3 takeaways from Penn State football’s 34-27 win over Indiana
Penn State avoided a letdown after last week’s loss and defeated the Indiana Hoosiers Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. The team struggled in the first half, but came away with a 34-27 win after a positive second-half performance.
Let’s look at three takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ win.
1. Sean Clifford is still struggling early in games
Penn State starting quarterback Sean Clifford struggled out of the gates again this week. He looked uncomfortable in the pocket and moved his feet like he was anticipating a hit.
The redshirt sophomore connected with wide receivers on a few big plays in the first half and completed 9-of-17 passes for 146 yards, but could’ve been much better. He missed open receivers down the field and settled for shorter throws into tighter windows on several occasions, and didn’t have consistent footwork in the pocket, even when he was completing passes. Clifford throws with his weight falling backward too often, preventing him from getting any power behind his passes.
He has to get more comfortable in the pocket if the Nittany Lions want to have a chance to beat Ohio State next week in Columbus.
2. The Penn State secondary finally turned its collective head
The Nittany Lions were beat last week by Minnesota on several deep passes, in part because the team’s defensive backs didn’t get their heads around to find the ball. That type of coverage allows teams to execute back-shoulder throws that the defenders can’t get to because their eyes are on the receiver while the ball is thrown behind them.
The Hoosiers started this week attacking that weakness with balls down the sideline, but the Nittany Lions made an adjustment and began getting their eyes on the ball once it was in the air. The Hoosiers weren’t able to attack down the sidelines effectively after the change was made, and it allowed the Penn State pass rush to get home more often because IU quarterback Peyton Ramsey didn’t have the outlet of a contested deep ball.
It will be interesting to see if that change continues through next week, or if the Penn State defensive backs remain receiver-focused on deep balls.
3. Penn State’s defense keeps getting beat underneath
Penn State’s defense was carved up by the Indiana offense on underneath routes that allowed the Hoosiers to drive down the field with relative ease. They attacked the Nittany Lions with quick routes, 6-10 yards down the field and continually completed those passes, moving the chains in the process.
The defense didn’t help much by frequently missing tackles on those plays and allowing the Indiana offense to occasionally turn those plays into big gains. It appears Penn State wants to play a bend-but-don’t-break defense, but it proved to be far too flexible against the Hoosiers.
If Penn State plays that way against Ohio State, the Buckeyes’ playmakers will almost assuredly take advantage and beat Penn State in the open field. That’s how they beat Penn State last year, and it appears the Nittany Lions haven’t improved much in that area.
This story was originally published November 16, 2019 at 3:35 PM.
