This week we found out that IU's star quarterback was out for the year with a torn ACL. All of us in the Heinisch home were sad to hear that. Michael Penix, Jr. had not finished the past two season due to injuries, so we had hoped that this year would be different. Previously, IU football could rely on Peyton Ramsey to fill the void. He was an outstanding quarterback himself and led the Hoosiers to a bowl game last year. When Ramsey found out that he would not get the starting position for his last year in Bloomington he transferred to Northwestern where he has had a fabulous year leading the Wildcats to the top of the Big Ten West.
Therefore today, IU was scheduled to play Wisconsin with their "third string" quarterback, Jack Tuttle. Although he was the Hoosier's highest rated quarterback recruit overall, he had only played limited minutes these past two years. Needless to say we were all a little nervous especially when the odds makers gave the Badgers a fourteen point advantage even though they were ranked lower than IU in the BCS ratings. All week long IU's coach, Tom Allen, spoke positively about his team and Tuttle's new role. He was confident that his team would rise to the occasion and reminded everyone that the recievers were fantastic on their own. All Tuttle had to do was get them the ball.
Thankfully, both Tom Allen and Cameron were correct in their prediction of an IU victory. Jack Tuttle played well in his new position and the rest of the team rose to the challenge. ESPN announcer's remind viewers multiple times that Wisconsin had won the previous ten meetings between the two teams with an average score of 51-15, but that didn't matter today. IU won 14-6 and broke the longest running losing streak to ranked opponents on the road in the nation. It was so much fun to watch, especially listening to the coach and team afterward. Their hashtag has been #LEO (Love Each Other) these past two years and they definitley showed the nation today that they meant it.
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