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Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr. leads the country in one intriguing stat

Paul Harvey

By Paul Harvey

Published:

Michael Penix Jr. has Indiana off to a 2-0 start this season and riding high heading into Week 3.

To this point, the play of Penix can be described as slightly inconsistent to start the season. Part of that had to deal with facing Penn State’s defense in the season opener before looking much sharper against Rutgers.

Penix is currently completing 58.1% of his passes for 408 yards and four touchdowns to go with two touchdowns on the ground. He is also leading the nation in one curious number.

According to PFF College, nearly 80% of Penix’s passing yardage has come prior to the catch:

Though that stat may sound a little confusing, there are a couple of takeaways to consider.

First of all, it could be that Penix is throwing longer routes to his receivers, hitting big gains with long throws as opposed to screen passes with yards after the catch. A second takeaway could be that Indiana’s receivers simply are not breaking free from their defenders after making catches.

Considering the very high percentage posted by Penix, it is likely that both takeaways are partially true. It will be interesting to see if that number goes down – or up – over the next few weeks.

Paul Harvey

Paul is a lifelong fan and student of all things college football. He has been covering college football since 2017 and the B1G since 2018.