Indiana is squarely in the middle of the Big Ten East title race and has been one of the best stories of the 2020 college football season. Monday brought some bad news that could have a major impact on those title chances. Starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. will miss the rest of the season after suffering a torn ACL in last week's win over Maryland, coach Tom Allen confirmed on Monday.
Penix suffered the injury midway through the third quarter when he took off on a 21-yard run down to the Maryland 3-yard line. He was helped to the locker room by Indiana's staff. Coach Tom Allen didn't have an update on him when he spoke with reporters after the game.
Penix has been one of the stars of the sport in 2020. He has thrown for 1,645 yards, 14 touchdowns while adding 25 yards on the ground and two rushing touchdowns in six games for the Hoosiers.
Sophomore Jack Tuttle took over for Penix and completed all five of his passes for 31 yards. Tuttle was a four-star prospect and the No. 167 overall prospect in the Class of 2018. The 6-foot-4, 215-pounder signed with Utah but transferred to Indiana prior to the 2019 season. He threw for 34 yards in five games last season.
Tuttle and the Hoosiers, who sit at 5-1 and second place in the Big Ten East behind Ohio State, will travel to Wisconsin on Saturday in a critical Big Ten battle in Madison.
