Blue White Illustrated

T I M   O W E N | O W E N . T I m . B W I @ G m A I L . c O m Each defensive player in the Beaver Stadium media room Saturday used the same buzz words: "sudden change." Even James Franklin popped them off in the postgame presser. It's a phrase that defensive coordinator Bob Shoop constantly stresses during games and even more throughout the week at practice. Always be ready to play, he tells his players. Even if you're just coming off the field, stay prepared in case you have to go right back out. "He preaches that every single day," sophomore safety Marcus Allen said. "If we can stop a sudden change, it's going to give our offense some momentum to go and score. So every time we're out there for a sudden change we get hyped, we get pumped up, because we know it's a chance for us to step up." During Penn State's 29-7 win over In- diana, Penn State did just that, defending sudden change to near perfection – two times in a row. Starting linebacker Brandon Bell was just settling in along the sideline, hoping to drink a swig water and catch a breather aBer Indiana drove 65 yards on eight plays to tie the score, 7-7, in the first quarter. Then, as Shoop forewarned, change occurred suddenly, and the de- fense was needed back on the field. Indiana dribbled a surprise onside kick and recovered it at its own 49-yard line. Bell called it "a bold move" by the Hoosiers' special teams unit, adding that "it kind of caught me off guard on the sideline." It wasn't enough, though. Prepared for sudden change – "We spend a lot of time talking about how to handle sudden change situations," Franklin said – Bell quickly led his defense back onto the field and held Indiana to a three-and- out and just 6 yards on the ensuing drive. "It was huge," Bell said. "They got the onside and a little bit of momentum, but we shut it right down, which is what we we're supposed to do. That's what we talk about doing all the time with a sud- den change." ABer Erich Toth's 38-yard punt, PSU then took over at its own 7. The offense appeared to be moving along as it drove half of the field on six plays. Then there it was again: sudden change. From Indiana's 47, freshman running back Mark Allen took the handoff from Christian Hackenberg but never had a grip, fumbling the ball as he crossed the line of scrimmage. The Hoosiers recovered; PSU's defense was back on the field – unexpectedly – for the second consecutive series. Although it surrendered a first down on the first two plays, it held tough once again. The defense clamped down as Garrett Sickels sacked quarterback Zan- der Diamont for a 4-yard loss on second- and-11. Unable to get the first down on third-and-long – IU converted just 3 of 16 total third-down attempts – the Hoosiers were forced to punt. Another sudden change gone in favor of Penn State's defense. Two drives later Penn State took the lead for good once Hackenberg found DaeSean Hamilton on a 39-yard deep pass for a TD. PSU went on to score two more aBer that, along with a Tyler Davis field goal, while Indiana didn't find pay dirt again. "We got the stop and that takes the momentum from them and gives it to us," safety Jordan Lucas said. "That's why our offense was able to come back to score." Thanks to their ability to react accord- ingly, Penn State's total defensive effort was one of the strongest of the season. Coming into Saturday's game, IU led the Big Ten with averages of 36 points and 498.2 offensive yards per game. In addi- tion to holding the Hoosiers to only one touchdown, PSU kept their offense in check as they totaled just 234 yards – less than half of their season average. O c T O B E R 1 0 , 2 0 1 5 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O m 6 SUDDEN IMPACT Reversals of fortune don't faze Nittany Lions' stalwart defense COLLISION COURSE De- fensive tackle Austin John- son bears down on Dia- mont. The Nittany Lions held Indiana to 234 total yards, less than half their season average. Photo by Steve Manuel

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