Staff Predictions: Penn State vs Indiana
No. 10 Penn State is one of the hottest teams in the country heading into Saturday’s match-up with the 5-4 Indiana Hoosiers, and our staff wholeheartedly agrees. It’s hard to blame them; Saquon Barkley is rightly in the Heisman conversation, and he’s not showing any signs of slowing down. Here’s what our staff thinks about this weekend’s contest.
Joe Pickard: Penn State 38, Indiana 17
Riding a 5 game win streak, the Nittany Lions are heading into Indiana riding momentum as the No. 10 team in the nation. Penn State proved it can focus on the game at hand and not let the publicity affect the team coming off last week’s stomping41-14 stomping of Iowa. James Franklin should be able to keep his crew focused again against Indiana.
I expect Penn State to play a so-so first half, against a tough Indiana defense, and skilled offensive weapons such as QB Zander Diamont and RB Devine Redding, but make the necessary adjustments at half time to but this game away. As always, expect a great day out of Saqoun Barkley, as well as Jason Cabinda on defense. I’m taking the Nittany Lions to cover the -6.5 spread and beat Indiana in Penn State’s last true test of the season.
Anthony Colucci: Penn State 51, Indiana 24
If Penn State weren’t the hottest team in college football at the moment, I’d say to be wary of an upset alert in Bloomington this weekend. The Hoosiers head into Saturday’s game at 5-4, with two of their losses coming against top ten opponents and having scored less than 20 points only twice this season. Indiana’s dynamic, pass heavy offense led by quarterback Richard Lagow will be an interesting matchup for the Penn State defense which has been particularly stingy during the current five-game winning streak. Despite the Hoosiers’ strength on offense, the Nittany Lions simply have more firepower and are playing with such a high level of confidence that they’ll roll to 8-2 in a high-scoring affair and continue moving up in the rankings.
Ethan Kasales: Penn State 48, Indiana 20
Penn State’s offense should keep on rolling as Joe Moorhead continues to expand the playbook. The Nittany Lions’ last trip to the Hoosier State turned out pretty darn well, and this Saturday likely won’t be any different. Expect Chris Godwin to turn in another strong outing, torching the Indiana defense for 100 yards and a pair of scores. I think Marcus Allen also gets his first career interception against the Hoosiers.
Robbie Rockwell: Penn State 44, Indiana 24
The offense has been unstoppable lately and I’m fairly confident that trend continues against a subpar Indiana defense. A noon kick would usually make me think that the Lions start slow but after watching Purdue, I don’t think that will be the case. The defense will continue to make its case as the best in the Big Ten, but Indiana’s offense is potent and might catch Pry’s bunch off guard. Having said that, I don’t think Indiana can keep it up for four quarters and Penn State pulls away in the second half.
Mitch Stewart: Penn State 34, Indiana 17
Indiana’s lethal passing attack and Penn State’s great performances in the team’s past two “trap games” makes me a bit nervous for this matchup with the Hoosiers. Expect the first half in Bloomington to be similar to that of the Purdue game — slow for Penn State with a close score at the half. However, the Nittany Lions will outclass Indiana in the latter half of this game behind another great performance from Barkley (expect 150 total yards and a couple of scores) to advance to 8-2, while further improving their already solid chances of making the Rose Bowl.
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