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Indiana quarterback Michael Penix Jr. saw his first three seasons end early with injury. The Hoosiers are hoping Penix won’t make four straight games.
Coach Tom Allen said Monday the junior in the red jersey suffered a separate throwing shoulder in Saturday’s loss to Penn State. He is absent indefinitely and is listed from week to week.
Jack Tuttle, who replaced Penix for the last two games of last season, is expected to take over when the Hoosiers return to action on Oct. 16 against No.11 Michigan State. The Hoosiers (2-3, 0-2 Big Ten) have a pass this week.
“I don’t know if you can rule that out at this point,” Allen said when asked if Penix would need surgery. “There are unknowns with the rehabilitation process, surgery is certainly not considered necessary at the moment. At the same time, we don’t know all of the answers at this point.”
The injury occurred when Penn State linebacker Brandon Smith drove Penix into the ground in the third quarter.
Since returning from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, which ended his 2020 season, Penix was only making 53.7% of his throws and had thrown seven interceptions and four touchdown passes. He threw three interceptions in each of Indiana’s first two losses, with two returned for touchdowns.
Although he showed improvement in a win at Western Kentucky, he had more problems against Penn State. He scored 10 of 22 with 118 yards and one interception before leaving on Saturday as Indiana suffered its first shutout since 2000.
“The [overall] the performance was unacceptable, not up to our standard and we need to fix it, ”Allen said. “It’s execution, it’s playing, it’s about finding ways to get out of a bad call and make it a better call. Ultimately, it’s my responsibility. So we have to make sure that the way we played on Saturday night never happens again. “
Tuttle went 6 of 12 with 77 yards and also threw an interception.
This is not the first time that Tuttle has held this position either. He closed out a win over Maryland last season and went 1-1 after becoming the starter, losing to Ole Miss in the Outback Bowl while playing most of the game with a separate throwing shoulder.
“I mentioned in the preseason that we felt like we had two starters and on this team,” Allen said. “He is very respected by his teammates and he also brings an energy. I thought he gave us a spark even on Saturday. I have great confidence in him and he has a great quality to be always ready to play than this. either no snaps, one snap or 80 snapshots. “
Allen is also hoping the exemption will help Indiana recover injured defensive starters, including cornerbacks Tiawan Mullen and Reese Taylor and starting safety Raheem Layne.
Play Notes: The Indiana running back’s depth takes another hit after substitute Tim Baldwin decides to enter the transfer portal. Allen said Baldwin is no longer with the team. Baldwin is the second running back to choose to transfer this season. Sampson James, another replacement, decided to play Purdue in August.
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