1. Penn State defense dominant once again in victory
Coming into Saturday’s game against Indiana, Penn State already boasted one of the most dominant defenses in college football. The Nittany Lions held opponents to 8.3 yards and 273.5 yards per game in their first four victories. Teams have been unable to get anywhere against a swarming unit.
Indiana looked for a moment like they had solved the riddle of the Penn State defense in the second quarter. Two touchdowns pulled the Hoosiers within 28-14 at halftime, as Ricky Brookins ran for a touchdown after a long drive and Peyton Ramsay found Simmie Cobbs Jr. on an 18-yard scoring pass right before the intermission. It was the closest they would come to generating a comeback against the Nittany Lions.
That was because the damage had already been done when Penn State forced a fumble on Indiana’s first play of the game. Quickly turning that takeaway into seven points, the Hoosiers found themselves in an insurmountable gap. At the beginning of the third quarter, when it looked like Indiana might have some momentum after the break, the Nittany Lions broke their spirit again with an interception off Ramsay.
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The Hoosiers ended the game with 352 yards of total offense, but they weren’t able to convert that production into many points. Penn State forced another fumble in the third quarter that the offense converted into another touchdown, effectively icing the game. It was great synergy between the two units, something that will be pivotal if Penn State is going to win the Big Ten for a second straight season.