Michael Penix and Ty Fryfogle Shine, but Hoosiers Fall in Columbus

Written By: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

For Indiana to knock off the six-time defending Big Ten East champion Ohio State Buckeyes, they were going to need a nearly flawless game in all aspects. And despite the 35-42 eventual blemish to Indiana’s thus-far perfect season, two men more than delivered their share of the promise: Michael Penix Jr and Ty Fryfogle.

Indiana’s star quarterback-receiver duo left Columbus having had historic days. Penix finished 27 of 51 for 491 yards and 5 touchdowns, the second highest yardage output in Indiana school history. He’s the first QB to throw for over 400 yards against Ohio State in Ohio Stadium since 1985. Fryfogle was on the receiving end of seven of those passes, three of which he converted to scores, and 218 of those receiving yards. He became the first receiver in Big Ten history to record two consecutive 200+ yard receiving games, having had 200 last week against Michigan State.

And this all came from a duo that, coming into the season, many wondered if they had a real connection. Fryfogle was good last season, but many of his best games came in games quarterbacked by Peyton Ramsey. There’s little doubt now that the two are on the same page.

“Mike is very special,” said Fryfogle after the game. “You can look at the tape and he can make any play on the field. He can do anything really, he is a great playmaker.”

They both had to be playmakers today, as the rushing attack on offense was stymied. Sampson James led the Hoosier running backs on just 3 carries for 10 yards. The team finished with -1 rushing yards. The offensive line did not have a great day in run or pass protection.

The performance of those two groups paired with a 35-7 hole early in the third quarter, and things could have easily gotten out of hand. Penix and Fryfogle wouldn’t allow that to happen.

“We came out in the second half and executed the simple things,” said Penix. “We had to go in and execute the small things, play hard for each other, correct the mistakes, and that is what we did, and we started to see the results we wanted.”

“Most teams would lay down at 35-7,” added Fryfogle. “This team has a lot of pride. We have to find a way to put four quarters together; when we do, that is when this football team will be really special.”

And despite eventually falling short, Tom Allen was hard pressed to be disappointed in the play of his team, especially Penix and Fryfogle. The talk of the media was mostly on Justin Fields, but the better quarterback seemed to be on Indiana’s sideline today.

“It is by your performance, and the way that you exude confidence to your teammates. That’s when they know that as long as we have got time on the clock, and snaps to be played, then we have got a chance,” said Allen.

“It hurts, but we just have to keep a 1-0 mindset,” said Penix. “We are going to continue to push forward, correct the things we need, and get ready for next week.”