Indiana (2-5) vs Penn State (6-1)
I’m over the loss at the Horseshoe. As I said in the previous post, we all expected it, so let us accept it and move on. This Penn State offense has too many weaknesses to compete against the big boys, so let’s tackle someone we can surely handle. That brings us to the dregs of the Big Ten East: Indiana, who at 0-4 in conference play are tied with hapless Moo U in the bargain basement.
Indiana, ranked #116 in total offense, gave up any hope of an offense when Michael Penix, Jr. flew the coop. My, oh my, what is head coach Tom Allen to do? Chances are, Tom won’t have a “next season” to figure it out. Instead of Penix, who is having an All-Pac-12 season at Washington, Tom’s got a couple of freshman quarterbacks. Brendan Sorsby from Denton, Texas is currently the starter, with a QBR of 50.2.
Penn State’s offense is bad, but the Hoosiers are worse. For example, with respect to third down conversions, the Nittany Lions rank #55, while IU is down there at #86. In total offense, Penn State is at #60 and the Hoosiers — well, I already told you — #116.
Defensively, IU ranks #58, which is the pits. Sooooo, this might be a chance for the Nittany Lions to unleash some creativity and take some chances. It would be a confidence boost before taking on the more formidable than previously thought Terrapins next weekend. Of course, it could backfire, too. If our crappy offensive line remains weak up the middle and doesn’t get any push against the dregs of the Big Ten, Drew Allar might never regain any confidence. Still, I would like to see him take some deep shots, if his half-assed receiver corps is up to the task. Drew needs to be able to hit his short throws, too, which the collapsing pocket doesn’t help, as the element of panic enters the picture.
And, no need for dumbass plays like going for it on fourth-and-four from your own 45 with plenty of time left or stupid Lambert-Smith flea-flicker end around passing plays that haven’t worked all season. Just play football and take some chances, but don’t try stupid shit. Let’s get the fundamentals under control first.
Nativeamericaniana lost to tOSU, Maryland, Michigan, and Rutgers, while beating Indiana State, and Akron. They also lost to Louisville at a neutral site. They are nothing but beatable, so ’nuff said. With a 98 percent chance of winning this game, the Nittany Lions should relax and play football. AND NO STUPID PENALTIES!
Da Wedda
Looks like a crappy fall day at Beaver Stadium, with the high around 50 and rain.
Da Bottom Line
We’ll get right down to the Official Turkey Poop Prognostication, because I’m tired of writing about this dog. Current line is PSU-32 with an over/under of 46. That suggests a 39-7 win for the good guys. I don’t see Firstpeopleiana scoring a touchdown, so Ima go with the big bounceback frustration reliever: Penn State 45, Tribeiana 3. Make that statement whilst you can! Take the over.
(Yeah, it’s a frustration reliever, but will the regained confidence serve to falsely assure them that they have an offense? I hope some serious adjustments are made, but given the limited talent available, that’s perhaps a futile hope.)
I’ll be back after the game with more enlightening comments, or lack of same.
