4 hours ago 12

BSD Staff Predictions Roundtable: Indiana

The Lions reenter the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium, but have an unfriendly visitor in the #2 Indiana Hoosiers. How does the staff see this one playing out?

Thought Penn State would lose by 49 last week, and they only lost by 24! Not bad, not bad.

Indiana 63, Penn State 14

Guess what? Another horrible, no-good, very bad day. The question is, will this day be better or worse than last week?

Indiana 38, Penn State 14

Indiana has some injuries and they’re due to play a “clunker” at some point. But, there’s also something about them - and Cignetti - that makes me think they’re going to roll into Beaver Stadium and look to make a statement. They are physical. They run the ball well. They’re well coached. They’re tough. They’re basically everything that Penn State hasn’t been this year.

Indiana 38, Penn State 10

Indiana has never won at Beaver Stadium. If that doesn’t change after this Saturday, then the Hoosiers will have squandered their greatest opportunity, ever.

Indiana 41, Penn State 17

Indiana is balanced on offense, averaging 245 rushing yards and 259 passing yards per game. Defensively, they only allow 80 rushing yards per game, which will be a problem for a Penn State team that heavily relies on the run to get offense going with a backup quarterback. Penn State might get a bit of a boost playing at home, but the Hoosiers’ offense will be too much for a defense that has been poor for four straight games.

Indiana 38, Penn State 17

(Originally appearing in the Game Preview)

Penn State struggled to stop the vertical passing game against the Buckeyes. Unfortunately, they will be facing a carbon copy of that offense that loves to go deep. Don’t be surprised if the Hoosiers exploit this area to build an early lead and keep their foot on the gas - something Curt Cignetti has done since taking over and proving that Indiana is a far cry from the program that spent decades in the Big Ten basement.

Ethan Grunkemeyer showed progress against an incredible Ohio State defense and put together some of the best drives we’ve seen from Penn State all season. However, it won’t be enough to keep pace with the Hoosiers explosive offense.