Penn State-Indiana matchups: Who will have the edge at Memorial Stadium?
Penn State travels to Indiana on Saturday to open the November portion of its Big Ten schedule. The Lions are a nearly two-touchdown favorite ahead of the 3:30 p.m. ET contest inside of Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Ind.
“Very excited about this weekend, any time you have a chance to play one of the best teams in the country,” Hoosiers coach Tom Allen said on Monday. “Awesome thing to have them here at home.
“Coach [James] Franklin continues to do a tremendous job at Penn State. Very talented football team in all three phases. Have to find a way to do our very best to come out with the win on Saturday against a very talented football team that’s coming to Bloomington. Excited to see what they can draw out of us in a positive way.”
Who will have the edge when the two sides take the field? We break down the matchups below.
When Penn State has the ball
Penn State will have numerous ways to attack the Hoosiers on Saturday. Indiana coach Tom Allen is respected for how well his defenses have played during his long coaching career. But, this year’s unit is not good. Led by first-year defensive coordinator Chad Wilt, Indiana ranks dead last in the Big Ten in scoring defense, giving up an average of 30 points a game. It is 12th in total defense and gives up an average of 414.8 yards per game. At 3-5, Indiana has been let down by its pass defense. It has allowed a conference high 19 passing touchdowns through eight games.
Sean Clifford will be the Lions’ most important weapon on Saturday. If the Nittany Lions quarterback plays his best, Penn State will have no problem torching the Hoosiers. It would also be helpful if receiver Parker Washington builds on his breakout performance from last week. The biggest question, though, is what state will the offensive line be in? Injuries have started to pile up there. How that shakes out come kickoff will be massive. If the Lions’ tight ends can’t be used in the pass game, the program’s offense becomes stagnant. Regardless, though, Penn State should have more than enough ways to pile up points against the Hoosiers.
EDGE: Penn State
When the Lions are on defense
Indiana has a terrible rushing offense. However, it is the fourth-ranked passing offense in the Big Ten. It throws considerably more than it runs. However, leading receiver Cameron Camper tore his ACL last week. So, the Hoosiers will need to spread out their passing attack more than they are accustomed to. And, the biggest issue facing Indiana is that Penn State has one of the best pass defenses and secondaries in the country. So, perhaps Saturday’s home team will mix more rushes in to try and catch the Lions off guard. Breaking tendencies is easily the best way to upset an opponent. But, Indiana doesn’t run the ball very well. And so, even if it tries to, it likely will not work.
EDGE: Penn State
Final word
Penn State deserves to be a large favorite in this game. Indiana struggles in multiple areas and has not played as well as expected before the season. The matchups widely favor the Lions, and it should lead to the program’s seventh win of the year.
