Penix Earns Spot on Manning Award Watch List

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Indiana redshirt junior quarterback Michael Penix Jr. earned a spot on the Manning Award Watch List, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, it was announced on Thursday afternoon. Penix is also on watch lists for the Walter Camp Player of the Year, the Maxwell Award, and the Davey O'Brien Award, and he was one of 10 players to receive Big Ten preseason honors.

The list includes 32 of the top quarterbacks in the nation heading into the 2021 season. The winner will again be selected by a voting panel, which includes national media and each of the Mannings, after the bowls.

The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in honor of the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates' bowl performances in its balloting.

"We're really looking forward to a football season that has a little more sense of normalcy this fall," said Archie Manning. "There's so much talent among the returning quarterbacks with the super seniors and so many other top players returning. We have 32 outstanding quarterbacks on the preseason Watch List; and I'm expecting the midseason additions to be very impressive as well with a lot of young guys and transfers expected to make major contributions."

Penix was a 2020 team captain, a second-team All-Big Ten honoree (coaches, media), and IU's Anthony Thompson Most Valuable Player alongside linebacker Micah McFadden.

The Tampa native completed 124-of-220 (56.4 percent) for 1,645 yards with 14 touchdowns and four interceptions, and he rushed for a pair of TDs. He averaged a Big Ten-leading 274.2 yards per game (18th nationally) and recorded a 136.54 pass-efficiency rating.

Penix started all six games in which he appeared before he suffered a season-ending ACL injury in the Maryland win (Nov. 28). Entering the Terrapins game, he led the league in passing yardage, passing yardage per game (312.2, 9th nationally), passing scores, completions, attempts, 60-yard passing plays (4, T-2nd), 50-yarders (6, T-7th), 40-yarders (tied 6, T-33rd), and 30-yarders (11, T-39th).

The southpaw owns a 10-2 record as a starter and is 255-of-414 (61.6, 2nd in program history) for 3,258 yards with 25 touchdowns, eight INTs, and a 143.8 pass-efficiency rating in 15 games. He has 189 yards on the ground on 47 attempts (4.0 average) with four TDs.

Inclusion on the Watch List is not necessary for the quarterbacks to be selected for the honor. Additional quarterbacks are expected to be added to the Watch List during the season. Finalists will be selected prior to the postseason and the winner will be announced following the College Football Playoff National Championship.

"The Sugar Bowl has considered it a great honor to sponsor the Manning Award for the past 17 years," said Allstate Sugar Bowl CEO Jeff Hundley. "After the challenges of the 2020 season, we're all hoping that these outstanding young quarterbacks will have the opportunity for a more traditional season this year. And after the bowls and the College Football Playoff, we'll be able to recognize the top quarterback with this honor."

In its first 17 years, the Manning Award has recognized the top names in college football. It has honored quarterbacks from 13 different schools and from four different conferences. The Southeastern Conference (Joe Burrow, Mac Jones, Johnny Manziel, Cam Newton, JaMarcus Russell and Tim Tebow) leads the way with six Manning Award honorees, while the Big 12 Conference (Kyler Murray, Baker Mayfield, Vince Young, Colt McCoy and Robert Griffin III) has had five winners. The Atlantic Coast Conference (Deshaun Watson twice, Matt Ryan and Jameis Winston) has had four Manning Award winners. LSU (Burrow and Russell), Oklahoma (Murray and Mayfield) and Texas (McCoy and Young) are the only schools with two different winners.

Statistically, the Manning Award has seen a wide-range of quarterbacks. Fourteen of the Manning Award men threw for over 3,000 yards in their winning campaign, including 4,000-yard seasons from Burrow, Griffin III, Jones, Marcus Mariota, Mayfield, Murray, Ryan, Watson (twice) and Winston. On the other hand, Manziel, Murray, Newton, Watson (in 2015) and Young were all 1,000-yard rushers during their Manning years.

Perhaps most impressive among the statistics of the quarterbacks recognized by the Manning Award is touchdowns scored. Twelve of the winners accounted for over 40 touchdowns during their successful seasons – Burrow's 65 touchdowns (60 passing, five rushing) broke Mariota's record (58 in 2014) for touchdowns by a Manning Award winner.

One of the more unique aspects of the Manning Award is the fact that it takes account of the quarterbacks' bowl performances, in addition to the regular season. Fourteen of the 17 Manning Award winners won bowl games during the season they won the honor. Twelve Manning Award honorees led their teams to the CFP Semifinals or a BCS Championship game appearance (Burrow, Jones, Matt Leinart, Mariota, Mayfield, McCoy, Murray, Newton, Tebow, Watson, Winston and Young). Eight won national championships (Burrow, Jones, Leinart, Newton, Tebow, Watson, Winston and Young).

Previous Manning Award winners have also factored prominently in the NFL Draft as they all heard their names called on Draft Day. Six honorees were selected No. 1 overall (Burrow, Mayfield, Murray, Newton, Russell and Winston), while four others went No. 2 or No. 3 (Griffin, Mariota, Ryan and Young).

All the Manning Award winners follow in the footsteps of the Mannings themselves. In college, Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning combined for over 25,000 passing yards and 201 touchdowns while playing in 10 bowl games and earning four bowl MVP awards. Archie was the No. 2 pick in the NFL Draft, while both Peyton and Eli were selected No. 1 overall.

In addition to the Manning Award's yearly honor, each week during the regular season, eight quarterbacks are recognized as Manning Quarterbacks of the Week. Seventy-three players from 66 different schools were honored during the 2020 season and 424 different quarterbacks from 129 schools have been recognized since 2011.

Indiana Football 2021 Preseason Watch Lists
Dodd Trophy – Tom Allen
Maxwell Award – Ty Fryfogle, Michael Penix Jr.
Bednarik Award – Micah McFadden, Tiawan Mullen
Davey O'Brien Award – Michael Penix Jr.
Doak Walker Award – Stephen Carr
B1G Preseason Honors – Michael Penix Jr.
Biletnikoff Award – Ty Fryfogle
John Mackey Award – Peyton Hendershot
Jim Thorpe Award – Tiawan Mullen
Butkus Award – Micah McFadden
Outland Trophy – Matthew Bedford
Lou Groza Award – Charles Campbell
Wuerffel Trophy – Michael Ziemba
Paul Hornung Award – D.J. Matthews Jr.
Walter Camp Player of the Year Award – Michael Penix Jr.
Manning Award – Michael Penix Jr.

Indiana University Athletics

Players Mentioned

Matthew Bedford

Charles Campbell

Stephen Carr

Ty Fryfogle

Peyton Hendershot

D.J. Matthews Jr.

Micah McFadden

Tiawan Mullen

Michael Penix Jr.

Michael Ziemba

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