No. 10 Penn State might be working through some pent-up frustration Saturday when it hosts Indiana in a Big Ten East battle. A week after falling 20-12 at Ohio State, the Nittany Lions will be looking to get back on the impressive trajectory they enjoyed during a 6-0 start — when they outscored opponents by an average margin of 36.3 points.
Playing the Buckeyes exposed some of Penn State’s offensive shortcomings, but a game against the Hoosiers should help get things back on track. IU’s only victories are against Indiana State and Akron, and it has lost its four Big Ten games by an average of 27.3 points. Most recently, the Hoosiers fell 31-14 against Rutgers after failing to score after halftime.
The visit from Indiana also marks a reprieve for the Nittany Lions before the schedule picks up again with a trip to Maryland and a visit from No. 2 Michigan in the coming weeks. If Penn State wants to have any choice when Wolverines roll into town, it must show that it can be more explosive offensively.
On the other side of this matchup, the Hoosiers should enter motivated for one final chance to slay one of the Big Ten’s big boys before entering a November schedule featuring four opponents that are currently unranked. Seventh-year coach Tom Allen is on the hot seat, and an upset of Penn State would go a long way toward changing the narrative around a program that is just 2-20 in the Big Ten over the past three seasons.
Penn State vs. Indiana: Need to know
Moving on: Penn State coach James Franklin said Tuesday that the Nittany Lions “haven’t gotten a whole lot of sleep” since the Ohio State game “for a number of reasons.” Franklin’s team squandered a chance to shine on the national stage, failing to score a touchdown until the final…
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