No. 9 Penn State football (8-1, 5-1 Big Ten) will return to the friendly confines of Beaver Stadium for a contest against Indiana (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten).

Like several other Big Ten sides, the Hoosiers are in the midst of a resurgent 2019 season. Although the College Football Playoff committee left Indiana out of its most recent top-25 rankings, the team is ranked in the AP poll for the first time since 1994. With the exception of a defeat to Michigan State on the road and a home beatdown at the hands of Ohio State, the Hoosiers have rolled through the 2019 season, beating the teams they’re supposed to beat.

Indiana has rattled off four consecutive victories against Rutgers, Maryland, Nebraska, and Northwestern. The team’s non-conference schedule featured wins over Ball State, Eastern Illinois, and UConn, so to say the team’s schedule is easy is an understatement. Indiana is Penn State’s third straight opponent to be coming off its bye week.

The Team

Head coach Tom Allen is nine games into his third full season as Indiana’s head coach. He was promoted from defensive coordinator to head coach in December 2016, and his debut was actually a defeat to Utah in the Foster Farms Bowl.

Allen led the Hoosiers to 5-7 records in each of his first two full seasons before the team’s current strong showing. Their 2019 season began with relatively routine wins over Ball State and Eastern Illinois before getting smashed by Ohio State on home turf. Indiana’s record sat at 3-2 after losing to Michigan State before its four-game win streak against admittedly weak opponents began.

The Hoosiers’ offense has operated mostly with a two-quarterback system to great success, but Michael Penix Jr. underwent season-ending clavicle surgery last week. Elsewhere, the team’s defense is middle-of-the-pack in the Big Ten.

Offense

Indiana’s offense ranks 34th in the nation and sixth in the Big Ten with 34 points per game, and it’s accumulated an average of 447 yards per game. The Hoosiers’ rushing offense ranks 96th in the nation with 139 yards per game, but they’ve racked up 308 passing yards per contest to rank among the top-15 teams in the nation.

Redshirt junior signal-caller Peyton Ramsey is in charge of the Hoosiers’ offense following Michael Penix Jr.’s injury. Ramsey has completed 113 of his 157 pass attempts for 1,302 yards, nine touchdowns, and three interceptions this season.

Indiana’s quarterbacks have spread the ball around among its targets very well this season. Wide receiver Whop Philyor has emerged as the team’s top wideout with a team-leading 59 catches and 813 yards. His three touchdown scores rank second on the team behind tight end Peyton Hendershot, who has four scores and 393 receiving yards on 29 grabs.

Beyond those players, four more receivers have hauled in 20 or more passes. Ty Fryfogle has made 33 grabs for 371 yards and two scores, Nick Westbrook has 26 catches for 353 yards and four touchdowns as well, and Donovan Hale has hauled in 20 balls for 356 yards and three touchdowns.

Running back Stevie Scott has also factored into the passing game quite a bit with 23 catches for 207 yards. He’s the team’s unquestioned No. 1 running back with 737 yards and 10 total touchdowns on 143 carries. Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr. are the team’s second- and third-best rushers with a total of 241 yards on the ground, so Scott hasn’t gotten too much help in the run game.

As Penn State head coach James Franklin noted on Tuesday, Indiana’s spread offense is capable of stretching out the best defenses in the nation. The team’s pass-heavy offense doesn’t bode well for a Penn State side that’s coming off its worst performance of the season in terms of pass defense.

Defense & Special Teams

Indiana’s defense has allowed exactly 20 points per game, which ranks 23rd in the nation so far this year. The team has a top-10 pass defense that’s allowed only 176.3 yards per game, but its rushing defense is 37th with an average of 134.2 yards allowed per game.

The Hoosiers clearly have a strong pass defense, but they aren’t necessarily great at generating turnovers. Defensive backs Cam Jones, Jaylin Williams, and Reese Taylor have each intercepted a pass this year, but those are the only three picks Indiana has recorded.

The unit, however, has excelled in forcing fumbles. Juwan Burgess has forced and recovered two of Indiana’s eight forced fumbles this season, which ranks among the 25 best teams in the nation. The Nittany Lions haven’t had too many problems in terms of ball security this season, so it’ll be interesting to see how they handle Indiana’s innate ability to knock the ball loose.

Elsewhere, inside linebacker Micah McFadden leads the Hoosiers in tackles with 32 so far this year. He’s also totaled six stops for a loss of yardage, but he hasn’t recorded a solo sack yet this year. Fellow linebacker Reakwon Jones has 41 stops, a sack, and a fumble recovery this year.

Indiana’s pass rush has recorded 20 sacks this season, and defensive lineman Allen Stallings IV leads the charge with four of those. Jamar Johnson and Demarcus Elliot have three sacks each, and Cam Jones and Jerome Johnson have gotten to the quarterback twice each.

On special teams, placekicker Logan Justus is a perfect 12-for-12 on field goal tries and 34-of-35 on his extra points. Nathanael Snyder has registered 21 touchbacks on 44 kickoff tries, and Haydon White has pinned opponents inside the 20-yard line on 18 of his 36 punts.