Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1472993
9 2 A U G U S T 2 0 2 2 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M Has Indiana's moment passed? It seems premature to ask that question after just one bad sea- son, but last season was really bad, and the ladder leading to the next level of competitive success has always been a bit slippery for a program that must battle the likes of Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and Penn State every season in the Big Ten's rugged East Division. At this time a year ago, coming off a 2020 season in which they made a run at the division title, the Hoosiers were garnering at- tention as a program on the rise. Then they opened with a 34-6 pratfall at Iowa, and that dismal afternoon turned out to be a har- binger of the struggles to come. Indiana went on to score a touch- down or less in six of its 12 games and finished 2-10, its only wins coming against Idaho and West- ern Kentucky. Now it must find a way to rally back from its worst season since going 1-11 in 2011. What's more, the Hoosiers must do it without Michael Penix Jr., a talented but injury-prone quarterback who left for Washington in a bid to change both his scenery and his luck. Replacing Penix is Indiana's most important task this offseason, and the battle is set to resume in preseason camp. Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak has the most extensive resume, having thrown for 5,084 yards in two starting seasons with the Tigers, but he'll have to beat out returnees Jack Tuttle and Do- naven McCulley. "It's obviously a critical position, ev- erybody knows that," coach Tom Allen said. "They've got to be able to put the team on their back, and that takes a lot of time. It takes preparation. These next several months of the summer are going to be critical in their growth." Elsewhere, the Hoosiers will look to improve a defense that yielded a Big Ten-worst 33.3 points per game last season. Get- ting cornerback Tiawan Mullen back healthy will be a big help. An All-Big Ten choice in 2020 when he had 3 interceptions, 3.5 sacks and 4.5 tackles for loss, Mullen was hindered by a leg injury last fall and saw action in only seven games. It may also help that Allen is calling the defensive plays again after delegating that responsi- bility to his coordinator the past three seasons. Defense was Al- len's calling card before becoming Indiana's head coach. This much is certain: Even if their offense is better, the Hoo- siers won't be able to put together the bounce-back season they're looking for if they give up any- where close to the league-high 47 touch- downs they surrendered last fall. — Matt Herb N O V. 5 | T I M E T B A | T V T B A | M E M O R I A L S T A D I U M | B L O O M I N G T O N , I N D . Hindered by injuries, coach Tom Allen's Hoosiers stumbled to a 2-10 finish last year. It was the worst of Allen's five full seasons in Bloomington. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL 2022 SCHEDULE Date Opponent 2021 Result Sept. 2 Illinois — Sept. 10 Idaho W, 56-14 Sept. 17 Western Kentucky W, 33-31 Sept. 24 at Cincinnati L, 38-24 Oct. 1 at Nebraska — Oct. 8 Michigan L, 29-7 Oct. 15 Maryland L, 38-35 Oct. 22 at Rutgers L, 38-3 Nov. 5 Penn State L, 24-0 Nov. 12 at Ohio State L, 54-7 Nov. 19 at Michigan State L, 20-15 Nov. 26 Purdue L, 44-7 WHAT COULD GO RIGHT If someone emerges at quarterback and the Hoosiers' many transfers are able to fill the team's sizeable holes in the backfield, receiving corps and defensive front, there are enough winnable games in the first five weeks of the season to provide some momentum heading into Michigan's visit on Oct. 8. WHAT COULD GO WRONG The defense could continue to hemorrhage yards, and Indiana might find itself with only a handful of wins heading into a November slate in which it will face Penn State's Sean Clifford, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Michigan State's Pay- ton Thorne and Purdue's Aidan O'Connell in consecutive weeks. QUICK FACTS All-Time Series: Penn State leads 23-2 Last Meeting: Penn State shut out the visit- ing Hoosiers 24-0 on Oct. 2, 2021 Head Coach: Tom Allen (26-32 in five full seasons and one partial season at Indiana; career coaching record: same) 2021 Record: 2-10, 0-9 Big Ten Returning Starters: 14 (6 offense, 6 de- fense, 2 specialists) RETURNING LEADERS Rushing: QB Donaven McCulley (135 yards, 2 TDs) Passing: QB Donaven McCulley (475 yards, 2 TDs) Receiving: WR D.J. Matthews Jr. (165 yards, 0 TDs) Tackles: LB Cam Jones (64) Sacks: LB Cam Jones, S Devon Matthews, S Bryant Fitzgerald (1.0) Interceptions: S Devon Matthews, CB Noah Pierre, S Josh Sanguinetti (1) WEEK 9 INDIANA