Written by Matt Smith

When Michael Penix Jr. went down with a torn ACL last season, Jack Tuttle took over to lead the team, this included a win at Wisconsin as well as a tough fought loss during the Gator Bowl against Ole Miss.

Penix is now healthy and is going to be 100% when the season rolls around Sept.4th against Iowa. Over the weekend, the Hoosiers had an in house scrimmage and the offense flourished. However, head coach Tom Allen was quick to blow the whistle when Penix got out of the pocket to scramble and run.

“I understand, he is just looking out for me and looking out for this team,” Penix said on Monday when he met with the media.

Penix and Tuttle were very happy with how the offense performed during the scrimmage as well as over fall camp.

“As far as the scrimmage, the offensive side of the ball executed. We executed the simple things and made sure we did our assignments and trusted each other. The guys on our side were making plays. We had the running backs making plays and I was doing my best to make sure I was getting them the ball. I was making sure we were in the right protections, in the right place so that everything went smooth and that is how it went on Saturday,” Penix said.

However, it wasn’t just Penix receiving reps during the scrimmage. According to Penix, Tuttle and incoming freshman Donovan McCulley also received a lot of reps.

“I think we're doing a good job and I think the defense is also doing a good job this camp. I think we're developing the run game. We've got some great players that will really help us in that area this year. The offense as a whole, we're rolling as usual,” Tuttle said when he also met with the media on Monday.

Both Penix and Tuttle are looking to improve and grow the offense during fall camp as well as the season.

“Some things we would like to see next Saturday is continuing to play at a championship level. [Head] Coach [Tom] Allen talks about it all the time. We're growing and getting there. It's a non-stop push. We may be at a championship level but in our minds we're not. We're going to keep striving and going. We're going to keep on pushing in that regard,” Tuttle said. “Just grinding together and loving each other and getting in the film and the playbooks.”

There are also a lot of new pieces that are coming into the offense this season, including two transfers in receiver DJ Matthews and running back Stephen Carr. Penix has been very impressed with Matthew's ability to make plays.

Both Tuttle and Penix have things that they need to improve on from last season. According to Tuttle, competing against IU’s defense has given him a very good opportunity to improve his game during spring and fall practice.

This was also Penix’s first game action since his injury last November, and he said he was very happy with the offense.

“It felt good. We go against the defense everyday but with the scrimmage we were on the game field, so we got a feel for everything. It went good for being our first scrimmage. The offense showed a lot of great things and the defense showed great things as well. It was something to build off. We still have some things to work on, but we are in a good spot right now,” Penix said.

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