Matchup to Watch: Hoosiers Secondary Needs to Stop Penn State’s Explosive Receiving Corps

Written by Evan Orris

The Hoosiers secondary was torched for over 365 passing yards by Bailey Zappe and the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers last week. This upcoming week the task will be even harder as IU takes on the Penn State Nittany Lions and their two stud receivers.

Last season, Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington combined for six catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns. The true culprit was Dotson with four catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. Since the two teams’ last matchup, the senior wide receiver has taken his game up a notch. In the 12 games since, Dotson has accumulated 75 catches for 1,152 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The same can be said for Parker Washington.  The sophomore has 57 catches for 778 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. It is safe to say when quarterback Sean Clifford targets those two then good things happen. Both players can make plays with the ball in their hands because of their speed and athleticism. Dotson in particular can take a 10-yard pass and turn it into a 60-yard touchdown.

Clifford, their quarterback, is also capable of turning in big plays. In four games this year, he has thrown for 1,158 yards, eight touchdowns, and just two interceptions. He has improved a lot since the matchup last season and could cause problems for the secondary.

“He's a great quarterback, real experienced guy, and he's not normally a runner but he can use his legs and extend plays and scramble and get out of the pocket,” Micah McFadden said of Sean Clifford. “We're going to have to do a good job of containing him upfront and then locking on to guys in the backend and making sure we're not coming out of coverage to corral him but doing our job as linebackers and flowing with the ball and tracking him down.” 

Another key component for the Hoosiers will be for the secondary to disrupt passing lanes and stick to their receivers as much as they can. Tom Allen will look to Tiawan Mullen to cover Dotson. The rest of the secondary will be tasked with covering Washington. For Indiana to have a chance in this ball game, they need to keep the ball far away from Dotson and Washington.