No Doubt – Peyton Ramsey Makes a Hoosier Difference
12/10/2019 9:30:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – They do it for heroes, for guys who make a difference, who lead, fight and inspire.
Was there any doubt the Hoosiers would do it for quarterback Peyton Ramsey?
A heart-stopping Old Oaken Bucket thriller had just concluded. Indiana was a 44-41 double overtime winner over rival Purdue.
Ramsey had done almost everything but leap over tall buildings in a single bound, including scoring the game-winning touchdown, and teammates were ready with an uplifting reward.
Literally.
Right guard Simon Stepaniak, all 6-4 and 321 pounds of him, led the way.
One minute Ramsey stood on the soggy Ross-Ade Stadium turf. The next he was hoisted in the air and carried off to a thunderous roar.
"I was surprised," he says. "I was looking for my family in the stands. I couldn't find them. All of a sudden, Simon and some of the other offensive linemen come over and I was on their shoulders. It was another special moment. I can't put into words how cool that was. It was awesome. It was not something I expected."
In a season full of the unexpected, Ramsey was a rock. In an era when guys transfer at the hint of adversity (Ramsey faced a ton of it after losing his starting job to Michael Penix Jr. in fall camp), he stood firm.
Leave Indiana?
Are you kidding?
"I could never walk out on the guys in this locker room," he says. "I love them too much. All my best friends are in that room."
In so many ways Ramsey represents the best of college athletics -- smart, tough, poised, resilient, loyal and passionate.
Consider IU's Old Oaken Bucket win. With the Hoosiers in a late-game funk -- blowing an 18-point lead, watching formerly perfect kicker Logan Justus miss all three field goal attempts, allowing the Boilers' longest run and pass plays of the season -- Ramsey stayed calm. He delivered clutch passes and runs, capped by the game-winning quarterback sneak in the second overtime period. He finished 23-for-39 for 337 yards and two touchdowns; he ran for 42 yards and two more TDs.
"It was awesome to be a part of that game," he says. "It was so much fun. So special.
"It's such a huge rivalry game. Just the way it all went down -- we had the lead; they came back; we had to go into overtime. Just continuing to fight and battle.
"That's been consistent with this team the whole year. To win the way we did was special."
And to think Ramsey almost missed it.
If Penix had stayed healthy, he would have started at Purdue. Ramsey would have watched. But a series of injuries cost Penix games and, finally, the season.
The 6-2, 216-pound Ramsey was ready.
Always.
Against Eastern Illinois, with Penix missing the second half with a strained shoulder, Ramsey went 13-for-14 for 226 yards. Against Maryland, a big first-quarter hit sent Penix to the sidelines for the rest of the game. Ramsey came in and led IU to victory. He did the same thing in victories over Nebraska and Northwestern.
Ramsey has started six games and appeared in 10 this season. He has completed 69.2 percent of his passes, which ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. He has thrown for 2,227 yards (with three 300-yard games), 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Add it up and that's a 152.62 pass-efficiency rating, which is fourth in the conference and 21st nationally.
While Ramsey reminds no one of, say, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the guy can run. He's rushed for 198 yards and six touchdowns. That includes the Purdue game-winner.
"I love that man," receiver Nick Westbrook says. "He shows so much grit, fight and determination. You can't help rallying around him."
Adds receiver Whop Philyor: "Peyton is a dog. Without him, we wouldn't be here. I give him all the credit."
Credit culminated with that final Old Oaken Bucket play.
"It was first and goal from the one-inch line," Ramsey says. "Why not give it a shot? We've been good at it. We scored with it earlier in the game. We tried it again and got in there."
As the season went on, it became apparent Ramsey deserved team co-captain status.
"He's earned it," coach Tom Allen says. "The way he's handled everything. The way he's responded, especially at Maryland. He came in at a critical time and played at a very high level without knowing he'd be out there.
"He's proved himself over and over. He's very worthy of this – the buy-in, all the things he does off the field, the way he trains, the way he prepares, the way he works in the weight room, it's infectious to this program."
*******
Legend has it that Ramsey never lost a football training sprint at Elder High School in Cincinnati, that he was an up-down-punishment-drill beast, a full-throttle guy, a player who refused to give in to fatigue and pain.
Then he took that mindset to Indiana, and if you've seen the way he's stayed in games and thrived despite taking fierce punishment, you know what that's meant.
DNA likely played a role. Ramsey is, after all, the son of a successful Ohio high school football coach.
Ramsey's father, Doug, directed Elder to consecutive state titles in 2002 and '03 when Peyton was barely out of diapers, and to the state championship game again this season.
Doug was a quarterback in his youth, good enough to play a year at Louisville, smart enough to coach quarterbacks at Elder, where he's been the head coach since 1997.
How committed are the Ramseys to football?
Consider older brother Montana was named after Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. Younger brother Drew was named after former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Peyton was named after former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
By the time he was done with high school, Peyton Ramsey had Elder records for passing yards (6,708), touchdowns (49) and completion percentage (63.3). He also ran for 2,692 yards and 32 touchdowns.
He never played for a state championship, but younger brother Drew did as a wide receiver in the first full weekend this December. Elder (12-2) faced Pickerington Central (13-1) in Canton, Ohio, for the Ohio Division I title.
Yes, Peyton was there, and his pre-game advice was compressed into a simple phrase:
"Have fun."
"The opportunity to play for a state championship is awesome," he says. "It's so special to play high school football. From where I'm from, it's a big deal. You remember those things for a long time."
******
Despite the challenge of losing his starting job, Ramsey came back to have the best season of his career. He earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten, received a pair of Manning Award Star of the Week honors, and he made the Johnny Unitas Award Watch List.
Credit refined preparation and film study.
"I wouldn't say it was a ton more film," Ramsey says, "but the difference was how I organized it and went about it. Before it was more random stuff. Now I'm a lot more disciplined. It's a lot more straight forward. That made the difference."
In other words, quality over quantity.
"I stayed true to a routine about six to seven hours a week. Whenever you can sneak it in throughout the day. I'd always watch right before bed, an extra 15 to 20 minutes."
Ramsey says he stuck to the upcoming opponent rather than giving in to looking ahead. It was the 1-0 mentality so many successful teams utilize.
He focused on down, distance and formation -- working ahead of the next day's practice to be better prepared -- so that he would know what an opposing defense would do in almost every circumstance.
"Every team has tendencies," he says. "We tried to simulate that in practice as much as we could. That made my decisions quicker."
Ramsey spent the days after the Purdue victory "reflecting and self-scouting myself."
"I got away a little bit. Made sure my body was right. That was the biggest focus.
"We still lifted and continued to get stronger and faster. I stayed in the film room."
Ramsey made time to watch TV ("You never have time during the season") and hang out with teammates.
Video games were never an option.
"I'm not a video-game guy. I never have been."
Ramsey is a leader, and perhaps his biggest role came after the Bucket game to console Logan Justus. The fifth-year senior's 14-for-14 field goal effort entering the game was one off Austin Starr's Hoosier record for consecutive kicks.
But in wet, slick and windy conditions, Justus missed three times.
In the aftermath, Justus knew who to turn to.
"He approached me," Ramsey says. "I thought that was awesome. He thanked me for everything; for being behind him the whole year. He apologized. I told him there was nothing to apologize for.
"Nobody is perfect. Kicking in conditions like that is not easy. He's a guy who has had success all year long."
And will again, perhaps in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
"He's in good spirits, as he should be because he's a really good kicker," Ramsey says. "He happened to have a rough day."
Once again, Ramsey made a difference.
Was there any doubt?
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – They do it for heroes, for guys who make a difference, who lead, fight and inspire.
Was there any doubt the Hoosiers would do it for quarterback Peyton Ramsey?
A heart-stopping Old Oaken Bucket thriller had just concluded. Indiana was a 44-41 double overtime winner over rival Purdue.
Ramsey had done almost everything but leap over tall buildings in a single bound, including scoring the game-winning touchdown, and teammates were ready with an uplifting reward.
Literally.
Right guard Simon Stepaniak, all 6-4 and 321 pounds of him, led the way.
One minute Ramsey stood on the soggy Ross-Ade Stadium turf. The next he was hoisted in the air and carried off to a thunderous roar.
"I was surprised," he says. "I was looking for my family in the stands. I couldn't find them. All of a sudden, Simon and some of the other offensive linemen come over and I was on their shoulders. It was another special moment. I can't put into words how cool that was. It was awesome. It was not something I expected."
In a season full of the unexpected, Ramsey was a rock. In an era when guys transfer at the hint of adversity (Ramsey faced a ton of it after losing his starting job to Michael Penix Jr. in fall camp), he stood firm.
Leave Indiana?
Are you kidding?
"I could never walk out on the guys in this locker room," he says. "I love them too much. All my best friends are in that room."
In so many ways Ramsey represents the best of college athletics -- smart, tough, poised, resilient, loyal and passionate.
Consider IU's Old Oaken Bucket win. With the Hoosiers in a late-game funk -- blowing an 18-point lead, watching formerly perfect kicker Logan Justus miss all three field goal attempts, allowing the Boilers' longest run and pass plays of the season -- Ramsey stayed calm. He delivered clutch passes and runs, capped by the game-winning quarterback sneak in the second overtime period. He finished 23-for-39 for 337 yards and two touchdowns; he ran for 42 yards and two more TDs.
"It was awesome to be a part of that game," he says. "It was so much fun. So special.
"It's such a huge rivalry game. Just the way it all went down -- we had the lead; they came back; we had to go into overtime. Just continuing to fight and battle.
"That's been consistent with this team the whole year. To win the way we did was special."
And to think Ramsey almost missed it.
If Penix had stayed healthy, he would have started at Purdue. Ramsey would have watched. But a series of injuries cost Penix games and, finally, the season.
The 6-2, 216-pound Ramsey was ready.
Always.
Against Eastern Illinois, with Penix missing the second half with a strained shoulder, Ramsey went 13-for-14 for 226 yards. Against Maryland, a big first-quarter hit sent Penix to the sidelines for the rest of the game. Ramsey came in and led IU to victory. He did the same thing in victories over Nebraska and Northwestern.
Ramsey has started six games and appeared in 10 this season. He has completed 69.2 percent of his passes, which ranks second in the Big Ten and ninth nationally. He has thrown for 2,227 yards (with three 300-yard games), 13 touchdowns and four interceptions.
Add it up and that's a 152.62 pass-efficiency rating, which is fourth in the conference and 21st nationally.
While Ramsey reminds no one of, say, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, the guy can run. He's rushed for 198 yards and six touchdowns. That includes the Purdue game-winner.
"I love that man," receiver Nick Westbrook says. "He shows so much grit, fight and determination. You can't help rallying around him."
Adds receiver Whop Philyor: "Peyton is a dog. Without him, we wouldn't be here. I give him all the credit."
Credit culminated with that final Old Oaken Bucket play.
"It was first and goal from the one-inch line," Ramsey says. "Why not give it a shot? We've been good at it. We scored with it earlier in the game. We tried it again and got in there."
As the season went on, it became apparent Ramsey deserved team co-captain status.
"He's earned it," coach Tom Allen says. "The way he's handled everything. The way he's responded, especially at Maryland. He came in at a critical time and played at a very high level without knowing he'd be out there.
"He's proved himself over and over. He's very worthy of this – the buy-in, all the things he does off the field, the way he trains, the way he prepares, the way he works in the weight room, it's infectious to this program."
*******
Legend has it that Ramsey never lost a football training sprint at Elder High School in Cincinnati, that he was an up-down-punishment-drill beast, a full-throttle guy, a player who refused to give in to fatigue and pain.
Then he took that mindset to Indiana, and if you've seen the way he's stayed in games and thrived despite taking fierce punishment, you know what that's meant.
DNA likely played a role. Ramsey is, after all, the son of a successful Ohio high school football coach.
Ramsey's father, Doug, directed Elder to consecutive state titles in 2002 and '03 when Peyton was barely out of diapers, and to the state championship game again this season.
Doug was a quarterback in his youth, good enough to play a year at Louisville, smart enough to coach quarterbacks at Elder, where he's been the head coach since 1997.
How committed are the Ramseys to football?
Consider older brother Montana was named after Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana. Younger brother Drew was named after former NFL quarterback Drew Bledsoe. Peyton was named after former Indianapolis Colts quarterback Peyton Manning.
By the time he was done with high school, Peyton Ramsey had Elder records for passing yards (6,708), touchdowns (49) and completion percentage (63.3). He also ran for 2,692 yards and 32 touchdowns.
He never played for a state championship, but younger brother Drew did as a wide receiver in the first full weekend this December. Elder (12-2) faced Pickerington Central (13-1) in Canton, Ohio, for the Ohio Division I title.
Yes, Peyton was there, and his pre-game advice was compressed into a simple phrase:
"Have fun."
"The opportunity to play for a state championship is awesome," he says. "It's so special to play high school football. From where I'm from, it's a big deal. You remember those things for a long time."
******
Despite the challenge of losing his starting job, Ramsey came back to have the best season of his career. He earned honorable-mention All-Big Ten, received a pair of Manning Award Star of the Week honors, and he made the Johnny Unitas Award Watch List.
Credit refined preparation and film study.
"I wouldn't say it was a ton more film," Ramsey says, "but the difference was how I organized it and went about it. Before it was more random stuff. Now I'm a lot more disciplined. It's a lot more straight forward. That made the difference."
In other words, quality over quantity.
"I stayed true to a routine about six to seven hours a week. Whenever you can sneak it in throughout the day. I'd always watch right before bed, an extra 15 to 20 minutes."
Ramsey says he stuck to the upcoming opponent rather than giving in to looking ahead. It was the 1-0 mentality so many successful teams utilize.
He focused on down, distance and formation -- working ahead of the next day's practice to be better prepared -- so that he would know what an opposing defense would do in almost every circumstance.
"Every team has tendencies," he says. "We tried to simulate that in practice as much as we could. That made my decisions quicker."
Ramsey spent the days after the Purdue victory "reflecting and self-scouting myself."
"I got away a little bit. Made sure my body was right. That was the biggest focus.
"We still lifted and continued to get stronger and faster. I stayed in the film room."
Ramsey made time to watch TV ("You never have time during the season") and hang out with teammates.
Video games were never an option.
"I'm not a video-game guy. I never have been."
Ramsey is a leader, and perhaps his biggest role came after the Bucket game to console Logan Justus. The fifth-year senior's 14-for-14 field goal effort entering the game was one off Austin Starr's Hoosier record for consecutive kicks.
But in wet, slick and windy conditions, Justus missed three times.
In the aftermath, Justus knew who to turn to.
"He approached me," Ramsey says. "I thought that was awesome. He thanked me for everything; for being behind him the whole year. He apologized. I told him there was nothing to apologize for.
"Nobody is perfect. Kicking in conditions like that is not easy. He's a guy who has had success all year long."
And will again, perhaps in the TaxSlayer Gator Bowl.
"He's in good spirits, as he should be because he's a really good kicker," Ramsey says. "He happened to have a rough day."
Once again, Ramsey made a difference.
Was there any doubt?
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