Copyright Mechanicsburg Patriot News
Penn State last won a football game on Sept. 13. Today is November 3. It does not look good for the Nittany Lions on Saturday at Beaver Stadium, either. PSU (3-5, 0-5) draws Curt Cignetti’s Indiana Hoosiers, who are 9-0 after demolishing Maryland 55-10 on Saturday. IU is currently a two-touchdown favorite. Here are some early storylines surrounding the PSU-IU matchup. The dreaded 1-2 punch. When Terry Smith took over as Penn State interim head coach following the Lions’ home loss to Northwestern in the middle of October, the former PSU wideout knew he was jumping into deep end of the pool. First, the Blue and White had to travel to Iowa City to face Kirk Ferentz’s Hawkeyes. After a bye, Penn State made the trip to Columbus to face No. 1 Ohio State. Two games, two losses, the latter a 38-14 Buckeyes victory in which the hosts outscored PSU 21-0 in the second half. Next? No. 2 Indiana (9-0, 6-0) visits State College on Saturday. Facing the No. 1 and No. 2 teams back in back-to-back games? Brutal. The Hoosiers’ dogged defense. Indiana’s offense receives plenty of well-deserved attention. The Hoosiers are ranked No. 1 in the country in scoring, averaging 46.4 points per game. They just put 55 on Maryland in College Park on Saturday and IU beat Illinois 63-10 at home in late September. But Penn State also must deal with a nasty defense. The Hoosiers are No. 3 in fewest points allowed per game (10.8) and Indiana held Oregon to 267 total yards in its 30-20 win at Eugene on Oct. 11. PSU’s woeful passing game. The Iowa and Ohio State defenses are terrific at limiting big plays, but the Lions’ passing game has been a tough watch of late. New PSU quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has thrown for just 238 yards in the last two games. He does not have a touchdown pass and Grunkemeyer was intercepted three times in those contests. It’s not all on the QB, though. PSU veteran wideouts Trebor Pena, Kyron Hudson and Devonte Ross produced a total of 14 catches for 89 yards against Iowa and Ohio State. Are more PSU personnel changes coming? During Smith’s time guiding the Lions, Kaytron Allen has emerged from a timeshare with Nick Singleton to become the lead running back. Allen has carried the ball 49 times in the last two games, compared to 12 carries for Singelton. Anthony Donkoh moved back to right tackle -- the position he played in 2024 -- against Ohio State. With Donkoh at tackle, Vega Ioane and TJ Shanahan Jr. were the starters at left guard and right guard, respectively. The odd man out was Nolan Rucci, who had been the right tackle. Penn State’s cornerbacks endured a rough day against the Ohio State wideout tandem of Jeremiah Smith and Carnell Tate on Saturday. Smith and Tate combined for 11 receptions for 247 yards and three touchdowns. It would not be a surprise to see a different-looking PSU corner rotation against Indiana.
