Hoosiers Look to Build Identity on Offense Around Peyton Ramsey

Written By Evan McShane (@veryreasonable)

Head coach Tom Allen named redshirt freshman Peyton Ramsey the starting quarterback in a decision that came as a surprise to some, but was deemed inevitable by others. Indiana’s dual-quarterback system has not achieved the level of consistency they had hoped. Despite a promising offseason, Richard Lagow was unable to capitalize on his opportunity as starting quarterback. Peyton Ramsey hasn’t necessarily dominated, but he has a higher completion percentage and quarterback rating than Lagow. Ramsey has converted on 60-percent of his passing attempts. Additionally, his quarterback rating is an impressive 139.1 compared to Lagow’s 117.2, per Sports Reference. Through four games, the overused adage proved to be true: if you have two quarterbacks, you have none.

Tom Allen said during his press conference on Monday, “Peyton Ramsey is going to be named the starter, as of today. Met with both young men last night, and as you look back at the first four games and where we're at and our ability to move the football and score points and build a team around whoever I feel gives us the best opportunity to have success on game day.” Although quarterback Richard Lagow possesses great size and a strong arm, Indiana’s offense seemed to operate more efficiently with a mobile quarterback at the helm during the first four games. The Hoosier coaching staff, specifically offensive coordinator Mike DeBord, is more comfortable calling plays for a dual-threat QB. “I feel like – and our staff feels like – that Peyton Ramsey is the person for that responsibility,” Allen stated.

This does not appear to be a situation where Ramsey will start the game, and Lagow will get his share of snaps as well. “That’s not the plan,” Tom Allen explained, “We've got to build what we do from day one around the strengths of what Peyton brings. It's not going to be a rotation and he's now just a starter and rotating back. There's no question. That's the role of a person in his position, and that's what he'll do. Peyton is going to be the starter.” Although it’s unfortunate Lagow and Ramsey couldn’t make the platoon system at quarterback work, it provided Indiana’s coaching staff with meaningful game film to make this decision. Allen explains the decision-making process: “I wanted to see what each one of them could do when they were out there and not just bring Peyton in when maybe things weren't going good or whatever just to have it scripted and go from there.” In the end, that gave Allen and his staff “a chance to see in a pretty objective way who’s able to move the ball.” Lagow’s ability to throw the ball downfield is evident, but Ramsey’s ability to get first downs and get positive yards is more valuable to this football team.

Leave no doubt as to how Richard Lagow is responding to the news. Lauded for being a stellar teammate and individual, Lagow will continue to do everything he can to help this football team. His roommate and close friend, Simmie Cobbs, had this to say: “Richard is a great leader. He has great character as a person, so he’s going to keep his head high. He’s going to come to work every day and do everything he needs to do.” Disappointment will come, as is human nature, but like Tom Allen said, “Rich will be a great teammate and continue to work really hard and be ready to go when called upon.” Having a proven arm in Richard Lagow as a backup option is monumental, especially with a quarterback like Ramsey, who will be running the football frequently. Lagow will embrace the role of second string, and offer support in the quarterback room. Peyton Ramsey said of Lagow, “We’ve just continued to talk like the friends that we are. I don’t see that going anywhere. We’re just gonna continue to be good friends and good teammates to each other.”

As you could imagine, Peyton Ramsey was elated to learn he had earned the starting job. He explained, “It was exciting, you know, this is what I’ve dreamed of. This is something I’ve worked at for a really really long time so it’s really exciting for me.” On the day he’s dreamed of, Ramsey handled the news with grace and humility. When asked if he anticipated this moment, he said, “I really wasn’t focused on that. Every day I practice, I focus on making myself better, getting better every single day, not worrying about anybody else, and just focusing on myself.” Ramsey continued, “I’ve had opportunities to go out and play and play against good football teams, so I feel like from that standpoint, I’m prepared and confident and ready to go.” Fortunately for the Hoosiers, Ramsey won’t be out there like a deer in headlights. He’s had a chance to get meaningful snaps against legitimate competition, including two of the best teams in the country. He logged a few series against Ohio State, and saw significant time in Happy Valley against Penn State. Ramey elaborated, “I think it’s huge just having the opportunity to come in and play and get snaps in each of our four games thus far. It is important to have that experience.”

Peyton Ramsey shined against the Virginia Cavaliers in week two, and he will look to build on that success moving forward. Tom Allen has preached that this group of players is more of a family than a football team. Like Allen, Ramsey is a coach’s son, raised on football. Who was the first person Peyton called when he found out he was the starter? “It was definitely my dad.” Ramsey continued, “He told me that he’s seen me work and that I earned it and that he’s really excited for me.” Ramsey described his days in Ohio, playing high school football for his dad. He described his father, “He was demanding. He expected a lot out of me. I think that was the biggest thing because he knew what I could do, so he expected a whole lot out of me and to get my teammates to play better, too.” Doug Ramsey didn’t take it easy on Peyton, and it’s paying dividends now. The quality level of competition in the state of Ohio has is also paying dividends for Ramsey. “I think it’s prepared me a ton, you know, these first couple games I’ve played against guys that I played against in high school,” he explained. Ramsey has a legitimate amount of experience for just a redshirt freshman.

Moving forward, Peyton Ramsey will continue to focus on growing as a quarterback. Ramsey explained the importance of trust within a team, “I’m just trying to develop as a leader, get around my teammates, earn the trust of them. I think that’s the biggest thing. I think your teammates have to trust you, especially trust the quarterback, if you guys are going to go out be successful.” Tom Allen had some particularly strong words in support of his new starting quarterback. A statement revealing of how this decision came to be. Allen said of Ramsey, “There’s a grit to him. There's a toughness to him that he's got a linebacker mentality in how he works and how he handles adversity and all that. I've noticed that since he's been here in our leadership training. Those are the kind of things that I always saw that he had in him. Those need to come to the forefront. That's what leaders do.”

Yes, Ramsey will need to become the full-time leader, but the coaching staff must also game plan specifically for his strengths as a quarterback. Allen said he is “excited about moving forward with what Peyton can do at quarterback.” Heading into the season Tom Allen and Mike DeBord stressed a run-first offense. This decision will allow Indiana to focus more on sustaining a ground attack, and keeping their defense off the field. The goal will be to minimize three-and-outs, and protect the football better. There are doubts surrounding Ramsey’s arm strength, but his 32-yard touchdown throw to Donovan Hale against Virginia looked polished. According to Simmie Cobbs, “Nothing has changed.” While running a dual-QB system, Lagow and Ramsey got the same number of reps in practice for the most part. However, with Ramsey’s playing style being so much different than Lagow’s, there are bound to be some changes. Designed quarterback runs, quarterback draws, and read-options are all going to be more prevalent going forward.

The Hoosiers will work toward shaping an offensive identity for the future. Tom Allen said, “I think to me it has to be a situation where we build our offense around what Peyton does best, the throws that he makes and can make and will make; and be able to force the defense to have to account for him in the run game as well as, extending plays.” Whether it yields big plays or simply moves the sticks, in college football, the ability to extend plays is paramount. Fans should be excited about the possibilities with Ramsey under center. Ramsey explained how he’s able to be effective by scrambling in the passing game: “You just got to be aware of everything that’s going down when you break the pocket. Do I gotta get rid of the ball? Do I gotta get down? Is there a guy open down field? It’s just keeping your head on a swivel, and keeping your eyes up and protecting your body.”

Whether this proves to be the right decision this season, it is almost certainly the right decision for the future trajectory of the program. The offensive signal-caller, Mike DeBord, most recently coached quarterback Joshua Dobbs at Tennessee. Dobbs put up astronomical stats, and DeBord’s offense scored a plethora of points. While Ramsey is not as talented as Dobbs, it’s the offensive identity built around a dual-threat quarterback that is so valuable to DeBord, and to many other college football programs. This identity embodies the hardnosed style of football the Big Ten has been traditionally recognized for. Although it may be looked at as cliché, building an identity is among the most important facet of college sports. It provides a mold for future teams – something fans can relate to and rally around. It requires certain types of players in which coaches can focus their recruiting efforts around. Allen left no room for guesswork. He said confidently, “I just feel like at this time, where we're at and what we've evaluated and the body of work that we've been able to examine, that this is the best decision for our program.”