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Penn State Football: Can Nittany Lions end their skid vs. Indiana?

By Richard Kimball

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 13: Shareef Miller #48 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after wrapping up La'Darius Jefferson #15 of the Michigan State Spartans (not pictured) on October 13, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 13: Shareef Miller #48 of the Penn State Nittany Lions reacts after wrapping up La'Darius Jefferson #15 of the Michigan State Spartans (not pictured) on October 13, 2018 at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) /
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Penn State football is coming off two straight heartbreaking losses. With the the Hoosiers up next, the Nittany Lions’ losing streak should come to an end.

The chances at Big Ten title are very slim for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and the chances of making the College Football Playoff are even slimmer. Following their second straight loss to a Big Ten East opponent, the Nittany Lions fall to 4-2 on the season and currently sit fifth in the division with a 1-2 conference record. But with a road game against the Indiana Hoosiers this Saturday, the Nittany Lions should be back on track to compete for a 10-win season.

The Nittany Lions’ offense is coming off their worst game of the season after scoring just 17 points against Michigan State. However, against the Hoosiers, the offense will be back to normal as both Trace McSorley and Miles Sanders should have big games on their way to a bounce back win.

On the defensive side of the ball, despite being losers of two straight, Penn State has played some of its best football in the past few weeks. With the offense clicking once again and the defense continuing to improve, this game could get ugly fast.

There’s more important games that most will be watching at this time slot but just incase you want to change the channel, here’s everything you need to know for Penn State at Indiana

Here’s how you can watch Saturday’s game:

Date: Saturday, Oct. 20
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Bloomington, Ind.
Venue: Memorial Stadium
TV: ABC
Live Stream: WatchESPN or FuboTV

Keys to Victory

For the Nittany Lions to win they need to forget about their last two games. As mentioned before, conference title and playoff hopes are nearly impossible, but there’s still much to play for this season: a 10-win season and a New Year’s Six bowl. Plus with three more games versus ranked opponents, Penn State can still regain the respect from the Big Ten and the rest of the nation. Penn State has the playmakers on offense and defense to make this game a blowout by halftime.

For the Indiana Hoosiers to upset Penn State, they’ll need to play their best game of all season. The Hoosiers have had a tendency to be a pesky opponent while hosting a ranked Big Ten team at home and will need to continue that trend. But ultimately, the Hoosiers will need quarterback Peyton Ramsey and their defense to be on their ‘A’ game if they want to be in this one till the end. One too many mistakes by Ramsey could have Penn State’s backups in during the third quarter.

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Prediction

Despite Indiana’s past of competing in games against the top teams of the Big Ten, the Hoosiers stand no chance in this one. Trace McSorley bounces back from his worst game of the season and reminds people why he’s one of the best players in the country.

Meanwhile, on the defensive side of the ball, the Nittany Lions record five sacks and force multiple turnovers, giving McSorley and the rest of the Penn State offense extra opportunities to score. Penn State get’s back in the win column and puts the Indiana Hoosiers down to .500.

Prediction: Penn State 55, Indiana 13

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