IU Looks for Win Number Six Against White-Hot Nittany Lions
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Written By T.J. Inman (@TJHoosierHuddle)
The Indiana Hoosiers need one more win to reach bowl eligibility for the second straight season. Standing in their way is a white-hot Penn State squad that has creeped into the fringe of the top ten and has a legitimate chance at making either the Capital One Orange Bowl or the Rose Bowl if they can win out and get a tiny bit of help elsewhere. Since losing to Michigan 49-10, the Nittany Lions have reeled off five straight victories including close wins over Minnesota and Ohio State and blowout victories over Maryland, Purdue and Iowa. Their offense is rolling behind the likely Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year in Saquon Barkley and a good vertical passing game and their defense has gotten healthy and improved as the season has progressed. Kevin Wilson knows the mistakes his Hoosiers made last week against Rutgers won’t cut it this Saturday.
“It is a typical Penn State team that comes in playing very, very well. It will be a good challenge for us. I know our guys are excited. We are going to need a really good week, and we are going to need to be better than we were last week,” Wilson told the media on Monday. “We’re not going to win with that kind of play this week or any week moving forward with a rival game and a road game and a tremendous team coming this week with a three-game stretch. We’ve got a lot to clean up.”
“Cleaning up” needs to be done on both offense and special teams. The Hoosiers had multiple miscues in the kicking game, a dropped kick-off return that gave Rutgers a short field resulting in a touchdown, a fumble that was scooped and ran back for a touchdown and a pair of interceptions on back-to-back offensive plays. The Nittany Lions have a sound and in-form defense that is allowing just a tick more than 17 points per game during their five-game winning streak. They’ve gotten healthier and they have figured out their pass rush, registering 18 sacks in the past three games.
“They pick their spots to blitz, and they do pressure, but it’s really just their front,” Kevin Wilson said. “They’ve done a really good job of getting the team one-dimensional and getting them in situations, and then their D-line is really just pushing the pocket and playing hard.”
For the second straight week, the Indiana Hoosiers moved the ball very well. Against Maryland, it was done with a dominant rushing attack and the “Bacon and Legs” package. Against Rutgers, the Hoosiers moved the ball mostly through the air as Richard Lagow nearly topped 400 passing yards. However, continuing a theme we’ve seen all season, IU was unable to finish drives with points. The Hoosiers had a remarkable 13 “scoring opportunities” but interceptions, a fumble, turnovers on downs and kicking game problems limited IU’s scoring output and gave Rutgers a chance to steal the win. If the Hoosiers are to have a chance this Saturday, they’ll need to finish their drives with points instead of missed opportunities and frustration.
The IU defense, one of the most improved units in the entire country, will need to contain a revitalized Penn State offense that is led by quarterback Trace McSorley and electric tailback Saquon Barkley. Barkley leads the Big Ten with 1,055 yards and he’s second in the league with 11 rushing touchdowns. In the past four games, Barkley has rushing totals of 202, 99, 207 and 167 and he has averaged at least 6.5 yards per carry in each of those games. He’s capable of ripping off big runs and IU’s rush defense will need to be at its best to limit his production. Trace McSorley is only completing 55.6% of his passes but he has 14 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns with only three interceptions and his deep passes to Chris Godwin and DeAndre Thompkins will test IU’s secondary.
“They have a very balanced attack,” Indiana defensive coordinator Tom Allen said. “We have faced some awfully good players this year. These two (Barkley and McSorley) are next in line for that category. They have a very, very talented running back, maybe the most complete running back in the conference. Their offense has evolved to utilize the quarterback’s ability to run it and throw it.”
Kevin Wilson’s Hoosiers have won back-to-back Big Ten games and they are on the brink of reaching bowl eligibility for the second-straight season. However, he’s working hard to make sure his team’s focus is solely on Penn State, not on reaching a bowl game or the big picture success or failure of the season.
“It’s going to take our best effort, it’s going to take our best week. It’s a strong challenge. It’s a great team we’re playing, and we’re going to need to have a great week to have a chance, and that’s all we’re talking about.”