Michael Penix Jr. Shines with 3 TDs as Indiana Sends Michigan Tumbling to 1-2
The No. 13 Indiana Hoosiers beat the No. 23 Michigan Wolverines 38-21 on Saturday to record their first win over the Wolverines since 1987.
Indiana improved to 3-0 on the season with the win at Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana, and may have put itself in position to enter the top 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time since 1969. Meanwhile, Michigan fell to 1-2 and is likely to drop out of the poll next week.
As was the case in Indiana's first two wins of the season against Penn State and Rutgers, sophomore quarterback Michael Penix Jr. was a big-time difference-maker Saturday.
Indiana dominated the game in most areas, as it outgained Michigan 460-357, won the time-of-possession battle (38:20-21:10) and the turnover battle (2-0).
Notable Stats
Michael Penix Jr., QB, IU: 30/50 for 342 YDS, 3 TD, 0 INT
Stevie Scott III, RB, IU: 24 CAR for 97 YDS, 2 TD; 3 REC for 13 YDS
Ty Fryfogle, WR, IU: 7 REC for 142 YDS, 1 TD
Whop Philyor, WR, IU: 11 REC for 79 YDS
Joe Milton, QB, UM: 18/34 for 344 YDS, 3 TD, 2 INT
Ronnie Bell, WR, UM: 6 REC for 149 YDS, 1 TD
Cornelius Johnson, WR, UM: 4 REC for 82 YDS, 1 TD
Penix Jr. Has Career Day as Hoosiers Remain Undefeated
After helping the Hoosiers upset Penn State two weeks ago with a dramatic score in overtime, Penix Jr. popped up on the national radar. With his performance Saturday, he ensured that he won't drop off any time soon.
Penix played the biggest role of anyone in Indiana racing out to a 24-7 lead in the first half, as he threw three touchdown passes, which matched his season and career high for a single game.
He got off to a hot start on the Hoosiers' first drive of the game by marching them 74 yards on 11 plays, concluding with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Miles Marshall:
After Michigan tied the game at 7-7, Penix went back to work with a 24-yard scoring strike to Ty Fryfogle near the end of the first quarter:
Fryfogle was clearly Penix's preferred target in the first half; the senior wide receiver had seven catches for 142 yards through only two quarters.
After a 52-yard Charles Campbell field goal extended the Indiana lead to 17-7, Penix threw his third touchdown of the day to tight end Peyton Hendershot from one yard out with just 56 seconds remaining in the half:
Penix entered the locker room with over 250 passing yards and three touchdowns at the half. WDRB's Aaron Matas and Zach Osterman of the Indianapolis Star were among those who loved what they saw out of him:
Former Penn State and NFL quarterback Matt McGloin also had plenty of good things to say about Penix's first-half showing:
In additional to his exceptional statistical performance, Penix also drew the Michigan defensive line offsides on multiple occasions with hard counts.
While most of Penix's scoring damage came in the first half, he continued to complete passes at will in the second half and move the Indiana offense with relative ease.
He didn't receive much help from the running game Saturday, but he proved that he can win games against quality teams with his arm when called upon by head coach Tom Allen.
Milton Makes Some Strides in Losing Effort
There is no question that Penix outplayed Michigan junior quarterback Joe Milton, but Milton did some things that suggest he could develop into one of the Big Ten's top signal-callers for the remainder of this season and beyond.
Milton's surface-level numbers were strong Saturday with over 300 passing yards and three touchdowns, with his ability to make some plays down the field key to his output.
Most notably, he and Cornelius Johnson connected for a beautiful 37-yard touchdown in the first quarter, which led to Michigan tying the score at 7-7:
Milton excels at making the "wow" plays, and that prompted Sam Cooper of Yahoo Sports to give an encouraging take regarding his future:
While Milton and the Michigan offense were held out of the end zone for the remainder of the first half, he got the Wolverines back in the game on their first drive of the second half with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson:
After Indiana restored its 17-point lead, Milton threw his third touchdown pass of the day in the fourth quarter to Ronnie Bell to help cut the deficit back down to 10:
For as good as Milton was at times, his deficiencies also showed up, especially while under siege by Indiana's relentless pass rush.
With the chance to move Michigan to within one score in the fourth quarter, Milton threw a deflating interception to Jaylin Williams:
That led directly to an Indiana touchdown and essentially destroyed the Wolverines' chances of mounting a comeback.
Milton also threw a second interception later in the quarter and finished just 18-of-34 passing. While Milton's big arm and flashy plays kept Michigan in it for most of the game, consistency will be paramount if the Wolverines are going to turn things around in 2020.
What's Next?
Indiana will look to improve to 4-0 for the first time since 2015 when it goes on the road to face the Michigan State Spartans next weekend.
Meanwhile, Michigan will attempt to bounce back next Saturday when it hosts the No. 10 Wisconsin Badgers, who haven't played since Oct. 23 because of a COVID-19 outbreak within the program.
