How can Penn State avoid the upset against Indiana? Here are the game’s 2 key matchups
Penn State is in need of a win in order to gain momentum after losing to Ohio State last week. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, they have one of the easiest opponents they’ll face this season on deck. They’ll head to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday afternoon.
Let’s take a look at the two key matchups that will impact the game.
Jon Sauber: Indiana LB Dasan McCullough vs. Penn State’s offensive line
Things have been rocky for the Hoosiers this season but Dasan McCullough has been a major bright spot for the Indiana defense. He’s leading the team in sacks with four and has two passes defended. The Indiana freshman was a top-100 recruit in the 2022 class and the most highly touted player to sign with the program this year. McCullough is listed at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, giving him the kind of size that allows Indiana to use him exactly how they do — all over the place. He’s a high end pass rusher who has the athleticism and length to be an All-Big Ten player — if not better — down the line. Right now, his best traits allow him to excel attacking the quarterback, and can be used as a traditional edge rusher or as a blitzer along various spots around the line of scrimmage.
McCullough is the player the Nittany Lions will key on and that’s going to be of increasing importance this week. Caedan Wallace, the team’s usual starting right tackle, did not play a snap against Ohio State and was replaced by Bryce Effner, who Penn State head coach James Franklin said had earned the snaps. The other side of the ball is up in the air as well, with starting left tackle Olu Fashanu getting hurt against the Buckeyes and limping into the locker room before the end of the game. His loss would be a massive one for the Nittany Lions. He’s quickly established himself as one of the best offensive tackles in the country and a steadying force on the left side of the line. And it’s not just that he would miss time, it’s that Penn State does not have the type of depth to easily replace him.
The Indiana defense will have more success if Fashanu is unable to go, and that could lead to more of an impact from McCullough. He’s going to win his fair share of battles during the game regardless of who is playing because he’s that talented, but those wins could be much more consequential without someone like Fashanu to steady the group. He’s already a high end pass rusher and one Penn State should not take lightly because he has the potential to wreck a game on his own and ruin an offensive gameplan in the process.
Kyle J. Andrews: Indiana’s quarterbacks vs. Penn State S Ji’ayir Brown
Connor Bazelak isn’t the most accurate of quarterbacks. He’s completed 208 of his 379 passes (54.9%) for 2,099 yards, 12 touchdown passes and nine interceptions. The redshirt junior finds himself in the midst of a potential quarterback battle in the latter half of the season due to his ineffectiveness. The team has lost five consecutive games, getting outscored 173-105. He hasn’t been particularly awful, throwing for under 200 yards just once this season, but he isn’t moving the needle as much as one would think Indiana head coach Tom Allen would like.
Backup quarterback Jack Tuttle already announced that he’d enter the transfer portal. He has a total of 819 yards passing with a 55.9% completion rate, four touchdown passes and six interceptions as a senior. With one foot out the door already, he may or may not use this opportunity to take over the starting position and end up as the starter next year. Redshirt sophomore quarterback Dexter Williams has never taken a collegiate snap.
Ji’ayir Brown is a ballhawk. He will track it in the air, he’ll track it on the ground, he’ll attempt to scoop and score and he’ll try to swoop to the ball and find the end zone on a long return. He has 49 total tackles (37 solo), 3.5 tackles, a sack, three interceptions, two pass deflections and a forced fumble. No one — absolutely no one — on Indiana’s defense is prepared for what the senior safety can and will unleash.
In the event that Indiana trots out a backup quarterback, there’s precedent for Brown feasting on them. Auburn trotted out both TJ Finley and Robby Ashford at quarterback. Brown had an interception return for 27 yards in 41-12 win on Sept. 17. Minnesota threw backup quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis to the wolves when usual starter Tanner Morgan was out with an injury against Penn State on Oct. 22. Brown picked off Kaliakmanis and had a 35-yard return. The safety added seven tackles (six solo) and a pass deflection during the game.
Good luck to Indiana’s quarterbacks. They’ll need it.
