Sometimes it's best to keep it simple.
It's the approach IU football is taking with its new freshman quarterback Peyton Ramsey, and the early returns have been promising.
In his first collegiate start last Saturday, Ramsey displayed the kind of accuracy at quarterback IU hasn't seen since the 2014 season. Ramsey completed 32 of 41 passes in a 27-0 win against FCS opponent Charleston Southern.
"There's always things that I got to brush up on," Ramsey said. "Just throwing the ball to the right guy, throwing in rhythm on time, anticipating throws. I gotta get better at those kind of things."
Of those 32 completions, 19 of them were for less than 10 yards.
IU's offense has used short passing routes more frequently with Ramsey at quarterback compared to his predecessor, senior Richard Lagow.
Lagow's big arm came with an accuracy problem. He finished last season with a 58-percent completion percentage and was at a 56-percent completion percentage for the 2017 season when he was benched in favor of Ramsey against Penn State.
Through five games of action, Ramsey is completing his passes 69 percent of the time.
These completions have come mainly on short routes to IU's speedy wide receivers. It's a strategy Coach Tom Allen and offensive coordinator Mike DeBord are using to ensure the ball gets into the hands of IU's best playmakers, something that didn't always happen with Lagow behind center.
"He does a good job of seeing down field," Allen said. "I felt like that he did a good job of running the offense, distributing the football, making good decisions, got a lot of guys involved, a lot of different guys catching the ball."
Ramsey also brings a running dimension to the quarterback position. At 6-foot-2, 210 pounds, Ramsey is much more mobile than Lagow, who is four inches taller and 30 pounds heavier.
So while DeBord may have to simplify the passing game for Ramsey, DeBord can open up the playbook when it comes to read-option plays.
This was evident before Ramsey even became the starter.
When Ramsey took over for Lagow during the second quarter of IU's win at Virginia in September, he displayed his versatility by rushing for a 26-yard touchdown.
It was more of the same last week. Ramsey finished as IU's leading rusher against the Buccaneers.
"I think one of his biggest strengths is just being able to extend plays," Allen said. "His strength to me is when he's able to create things when things break down. That's when you can get receivers open."
Creating from broken plays is something Ramsey should have the chance to do Saturday against No. 17 Michigan. The Wolverines allow 213 yards per game on defense and have kept opponents in check on the scoreboard, allowing just 68 total points over five games.
A big reason for this is Michigan's three-three defensive shape, which could force Ramsey to face up to six combined blitzing linemen and linebackers on a single play.
In the secondary, Michigan plays man coverage. It'll be a one-on-one matchup between IU's wideouts and Michigan's cornerbacks.
Ramsey's decision-making, both running and passing the ball, could determine if the Hoosiers can beat the Wolverines for the first time since 1987. In just his second collegiate start, Ramsey will have an opportunity to lead IU to the 'breakthrough' the Hoosiers have so desperately craved.
"It's obviously a big game," Ramsey said. "We got to come out and play our best."
