Indiana University Athletics
Graham Notebook: Having Two is Better
9/4/2018 8:12:00 PM | Football
By Andy Graham
IUHoosiers.com
Having a good quarterback is obviously a great thing for a football team.
Having two is even better.
And if Indiana's 38-28 season-opening win Saturday night at Florida International was any indication, IU has two.
Redshirt sophomore starter Peyton Ramsey and true freshman Michael Penix Jr. combined at FIU to:
IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord wasn't going to argue.
"I thought they both played winning football," DeBord said Monday after having reviewed film. "I thought (Ramsey) played very well … I thought that throw to Donavan (Hale) for the touchdown, the first one, was an unbelievable throw (for 18 yards and Indiana's initial TD). To rip it in there. He had a safety that cheated back a little bit and to get that ball in there that quick was a great throw.
"Then when Mike (Penix) went in, he was very poised. Nothing's too big for him. Went in and executed the offense, and it wasn't as if we ran the ball all the time. He put the ball down the field (including a 34-yarder to Hale). He had the one overthrow to Luke (Timian) but, other than that, great throws and did a great job of running the offense."
Penix completed 8-of-10 throws in his first college game.
Chew on that stat a bit.
And Ramsey, who completed a very solid 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,250 yards and 10 TDs as a redshirt freshman, finished a torrid 20-of-27.
And even though a Ramsey interception concluded Indiana's first possession, DeBord took responsibility for it and also relished how Ramsey responded. With nine straight completions, two for scores.
"On Peyton's interception, they're always going to say Peyton shouldn't have thrown it," DeBord said. "Really, what he saw, he should have, but we didn't have good spacing on that one particular play. The (linebacker) fell off (into coverage) and he didn't see him, and I put that on myself and our coaches. We've got to do a better job designing the play. And we will. (Then) I think he completed something like nine in a row there. Just did a really good job."
Ramsey felt last year's experience, playing as a freshman, helped him take the pick in stride.
"I had to bounce back," Ramsey said. "Especially being that we were down 7-0, I knew we needed points. It was just a matter of moving onto the next play and executing every single play after that."
Ramsey was gratified to see Hale get a step on defenders for the first touchdown. And he fully credited Hale for adjusting to the ball to snag the ball on a 4th-down slant for the TD that sent the Hoosiers into halftime up 28-14.
"The first one, just going through my progression, he popped open and I just thought I could fit one on the top shelf and he went and got it," Ramsey recalled. "The second one, I had to squeeze one in there. He made a big time play. He made me 'right' there. That's what the receivers talk about, if I make a bad ball. He made me right on that one."
And Ramsey wasn't surprised to see Penix make the coaches look 'right' for inserting the freshman with 10:55 left in the third quarter.
"He did a good job – he just showed what he's been doing all spring and all fall camp," Ramsey said. "He was calm."
Unusually so for a freshman making a debut?
"Yeah, I would say so," Ramsey replied, mindful that Penix benefited from enrolling last January and thus getting to participate in spring practice. "I think having a whole spring underneath his belt has helped him more than most true freshmen, too."
Penix had no qualms taking the field when his call came. And the Tampa native was not, at that juncture, thinking about all the family and friends in the stands.
"I was zoned in," Penix said. "I was ready. I was well-prepared."
Penix's second snap engendered his first college pass, a 19-yard completion to Whop Philyor. And his first college drive was capped seven snaps later by a 9-yard swing-pass TD to Mike Majette that led the senior running back perfectly.
"That was a great play call," Penix said of the TD that made it 35-14, Hoosiers, with 7:39 left in the third. "I just got the ball to Majette, who is a play-maker, and he made a play for me, for the team."
Penix started his second possession at his own 11 and would have had a second touchdown throw, this time to tight end Peyton Hendershot, had not an offensive pass interference call on a Hale "pick" nullified it. As it was, the march produced the 36-yard Logan Justus field goal that capped the Hoosier scoring.
Just the sort of debut, overall, to give Penix confidence.
But he's always had that.
"I feel real confident (coming out of Saturday), but I've always had that confidence level that helps you play well," Penix said Tuesday after practice. "I don't want to put myself down, that's for sure. I come out here every practice confident, working my hardest, and benefiting from our defense giving us great looks.
"The team working together, giving our all, is showing me everything in practice that I need to see. So when we get in the game, it'll come easy for me and I'll be confident."
And it was especially easy for Penix to feel celebratory Saturday with so many friends and family members there to join in.
"I had a chance to see family and friends post-game," Penix said. "It was a great, great time. A lot of people showed up that I didn't know were going to show up, actually. They all came out and supported us. It was a great experience.
"They congratulated me after the game, said I did a great job, that the team did a great job. They were very happy, very excited.
"I'll remember everything about the game, really. First college game. It was great. When we walked out on the field, I knew it was going to be a great day. It just felt so good having my family there, having my first game in Miami, Fla., so close to home. Great all-around experience."
Ramsey has fond memories of his experience against Virginia, which visits IU for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. kickoff, last fall.
After getting his feet wet a bit during the 2017 opener against Ohio State, Ramsey came on in relief at Virginia the following week and proceeded to complete 16-of-20 passes for 173 yards and two TDs (with no interceptions). He also rushed for 47 yards, including a 26-yard TD gallop.
Asked if he remembered much about that Virginia game, Ramsey grinned and replied:
"I remember a lot. That was a good one for me. They're a good defense. They do a lot on defense. It's going to be a matter of studying a lot of film and trying to catch their tendencies and seeing what they try to do, because they're really good. They're really sound on defense."
And Ramsey is ready to test them again.
But the Cavaliers will have to prepare for Penix, too.
Two good QBs. Better than one.
ALL LEGS ON DECK
Mike Majette and Ronnie Walker Jr. are the two players on Indiana's roster who hail from Virginia.
Both happen to play running back.
The position that has lost projected regulars Morgan Ellison and Cole Gest, who started Saturday's win at FIU only to sustain a season-ending ACL tear early in the second quarter.
Majette, who has always showcased the skill of catching the ball out of the backfield, had a TD reception Saturday and ran five times for 19 yards. Walker didn't play but fellow true freshman Stevie Scott ended up with 20 carries for a team-high 70 yards.
"Stevie Scott got a lot of work on Saturday night and showed some good promise, as we saw in fall camp," Hoosier head coach Tom Allen said Monday, "but needs to continue to develop and grow.
"Mike Majette, obviously, has to expand his role. And really want to see Ronnie Walker step up and other guys and really feel like that we have a group in that room of young men that will be called upon now."
IU running backs coach Mike Hart has faith in Majette, who is finally healthy after missing seven games to injury last season and six more the year before.
(Majette started IU's first two games in 2017 and also against Michigan in week five before injuries intervened.)
"I think, last year going into the Virginia game, Mike Majette's the starter, right?" Hart asked rhetorically after Tuesday's practice. "So, to me, it's nothing we haven't asked him to do in the past.
"He's going to have more reps, more on his plate from that standpoint, but it's nothing he can't do. He's done it before. We believe in him. We trust him. I know he knows what he's doing. He's going out there and there is no question he's going to play good."
But Hart acknowledged everybody in his room now needs to step up.
"This week's big for the young guys," Hart said. "All of them. This is a tough team we're playing. You can't just step in and just expect to do all the things you'll have to do against these guys because they do a lot, they blitz a lot, got a lot of different fronts, a lot of different schemes.
"You've got to be mentally prepared for this game. And the guys that are going to play are the guys who are ready – whether it's Craig (Nelson), whether it's Ronnie (Walker), whether it's Steve (Scott), whether it's Mike (Majette), whether it's Ricky (Brookins). Against a team like this, you can't have guys out there who don't know what they're doing.
"The biggest thing is preparation. And whoever has the best week of preparation is going to play in the game."
Hart appreciated how Scott, a bruiser at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, helped the Hoosiers run the final 6:03 off the clock Saturday.
"Overall, he played good," Hart said of Scott. "And I say good, but he's got a long way to go. He led us in rushing. But when you have 24 snaps and 20 carries, you'd better lead us in rushing. Right?
"He has a lot of room to grow and that's what he needs to understand, and I think he takes that to heart. But you don't just (go out there just on talent.) This is big-time football."
Majette felt both of IU's young quarterbacks looked big time Saturday and said he was privileged to catch Penix's first career TD pass.
"It was a perfect ball," Majette recalled of the scoring toss. "We were talking about it earlier (today) … but, Mike P, he's going to be great. As you could see. He came in, doing his thing. You can just tell by the way he throws the ball.
"It was definitely an honor to catch the (first) touchdown pass from Mike P."
And Majette is just grateful to be back on the field healthy.
"This is the healthiest I've been in a long while," Majette said. "I feel different, and I like the way I'm feeling right now. But I can't get complacent about how I feel. I need to keep working hard, working on my body, to continue feeling the way I do now."
Majette is certainly empathetic and sympathetic for Gest, now battling a health challenge, but feels the redshirt sophomore will bounce back well for next season.
"Cole is a very upbeat guy," Majette said of Gest. "This isn't going to bring him down. Cole has a lot of faith. His faith is huge. So he's going to continue to work hard, continue to strive to get to where he wants to get at the end of the day."
Hart expressed similar sentiments.
"I love Cole, man," Hart said. "He's a great kid, hard worker. You'll hear that from everybody. Your heart just goes out to him. Nothing that was his fault – it happens, you know?
"But he's going to come back stronger next year. He's going to stay positive. We'll have him back next year and he'll be better than ever. I promise you that."
For now, Majette knows it's all hands on deck. "We all need to step up," he said, "and take care of business."
Might the Hoosiers try to suit up Hart, still Michigan's career rushing leader, and sneak him in there Saturday?
"Oh, yeah!" Majette exclaimed when contemplating that tantalizing if impossible, prospect regarding his coach. "He'd definitely be into that!"
NO DROPS
One not insignificant reason Indiana's completion percentage was so high Saturday was that Hoosier receivers caught everything in their vicinity. There were zero dropped passes.
And that helped make IU 4-for-6 in terms of scoring touchdowns in the red zone (with the only exceptions a TD nullified by a penalty and, on the game's final drive, the clock expiring with the Hoosiers having a 1st-and-goal at the FIU 1).
Redshirt junior wideout Donavan Hale made a superb catch, adjusting to a ball on his hip against his momentum on a slant, for the final TD of the first half.
"That catch that Donavan made was a great catch, back behind, that's a tough catch, now," offensive coordinator DeBord opined. "But Peyton (Ramsey) had to put the ball back there because the linebacker was starting to leak toward Donavan. If he'd put the ball out front, it could've been tipped or who knows what happens.
"Peyton made a good throw putting it on the back shoulder, or really back hip, but it was just a great catch."
DeBord feels IU's current tight end contingent – all athletic and standing at least 6-foot-3 – and the 6-4 Hale and 6-3 classmate Nick Westbrook at wideout should provide Hoosier QBs with crucial tall targets down near the goal line and in the end zone.
"Those two guys (Hale and Westbrook) should be great weapons for us," DeBord said, "but especially down in the red zone."
Westbrook and Hale both lost almost all of last season to knee injuries. Westbrook's came on the season's opening kickoff. Hale played three games before going down.
Those two caught nine passes for a combined 93 yards Saturday.
The Hoosiers also deployed somewhat smaller but swift weaponry among their wideouts, with fifth-year senior Luke Timian, sophomore Whop Philyor and true freshman Reese Taylor accounting for 10 catches and 89 receiving yards.
Taylor – named Indiana's 2017 Mr. Football after leading 6A state champ Ben Davis to a 14-0 campaign – is both running with the ball and catching it from various positions out of the Hoosier offensive sets.
"I will say this, he's going to be on the field for sure and obviously the situation with Cole (Gest's injury), we have to be able to continue to grow offensively and distribute the football," DeBord said of Taylor's multiple roles. "So I would expect to see his role on offense to expand.
"We'll see what he can handle each and every week. But I do know that the few times he touched the ball, he's got a chance to make things happen and I think he's a special player. So that will continue."
And, no, DeBord wasn't going to get any more specific than that:
"We'll use him more … I'm not going to elaborate on that to help Virginia with their preparation."
IUHoosiers.com
Having a good quarterback is obviously a great thing for a football team.
Having two is even better.
And if Indiana's 38-28 season-opening win Saturday night at Florida International was any indication, IU has two.
Redshirt sophomore starter Peyton Ramsey and true freshman Michael Penix Jr. combined at FIU to:
- Complete 76 percent of their passes (28-of-37).
- Throw for 252 yards (a healthy 6.8 per pass and 9.0 per completion).
- Throw for four touchdowns.
- Rush 10 times for 44 yards (taking only one sack).
- And, generally, orchestrate the offense like veterans, though Ramsey was making just his fifth career start and Penix took his first collegiate snap Saturday.
IU offensive coordinator Mike DeBord wasn't going to argue.
"I thought they both played winning football," DeBord said Monday after having reviewed film. "I thought (Ramsey) played very well … I thought that throw to Donavan (Hale) for the touchdown, the first one, was an unbelievable throw (for 18 yards and Indiana's initial TD). To rip it in there. He had a safety that cheated back a little bit and to get that ball in there that quick was a great throw.
"Then when Mike (Penix) went in, he was very poised. Nothing's too big for him. Went in and executed the offense, and it wasn't as if we ran the ball all the time. He put the ball down the field (including a 34-yarder to Hale). He had the one overthrow to Luke (Timian) but, other than that, great throws and did a great job of running the offense."
Penix completed 8-of-10 throws in his first college game.
Chew on that stat a bit.
And Ramsey, who completed a very solid 65 percent of his passes while throwing for 1,250 yards and 10 TDs as a redshirt freshman, finished a torrid 20-of-27.
And even though a Ramsey interception concluded Indiana's first possession, DeBord took responsibility for it and also relished how Ramsey responded. With nine straight completions, two for scores.
"On Peyton's interception, they're always going to say Peyton shouldn't have thrown it," DeBord said. "Really, what he saw, he should have, but we didn't have good spacing on that one particular play. The (linebacker) fell off (into coverage) and he didn't see him, and I put that on myself and our coaches. We've got to do a better job designing the play. And we will. (Then) I think he completed something like nine in a row there. Just did a really good job."
Ramsey felt last year's experience, playing as a freshman, helped him take the pick in stride.
"I had to bounce back," Ramsey said. "Especially being that we were down 7-0, I knew we needed points. It was just a matter of moving onto the next play and executing every single play after that."
Ramsey was gratified to see Hale get a step on defenders for the first touchdown. And he fully credited Hale for adjusting to the ball to snag the ball on a 4th-down slant for the TD that sent the Hoosiers into halftime up 28-14.
"The first one, just going through my progression, he popped open and I just thought I could fit one on the top shelf and he went and got it," Ramsey recalled. "The second one, I had to squeeze one in there. He made a big time play. He made me 'right' there. That's what the receivers talk about, if I make a bad ball. He made me right on that one."
And Ramsey wasn't surprised to see Penix make the coaches look 'right' for inserting the freshman with 10:55 left in the third quarter.
"He did a good job – he just showed what he's been doing all spring and all fall camp," Ramsey said. "He was calm."
Unusually so for a freshman making a debut?
"Yeah, I would say so," Ramsey replied, mindful that Penix benefited from enrolling last January and thus getting to participate in spring practice. "I think having a whole spring underneath his belt has helped him more than most true freshmen, too."
Penix had no qualms taking the field when his call came. And the Tampa native was not, at that juncture, thinking about all the family and friends in the stands.
"I was zoned in," Penix said. "I was ready. I was well-prepared."
Penix's second snap engendered his first college pass, a 19-yard completion to Whop Philyor. And his first college drive was capped seven snaps later by a 9-yard swing-pass TD to Mike Majette that led the senior running back perfectly.
"That was a great play call," Penix said of the TD that made it 35-14, Hoosiers, with 7:39 left in the third. "I just got the ball to Majette, who is a play-maker, and he made a play for me, for the team."
Penix started his second possession at his own 11 and would have had a second touchdown throw, this time to tight end Peyton Hendershot, had not an offensive pass interference call on a Hale "pick" nullified it. As it was, the march produced the 36-yard Logan Justus field goal that capped the Hoosier scoring.
Just the sort of debut, overall, to give Penix confidence.
But he's always had that.
"I feel real confident (coming out of Saturday), but I've always had that confidence level that helps you play well," Penix said Tuesday after practice. "I don't want to put myself down, that's for sure. I come out here every practice confident, working my hardest, and benefiting from our defense giving us great looks.
"The team working together, giving our all, is showing me everything in practice that I need to see. So when we get in the game, it'll come easy for me and I'll be confident."
And it was especially easy for Penix to feel celebratory Saturday with so many friends and family members there to join in.
"I had a chance to see family and friends post-game," Penix said. "It was a great, great time. A lot of people showed up that I didn't know were going to show up, actually. They all came out and supported us. It was a great experience.
"They congratulated me after the game, said I did a great job, that the team did a great job. They were very happy, very excited.
"I'll remember everything about the game, really. First college game. It was great. When we walked out on the field, I knew it was going to be a great day. It just felt so good having my family there, having my first game in Miami, Fla., so close to home. Great all-around experience."
Ramsey has fond memories of his experience against Virginia, which visits IU for Saturday's 7:30 p.m. kickoff, last fall.
After getting his feet wet a bit during the 2017 opener against Ohio State, Ramsey came on in relief at Virginia the following week and proceeded to complete 16-of-20 passes for 173 yards and two TDs (with no interceptions). He also rushed for 47 yards, including a 26-yard TD gallop.
Asked if he remembered much about that Virginia game, Ramsey grinned and replied:
"I remember a lot. That was a good one for me. They're a good defense. They do a lot on defense. It's going to be a matter of studying a lot of film and trying to catch their tendencies and seeing what they try to do, because they're really good. They're really sound on defense."
And Ramsey is ready to test them again.
But the Cavaliers will have to prepare for Penix, too.
Two good QBs. Better than one.
ALL LEGS ON DECK
Mike Majette and Ronnie Walker Jr. are the two players on Indiana's roster who hail from Virginia.
Both happen to play running back.
The position that has lost projected regulars Morgan Ellison and Cole Gest, who started Saturday's win at FIU only to sustain a season-ending ACL tear early in the second quarter.
Majette, who has always showcased the skill of catching the ball out of the backfield, had a TD reception Saturday and ran five times for 19 yards. Walker didn't play but fellow true freshman Stevie Scott ended up with 20 carries for a team-high 70 yards.
"Stevie Scott got a lot of work on Saturday night and showed some good promise, as we saw in fall camp," Hoosier head coach Tom Allen said Monday, "but needs to continue to develop and grow.
"Mike Majette, obviously, has to expand his role. And really want to see Ronnie Walker step up and other guys and really feel like that we have a group in that room of young men that will be called upon now."
IU running backs coach Mike Hart has faith in Majette, who is finally healthy after missing seven games to injury last season and six more the year before.
(Majette started IU's first two games in 2017 and also against Michigan in week five before injuries intervened.)
"I think, last year going into the Virginia game, Mike Majette's the starter, right?" Hart asked rhetorically after Tuesday's practice. "So, to me, it's nothing we haven't asked him to do in the past.
"He's going to have more reps, more on his plate from that standpoint, but it's nothing he can't do. He's done it before. We believe in him. We trust him. I know he knows what he's doing. He's going out there and there is no question he's going to play good."
But Hart acknowledged everybody in his room now needs to step up.
"This week's big for the young guys," Hart said. "All of them. This is a tough team we're playing. You can't just step in and just expect to do all the things you'll have to do against these guys because they do a lot, they blitz a lot, got a lot of different fronts, a lot of different schemes.
"You've got to be mentally prepared for this game. And the guys that are going to play are the guys who are ready – whether it's Craig (Nelson), whether it's Ronnie (Walker), whether it's Steve (Scott), whether it's Mike (Majette), whether it's Ricky (Brookins). Against a team like this, you can't have guys out there who don't know what they're doing.
"The biggest thing is preparation. And whoever has the best week of preparation is going to play in the game."
Hart appreciated how Scott, a bruiser at 6-foot-2 and 236 pounds, helped the Hoosiers run the final 6:03 off the clock Saturday.
"Overall, he played good," Hart said of Scott. "And I say good, but he's got a long way to go. He led us in rushing. But when you have 24 snaps and 20 carries, you'd better lead us in rushing. Right?
"He has a lot of room to grow and that's what he needs to understand, and I think he takes that to heart. But you don't just (go out there just on talent.) This is big-time football."
Majette felt both of IU's young quarterbacks looked big time Saturday and said he was privileged to catch Penix's first career TD pass.
"It was a perfect ball," Majette recalled of the scoring toss. "We were talking about it earlier (today) … but, Mike P, he's going to be great. As you could see. He came in, doing his thing. You can just tell by the way he throws the ball.
"It was definitely an honor to catch the (first) touchdown pass from Mike P."
And Majette is just grateful to be back on the field healthy.
"This is the healthiest I've been in a long while," Majette said. "I feel different, and I like the way I'm feeling right now. But I can't get complacent about how I feel. I need to keep working hard, working on my body, to continue feeling the way I do now."
Majette is certainly empathetic and sympathetic for Gest, now battling a health challenge, but feels the redshirt sophomore will bounce back well for next season.
"Cole is a very upbeat guy," Majette said of Gest. "This isn't going to bring him down. Cole has a lot of faith. His faith is huge. So he's going to continue to work hard, continue to strive to get to where he wants to get at the end of the day."
Hart expressed similar sentiments.
"I love Cole, man," Hart said. "He's a great kid, hard worker. You'll hear that from everybody. Your heart just goes out to him. Nothing that was his fault – it happens, you know?
"But he's going to come back stronger next year. He's going to stay positive. We'll have him back next year and he'll be better than ever. I promise you that."
For now, Majette knows it's all hands on deck. "We all need to step up," he said, "and take care of business."
Might the Hoosiers try to suit up Hart, still Michigan's career rushing leader, and sneak him in there Saturday?
"Oh, yeah!" Majette exclaimed when contemplating that tantalizing if impossible, prospect regarding his coach. "He'd definitely be into that!"
NO DROPS
One not insignificant reason Indiana's completion percentage was so high Saturday was that Hoosier receivers caught everything in their vicinity. There were zero dropped passes.
And that helped make IU 4-for-6 in terms of scoring touchdowns in the red zone (with the only exceptions a TD nullified by a penalty and, on the game's final drive, the clock expiring with the Hoosiers having a 1st-and-goal at the FIU 1).
Redshirt junior wideout Donavan Hale made a superb catch, adjusting to a ball on his hip against his momentum on a slant, for the final TD of the first half.
"That catch that Donavan made was a great catch, back behind, that's a tough catch, now," offensive coordinator DeBord opined. "But Peyton (Ramsey) had to put the ball back there because the linebacker was starting to leak toward Donavan. If he'd put the ball out front, it could've been tipped or who knows what happens.
"Peyton made a good throw putting it on the back shoulder, or really back hip, but it was just a great catch."
DeBord feels IU's current tight end contingent – all athletic and standing at least 6-foot-3 – and the 6-4 Hale and 6-3 classmate Nick Westbrook at wideout should provide Hoosier QBs with crucial tall targets down near the goal line and in the end zone.
"Those two guys (Hale and Westbrook) should be great weapons for us," DeBord said, "but especially down in the red zone."
Westbrook and Hale both lost almost all of last season to knee injuries. Westbrook's came on the season's opening kickoff. Hale played three games before going down.
Those two caught nine passes for a combined 93 yards Saturday.
The Hoosiers also deployed somewhat smaller but swift weaponry among their wideouts, with fifth-year senior Luke Timian, sophomore Whop Philyor and true freshman Reese Taylor accounting for 10 catches and 89 receiving yards.
Taylor – named Indiana's 2017 Mr. Football after leading 6A state champ Ben Davis to a 14-0 campaign – is both running with the ball and catching it from various positions out of the Hoosier offensive sets.
"I will say this, he's going to be on the field for sure and obviously the situation with Cole (Gest's injury), we have to be able to continue to grow offensively and distribute the football," DeBord said of Taylor's multiple roles. "So I would expect to see his role on offense to expand.
"We'll see what he can handle each and every week. But I do know that the few times he touched the ball, he's got a chance to make things happen and I think he's a special player. So that will continue."
And, no, DeBord wasn't going to get any more specific than that:
"We'll use him more … I'm not going to elaborate on that to help Virginia with their preparation."
Players Mentioned
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Monday, December 22
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Tuesday, December 09














