Head Coach: Terry Smith (interim)
Overall: 0-2
Bowl Appearances at Penn State: –
2025 Record: 3-5 (0-5)
Mascot: Nittany Lion
Colors: Blue and White
Outfitter: Nike
National Titles: Two (1982, 1986)
Conference Titles: Five (1891, 1994, 2005, 2008, 2016)
Heisman Winners: John Cappelletti – 1973
Last Week: 38-14 loss at Ohio State
Betting Information
Indiana (-13.5) at Penn State | Total of 49.5
Statistical Leaders
Passing: Drew Allar (injured) – 103 for 159 (64.8%) for 1100 yards with 8 TDs
Rushing: Kaytron Allen – 119 rushes for 688 yards (5.78 ypc) with 10 TDs
Receiving: Devonte Ross – 23 receptions for 281 yards with 3 TDs
Tackles: Amare Campbell – 59 total including 37 solo
Stat of the Week: The series between the Indiana Hoosiers and Penn State Nittany Lions has been as one-sided as any matchup in the country. The two sides have met 27 times with PSU winning 25 times and holding a 13-0 mark over the Hoosiers in Happy Valley.
Nittany Lions’ Talking Points
- Running Back Duo
Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton form one of the nation’s best running back duos. The two have scored rushing touchdowns in the same game five times this season, including last week against the Ohio State Buckeyes. Kaytron Allen has supplanted Singleton as the primary back and he’s been as effective as any running back in the Big Ten this season. Allen is averaging 5.78 yards per carry and he will be a handful for the Indiana defense. IU has mostly dominated the ground game this season, limiting opponents to 3.4 yards per carry (19th in the country) while racking up 5.5 yards per rush (10th in the country).
2. Backup Quarterback
Drew Allar was lost for the season during the Nittany Lions’ loss to the Northwestern Wildcats. The injury necessitated a change at quarterback and redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer has gotten the call. A 6’2” player from Olentangy High School in Ohio, Grunkemeyer was an Elite 11 finalist and first-team all-state in Ohio in 2023. Grunkemeyer was a four-star prospect and he’s been decent since becoming the starter, completing 62.7 percent of his passes and accumulating 343 yards. His yards per attempt is only 5.1 while Drew Allar hovered around seven so the offensive plan has certainly tried to adjust for the change.
PSU made a big effort to bolster the receiver room via the transfer portal but it has not really worked as hoped. Troy transfer Devonte Ross has been quite good but Kyron Hudson and Trebor Pena have failed to live up to expectations and the offense has sorely missed the greatness of Tyler Warren at tight end. Penn State is averaging 31.5 points per game but that is buoyed by 46 against Nevada and 52 against Villanova.
3. Vulnerability on Defense
Penn State’s quest for a national title was seen as getting a big push when they poached defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Ohio State. It would not be entirely fair to call the move a failure but it can hardly be viewed as a success. In the past five games, the Nittany Lions have given up at least 22 points each week and three teams have reached at least 30 points during that stretch.
They have just 14 sacks this season and their sack percentage has dropped to 5.21% (90th in the country). The rush defense is okay, allowing 4.5 yards per carry (84th) but they sorely miss linebacker Tony Rojas and Ohio State had a lot of success throwing the ball and attacking the secondary last weekend.