Penn State Football: 3 takeaways from critical win over Indiana in Week 12

Penn State football hosted the Indiana Hoosiers in Big Ten East action. Here are three takeaways from the Nittany Lions’ critical win.

The Indiana Hoosiers came to Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon looking for something very simple: respect.

You looked at the 7-2 (now 7-3) record, and said, “That’s nice.” The Hoosiers haven’t defeated a single opponent with a winning record, though. They almost came up with a victory against Michigan State, but fell 40-31. Their other loss was a 51-10 thrashing at the hands of Ohio State.

Indiana might have the quietest 7-3 record in college football history. This was one they wanted to prove that they could hang and have a chance to win at the end. Mission accomplished.

This game was important for the Penn State Nittany Lions. This is one of those games that can define a program. Good programs lose these games sometimes. You’re undefeated one week, and lose a tough game on the road. You can come out flat, and find yourself with two straight losses.

Penn State, however, is trying to change that narrative. The Nittany Lions are looking to change the narrative about the type of program they are, and stay in the playoff race.

Saturday’s win did both for Penn State.