Here are 5 takeaways from Penn State football’s 24-0 win over Indiana
Penn State football controlled its game against Indiana from beginning to end on Saturday night, resulting in a 24-0 shutout victory.
The Nittany Lions’ defense made it difficult for the Hoosiers to get anything going on offense all night, shutting down a 4th-and-1 attempt in the first quarter that could’ve given Indiana early momentum. A blocked field goal in the third made sure the Hoosiers didn’t get any points on the board.
Penn State will head on the road next week to take on an Iowa team that just dismantled Maryland, 51-14, on Friday. With No. 3 Oregon losing Saturday night to Stanford, it’s almost certain to be a top-5 matchup between the Nittany Lions and Hawkeyes.
Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s 24-0 victory over Indiana.
Penn State found balance between its rushing and passing attacks
Offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich’s goal isn’t necessarily to have a balanced attack with the running and passing game. He usually attacks based on what the defense will give him. Yurcich needed the team to pass the ball 33 times and rush for just 18 carries in a 16-10 victory to open up the year against Wisconsin. They came back the following week with 31 passes and 48 rushing attempts against Ball State in a 44-13 win. The Nittany Lions defeated Auburn 28-20 with 33 passing attempts and 33 rushing attempts for a perfect balance and followed up with 38-17 win against Villanova with 31 passes and 34 rushes.
This time, Penn State passed the ball 34 times and rushed 42 times, mainly because of its commanding lead in the fourth quarter. The Nittany Lions had a total of 199 yards through the air with quarterback Sean Clifford going 17-for-33 on passes for 178 yards, three touchdowns and one interception. Jahan Dotson also had a 22-yard pass to Parker Washington. The Nittany Lions rushed for 202 yards on the ground, and while they couldn’t punch it in with Keyvone Lee, he had a strong day with eight carries for 74 yards.
Penn State played suffocating defense
The Nittany Lions have been stout all season on defense. Entering the week, Penn State only allowed 15 points per game, ranking 11th in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Well, they’re going to climb the rankings after shutting out Indiana. The biggest key was stuffing Indiana in the red zone, where the Hoosiers went 0-2 and gave up a decisive interception to Ja’Ayir Brown in the closing minutes of the game.
Penn State got some clarity on its running back dilemma
The Nittany Lions couldn’t run the ball well at all heading into the matchup with Indiana. They averaged 113.3 rushing yards per game with John Lovett (4.2), Lee (5.0) and Caziah Holmes (6.0) as the only backs with over four yards per carry. Out of each of those backs, Lee was the only one with over 15 carries on the season. One of them had to break out to give Penn State a more balanced attack against Indiana.
A combination of Lee and Lovett seems to be the move going forward, with the duo combining for 18 rushes for 115 yards and both had over four yards per carry.
Penn State’s domination of Indiana didn’t match the final numbers on the scoreboard
For the second week in a row, Penn State’s final score didn’t convey how much the Nittany Lions dominated their opponent.
Penn State had 408 total yards compared to Indiana’s 264, and nearly nine minutes more in time of possession, but wasn’t able to put the final nail in the coffin.
Penn State needs to stick a fork in teams like Ball State, Villanova and Indiana to avoid problems such as injuries to starters, less playing time for backups and the loss of fresh legs against a tougher team.
Despite controlling the whole first half, the Nittany Lions only led by 14 going into halftime.
While the defense has been able to keep opponents from being a threat, the offense will need to step up to the plate by finding the end zone when already holding a lead to beat a team like Iowa.
While the ‘White Out’ gets all the hype, the ‘Stripe Out’ is pretty neat
While the “Stripe Out” didn’t get as much national media attention as Penn State’s “White Out” against Auburn, the concept made for an aesthetically pleasing backdrop to Penn State’s win over Indiana. The student section was all in white, while the other sections alternated between blue and white, matching the blue jerseys and white pants of the players on the field.
This story was originally published October 3, 2021 at 12:12 AM.
