Know Your Opponent: Can the Hoosiers Cool Off the Streaking Nittany Lions?
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Written By Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Head Coach: James Franklin (3rd Year at Penn State)
Overall: 45-29 (.608) 6th year
At Penn State 21-14 (11-11)
Bowl Appearances: 2
Last Year’s Record: 7-6 (4-4)
This Year’s Record: 7-2 (5-1)
Postseason Appearances Since 2000: 10 Appearances (5-5 Record)
Mascot: Nittany Lion
Colors: Blue and White
Outfitter: Nike
National Titles: 2
Conference Titles: 4
Heisman Winners: 1
Fun Fact:
Penn State’s Blue Buses
“One of the coolest scenes to witness leading up to a Penn State home game is the team's arrival on the blue school buses. As the buses roll up the street and turn toward the team's entrance at the end of the stadium, the buzz grows as the buses come in to view.
Car horns from the tailgaters go off, welcoming the team. The fans get things started with a rousing welcome for their players and coaches as they come to a stop, and that day's starting quarterback leads the team off the bus and in to the locker room.” – From Bleacher Report
1. Penn State Is Red Hot Right Now
The Nittany Lions will probably come into Bloomington as a top-10 team when the College Football Playoff rankings come out on Tuesday night. After a sluggish 2-2 start that saw Penn State lose on the road to Pittsburgh 42-39 and at Michigan 49-10, they have rattled off five straight wins, including victories over Ohio State and a drubbing of Iowa and Purdue. The positive buzz around Penn State is probably at a 5-year high and the offense and defense are clicking on all cylinders.
2. Saquon Barkley Is Awesome
If you haven’t watched Saquon Barkley run the football, you are missing out on something special. The sophomore missed last year’s matchup with the Hoosiers, but he is back and healthy for the 2016 edition. Barkley currently sits 12th in the nation in rushing yards with 1,055 yards on just 167 carries. For comparison, IU running back Devine Redding has 793 yards on the same number of carries. Barkley also has scored 13 total touchdowns (11 on the ground and two receiving). He can run with power and blow past guys with elite speed. He is also a very real receiving threat out of the backfield as he has 15 catches for 257 yards. Indiana will have to account for him on every play he is in the game.
3. Trace McSorley Has Been More Than Adequate At Quarterback
Penn State had to move on from Christian Hackenberg, who is now riding the bench with the Jets. The man replacing him is sophomore Trace McSorley, who has been very solid in his first full-year of duty under center. McSorley is a quarterback more suited for the spread offense that James Franklin and his staff runs and he has the numbers to back it up. He has completed 55.6 percent of his passes for 2,058 yards while throwing 14 touchdowns and just three interceptions. He has the ability to extend the play in the pocket and hit deep receivers and he does it while taking pretty good care of the ball. McSorely can also burn a defense with his feet as he is Penn State’s second leading rusher carrying the ball 105 times for 291 yards and five touchdowns. The good news is, Indiana has already seen two of the better running quarterbacks in the conference this season. So it should not be a total change in preparation.
4. This Is A Typical Penn State Defense Now
After a slow start to the season defensively that saw droves of Penn State defenders go down with injuries, the traditional great defense is back for PSU. In August and September, a span of four games, the Nittany Lions game up a gargantuan 32.8 points per game, since then the defense has gotten some players back and has given up a minuscule 19.8 ppg. This unit is playing their best football of the season as they come in against an offense that may just be hitting their stride.
The defense is led by defensive back Marcus Allen, who leads the team in tackles with 72, linebacker Brandon Smith who has two of the team’s nine interceptions, and defensive lineman Garrett Sickles who leads the Lions in sacks with 5.5 and tackles for loss with 8.5.
5. Penn State Receivers Are as Good as Any in The Big Ten
Coming into the season many experts argued that Penn State had one of, if not, the best receiving corps in the conference. It’s hard to argue against the talent they have as they returned the likes of Daesean Hamilton, Chris Godwin, Deandre Thompkins and Saeed Blacknall. However, their numbers don’t jump off the page due to a combination of injuires (Blacknall missed four games) and that there is only one football to go around.
Godwin leads the group with 34 receptions, 509 yards and five touchdowns. He’s closely followed by tight end Mike Gesicki, who is an excellent safety valve for McSorley, with 32 catches for 411 yards and two scores. Thompkins and Blacknall are the deep threats in this offense as they each average over 18.5 yards per catch. This is a very deep and talented receiving corps that now is at full strength and will be a handful to deal with for Indiana’s defense.