Blue White Illustrated

KEY MATCHUPS P E N N   S T A T E   V S .   I N D I A N A | B Y P H I L G R O S Z W H E N P E N N S T A T E H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 214.0 YPG, 6.4 YPC // INDIANA RUN DEFENSE196.3 YPG, 4.5 YPC THE LOWDOWNPenn State is coming off its most balanced performance of the season. The Nittany Lions finished with 579 yards of total offense against Iowa, including 295 rushing yards on 51 carries (5.8 yards per carry). Saquon Barkley is Penn State's leading rusher with 518 yards on 66 carries, and his average of 7.8 yards per carry puts him second in the Big Ten behind Maryland's Ty Johnson. The Lions' second-leading rusher is QB Trace McSorley with 198 yards on 40 carries. In Indiana's three games to date – against Ohio State, Virginia and Georgia Southern – it has struggled at times against the run. The Hoosiers rank 14th in the Big Ten in run defense, a considerable drop-off from last season when they allowed only 160.4 yards per game on the ground to rank 53rd in the Football Bowl Subdivision. Indiana's leading tackler is weakside OLB Tegray Scales with 26 stops, including 2.5 tackles for loss. MLB Chris Covington is next with 21 tackles and two tackles for loss, while "husky" OLB Marcelino Ball is third with 20. In their first three games, the Hoosiers had difficulty getting penetration into the backfield. They have totaled only 17 tackles for loss as a team. A year ago, Scales was one of the leaders in the Big Ten with 16.5 negative-yardage stops. // KEY MATCHUP Penn State guards Brendan Mahon and Steven Gonzalez will take on Scales, while TE Mike Gesicki will face Ball. Scales and Ball are the heart of Indiana's run defense. If the Lions are able to control them, they should have success running the ball. Ball has a lower-body injury but is listed first-team on this week's depth chart. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 282.5 YPG, 12.8 YPC // INDIANA PASS DEFENSE 232.0 YPG, 10.5 YPC THE LOWDOWN The Nittany Lions' pass offense ranks third in the Big Ten. McSorley has completed 82 of 124 passes (66.1 percent) for 1,037 yards, with 10 touchdown passes and three interceptions. Backup Tommy Stevens has completed 5 of 10 passes for 85 yards, including a 35-yards TD pass. The Nittany Lions' leading receiver is Barkley with 23 catches for 335 yards and two TDs. Gesicki is next with 17 catches for 148 yards and four TDs. The Lions' top wide receiver is Juwan Johnson with 14 catches for 197 yards, including the winning touchdown reception on the final play against Iowa. Through its first three games, Indiana is eighth in the Big Ten in pass defense. The most sur- prising aspect of their performance so far is that the Hoosiers have yet to intercept a pass. That's partly due to a pass rush that has generated only five sacks. Defensive tackles Nate Hoff, Jacob Robinson and LeShaun Minor all have one sack apiece, as do ends Greg Gooch and Robert McCray. // KEY MATCHUP If he returns to action this week aBer missing the Iowa game for unspecified reasons, Penn State RT Chasz Wright will take on Gooch, while Gon- zalez will tangle with Robinson. If Indiana hopes to contain Penn State's pass offense, Gooch and Robinson will have to find a way to put pressure on McSorley. // EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. INDIANA PASS DEFENSE INDIANA RUNNING GAME 136.7 YPG, 3.6 YPC // PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE115.0 YPG, 3.0 YPC THE LOWDOWN Indiana is ranked 13th in the Big Ten in rushing offense, but it is coming off an excellent game against Georgia Southern in which true freshman RB Morgan Ellison gained 186 yards. For the season, the 6-foot- 1, 225-pound Ellison has 257 yards on 44 carries (5.8 ypc) with two rushing touchdowns. QB Peyton Ramsey is the Hoosiers' second-leading rusher with 22 carries for 64 yards, while RB Cole Gest is next with 58 yards on eight carries. As a team, the Hoosiers have rushed for only three touchdowns this season. Penn State's run defense ranks fiBh in the Big Ten, but the Nittany Lions are first in the conference with 41 tackles for loss. DE Shareef Miller leads the way with six negative-yardage stops, followed by DE Shaka Toney and FS Marcus Allen with 3.5 apiece. The Lions' leading tackler is Allen with 24 stops. MLB Jason Cabinda is next with 21, while OLB Manny Bowen is third with 17. // KEY MATCHUP Indiana TE Ian Thomas will take on Allen, while LT Coy Cronk will match up with Miller. In Indiana's blocking scheme, it's Thomas who will likely be tasked with trying to neutralize Allen. Mean- while, Cronk will be looking to prevent Miller from getting penetration into the backfield and disrupting Indiana's running game. // EDGE Penn State INDIANA RUNNING GAME VS. PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE INDIANA PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE W H E N I N D I A N A H A S T H E B A L L PENN STATE RUNNING GAME VS. INDIANA RUN DEFENSE S E P T E M B E R 2 7 , 2 0 1 7 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M 4 INDIANA PASSING GAME 267.3 YPG, 11.1 YPC // PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE158.5 YPG, 9.2 YPC THE LOWDOWNIndiana enters its game against Penn State with the Big Ten's fourth-ranked pass offense. However, there is a surprise at the quarterback position, as Ramsey, a redshirt freshman, has been splitting time with senior Richard Lagow. Ramsey has completed 21 of 31 passes (67.4 percent) for 238 yards and three TDs and has yet to throw an interception. Lagow has completed 51 of 88 passes (57.9 percent) for 564 yards, with four TDs and three interceptions. WR Simmie Cobbs is Indiana's leading receiver with 18 catches for 228 yards and two TDs, while

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