Here’s 3 takeaways from Penn State football’s 36-35 overtime loss to Indiana
Penn State football opened its season with a road loss Saturday evening, falling to the Indiana Hoosiers 36-35. The Nittany Lions struggled offensively in the game and relied on their defense to keep it close throughout.
Let’s look at three takeaways following the Nittany Lions’ loss.
1. Sean Clifford struggles
Penn State’s offense out-gained Indiana in every category, but it ultimately didn’t matter. Redshirt junior quarterback Sean Clifford made too many mistakes and too many bad decisions for the Nittany Lions to come away with a win. He threw two egregious interceptions and too often panicked at the first sight of pressure.
Clifford didn’t look improved from last season and made similar mistakes to those he made in his redshirt sophomore year. He still doesn’t keep his eyes downfield when pressure comes, and still had issues with his footwork that caused several overthrows. He’ll have to be much better for Penn State to grow from this loss.
2. Penn State’s defense was as good as ever, until the final drive
The Nittany Lions’ offense wasn’t great Saturday afternoon but the same can’t be said about their defense. Indiana struggled to move the ball through the air and on the ground thanks to good coverage, a good pass rush and a stout run defense. The Hoosiers were held to 170 passing yards and 41 rushing yards in the game, with defensive end Shaka Toney making crucial sacks on the last drive to help close out the game.
Joey Porter Jr. looked like one of the best players on the field at cornerback, and has helped solidify the back end for Penn State. The team struggled in the game, but it had nothing to do with the defense — until the final drive. Penn State’s defense played too soft in coverage and that allowed the Hoosiers to move the ball down the field and tie the game at 28.
3. Overtime will get the attention, but Penn State’s early-game woes caused the loss
Fans may point to the call to end the game that gave Indiana the win on their 2-point conversion, but Penn State doomed itself with its play earlier in the game.
The Nittany Lions moved the ball offensively and stopped it defensively, but at the end of the day didn’t score enough to get the job done. They made too many mistakes offensively and on special teams, and let up too easily on defense at the end to earn the win.
This may go down as a blip by the end of the season, or it might be the reason the Nittany Lions will miss out on the College Football Playoff once again.
