A report surfaced today that Indiana starting quarterback Michael Penix Jr. is expected to miss the remainder of the season after injuring his knee during the team’s victory against Maryland this weekend.
#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.
— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) November 30, 2020
The news is a big blow to the 5-1 and No. 10-ranked Hoosiers, as they’re in the middle of an impressive season and Penix Jr. currently leads the conference in nearly every passing statistic.
Related: Wisconsin still has a (complicated) path to the College Football Playoff
Wisconsin Head Coach Paul Chryst spoke to the media today ahead of Saturday’s matchup with Indiana and was asked about preparing to face the Hoosiers with a backup under center.
“You try to do your best. Obviously when you don’t have as much film which makes it a little more challenging,” Chryst said. “You know what they’re trying to do offensively and their quarterback has been playing at a high level. We don’t know for sure but we certainly know the possibility, so you try to do your best in your preparation.”
The Hoosiers are likely to be led by redshirt sophomore Jack Tuttle, a player who has thrown only 16 collegiate passes, 5 of which coming this season. So even though Chryst said preparation will be key heading into the contest, there is practically no film on Tuttle to go off of and not much of a track record to go off of.
One notable fact that Chryst did not bring up, however, is the Badgers did offer Tuttle back in 2016 and he made two unofficial visits to campus.
Related: One of the Badgers’ starting quarterbacks has declared for the 2021 NFL Draft
What is known about this whole situation is the Indiana offense is sure to look different without their star quarterback Penix Jr. under center, something which may prove to be a big break for a Wisconsin team that yet again is coming off an idle week after the Minnesota game was canceled due to COVID-19 cases within the Gopher football program.
The Badgers and Hoosiers will take the field at 2:30 CST on Saturday at Camp Randall Stadium, with the Hoosiers looking to stay alive in the race for the Big Ten East and the Badgers looking to improve to 3-1 on the season.