Indiana University Athletics
Quarterbacks “Armed” for a Big Season
8/10/2019 2:03:00 PM | Football
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By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
The question comes and Peyton Ramsey doesn't rattle. Indiana's veteran quarterback has heard it before, answered it multiple times, demonstrated his answer in ever increasingly better ways, and it still won't go away.
In essence, it comes down to this -- is your arm strong enough?
"One thing I get a lot of criticism for is my arm strength," Ramsey says. "It's stronger than people realize."
The 6-2, 216-pound Ramsey will never shatter walls and records with velocity and distance. He won't wow the way teammates Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle do.
But that's not the goal.
Completing passes is.
Scoring is.
Winning is.
"My arm isn't Mike or Jack strong," Ramsey says. "Those guys have freaky strong arms. But I have the ability to make every throw in our offense. Now it's a matter of proving it. I was better at it this spring. I continued to work on it this summer."
Now, under a blazing August sun, Ramsey works on it in preseason camp. He checks down to short throws, sideline routes, to running backs breaking into open space. Arm strength will be a factor -- although not the deciding one -- in finalizing who will start and who will watch.
That Ramsey is in this position for the third straight season is nothing new. First it was Richard Lagow, then Penix and Brandon Dawkins, now Penix and Tuttle. Ramsey has always been a guy who has had to overcome doubters and critics and those who value spectacle over substance.
You might think throwing for 2,875 yards and 19 touchdowns last year, after throwing for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns as a part-time starter as redshirt freshman in 2017, at a program-record 65.8-percent completion rate, would lock up a starting job.
You'd be wrong.
Head coach Tom Allen is a firm believer in iron sharpening iron, another way of saying there is no job guarantee, only opportunity.
So Ramsey once again faces earn-the-job pressure, and knows exactly how to handle it.
"It's every day being as consistent as I possibly can be," he says. "Stacking good days on top of good days on top of good days. It's not comparing (what I do with what they do). Focus on myself.
"I can't control what Mike does or Jack does. I can't control what the offensive line does and how they protect, or how the receivers get open. I can focus on myself, my progression, my read, on every play. Do what's best, play in and play out. Come back to the huddle and do it again."
This kind of perspective takes maturity Ramsey has grown to embrace.
"It's hard. That comes with time. My first couple of years I'd go back and watch the film, think, compare and contrast. Sometimes you spend too much time worrying about the other guys.
"Now that I'm older, I understand that what really matters is my approach. It's being as consistent as possible every day. That's what the coaches are looking for. The more you think about it, the more pressure it adds. It's taken time to step back, but it's an important thing to do."
What are coaches looking for?
Basically, a quarterback who limits turnovers, who thrives on third downs and producing first downs, who can gain yards with his arm or legs, who leads and who gets the ball in the end zone.
And then the biggest thing -- win.
"The bottom line," Allen says, "is what I expect from that position is to elevate the level of play. That position is the key element to your team."
Vocal leadership is a huge part. Ramsey says he's worked hard in that area.
"It's a step I've taken. The player-led practices (over the summer) were really big for me. Having the opportunity to encourage, but also criticize guys. Step outside of my comfort zone. That's something I've been really good at -- vocally opening up and being a better vocal leader. Taking the time to earn that respect from the guys. Going into my fourth year, I think I've earned it. Guys have listened and responded well to what I've said."
In the next couple of weeks, IU coaches will name a starter. It's a competition no one wants to lose.
"For sure, it's hard," Ramsey says. "There's only one ball. That's the hardest part. Only one guy plays. Every day we prepare like we'll be the guy. That's the approach. If you're not the guy, it stinks."
Just as important as winning the job is staying healthy enough to keep it. Given football's hard-hitting nature, coaches have to plan for the worst. By the end of last season, IU was down to Ramsey and converted athlete Reese Taylor, Indiana's Mr. Football as a quarterback at Ben Davis High School.
Taylor is now a cornerback and there's depth to handle most adversity.
"It's important to have three of us this year," Ramsey says.
*****
Tuttle is pumped to be a Hoosier.
"The excitement level is through the roof," he says. "I'm so excited for this team and what we can do this season."
Tuttle never played in his one season at Utah. He transferred to IU for the spring semester, and has four years of eligibility. As far as his style of play, he says, "I'm a huge team guy. I love to lead and help the team go in the right direction. I'm very open. I'm willing to help guys. That's needed to build the team.
"Within the game, I believe I'm tough. I can throw the ball. I build off of that. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win."
The 6-4, 211-pounder was a Top-5 pro-style quarterback coming out of Mission Hills High School in California. As a senior in 2017, he threw for 41 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
IU wasn't in the running then despite Tuttle's Cream & Crimson connection. But his father, Jay, a walk-on kicker for IU in the late 1980s, did pass on one Hoosier tradition:
Purdue is not your friend.
"I didn't even know I was going to go here and I hated Purdue for no reason. My Dad said, 'I hate Purdue,' so I started to hate Purdue. I guess I learned that from him.
"He loved the atmosphere here. Every time he talked about his college career, it was positive."
Still, the elder Tuttle didn't push Indiana.
"He had nothing to do with the recruiting process. He was just there as a parent. He didn't tell me to come here. He told me his experience, and everything fell into place."
The main reason was IU's multi-faceted recruiting.
"Coach Allen talked about LEO (Love Each Other) a lot," Tuttle says. "He was really a down-to-earth coach. He's extremely honest. I really appreciated that.
"There was also the strength staff, the other coaches, the Kelley School of Business. The players were phenomenal. I was sold."
Tuttle arrived fully aware of the starting challenges.
"Most people would fear and be scared," he says. "But being put in that situation can bring the best out of all three of us. That's ultimately the best for the team."
*****
The 6-3, 202-pound Penix is convinced this will be a bowl season.
"It's the mindset," he says. "We know what we want to do, and we know what we have to do to get there. We all feel we can't be stopped by anybody if we play our best."
Penix played in three games last season (throwing for 219 yards and a touchdown), and it almost certainly would have been more if he hadn't torn his ACL against Penn State.
After months of rehab, he's fully recovered and looking solid, firing completions in tight windows. He's getting reps he couldn't in the spring, being tested by blitzes and disguised coverages while showing his passing and running skills.
"The way I pushed in the rehab and worked hard to get back to where I need to be, I feel very confident in myself. I'm hungry. I'm ready."
As far as the rehab, Penix adds, "The toughest thing in rehab is doing it every day. Some days it's going to hurt. You have to push through it. That's what I did. I trusted in everything they told me and pushed through all the pain. I came through it in the end."
******
The pads are on, the hitting is real, and if it's not at the rib-rocking intensity it will be for, say, Ohio State, don't down play the significance.
New offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer isn't. Every practice play provides one more bit of information that will determine not just a starter, but a potential winning season.
"I love where we're at right now," he says.
Love comes from analysis. Every play, every drill, every decision, every result is studied and critiqued on the field and later on film. Allen and DeBoer want to make sure they get this decision right.
What do they want?
"It's the fundamental things, throwing the football, the arm talent, all that kind of stuff," DeBoer says. "But in the end, does the team believe in you?
"It's a matter of doing it over and over again and being consistent. I think Peyton has that work ethic, that tough-minded mentality. You are seeing Mike develop that. Jack is the same way.
"They know that I am loving them up. I'm in their corner fighting with them, locking arms with them, but also there's going to be times when I put pressure on them because when they are in a stadium with 100,000 fans, it's them and I'm in the press box and I can't be out there holding their hands.
"So, I try and put them in adverse situations. That's a big part that you look for in a quarterback. That moxie. That feel, when a game is the on line. Yes, there's pressure, but you believe in yourself that you can get it done. As you do that, the team is going to buy into you and that's when you have great defenses, great quarterback play, a great offensive line and here we go."
DeBoer is developing a big-play attack, which includes a strong deep-passing game. Ramsey says, "We have the guys to do it. We have the weapons to go down field and make big plays.
"Coach DeBoer has a good scheme, a good design to get those guys the ball down the field. I am excited."
So it Tuttle.
"I welcome that completely. It's about touchdowns. I believe we can do it all."
On Aug. 31, in the season opener against Ball State at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, we'll start seeing if the Hoosiers can.
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
The question comes and Peyton Ramsey doesn't rattle. Indiana's veteran quarterback has heard it before, answered it multiple times, demonstrated his answer in ever increasingly better ways, and it still won't go away.
In essence, it comes down to this -- is your arm strong enough?
"One thing I get a lot of criticism for is my arm strength," Ramsey says. "It's stronger than people realize."
The 6-2, 216-pound Ramsey will never shatter walls and records with velocity and distance. He won't wow the way teammates Michael Penix Jr. and Jack Tuttle do.
But that's not the goal.
Completing passes is.
Scoring is.
Winning is.
"My arm isn't Mike or Jack strong," Ramsey says. "Those guys have freaky strong arms. But I have the ability to make every throw in our offense. Now it's a matter of proving it. I was better at it this spring. I continued to work on it this summer."
Now, under a blazing August sun, Ramsey works on it in preseason camp. He checks down to short throws, sideline routes, to running backs breaking into open space. Arm strength will be a factor -- although not the deciding one -- in finalizing who will start and who will watch.
That Ramsey is in this position for the third straight season is nothing new. First it was Richard Lagow, then Penix and Brandon Dawkins, now Penix and Tuttle. Ramsey has always been a guy who has had to overcome doubters and critics and those who value spectacle over substance.
You might think throwing for 2,875 yards and 19 touchdowns last year, after throwing for 1,252 yards and 10 touchdowns as a part-time starter as redshirt freshman in 2017, at a program-record 65.8-percent completion rate, would lock up a starting job.
You'd be wrong.
Head coach Tom Allen is a firm believer in iron sharpening iron, another way of saying there is no job guarantee, only opportunity.
So Ramsey once again faces earn-the-job pressure, and knows exactly how to handle it.
"It's every day being as consistent as I possibly can be," he says. "Stacking good days on top of good days on top of good days. It's not comparing (what I do with what they do). Focus on myself.
"I can't control what Mike does or Jack does. I can't control what the offensive line does and how they protect, or how the receivers get open. I can focus on myself, my progression, my read, on every play. Do what's best, play in and play out. Come back to the huddle and do it again."
This kind of perspective takes maturity Ramsey has grown to embrace.
"It's hard. That comes with time. My first couple of years I'd go back and watch the film, think, compare and contrast. Sometimes you spend too much time worrying about the other guys.
"Now that I'm older, I understand that what really matters is my approach. It's being as consistent as possible every day. That's what the coaches are looking for. The more you think about it, the more pressure it adds. It's taken time to step back, but it's an important thing to do."
What are coaches looking for?
Basically, a quarterback who limits turnovers, who thrives on third downs and producing first downs, who can gain yards with his arm or legs, who leads and who gets the ball in the end zone.
And then the biggest thing -- win.
"The bottom line," Allen says, "is what I expect from that position is to elevate the level of play. That position is the key element to your team."
Vocal leadership is a huge part. Ramsey says he's worked hard in that area.
"It's a step I've taken. The player-led practices (over the summer) were really big for me. Having the opportunity to encourage, but also criticize guys. Step outside of my comfort zone. That's something I've been really good at -- vocally opening up and being a better vocal leader. Taking the time to earn that respect from the guys. Going into my fourth year, I think I've earned it. Guys have listened and responded well to what I've said."
In the next couple of weeks, IU coaches will name a starter. It's a competition no one wants to lose.
"For sure, it's hard," Ramsey says. "There's only one ball. That's the hardest part. Only one guy plays. Every day we prepare like we'll be the guy. That's the approach. If you're not the guy, it stinks."
Just as important as winning the job is staying healthy enough to keep it. Given football's hard-hitting nature, coaches have to plan for the worst. By the end of last season, IU was down to Ramsey and converted athlete Reese Taylor, Indiana's Mr. Football as a quarterback at Ben Davis High School.
Taylor is now a cornerback and there's depth to handle most adversity.
"It's important to have three of us this year," Ramsey says.
*****
Tuttle is pumped to be a Hoosier.
"The excitement level is through the roof," he says. "I'm so excited for this team and what we can do this season."
Tuttle never played in his one season at Utah. He transferred to IU for the spring semester, and has four years of eligibility. As far as his style of play, he says, "I'm a huge team guy. I love to lead and help the team go in the right direction. I'm very open. I'm willing to help guys. That's needed to build the team.
"Within the game, I believe I'm tough. I can throw the ball. I build off of that. I'm willing to do whatever it takes to win."
The 6-4, 211-pounder was a Top-5 pro-style quarterback coming out of Mission Hills High School in California. As a senior in 2017, he threw for 41 touchdowns against just four interceptions.
IU wasn't in the running then despite Tuttle's Cream & Crimson connection. But his father, Jay, a walk-on kicker for IU in the late 1980s, did pass on one Hoosier tradition:
Purdue is not your friend.
"I didn't even know I was going to go here and I hated Purdue for no reason. My Dad said, 'I hate Purdue,' so I started to hate Purdue. I guess I learned that from him.
"He loved the atmosphere here. Every time he talked about his college career, it was positive."
Still, the elder Tuttle didn't push Indiana.
"He had nothing to do with the recruiting process. He was just there as a parent. He didn't tell me to come here. He told me his experience, and everything fell into place."
The main reason was IU's multi-faceted recruiting.
"Coach Allen talked about LEO (Love Each Other) a lot," Tuttle says. "He was really a down-to-earth coach. He's extremely honest. I really appreciated that.
"There was also the strength staff, the other coaches, the Kelley School of Business. The players were phenomenal. I was sold."
Tuttle arrived fully aware of the starting challenges.
"Most people would fear and be scared," he says. "But being put in that situation can bring the best out of all three of us. That's ultimately the best for the team."
*****
The 6-3, 202-pound Penix is convinced this will be a bowl season.
"It's the mindset," he says. "We know what we want to do, and we know what we have to do to get there. We all feel we can't be stopped by anybody if we play our best."
Penix played in three games last season (throwing for 219 yards and a touchdown), and it almost certainly would have been more if he hadn't torn his ACL against Penn State.
After months of rehab, he's fully recovered and looking solid, firing completions in tight windows. He's getting reps he couldn't in the spring, being tested by blitzes and disguised coverages while showing his passing and running skills.
"The way I pushed in the rehab and worked hard to get back to where I need to be, I feel very confident in myself. I'm hungry. I'm ready."
As far as the rehab, Penix adds, "The toughest thing in rehab is doing it every day. Some days it's going to hurt. You have to push through it. That's what I did. I trusted in everything they told me and pushed through all the pain. I came through it in the end."
******
The pads are on, the hitting is real, and if it's not at the rib-rocking intensity it will be for, say, Ohio State, don't down play the significance.
New offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer isn't. Every practice play provides one more bit of information that will determine not just a starter, but a potential winning season.
"I love where we're at right now," he says.
Love comes from analysis. Every play, every drill, every decision, every result is studied and critiqued on the field and later on film. Allen and DeBoer want to make sure they get this decision right.
What do they want?
"It's the fundamental things, throwing the football, the arm talent, all that kind of stuff," DeBoer says. "But in the end, does the team believe in you?
"It's a matter of doing it over and over again and being consistent. I think Peyton has that work ethic, that tough-minded mentality. You are seeing Mike develop that. Jack is the same way.
"They know that I am loving them up. I'm in their corner fighting with them, locking arms with them, but also there's going to be times when I put pressure on them because when they are in a stadium with 100,000 fans, it's them and I'm in the press box and I can't be out there holding their hands.
"So, I try and put them in adverse situations. That's a big part that you look for in a quarterback. That moxie. That feel, when a game is the on line. Yes, there's pressure, but you believe in yourself that you can get it done. As you do that, the team is going to buy into you and that's when you have great defenses, great quarterback play, a great offensive line and here we go."
DeBoer is developing a big-play attack, which includes a strong deep-passing game. Ramsey says, "We have the guys to do it. We have the weapons to go down field and make big plays.
"Coach DeBoer has a good scheme, a good design to get those guys the ball down the field. I am excited."
So it Tuttle.
"I welcome that completely. It's about touchdowns. I believe we can do it all."
On Aug. 31, in the season opener against Ball State at Indianapolis' Lucas Oil Stadium, we'll start seeing if the Hoosiers can.
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