Penn State vs. Indiana Preview

Audio/Story posted October 7, 2015 in CommRadio, Sports by Zach Green

PODCAST:

Jack Milewski, Jesse Finver, Mark Fagnani and Brandon Pelter discuss this week's confenrece matchup between Penn State and Indiana. ComRadio has coverage of the homecoming game starting at 10:30 with the ComRadio Football Pregame Show.

 

Conference play begins this Saturday in Happy Valley as Penn State looks to add onto their four game winning streak when they host the Indiana Hoosiers. The Nittany Lions held off Army-West Point this past weekend by a score of 20-14, while Indiana lost a close one to Ohio State 34-27. Both teams have injuries to key contributors which will likely have an impact on how this game plays out.

“It’s not about statistics; it’s about long term development,” Franklin said when talking about the struggling offense during his weekly press conference.

The Penn State offense has had some serious struggles this year and they continued against the Black Knights. The Lions only managed 264 total yards of total offense against Army, who gave up 445 yards against Fordham.

The defense continued their fantastic play, limiting an Army offense that scored 58 points the previous week against Eastern Michigan to just 14 points and forcing three fumbles. The defensive line led the defensive unit with yet another stellar performance, proving they have been the most consistent part of the team production wise this season.

Last week, Indiana hosted No. 1 ranked Ohio State in a battle of unbeaten teams. Although the Buckeyes came away with the victory, many were impressed by how well Indiana played. The Hoosiers managed to stay in the game and give the undefeated Buckeyes a real scare, despite losing both their starting running back and quarterback to ankle injuries during the game.

Both teams are dealing with injuries to key players going into the game this weekend. James Franklin is very tight lipped about which injured players will play, but it is believed that exciting freshman running back Saquon Barkley, as well as linebacker Brandon Bell and safety Marcus Allen could be back this week. Indiana’s talented running back Jordan Howard and starting quarterback Nate Sudfeld are both nursing ankle injuries and are questionable for Saturday’s contest.

Indiana has relied on a run first attack on offense with the ability to throw the ball as well, having racked up 1,369 yards through the air for seven touchdowns. The Hoosiers run the ball 62 percent of the time, amassing 1,122 yards on the ground with 12 touchdowns.

Their defense, however, has not been too good. They are ranked 118th in the nation in total defense, giving up 503 yards per game. This matchup will be strength vs strength and a true test of grit between the Nittany Lions and the Hoosiers.

It is also homecoming weekend at Penn State, which is sure to bring in a big crowd with all of the festivities occurring before, during and after the game.

Kickoff is set for 12:00 p.m. at Beaver Stadium. ComRadio will have coverage beginning at 10:30 a.m. with the ComRadio Football Pregame Show.

Zach Green is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email zag5035@psu.edu.