IU freshman quarterback Michael Penix attempts a pass on Aug. 31 in a 34-24 victory over Ball State. Penix finished the day with 24 completions, 326 passing yards and a passing touchdown.

A sloppy defensive effort from IU was offset by the big time playmaking of freshman quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as IU took down Ball State 34-24 in the season opener on Saturday afternoon.

The explosive plays that IU head coach Tom Allen and new offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer have talked extensively about began bearing its' fruits midway through the first quarter as Michael Penix Jr. found Nick Westbrook wide open down the middle of the field for a 75-yard touchdown, putting IU up 10-3 early on Ball State.

But it wasn't a full-on coming out party for Penix either as his inexperience showed on the very next drive. Looking to move the ball down field following a Ball State three-and-out, the redshirt freshman attempted to fit a pass to Donovan Hale through a tight window that would be intercepted by Ball State's Amechi Uzodinma. The costly turnover allowed the Cardinals to march down the field on the ensuing posession and punch in a touchdown courtesy of running back Caleb Huntley's 1-yard rush.





Such was the theme for IU's run defense the majority of the first-half as they ceded 91 rush yards to Ball State in an underwhelming display of tackling. The Cardinals' Caleb Huntley did most of the damage on the ground, rushing for 54 yards in the first two quarters and finishing the day with 88 total yards.

The Hoosier secondary didn't fare much better, allowing Drew Plitt, who was making his seventh career start, to convert four first-half first downs and pass for 298 total yards with two touchdowns on Saturday afternoon.

IU senior Logan Justus did his part to keep the Hoosiers ahead with a pair of long field goals, the first a 48-yarder followed by a 49-yarder. The latter field goal, a career-long for Justus, came with six seconds left in the second quarter that put IU up 16-10 heading into halftime.

Looking to pull away coming out of the half, Penix and the IU offense put together an efficient seven-play, 63- yard drive capped off by a four-yard touchdown run from Stevie Scott.

Ball State would respond immediately, though, with a seven-play drive of its own, punctuated by another poor drive worth of tackling from IU's defense. After bouncing off three would-be IU tacklers, Ball State's Walter Fletcher scampered into the end-zone for a 45-yard touchdown reception that cut IU's lead down to 23-17.

Four consecutive punts pinned both teams deep inside each others' 20 yard lines, while both defenses held their own entering the fourth quarter.

Penix regained his composure with IU up just one score and led the offense on an eight-play drive highlighted by three big passes of 16 yards, 17 yards and 22 yards. Stevie Scott would soon punch in a rushing touchdown for two yards out to put IU up 31-17.

Once again, however, the Hoosiers defense wasn't able to parlay the offense's success into defensive momentum and allowed the Cardinals to score on a 36-yard passing touchdown that saw Yo'Heinz Tyler shake off several Hoosier defenders on his way to the end zone.

The Hoosiers called upon their uber-reliable kicker late in the fourth quarter and it paid off as Justus nailed a 50-yard field goal to put the game out of reach. Ball State tried to mount a last-minute comeback, but IU senior Jaylin Williams picked off Plitt to seal the victory.

On the whole, Penix became just the second freshman quarterback in IU history to throw for 300 yards or more in his first start, the other being Antwaan Randle El in 1998. Penix would end up collecting 326 yards through the air while also leading IU in rushing with 76 yards on the day.

Play of the Game

With 42 seconds left in the first quarter and the game knotted up at 3-3, Michael Penix connected with a streaking Nick Westbrook for a deep 75-yard touchdown. It highlighted Tom Allen's decision to hand over the starting quarterback duties to Penix instead of the incumbent Peyton Ramsey.

Not only did Penix show off his arm on the long touchdown, he continued to stretch the field all game in ways the Hoosiers haven't seen from a quarterback in years. The combination of Kalen DeBoer's opportunistic offense, combined with Penix's rifle of an arm was on full display Saturday afternoon, and if those two can continue to develop with one another, IU's offense could be in store for a big year.

Player of the Game: Logan Justus

IU senior Logan Justus proved to everyone why he's widely regarded as the best kicker in the Big Ten and possibly in the entire nation. Justus finished the day a perfect 4-for-4 in field goal tries, while topping his career-high in longest field goal with a 50-yard boot in the fourth quarter.

For the Hoosiers to remain competitive in the Big Ten this season, much of it will depend on Justus' leg and how many clutch situations he can come up with. Saturday was no different.