Scouting Report: Indiana

Story posted September 26, 2017 in CommRadio by Christopher Hess

Coming off last week’s dramatic win over Iowa as time expired, it’s time for James Franklin’s troops to shift their focus towards the Indiana Hoosiers.

Indiana is coached by Tom Allen and the Hoosiers are currently 2-1, with wins over Virginia and Georgia Southern; the lone loss was to Ohio State. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network and kickoff is scheduled for 3:30 p.m.

Indiana gave the Nittany Lions all they could handle in last year’s meeting in Bloomington. The Hoosiers led 24-14 late in the third quarter and led 31-28 in the 4th. However, the Nittany Lions found a way to fight back and leave Bloomington with a 45-31 win. Penn State leads the all-time series 19-1, with the lone loss coming in 2013.

Coming into this season, Indiana quarterback Richard Lagow proved to have one of the strongest arms not just in the Big Ten, but the country. Through three games, Lagow has 51 completions on 88 attempts for 564 yards alongside four touchdowns and three interceptions.

At running back, Indiana lost their power back in Devine Redding and have called upon freshman Morgan Ellison to be Redding’s replacement.

Through three games, Ellison has carried the ball 44 times, racking up 256 yards while also scoring three touchdowns. He averages just under six yards a carry and the Nittany Lion defense will look to slow down Ellison and take away his ability to run up the middle.

At wide receiver, Indiana has one of the better groups in the Big Ten with players like Simmie Cobbs, Luke Timian, and Donovan Hale providing Lagow with reliable options.

Cobbs has the ability to make acrobatic circus catches in traffic as we saw in their first game against Ohio State. Look for Lagow to test the Penn State secondary early and often with deep passes to any of the three receivers.

On defense, Indiana has two of the best players in the Big Ten in defensive end Greg Gooch and linebacker Tegray Scales. Both players are considered some of the best draft prospects at their respected positions.

Indiana’s secondary is anchored by cornerbacks Rashard Fant and A’Shon Riggins. Fant has the ability to lock down some of the best receivers around while Riggins is a young talent with a lot of promise for the future.

Look for the Hoosiers to be extremely pass heavy right out of the gate and do not be surprised if Richard Lagow throws the ball close to 40 times in this game. The Nittany Lion secondary will have to be ready to shut down the pass and force Indiana to run.

 

Christopher Hess is a freshman majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email christopherhess22@gmail.com.