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UPbeIN ARMS State's offense Robinson continues to a focal point in Penn M AT T   H E R B | No excuses. We have more talent and depth than Indiana. Team was not prepared to play. dogwood3131 Don't ride the "never lost to Indi- matt@bluewhiteonline.com ana" wave because this Penn State BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Allen Robinson was all but unstoppable Saturday afternoon against Indiana. The rest of Penn State's offense? Stoppable. But the Nittany Lions' standout junior wideout caught 12 passes for 173 yards and two touchdowns, and he nearly came down with a third but was ruled out of bounds when he landed hard on his back after leaping to catch the ball on the edge of the end zone late in the third quarter. "Allen and I worked all summer, and we've seen it [pay off] on the field. It's a positive," quarterback Christian Hackenberg said. "But at the end of the day, we lost, so we've gotta get better." It's hard to imagine how Hackenberg's chemistry with Robinson could improve. The quarterback-wideout combo has been the one aspect of Penn State's offense that has consistently gotten results. Their teamwork has looked so effortless at times that coach Bill O'Brien was asked after Saturday's loss to Indiana whether the Nittany Lions' offense has become a little bit too Robinson-centric. For the record, he doesn't think that's the case. "There are certain plays where we do target him, where the ball is definitely going to him, like on reverses or certain passes," O'Brien said. "But other than that, it's the read and the route. It's wherever the read takes us. So we don't feel like we're doing it too much with him. It's not our plan." Robinson had to be helped off the field Saturday after his lunging attempt at a third touchdown catch. The Lions took a sack on their next play and ended up having to settle for a field goal. But after the game, Hackenberg rejected speculation that Robinson's loss had a deflating effect on the offense. "Allen's a great player, he said. "But it's " not necessarily [about] one player. It's a team effort: the guys up front blocking, the running backs blocking and running the ball. I feel more like it's a piece of the bigger puzzle." o c t o b e R team has never played this Indiana Hoosiers team, ever. This is what 65+ scholarship players looks like. Just be thankful we're not going to be this low again after this year. WTNuke Indiana has some real FROM THE WEB online Reaction to PSu'S lateSt Game weapons at wide receiver. They also have a bunch of young playmakers on defense. I think they will give a lot of unsuspecting Big Ten teams fits this year. eric12872 We pass the ball too much! It is costing us ball games. Pass-happy O'Brien needs to settle down. BrianS Never seen a team burned EVERY Steve Manuel time on the screen. Was their any THIN AIR Robinson hauled in two touchdowns film work this week? rear and nearly grabbed another in the third quarter. Robinson came back into the game in the fourth quarter, but he wasn't available for comment afterward. O'Brien said he wasn't sure about the nature of the receiver's injury. Even before Robinson left the game, the Lions' receiver corps wasn't at full strength. Brandon Felder sat out with an ankle injury that he received in practice. He was replaced in the starting lineup by Eugene Lewis, who went on to catch six passes for 35 yards. "Geno made a couple of plays, and that was good to see, O'Brien said. " And Felder's injury? "That's part of the sport," O'Brien said. "It wasn't why we lost the game. We lost because Indiana played and coached better than us. " 5 , 2 0 1 3 10 Defense is outmanned, outflanked and outcoached. Not good. Strap on your helmets for a long season or two. We'll see if Butler et al has what it takes. We have the personnel, but they are out of position. rickbcnto Looks like this Penn State team thought they had won before the game was played. Too bad, happens a lot. They must have believed all the 48-14 predictions. b l u e w h i t e o n l i n e . c o m NYNY

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