Indiana University Athletics
DIPRIMIO NOTEBOOK: Toughness Personifies Peyton Ramsey, Hoosiers
10/29/2019 12:30:00 PM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – This Rocky quote comes courtesy of the play of Indiana quarterback Peyton Ramsey, who is to toughness what da Vinci was to artistic versatility.
"It ain't about how hard you can hit. It's about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward. It's about how much you can take and keep moving forward."
If you've seen Ramsey play lately, if you've witnessed the physical and emotional shots he's taken, and still perform at an elite level (he was just selected to the Davey O'Brien Award's Great 8 list and was a Manning Award Star of the Week after throwing for a career-high 351 passing yards, and totaling a career-best 393 yards in Saturday's win at Nebraska), you understand why he personifies the we-ain't-the-same Hoosiers attitude the entire team has demonstrated in its 6-2 start.
Coach Tom Allen certainly appreciates it.
"The key ingredients to being a great football player at this level and a great football team are to have mental and physical toughness," Allen said during Monday's weekly press conference. "I think (Ramsey's) mental toughness has been displayed through the way he handled the adversity of not being named the starter, staying the course, choosing to stay at Indiana, and then choosing to be locked in … that to me is really the testament."
In this me-first college era where guys transfer rather than accept back-up status, Ramsey is an example of team-over-individual resilience.
"It's a big deal because it doesn't happen as much anymore," Allen said, "but then he chose to be locked in every day. That takes unbelievable mental toughness, just grit, fight, character.
"I mean, if you just think about all that you've got to do to be ready -- because our offense is not simple. No one's is. There are a lot of things you have to do to get ready to play, and to do that with no guarantee that you're going to play, I've done this a long time, not many guys can do that.
"For a college kid that's going to class and all these other things and all these people, I'm sure, saying things to him about what he should or shouldn't be doing, and yet he chooses to absolutely do everything within his power to be ready to play and then goes out and does it."
Ramsey was rocked by a brutal hit to the sternum at Nebraska. Obviously hurt, he continued playing at a high level. Allen said he showed clips of Ramsey's play to the team as an example of what true toughness means and what it takes to win.
"We show clips of how you play winning football here. How do we truly create the breakthrough we want so desperately?
"He's mentally tough. He's physically tough. The tape shows that. His performance demonstrates that. It's a big reason why he's the player he is."
Still, Allen reiterated that Michael Penix Jr. will start when healthy, but his availability for Saturday night's home game against Northwestern (1-6) remains uncertain due to injury.
"If Mike can't go, Peyton's going to go, and as we all know, he'll do a great job.
"Whoever is the starter will be ready and play well."
*****
The Hoosiers are already bowl eligible. It's a big change from Allen's first two seasons as a head coach, when bowl eligibility came down to the season-ending game against rival Purdue.
The Hoosiers lost both times to finish 5-7.
"It feels great to have that off the table," Allen said. "Now we can go back to the business of getting better every week and trying to win our next game. Now it's 100 percent full-bore focus on Northwestern."
******
Linebacker Thomas Allen, the son of the head coach, is out for the season with a shoulder injury.
The younger Allen hurt the shoulder twice against Nebraska. After the second time, he was pulled from the game. The elder Allen said surgery is scheduled for next week.
"It really breaks my heart," the father said. "He came back from an injury this past off-season, and worked his tail off to get back. It's a very serious injury.
"He's an awesome young man. I hate if for him, but it's part of life. Sometimes it's not fair. He'll be back a year from now."
Thomas Allen finishes with 17 tackles. He'll be replaced in the starting lineup by James Miller, who also has 17 tackles.
"I told Thomas, your job is to get James ready to play," the father said. "That's what great teammates do."
******
Northwestern finished 9-5 last season and won the Big Ten West Division title with an 8-1 record. It has been to a bowl game in nine of the previous 11 seasons.
Much of their 2019 struggles are due to the caliber of competition the Wildcats have faced.
"Don't be deceived by the record," Allen said. "Look at who they played. Look at the defenses they've played.
"To me, they are a very dangerous team. They're the defending (Big Ten West) champions. I've got a ton of respect for their head coach.
"They've got one of the best defenses in the country. Their front seven is a bunch of grown men.
"They're going to play their best football, so we'd better play ours.
******
IU's athletic and academic schedule this week won't allow it to have a night practice to simulate the night conditions it will face on Saturday. Allen said the Hoosiers prepared for that through night practices during fall camp.
Indiana typically practices in the morning, with players going to class in the afternoon.
"We've been under the lights. We did that by design in fall camp. We have already preset for a night game."
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
LB
/ Football
QB
/ Football
QB
/ FootballFB: Under the Hood with Indiana Football - Week 12 (Wisconsin)
Wednesday, November 12
FB: Aiden Fisher Media Availability (11/11/25)
Tuesday, November 11
FB: Rolijah Hardy Media Availability (11/11/25)
Tuesday, November 11
FB: Week 12 (Wisconsin) - Curt Cignetti Press Conference
Monday, November 10