No. 10 Penn State football (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) is scheduled to take on the Indiana Hoosiers (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten) at noon on Saturday, October 28, at Beaver Stadium.

Penn State is aiming to bounce back after a rough 20-12 loss at Ohio State last week, while Indiana seeks to do the same after losing 31-14 to Rutgers. The Nittany Lions are favored to win by 31.5 points, but can James Franklin avoid one loss turning into two? Let’s preview the Hoosiers.

The Team

Indiana has only beaten Akron and Indiana State this season. The Hoosiers are coached by Tom Allen, who is in his eighth season. Allen has a 32-45 record in Bloomington, including three bowl appearances, all of which were losses. The Hoosiers briefly looked like a team on the rise after reaching as high as No. 7 in the AP Top 25 in 2020, a run that notoriously included a 36-35 overtime win over the Nittany Lions to begin the pandemic-shortened season.

However, that win is one of the lone bright spots for Indiana in the all-time series. Penn State owns a whopping 24-2 series lead, with Indiana’s only other win being a 44-24 win at Memorial Stadium in 2013.

Franklin’s team won last season’s matchup 45-14 in Bloomington and took care of business a year earlier with a 24-0 shutout in the Stripe Out.

Rod Carey and Anthony Tucker are co-offensive coordinators, while Matt Guerrieri and Chat Whit are listed as the co-defensive coordinators.

Offense

Tayven Jackson is Indiana’s quarterback. The redshirt freshman and Tennessee transfer has thrown for 914 yards, five interceptions, and two touchdowns while maintaining a 60.94% completion rate. He also has a rushing touchdown.

Jaylin Lucas is one of two primary running backs. Lucas has rushed for 260 yards and two touchdowns while averaging 4.5 yards per carry. Christian Turner, a Wake Forest transfer, splits duties with Lucas. He has rushed for 231 yards and two touchdowns while posting a similar 4.4 yards per carry to his teammate. Backup quarterback Brendan Sorsby also tends to get involved in the rushing attack, as he has run for 167 yards and a touchdown.

As for the receiving game, the Hoosiers have four receivers who are all frequently involved. Cam Camper leads the team with 285 receiving yards and a touchdown. Second is Donaven McCulley with 224 receiving yards and a touchdown, while Lucas has 212 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Omar Cooper Jr. has 203 receiving yards and one touchdown. Bradley Archer, Indiana’s starting tight end, isn’t very involved in the passing game with just 69 receiving yards.

Indiana’s offensive line consists of Carter Smith and Mike Katic at left guard and tackle, while Zach Carpenter is the starting center. On the right side, Matthew Bedford and Kahlil Benson are at guard and tackle, respectively.

Defense

For starters, Indiana’s defensive line consists of Andre Carter at defensive end and Philip Blidi at nose tackle, while LeDarrius Cox and Marcus Burris Jr. are the primary defensive tackles. Carter is tied for first on the team in quarterback hurries with two.

As for the linebackers, Aaron Casey and Jacob Mangum-Farrar are the starters. Additionally, Lanell Carr Jr. lines up at outside linebacker. Casey leads the team with 59 tackles and eight for loss. He also has three sacks, a pass breakup, a quarterback hurry, and a forced fumble. Mangum-Farrar is tied with the Hoosiers for first with three pass breakups.

Kobee Minor, who also has three pass breakups, and Jamari Sharpe are at right and left cornerback, respectively. Additionally, Noah Pierre is also part of some packages. Meanwhile, Louis Moore and Phillip Dunnam line up at the safety spots. Dunnam leads the team with three interceptions and is second with 43 tackles.

The Hoosier defense is allowing an average of 29 points per game and 205 total. It has allowed 1,369 rushing yards, 1,342 passing yards, and a total of 26 touchdowns.

Special Teams

Chris Freeman is five-for-five in field goal attempts, while James Evans is averaging 45.5 yards per punt. Meanwhile, Lucas is both the primary punt and kickoff returner. He’s averaging 2.88 yards per return and 21.30 yards per kickoff.