Quick Whistle – Penix Jr. And The Art of Making Plays

By Pete DiPrimio
IUHoosiers.com

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Tom Allen as whistleblower?

Is that right?

Darn straight, it is.

Indiana's head coach is as quick to blow his whistle as he is to leap following great Hoosier plays.

Why?

The simple answer -- keep Michael Penix Jr. healthy.

The more complex one -- the redshirt junior quarterback is off limits to contact, even the threat of contact. There will come a time he take shots, but an August scrimmage isn't one of them.

The goal is to sharpen Penix for Big Ten battles -- starting with the Sept. 4 season opener at rugged Iowa -- without putting him in harm's way.

IU held its first scrimmage last Saturday, with tackling, blocking, and get-after-it intensity -- to a don't-hit-the-quarterback point.

The offense out-performed the defense. Penix and fellow quarterbacks Jack Tuttle and Donaven McCulley got chances to make plays -- exclusively with their arms.

"When I tried to use my legs, Coach Allen was quick to blow the whistle," Penix says. "I understand. He is just looking out for me and looking out for this team."

This is an offense loaded with weapons, and it starts with doing what needs to be done.

"The offensive side of the ball executed," Penix says. "We executed the simple things and made sure we did our assignments and trusted each other.

"The guys on our side were making plays. We had the running backs making plays and I was doing my best to make sure I was getting them the ball. I was making sure we were in the right protections, in the right place so that everything went smooth and that is how it went.

"It was not just me. The other two quarterbacks were getting a lot of reps too, Jack and Donaven. We were executing the small things. Once we do that, we are a great team."
The scrimmage was Penix's first semi-live action since tearing his ACL against Maryland last November.

"It felt good," he says. "We go against the defense every day, but with the scrimmage we were on the game field, so we got a feel for everything.

"It went well for being our first scrimmage. The offense showed a lot of great things and the defense showed great things, as well. It was something to build off.

"We still have some things to work on, but we are in a good spot."

The left-handed Penix can throw balls to knock down walls, which might work if you have to squeeze a pass through tight coverage, but might not be ideal for the guys trying to catch it.

One point of emphasis, Allen says, it throwing more "catchable" balls.

"He's got more touch on the deep ball," Allen said. "That's been a big focus. Being able to throw a more catchable ball at times.

"When you're young, you're trying to throw the fastball all the time. But you learn how to have a different approach."

If Penix does, well, consider he ranks second in program history with a 61.6 career completion percentage. He's 10-2 as a starter with four 300-yard passing games.

He wants more.

"I've just been working on accuracy. "I can make any throw in the pocket. It's just working on some out-of-the-pocket stuff on the run. Coming off the injury, making sure I can still go on the run, plant, set up when I have to. Stuff like that. I've definitely been working on that this offseason, just making sure I stay sound."

As for the opener at Iowa, Penix says

"As far as the knee, I feel good. I feel like I'm ready to play. Come Sept. 4, I will be 100 percent ready with no concerns."

Reducing concerns even more is having Tuttle, a veteran presence with a Big Ten road victory under his belt. When Penix went down, he led the Hoosiers to a win at Wisconsin.

Tuttle has had a strong camp.

"I think it's just been good for me," he says. "Getting those different looks against our defense. I've become calmer. Everything is slow. I just need to continue helping the offense execute as a whole."

Strong execution requires Tuttle and Penix working together.

"I think we learn a ton from each other," Tuttle says. "Mike's a great player. It's huge taking those mental reps. Picking up those little parts of the game that maybe he's better at than I am or I'm better at than he is. It's super important. We make each other better and we have fun with it."

Offensive fun ultimately comes down to scoring points and IU seems poised to become a 30-points-or-more regular.

"Some things we would like to see (in next Saturday's scrimmage)," Tuttle says, is continuing to play at a championship level.

"Coach Allen talks about it all the time. We're growing and getting there. It's a non-stop push. We may be at a championship level, but in our minds we're not. We're going to keep striving and going. We're going to keep on pushing in that regard.

"We need to execute at an extremely high level, better than any team in the country. Just grinding together and loving each other and getting in the film and the playbooks."

There's a lot to love given the Hoosiers are a Top-20 team in the AP and coaches' polls. Elite quarterback play is crucial to playing at that level, and beyond.

Allen likes what he's seeing.

"I would say with (Penix and Tuttle), how they are throwing and their leadership are the things that stick out. Both of them are doing a good job of verbally, within their areas of responsibility, doing a good job leading. Then, throwing the ball with confidence, on time, and getting the ball out quick and making good decisions, knowing where the ball needs to go based on the coverage that they are getting."

Allen says he's also seeing that from McCulley, a true freshman with impressive dual-threat potential.

"It's maybe surprisingly because he is so young," Allen says. "He is one that when it is live, his legs can become a variable with the team more spread out and he is even more effective."

The quarterback play was strong in the scrimmage, Allen adds.

"All three quarterbacks played well. That is where it starts in terms of the rhythm, throwing the ball on time, and doing a good job of getting the ball to a lot of different guys.

"For that to happen, the offensive line did some good things. I thought we were physical on the offensive line. Something that is being emphasized and we are working really hard on is that unit playing well. They did some good things.

"It was the timing on offense. You have seen that coming. The last couple of days with the things that we do with routes on air and all the things with the timing of our receivers and tight ends. I like our tight ends' room. I like our receivers' room, then the running backs. We have several guys there, as well.

"I think as a collective group, they put it all together, which is what you want to see."

You'd better believe Penix likes to see it.

"We have a lot of guys stepping up. We have (Florida State grad transfer) D.J. Matthews Jr. He is elevating and is a great guy that is going to make plays for us.

"We have (redshirt junior receiver) Jacolby Hewitt. He was here last year, and he had his first career catch against Penn State, which was a big catch. Jacolby has been making a lot of big plays and showing great things out there on the field.

"(Texas A&M transfer) Camron Buckley has been doing good as well. He is doing everything right, making sure that he gets his routes right.

"We have (sophomore receiver) Javon Swinton, a guy that showed up the last drive of the Penn State game, as well. We have a lot of guys out there doing a lot of things and a lot of guys who are going to make big plays for us this season.

"We have (Big Ten receiver of the year) Ty Fryfogle back. He is a great thing for us on the offensive side of the ball. Ty is going to make plays all the time, but it is good to have those weapons out there. We still have (redshirt junior receiver) Miles Marshall. He is going to make big plays for us, as well."

It all starts with having Penix -- and, perhaps, a quick whistle.

Indiana University Athletics

Quick Whistle – Penix Jr. And The Art of Making Plays

Related News

Players Mentioned

Camron Buckley

Ty Fryfogle

Jacolby Hewitt

Miles Marshall

D.J. Matthews Jr.

Donaven McCulley

Michael Penix Jr.

Javon Swinton

Jack Tuttle

Related Videos