, along with Ty Fryfogle, and they all bounced back nicely too after those early dropped balls.

"Mike has been throwing the ball good for us, so we have to make those plays, said Hendershot, who had a big drop last week that would have ended the game. 'If we make those plays, we will have our offense rolling and doing good things.”

Penix has unyielding faith in all of his weapons.

“It was just the play-calling and it set them up for success today,'' Penix said. "I went through my reads to find the open receiver and those two guys found a way to get open. They made some spectacular catches and they were consistent. It was just great execution in the play-calling.”

Penix and Indiana talk often about keeping a "1-0 mentality'' and winning the moment.

Well, after Saturday, the 2-0 mentality feels pretty good, too.

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