BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) Peyton Ramsey will be the starting quarterback for Indiana in the Sept. 1 opener at Florida International, but he won’t have sophomore Morgan Ellison to hand the ball off to.
The Hoosiers announced Friday that Ellison has been suspended indefinitely and that linebacker Mo Burnam is suspended for the opener.
Indiana did not say why it sidelined Ellison, who led the Hoosiers with 704 yards rushing as a freshman a year ago, including 149 yards in a win over Rutgers in late November. In his absence, sophomore Cole Gest will likely be the Hoosiers’ top back. Gest ran for 475 yards in 2017.
Ramsey took over Indiana’s starting job in the fifth game last season. He made four starts before suffering a leg injury that forced him to miss the last four games of 2017.
Coach Tom Allen said Ramsey beat out Brandon Dawkins, a graduate transfer from Arizona who also had starting experience, and highly touted freshman Michael Penix Jr. Ramsey won the job, in part, based on his experience in the offense.
Allen made it clear, however, that Dawkins, Penix and Ramsey will continue battling throughout the season even as he expressed confidence that Ramsey will keep the job.
Indiana will likely need its quarterback situation clarified quickly. The Hoosiers open Big Ten play by hosting Michigan State on Sept. 22 and visit Ohio State two weeks later.
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