Indiana quarterback Michael Penix, Jr.’s season will end prematurely due to injury for the third year in a row.
Fox Sports reporter Bruce Feldman broke the news on social media on Monday morning.
“IU QB Michael Penix Jr is expected to miss the rest of the season because of the lower leg injury he suffered on Saturday, per source,” Feldman wrote on Twitter.
The IU football program confirmed the report later on Monday.
"Update on Michael Penix Jr. He has torn his ACL and will be out for the season."
— Indiana Football (@IndianaFootball) November 30, 2020
At his Monday press conference, head coach Tom Allen confirmed that the injury was to the same knee as Penix’s torn ACL in 2018.
“Setbacks and adversity is part of this life,” Allen said on Monday after the news broke. “It’s how you respond to these challenges. We’ll rely on our defense and run game and Jack Tuttle. He’s worked extremely hard and prepared at a high level.”
Penix stumbled awkwardly after a 21 yard run in the third quarter against Maryland on Saturday. He fell to the field and later limped to the locker room after being attended to by the IU medical staff.
The Tampa product was having a strong redshirt sophomore season before the injury.
Penix completed 124-of-220 passes (56.4 percent) for 1,645 yards. He had 14 touchdowns and 4 interceptions on the season while leading Indiana to a 5-1 record and a top-10 national ranking.
The 6-foot-3 Penix saw his 2018 season end abruptly due to a torn ACL, and his 2019 season came to an end as a result of a right sternoclavicular joint injury injury.
For his 15 game career, Penix has completed 255-of-414 passes (61.6 percent) for 3,258 yards. He has thrown 25 touchdown passes and 8 interceptions.
Penix suffered his 2018 torn ACL on Oct. 20 and was able to return for fall camp in early August, 2019. He was able to throw the ball at the 2019 spring practices.
Redshirt sophomore Jack Tuttle will become the starter for the rest of the season. Tuttle completed 5-of-5 passes for 31 yards after Penix went down on Saturday.
Allen believes his backup will be ready to go Saturday at Wisconsin.
“Jack Tuttle is a special player too. He’s got a big-time arm. His greatest quality is his work ethic,” Allen said of Tuttle. “When he entered the game (on Saturday), he was ready.”
SEE ALSO: Who is Jack Tuttle? Background and video
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