Game Wrap and Reaction: Penn State 33 Indiana 28
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Allen Stallings (99) celebrates a sack Image: Sammy Jacobs Hoosier Huddle
Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Penn State Nittany Lions
Location: Saturday October 20th, 2018 Bloomington, IN
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and Nittany Lions play annually as part of the Big Ten East
What The Game Meant: This was a “show me” game for the Hoosiers after laying an egg last week against Iowa.
Top Offensive Performers:
Indiana Running Game- The Hoosiers rushing attack came alive against Penn State as Stevie Scott and Ronnie Walker received great blocking from the line and tight ends. IU finished with 268 non-sack rushing yards and three scores on the ground.
Trace McSorley, QB, Penn State- The difference in the game for Penn State on offense, especially on the ground. He finished with 327 total yards (220 passing 107 rushing) and two touchdowns.
Top Defensive Performers
Marcelino Ball, Husky, Indiana- Ball had been victimized recently, but reminded people why he was a freshman all-American. He made 10 tackles with 1.5 coming for a loss and broke up a pass.
Allen Stallings, DE, Indiana-Stallings has been really good for IU off the edge. Saturday Stallings had two tackles for loss and a sack.
Bryant Fitzgerald, Husky, Indiana- Fitzgerald had a pick and four tackles and was all over the place on defense.
Shaka Toney, DE, Penn State- The reserve defensive end was a terror for IU recording six tackles and four sacks and forced a fumble. He made life miserable for the IU quarterbacks.
Special Teams Performance
Special teams have taken a major step back over the last few weeks of 2018. After a strong start to the season, it has become a liability. Indiana got nothing out of the kick return game, the kick coverage team got burned a couple times for long returns that set up touchdowns and J-Shun Harris lost a critical fumble that set up another Penn State score. This errors just can’t happen if the Hoosiers want to win again this season.
The Hoosiers did make some plays on special teams. IU blocked an extra point, recovered an on-side kick and stopped a fake punt (which was only possible because they ran into the kicker, the previous attempt).
Key Stat(s)
170
Penn State had 170 kick return yards on five returns. Penn State took the opening kickoff to the IU 36-yard line and scored five plays later. After IU took a 21-20 lead, Penn State took the ensuing kick down to the five-yard yard line and Trace McSorely scored on the next play.
Turning Point
After taking a 21-20 lead IU gave up a huge return and one play later, the lead. Special teams snatched any momentum IU had on Saturday.
I Knew it Was Over When…
After IU recovered an on-side kick, IU took a holding penalty and a sack on back-to-back plays with under a minute left. This all but ended the game.
Players of the Game
Stevie Scott, Indiana- Scott bounced back from a few underwhelming performances with a 26-carry 138-yard two-touchdown performance.
Trace McSorley, Penn State- IU did a pretty good job of containing the Penn State passing game, but quarterback Trace McSorley used his feet to escape pressure and run for 107 yards and two scores.
What I took away from the game
The effort was there, but the result wasn’t. The Hoosiers played well on offense and good enough on defense, but succumbed to two costly fumbles, poor clock management and a total breakdown on special teams.
The Hoosiers were two touchdown underdogs coming into the game Saturday and a win was unlikely, but IU showed that when they fight, they have a chance. The staff brought in Michael Penix and it immediately ignited the offense and changed how Penn State was going to play defense. He played pretty well before being helped off the field with a lower body injury. There has been no official update from IU on his status moving forward. Penix finished 9-of-19 passing for 94 yards and added 24 yards on the ground. He looked very solid and gave IU some hope moving forward.
When Ramsey was reinserted, the Penn State defense again crept up to the line of scrimmage and dared him to throw deep. The defensive line could pin their ears back in passing situations and that resulted in six sacks. Ramsey was OK, completing 26-of-36 passes for 236 yards and a score, but he did throw a pick and failed to manage the clock well after being inserted to do just that. Ultimately that falls on Allen, but Ramsey didn’t do much to help.
Going forward, and I expect to not see Michael Penix the rest of the way, the Hoosiers will have to rely on the rushing game that should get a boost from this week’s performance and try and dink and dunk their way to wins over Minnesota and Maryland the next two games.
Defensively, IU was good enough to win yesterday. Three of Penn State’s scoring drives were 36 yards or fewer. IU made six tackles for loss, sacked McSorley three times, forced an interception and stuffed a fake punt. They kept the passing game in check and gave the offense a chance to win the game.
Overall, there were just too many mistakes to overcome against a very good Penn State team. The effort was there and the team responded well to coach Allen’s challenges. However, this team needs wins and not just moral victories. The road is still tough to six, but IU needs to split the last four in order to head back to the postseason for the third time in four years.
What’s Next
The Hoosiers travel to Minnesota for a Friday night match-up against the Golden Gophers (3-4,0-4). The Hoosiers have won twice away from home this season and a win is an absolute must if they want to play in Decemeber.