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Michael Penix Jr. has not suited up for Indiana in four years, but his diving score to beat then-No. 8-ranked Penn State in 2020 remains one of the best plays in program history. The quarterback reminded Hoosiers fans of the iconic highlight in the Atlanta Falcons’ 2025 season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Although the Falcons suffered a 23-20 loss, Penix had arguably the best highlight of the game with a diving touchdown in the fourth quarter. Penix escaped pressure on 4th-and-goal, took off straight up the middle and dove to keep his knees off the turf as he broke the plane.
MICHAEL PENIX JR. FOR THE LEAD.
TBvsATL on FOXhttps://t.co/HkKw7uXVnt pic.twitter.com/IJegJgqlZY
— NFL (@NFL) September 7, 2025
Fans immediately compared the touchdown to Penix’s iconic run at Indiana. On that play, Penix avoided pressure with a similar maneuver before reaching out to hit the far pylon.
michael penix just tried to recreate this pic.twitter.com/l7HMOcFBVN
— Tej Seth (@tejfbanalytics) September 7, 2025
Many also pointed out how the dive has almost become Penix’s signature play. Although he is not particularly known as a scrambler, Penix is one of the most aggressive quarterbacks in the league with the ball in his hands in the open field.
Penix’s initial diving score is fondly remembered by Indiana football fans for what it meant to the program at the moment. The Hoosiers went 6-2 in 2020 and ended the year ranked in the top-15, marking their most successful season in decades. They have since risen to national prominence and re-established themselves as Big Ten contenders.
After sitting behind Kirk Cousins for most of his rookie season, Penix entered the 2025 season as the Falcons’ full-time starting quarterback.
His season got off to a promising start, ending Week 1 with 298 passing yards and one touchdown, with 21 rushing yards and a rushing score. Penix’s strong play, however, did not result in the victory.
After Baker Mayfield gave the Buccaneers a 23-20 lead with a 25-yard touchdown dart to Emeka Egbuka with 59 seconds remaining, Penix executed a near-perfect one-minute drill to get Atlanta into field goal range. The effort would ultimately be for nothing, as Younghoe Koo missed a chip shot that would have tied the game with one second left.
Since taking over for Cousins, Penix is just 1-3 as the Falcons’ starting quarterback. Each of his losses has been by one possession, as he led the team to two overtime defeats at the end of the 2024 season.
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