Indiana Football: Three stats to know for 2020-2021 season
157.6
Michael Penix Jr.only played in six games last season, but when he did play, he was elite. Penix had a passer rating of 157.6 on his 160 attempts. If he continued that same pace, played the whole season, and finished with that exact number, it would have been 14th in the entire country and third in the Big Ten. That mark would be good for 17th in the country this season.
Here are some notable names with lower passer ratings than Penix last season: Justin Herbert, Sam Ehlinger, Jacob Eason, Jake Fromm, Jordan Love.
Even if you stripped away his gift to run the football, Penix could be an elite quarterback sitting back in the pocket. When you factor in his mobility, he becomes a gameplan nightmare — a Lamar Jackson type of problem (I’m not saying Penix is on Jackson’s level, but they present similar problems).
The sky is the limit for Penix and this offense. If everyone stays healthy, don’t be surprised if this is the year the Hoosiers take a game against a powerhouse team in the conference, perhaps even week one against Penn State. However, at this point that “if” is a massive “if,” and there is no guarantee it happens.
88
On a down note, one stat that weighs heavy on the Hoosiers has to do with their penalties. Tom Allen is a great coach, but his team was undisciplined too often. Indiana was the most penalized team in the entire Big Ten conference with 88 penalties on the year. In total, IU lost 830 yards during the year due to penalties, almost 63.8 yards per game.
You don’t need some special insight to understand why this is bad and needs to change. The only thing that can sometimes redeem a penalty-plagued team is forced turnovers, but the Hoosiers were only fifth from the bottom of the Big Ten in turnovers forced last season.
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The frustrating thing about bad penalty numbers is correcting it doesn’t involve any skill whatsoever, it requires players to reach a certain threshold of engagement and discipline. If Allen and his team are ready to make that jump from fun underdog pick in the league to a true threat, the first thing that needs to improve is the penalty numbers. It is bad not only in terms of yards lost, but it is reflective of the attitude of a football team. You won’t find a great football team that struggles with being disciplined and locked in.