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Special teams and defense come up big against Indiana

By Kyle Zartman

UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Jason Cabinda #40 of the Penn State Nittany Lions pushes past Brandon Knight #62 to sack Richard Lagow #21 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half on September 30, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images)
UNIVERSITY PARK, PA - SEPTEMBER 30: Jason Cabinda #40 of the Penn State Nittany Lions pushes past Brandon Knight #62 to sack Richard Lagow #21 of the Indiana Hoosiers during the first half on September 30, 2017 at Beaver Stadium in University Park, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images) /
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While many were expecting a hangover after the last second win against Iowa, the Nittany Lions had other ideas.

Saquon Barkley got the party started early by returning the opening kickoff against Indiana 98 yards for a touchdown. The Nittany Lions never looked back after jumping out the early lead, blowing out the Hoosiers 45-14.

Following the opening kickoff touchdown, the Penn State defense forced a turnover on Indiana’s second play from scrimmage. The Nittany Lions were gifted great field position at the Indiana 39 yard line and Trace McSorley capped the six-play drive with a one yard touchdown run.

The Nittany Lions stalled on their next drive and were forced to punt. However, special teams took over once again. Penn State forced a fumble on the punt and Nick Scott returned it for a touchdown. Penn State had amassed a 21-0 lead with less than nine minutes played in the first quarter.

Related Story: Penn State at Northwestern Preview

While the Nittany Lions were rolling, the offense did seem to struggle. After jumping out to a 28-0 first quarter lead, Penn State was stymied the rest of the half. The Nittany Lions only took a 14-point lead into halftime.

It was clear that Indiana’s game plan was to shut down Barkley, which will sound like a broken record for a majority of the season. Barkley was held to only 56 yards rushing on 20 carries. He was able to add 51 receiving yards on four catches, and threw his first career touchdown pass.

Penn State is proving they can win with more than just their offense

The win verses Iowa proved to many that Penn State could face adversity and still manage to gut out a win. The win this past Saturday against Indiana showed that Penn State is more than just the Saquon Barkley show.

Heading into the upcoming matchup against an always troublesome Northwestern team, Penn State’s defense and special teams are clicking on all cylinders. The Nittany Lions are proving they are able to win in all three phases of the game. If one gets shut down, the others need to pick up the slack. That was evident this weekend against Indiana.

With more and more teams doing everything possible to shut down the high-powered Penn State offense, the Nittany Lion’s defense and special teams will be tasked to win a game or two. Hopefully they are up to the challenge against Northwestern this weekend.

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