Penn State Football: 3 Nittany Lions to Watch in the Game vs

Quarterback Christian Hackenberg is completing 53 percent of his passes and has been sacked 15 times. Forget that he and his coaching staff are killing it in recruiting. If Nate Sudfeld can’t go for IU, the Nittany Lion D should be prepared and ready for Zander Diamont and the zone read attack.

James Franklin said he doesn’t always want Penn State (4-1, 1-0 Big Ten) to win ugly. In relief action against the Buckeyes, Diamont showed flashes of his progression, going six of 14 for 76 yards that included a handful of clutch throws in the Hoosiers’ near-upset.

Army running back Matt Giachinta (40) is upended by Penn State… Backing up Howard is sophomore Devine Redding, a smaller back who can strike quickly when presented with an opening.

That low number is fueled mostly by an ineffective passing offense, which is averaging just 171.2 yards per game.

Indiana travels to Penn State this weekend, for its Big Ten road opener. This season, they have just 46 receptions.

“We need to be more aggressive at times”, he said. Sophomore Simmie Cobbs, Jr.is another excellent target who can use his size to create mismatches, especially in man coverage. How much is he the anchor of this defense? Indiana’s run game has relied much more on its offensive line and powering through defenders than making people miss and accelerating into the second level. Newbill on it, there are legitimate questions about whether Penn State can even tread water when the conference games begin. Penn State doesn’t have an Ezekiel Elliott – don’t expect the big home runs the Buckeyes were able to come up with.

-CB Trevor Williams (No. 34 cornerback) – Williams is a multi-year starter for the Nittany Lions who is solid but unspectacular in just about all he does. While the defense still has plenty of room for improvement, the trend that haunted Indiana for years (and several regime shifts) is slowly beginning to evolve. Unfortunately, an injury has temporarily sent Penn State back to survival mode. Their offensive skill set is very, very scary.

In fact, they more than held their own. A healthy Barkley is huge for Penn State because he can make defenses respect the run, and this passing game needs that threat to be effective.

Penn State has won or shared 16 of the last 17 Big Ten regular-season women’s titles, but the Nittany Lions find themselves in the thick of a tight race this fall.

The Hoosiers defense will go up against a Penn State offense that has been lacking. Each bring a unique skillset to the table, but each seem to be another year or two away from being a full-time back. “They made less mistakes than we did, and I think that’s the reason the game turned out like it did”. Senior Erich Toth does not boast the most powerful leg, but is a model of consistency with a 41-yard per punt average in 2015.

The Penn State Nittany Lions (4-1) are coming from a 20-14 win over Army.

Joey Julius is continuing to prove he’s more than just a big leg by showing precision on a variety of field goal attempts.

INDIANA-24 PENN STATE-17 The prediction for this game could easily be a flowchart that includes “If Saquon Barkley/Jordan Howard/Nate Sudfeld play…” and every combination of each.

Likewise, Indiana is dealing with backfield injuries as well. It’s the first career Big Ten defensive player of the week award for Wong-Orantes. It’s possible that the air has been sucked out of the Hoosiers and they come out completely flat on Saturday. That’s how I envision this team playing.

Predictably, the mood after Penn State’s narrow victory over Army on Saturday was not all that pleasant.

“There’s no tension for me”, Reaves said. The one completion is tied for the fewest by a team in FBS this year (by Georgia Southern vs. Western Michigan).

The absences could have a profound impact on the Nittany Lions’ offense, which is ranked No. 110 nationally in total offense.