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KEY MATChuPS P E N N S TAT E V S . I N D I A NA | B Y E R I C T H O M A S 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 VS. PENN STATE RUNNING GAME 141.3 YPG, 3.7 YPC INDIANA RUN DEFENSE 244.0 YPG, 5.2 YPC RUN DEFENSE INDIANA PENN STATE PASSING GAME VS. THE LOWDOWN Quick, name a ground game that Indiana has stopped this season? You can't? That's be- cause the Hoosiers haven't stopped anybody. This game will be no different. Zach Zwinak had a fine game against Nebraska and he's perfectly suited to the smash-mouth game plan that Penn State will likely use on Saturday – similar to what Wisconsin used against the Hoosiers last week. The Badgers called 56 running plays for an average of 8.8 yards per carry. Now if Penn State could just find a back to complement Zwinak. Bill Belton has all but disappeared the past few weeks. EDGE Penn State PENN STATE PASSING GAME 268.8 YPG, 11.6 YPC INDIANA PASS DEFENSE 201.8 YPG, 11.3 YPC PASS DEFENSE INDIANA THE LOWDOWN Penn State has the second-most-productive passing attack in the Big Ten and should find holes in Indiana's defense, even with tight end Kyle Carter out of action. The Hoosiers will be hard- pressed to slow down Allen Robinson and Brandon Moseby-Felder, and you just know that Matt McGloin will be eager to erase some of those bad feelings that lingered after the Nebraska loss. He'll have to watch out for a dangerous Indiana pass rush – the Hoosiers are third in the league with 24 sacks – but if he gets the protection he needs, he could have another big game. EDGE Penn State W H E N I N D I A N A H A S T H E B A L L RUNNING GAME VS. INDIANA PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE INDIANA PASSING GAME VS. PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE INDIANA RUNNING GAME 138.2 YPG, 4.1 YPC PENN STATE RUN DEFENSE 137.9 YPG, 3.8 YPC THE LOWDOWN Indiana's coaches would be wise to show the Nebraska film to their players because the Cornhuskers pounded the ball 56 times at a Penn State defense that eventually wore down. If Jordan Hill isn't 100 percent healthy, this will be a concern again. For Indiana to have any chance, it will need to establish some semblance of a running game to complement a passing game that is ranked atop the Big Ten. The question is, can Stephen Houston or Isaiah Roundtree each handle a 25- carry workload and wear down Penn State's interior line? Seems unlikely. EDGE Penn State INDIANA PASSING GAME 293.2 YPG, 11.0 YPC PENN STATE PASS DEFENSE 207.0 YPG, 10.4 YPC THE LOWDOWN Cameron Coffman's best game came three weeks ago against Iowa in which he threw for 315 yards and three touchdowns. Not a bad performance. But he has only thrown one touchdown on the road all season, and it came against Massachusetts in September. That has to change for the Hoosiers to have a shot on Saturday. And while Penn State's secondary is playing well, a few more in- terceptions wouldn't hurt. In Indiana's road games, by the way, Coffman has a touchdown-intercep- tion ratio of one to four. Ouch. EDGE Indiana O T H E R M A T C H U P S SPECIAL TEAMS THE LOWDOWNMitch Ewald has hit 12 of 16 field goal attempts, the longest being from 46 yards. Ewald gives Indiana a slight edge in this department, even though Sam Ficken has made major strides. But we still don't know if he would get the call on an attempt of 40 yards or more. Of course, if Penn State needs a long-distance kick to win this one, it has bigger problems than special teams. EDGE Indiana THIS 'N' THAT THE LOWDOWN So here we go again. The Nebraska game ended in disappointment, and now Bill O'Brien has to get the Nittany Lions refocused. On paper, sure, it's Indiana, the one Big Ten team that has never defeated Penn State, but this is a big game. O'Brien has chosen his words carefully after con- troversial finishes; he would rather let his team do the talking on the field. EDGE Penn State COACHING STAFF THE LOWDOWN O'Brien has a chip on his shoulder, and so do his players. That is bad news for Kevin Wil- son. The Hoosiers could use a marquee win, but they won't find it here. Though Wilson has done some nice things with his team this season, O'Brien has game-planned perhaps better than any other coach in the conference. EDGE Penn State N O V E M B E R 1 4 , 2 0 1 2 3 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M

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