Penix ready to prove he’s healthy | IU
BLOOMINGTON – Michael Penix Jr. will tell anyone who asks: He is healthy, feeling strong and plans to be 100% for 17th-ranked Indiana’s Sept. 4 season-opener against No. 18 Iowa.
That does not mean, however, that the Hoosiers are putting their quarterback, who is coming off a torn ACL suffered against Maryland last November, in harm’s way unnecessarily.
In the team’s first scrimmage Saturday, quarterbacks were not permitted to be hit, but whenever a tackler would get within even a few yards of Penix, coach Tom Allen would blow the play dead.
“Coach Allen had a quick whistle every time,” Penix said, smiling. “Sometimes I wanted to use my legs a little bit, but he’s going to call a quick whistle. I understand, he’s just looking out for me and the team.”
The Hoosiers will deal with some slight frustration from Penix if that’s what it takes to make sure he’s ready for the season opener. So far, the team’s strategy with its All-Big Ten quarterback appears to be working: at the scrimmage, Allen said Penix – and the quarterbacks more generally – was one of the bright spots.
The defensive-minded Allen even admitted that the offense outshone the defense in Saturday’s workout, though the fifth-year coach emphasized the defense had gotten the better of the previous few practices.
Allen was impressed by the tempo of the offense, which he said had been building to Saturday’s excellent performance throughout camp. He noted that Penix and backup Jack Tuttle were in a good rhythm and knew where the ball is supposed to be delivered.
“Both of them (Penix and Tuttle) are doing a good job verbally leading and then just throwing the ball with confidence and on time,” Allen said. “Getting the ball out quick, making good decisions, knowing where the ball needs to go based on the coverages they’re getting.”
Penix’s improved efficiency within the offense is no surprise after an offseason during which, by all accounts, he worked relentlessly with the receivers on timing, even as he was also rehabbing his injured knee.
But the 6-foot-3, 218-pound Penix is not only more in tune with his receivers than he was in 2020, when he led Indiana to a 5-1 record; he’s also throwing a more catchable football. Rather than using his exceptional arm strength to unleash a bullet on almost every throw, Penix has emerged from the offseason with more touch on his throws, a development that has been obvious since the start of camp.
“When you’re young, you’re trying to throw the fastball every time,” Allen said. “The deep ball accuracy has been something he’s worked hard on. He’s always had really good intermediate (accuracy), that’s been his strength for sure, and he can make all those throws now.”
Penix missed spring practices while rehabbing his knee and that gave Tuttle, 6-4, 212 pounds, who started the final two games of 2020, including the Outback Bowl against Mississippi, the opportunity to get most of the practice reps with the first-string offense.
Tuttle also faced the first-team defense, which he called an invaluable experience because, he said, IU’s defense is “probably one of the best defenses in the country, if not the best.”
The result is that the Hoosiers have two quarterbacks with whom they feel they can win. It might not be long before that number grows to three. Freshman Donaven McCulley has been impressive in camp as a thrower and a runner, and Allen did not rule out the possibility of using that all-around ability in some special packages.
