Indiana University Athletics
DiPrimio Notebook – Winning, Not Awards Drive IU’s Penix
11/10/2020 9:37:00 AM | Football
By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Distractions have no place in Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s world. He remains a big-picture guy with a big-game focus.
In this case, win at Michigan State on Saturday.
"As the starting quarterback," Penix said during Monday's Zoom press conference, "when there is a big win, you are the one that is getting a lot of the recognition. For me, the main role I have is showing the team that we cannot be complacent."
In other words, last Saturday's dominating 38-21 win over No. 23/25 Michigan, which propelled the Hoosiers (3-0) to a No. 10 ranking, might as well have come in the last century.
"We have accomplished some great things," Penix said, "but I have to make sure the team knows that we still have a season ahead of us. We have to make sure that we stay focused and locked in.
"I can tell them that, but I also have to lead by example. I have to make sure they are following me and keeping that 1-0 mindset."
Penix understands that, especially for his position, glory and success come by sharing.
Take, for instance, a game ball.
Penix was awarded that honor for his career-best achievements (career-high 342 passing yards, career-high-tying 3 touchdowns passes) against Michigan.
What did he do with it?
He gave it to the offensive linemen.
"Last week was a tough week for the offensive line in practice," Penix said. "We pushed the offensive line to the extreme because we know the capability that they have. We have a great offensive line.
"We put the emphasis on them to be physical and that is what they showed when it was game time. They played their tails off, so I felt it was necessary to give them the game ball because I could not have done it without them."
Penix's big game put him on the list of a pair of national award lists – the Davey O'Brien Foundation Great 8 and one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week.
He also was named to the O'Brien Award Midseason Watch List. That award honors the nation's best quarterback.
"Michael played well," head coach Tom Allen said. "I thought it was neat when I gave him the game ball afterwards, the first thing he did was defer it to the offensive line. I thought that was just awesome. Understanding that you are only as good as the people around you."
*****
Against Michigan State, IU plays for the Old Brass Spittoon, one of its two rivalry games.
The other is the Old Oaken Bucket battle against Purdue.
The Spittoon rivalry began in 1950.
According to legend, the Spittoon -- which is a real spittoon that came from a Michigan 19th Century trading post -- is believed to be around 200 years old.
Michigan State leads the rivalry 48-13-1. IU has won just one of the last 11 meetings. Its last victory came in 2016, 24-21 in overtime.
However, this is a much better Hoosier team. Its No. 10 ranking in the AP and coaches' polls is its highest since a No. 10 ranking early in the 1969 season. It seeks its first 4-0 Big Ten start since 1987.
Michigan State (1-2) is coming off a 49-7 loss at Iowa. It opened the season with a 38-27 loss to Rutgers, then beat Michigan 27-24 behind quarterback Rocky Lombardi's 323 passing yards and three touchdowns.
"We have a ton of respect for them and the opportunity to play for the Brass Spittoon," Allen said. "That's a trophy game that we have placed a high value on and have not been able to obtain since I have been the head coach.
"We're excited to play a very tough, hard-nosed, hard-playing team that we know is going to be playing its best football. They did against Michigan. They did a great job against them.
"We know that their staff is going to have them ready to play. The bottom line is that we have to stay focused on the task at hand. We have to do a tremendous job of staying in the moment and play our best football on Saturday."
*****
Allen's gashed left cheek from his celebratory tackle of defensive back Devon Matthews following Matthews' victory clinching interception was not the first time he's hurt himself with his physical enthusiasm.
He gave himself a black eye while coaching at Indianapolis Ben Davis High School after jumping on a player following a big interception. He lost two front teeth by diving into a pile of players while at Mississippi.
"That was a pretty poor decision that took six to eight months to recover," he said about the Mississippi incident. "One of the teeth was a fake tooth, so that one just disintegrated. The other one was permanent and I had to have a root canal. That was almost an eight-month process.
"I don't do it as much as I used to. I'm 50 years old and I have to be more careful in how I celebrate. Hopefully I will have more celebrations in the future, but just no injuries."
*****
IU closed out the Michigan victory with a punishing rushing attack the Wolverines didn't come close to stopping.
"I was very pleased," offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said. "A measure for any football team is your ability to run when you have to and on defense to stop the run when you have to.
"In those situations, everybody knows what we are trying to do. It is a cumulative effect when you play a game. You are trying to wear your opponent down, but it does not happen on the first play of the game. You have to be relentless in your physicality, your toughness, your effort, and you are hopeful that those sacrifices you make early in the game, the strain, the toughness and the effort that you display, puts you in a position to finish the game."
Strong offensive line blocking combined with powerful running by Stevie Scott III and Sampson James took their toll. Impetus came from last Wednesday's physical practice.
Let's just say the coaches got animated.
"They were upset with me," Sheridan said, "but they thanked me and the rest of the staff because it was worth it.
"We pushed them all week because we have high expectations for that group. Their position coach (Darren Hiller) believes in them, as we all do, that they can be great.
"Stevie Scott and Sampson James are heavy runners. They wear you down because they become harder and harder to tackle."
Now the goal is to wear down Michigan State.
"We have not gained a yard or scored a point this week," Sheridan said, "so we will coach them hard in hopes it prepares us for the physicality and toughness that Michigan State will bring."
*****
IU held Michigan to just 13 rushing yards. It might have been the fewest it has ever allowed against the Wolverines.
"The rushing numbers are a tribute to the physicality of the 11 players and the swarm defense," defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said.
"When you watch the film and see when they tried to establish a run game, the physicality that we brought from every level is what stands out.
"There were defensive linemen that were knocking them back and we were pushing them around in the backfield, so that was awesome to see. Linebackers stepping up and making plays, safeties coming in and making supporting fits, corners being absolutely physical off the edge, it was all great to see."
Beyond that, the Hoosiers' overall ability to shut down Michigan suggests better things are coming.
"We talk about good defenses, they execute in the first, second, third quarter, but great defenses finish and I thought that we did that (against Michigan)," Wommack said. "It was a big deal for us to be able to go execute at that level. We did not do everything right and we gave up too many explosive plays, but when the game was on the line, at the end, I thought our guys executed and finished. That to me, from a momentum standpoint, we have got to build on."
*****
Allen's Love Each Other program theme doesn't mean soft discipline.
Safety Jamar Johnson is facing it.
His first-half ejection from Saturday's game for an unsportsmanlike penalty was immediately followed by a 37-yard Michigan touchdown pass.
It was a mistake, Allen said, that has consequences.
"Really disappointed in in the mistake that Jamar Johnson made. He was a man about it. We had some discussions (Sunday), but he's got to learn from it. That cannot happen. It must be fixed immediately.
"He will be held accountable. He understands that. So, we've got to have more discipline than that."
IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Distractions have no place in Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr.'s world. He remains a big-picture guy with a big-game focus.
In this case, win at Michigan State on Saturday.
"As the starting quarterback," Penix said during Monday's Zoom press conference, "when there is a big win, you are the one that is getting a lot of the recognition. For me, the main role I have is showing the team that we cannot be complacent."
In other words, last Saturday's dominating 38-21 win over No. 23/25 Michigan, which propelled the Hoosiers (3-0) to a No. 10 ranking, might as well have come in the last century.
"We have accomplished some great things," Penix said, "but I have to make sure the team knows that we still have a season ahead of us. We have to make sure that we stay focused and locked in.
"I can tell them that, but I also have to lead by example. I have to make sure they are following me and keeping that 1-0 mindset."
Penix understands that, especially for his position, glory and success come by sharing.
Take, for instance, a game ball.
Penix was awarded that honor for his career-best achievements (career-high 342 passing yards, career-high-tying 3 touchdowns passes) against Michigan.
What did he do with it?
He gave it to the offensive linemen.
"Last week was a tough week for the offensive line in practice," Penix said. "We pushed the offensive line to the extreme because we know the capability that they have. We have a great offensive line.
"We put the emphasis on them to be physical and that is what they showed when it was game time. They played their tails off, so I felt it was necessary to give them the game ball because I could not have done it without them."
Penix's big game put him on the list of a pair of national award lists – the Davey O'Brien Foundation Great 8 and one of eight Manning Award Stars of the Week.
He also was named to the O'Brien Award Midseason Watch List. That award honors the nation's best quarterback.
"Michael played well," head coach Tom Allen said. "I thought it was neat when I gave him the game ball afterwards, the first thing he did was defer it to the offensive line. I thought that was just awesome. Understanding that you are only as good as the people around you."
*****
Against Michigan State, IU plays for the Old Brass Spittoon, one of its two rivalry games.
The other is the Old Oaken Bucket battle against Purdue.
The Spittoon rivalry began in 1950.
According to legend, the Spittoon -- which is a real spittoon that came from a Michigan 19th Century trading post -- is believed to be around 200 years old.
Michigan State leads the rivalry 48-13-1. IU has won just one of the last 11 meetings. Its last victory came in 2016, 24-21 in overtime.
However, this is a much better Hoosier team. Its No. 10 ranking in the AP and coaches' polls is its highest since a No. 10 ranking early in the 1969 season. It seeks its first 4-0 Big Ten start since 1987.
Michigan State (1-2) is coming off a 49-7 loss at Iowa. It opened the season with a 38-27 loss to Rutgers, then beat Michigan 27-24 behind quarterback Rocky Lombardi's 323 passing yards and three touchdowns.
"We have a ton of respect for them and the opportunity to play for the Brass Spittoon," Allen said. "That's a trophy game that we have placed a high value on and have not been able to obtain since I have been the head coach.
"We're excited to play a very tough, hard-nosed, hard-playing team that we know is going to be playing its best football. They did against Michigan. They did a great job against them.
"We know that their staff is going to have them ready to play. The bottom line is that we have to stay focused on the task at hand. We have to do a tremendous job of staying in the moment and play our best football on Saturday."
*****
Allen's gashed left cheek from his celebratory tackle of defensive back Devon Matthews following Matthews' victory clinching interception was not the first time he's hurt himself with his physical enthusiasm.
He gave himself a black eye while coaching at Indianapolis Ben Davis High School after jumping on a player following a big interception. He lost two front teeth by diving into a pile of players while at Mississippi.
"That was a pretty poor decision that took six to eight months to recover," he said about the Mississippi incident. "One of the teeth was a fake tooth, so that one just disintegrated. The other one was permanent and I had to have a root canal. That was almost an eight-month process.
"I don't do it as much as I used to. I'm 50 years old and I have to be more careful in how I celebrate. Hopefully I will have more celebrations in the future, but just no injuries."
*****
IU closed out the Michigan victory with a punishing rushing attack the Wolverines didn't come close to stopping.
"I was very pleased," offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan said. "A measure for any football team is your ability to run when you have to and on defense to stop the run when you have to.
"In those situations, everybody knows what we are trying to do. It is a cumulative effect when you play a game. You are trying to wear your opponent down, but it does not happen on the first play of the game. You have to be relentless in your physicality, your toughness, your effort, and you are hopeful that those sacrifices you make early in the game, the strain, the toughness and the effort that you display, puts you in a position to finish the game."
Strong offensive line blocking combined with powerful running by Stevie Scott III and Sampson James took their toll. Impetus came from last Wednesday's physical practice.
Let's just say the coaches got animated.
"They were upset with me," Sheridan said, "but they thanked me and the rest of the staff because it was worth it.
"We pushed them all week because we have high expectations for that group. Their position coach (Darren Hiller) believes in them, as we all do, that they can be great.
"Stevie Scott and Sampson James are heavy runners. They wear you down because they become harder and harder to tackle."
Now the goal is to wear down Michigan State.
"We have not gained a yard or scored a point this week," Sheridan said, "so we will coach them hard in hopes it prepares us for the physicality and toughness that Michigan State will bring."
*****
IU held Michigan to just 13 rushing yards. It might have been the fewest it has ever allowed against the Wolverines.
"The rushing numbers are a tribute to the physicality of the 11 players and the swarm defense," defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said.
"When you watch the film and see when they tried to establish a run game, the physicality that we brought from every level is what stands out.
"There were defensive linemen that were knocking them back and we were pushing them around in the backfield, so that was awesome to see. Linebackers stepping up and making plays, safeties coming in and making supporting fits, corners being absolutely physical off the edge, it was all great to see."
Beyond that, the Hoosiers' overall ability to shut down Michigan suggests better things are coming.
"We talk about good defenses, they execute in the first, second, third quarter, but great defenses finish and I thought that we did that (against Michigan)," Wommack said. "It was a big deal for us to be able to go execute at that level. We did not do everything right and we gave up too many explosive plays, but when the game was on the line, at the end, I thought our guys executed and finished. That to me, from a momentum standpoint, we have got to build on."
*****
Allen's Love Each Other program theme doesn't mean soft discipline.
Safety Jamar Johnson is facing it.
His first-half ejection from Saturday's game for an unsportsmanlike penalty was immediately followed by a 37-yard Michigan touchdown pass.
It was a mistake, Allen said, that has consequences.
"Really disappointed in in the mistake that Jamar Johnson made. He was a man about it. We had some discussions (Sunday), but he's got to learn from it. That cannot happen. It must be fixed immediately.
"He will be held accountable. He understands that. So, we've got to have more discipline than that."
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