Penn State Sports Magazine
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SPECIAL TEAMS King is an excellent return man who averaged 14.2 yards on punts and 24.4 yards on kickoffs last year. But elsewhere the kicking game is in transition, as Iowa must replace punter Dillon Kidd and place-kicker Marshall Koehn. The latter is a signifi- cant loss; Koehn hit 16 of 20 field goal attempts, including a 57-yard game- winner against Pitt. OUTLOOK Iowa was living the dream last year, at least until the fourth quarter of the Big Ten Championship Game. But while the Hawkeyes' 16-13 loss to Michi- gan State and subsequent 45-16 shel- lacking by Stanford in the Rose Bowl put a damper on an otherwise stunning sea- son, they appear entirely capable of re- gaining their momentum in 2016. The schedule doesn't look to be a whole lot tougher than the one that caught so much flak last year for supposedly pro- pelling them to a 12-0 start. The Hawkeyes don't have to face Ohio State or Michigan State, they get to play Wis- consin, Michigan and Nebraska at home, and they have an off-week prior to what could be their toughest road game: their visit to Penn State on Nov. 5. They are strong on the offensive and defensive lines, and they have an experienced quarterback. Those assets don't guaran- tee success, but they make for a pretty good starting point. It would be easy to write off last season as a fluky conver- gence of factors that is unlikely to be re- peated this fall, but we can't rule out the possibility that Iowa will be unbeaten in early November when it steps into Beaver Stadium for the first time in five years. 2015 RECORD 6-7, 2-6 Big Ten SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead, 18-1. MOST RECENT MEETING Penn State held the Big Ten's most potent offense to just 234 yards en route to a 29-7 victory over the Hoosiers on Oct. 10, 2015, at Beaver Stadium. OFFENSE With the graduation of Nate Sudfeld, who led the Big Ten in total of- fense last year, the Hoosiers have a big decision to make at quarterback. Richard Lagow, a 6-6, 240-pound transfer from Cisco (Texas) Community College, looks to be the favorite after completing 11 of 17 passes for 135 yards in the spring game. But the competition between Lagow, Danny Cameron and Zander Diamont is expected to continue into preseason camp. Cameron saw ac- tion in one game last year: the Penn State game, in which he filled in for the injured Diamont (who was filling in for the injured Sudfeld) and completed 6 of 16 passes for 65 yards. Diamont will fig- ure into mix if he's recovered from an unspecified injury that kept him out of spring practice. Running back Devine Redding will get most of the carries after rushing for 1,012 yards and nine touch- downs last fall. The line is experienced, and the receiver corps is loaded, with Simmie Cobbs, Mitchell Paige and Ricky Jones leading the way. DEFENSE Indiana has produced some standout players over the years, but it's never boasted the kind of across-the- board talent that would allow it to field a consistently effective defense. Last year the Hoosiers struggled badly against the pass, giving up a dreadful 313.8 yards per game through the air. Only one team in the FBS (Arizona State) was worse. If the Hoosiers are to make strides, they'll need the secondary to step up. Safety Jonathan Crawford intercepted four passes as a freshman, so he gives them a good place to start, but the key may be a couple of transfers who will be eligible this fall: Jayme Thompson and Wesley Green. Thompson began his career at Ohio State, while Green comes to Bloomington from South Carolina. The Hoosiers will also need the pass rush to generate some heat, and that could be tough with Nick Mangieri gone. Mang- ieri finished with nine sacks last year, and it's unclear whether Indiana has anyone returning who can deliver that kind of productivity. SPECIAL TEAMS Griffin Oakes was named Big Ten Kicker of the Year last season after hitting 24 of 29 field goal attempts, including 6 of 8 from 40 yards and beyond. The Hoosiers need a new punter, but they're solid in the return game. Paige averaged 11.1 yards per punt return and scored two touchdowns. OUTLOOK The Hoosiers have an off- week after their nonconference finale against Wake Forest on Sept. 24, and boy, are they gonna need to put it to good use. Their first three Big Ten games are against Michigan State, Ohio State and Nebraska. The schedule lightens up in the second half, so it's not farfetched to imagine the Hoosiers qualifying for a bowl game for the second season in a row. But they're going to need that quar- terback battle to produce a capable starter, because this team is unlikely to find itself involved in a lot of defensive slugfests. If it's going to win enough games for a return to the postseason, it's going to need to score points. Lots and lots of points. That wasn't a problem last year, as Indiana averaged a Big Ten- best 36.5 points per game. But its high- speed offense has a way of putting its own defense under stress sometimes, and that trend could continue in 2016. 2015 RECORD 4-8 (1-7 Big Ten) SERIES RECORD The Nittany Lions lead, 24-2. MOST RECENT MEETING Saquon Barkley enjoyed a star-making perform- ance, rushing for 195 yards and two TDs, and Akeel Lynch added 120 yards, as Penn State romped to a 28-3 victory over the visiting Knights on Sept. 19, 2015. OFFENSE Most of the Scarlet Knights' playmakers are back, but they did suffer a W E E K 1 0 INDIANA T i m e T BA , N o v. 1 2 @ M e m o r i a l F i e ld P R E V I E W W E E K 1 1 RUTGERS 8 p. m . , N o v. 1 9 @ H i g h Po i n t S o lu t i o n s St a d i u m