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Penn State Football: Position grades versus Indiana

By Dylan Burd

BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 20: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball against the Indiana Hoosiers in the fourth quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN - OCTOBER 20: Trace McSorley #9 of the Penn State Nittany Lions runs the ball against the Indiana Hoosiers in the fourth quarter of the game at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /
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BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 20: Lamont Wade #38 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after making a tackle in the first quarter of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images)
BLOOMINGTON, IN – OCTOBER 20: Lamont Wade #38 of the Penn State Nittany Lions celebrates after making a tackle in the first quarter of the game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Memorial Stadium on October 20, 2018 in Bloomington, Indiana. Penn State won 33-28. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images) /

Secondary

Just like it always is for the Penn State secondary, Saturday was a roller coaster ride. The secondary forced crucial turnovers, but also allowed 330 yards passing to Indiana on a day where there were 45 mph winds.

At the cornerback position, Amani Oruwariye had nine tackles, and John Reid had eight. Tariq Castro-Fields had four tackles and a tackle for loss, and Donovan Johnson had one pass defended. This wasn’t a good game for the corners by any stretch of the imagination.

The safety position is a different story. This position is one that many thought would be a problem this season with Marcus Allen and Troy Apke moving onto the NFL. However, they’ve excelled.

Redshirt freshman Jonathan Sutherland had seven tackles, and a forced fumble on special teams. Nick Scott recovered the fumble forced by Jonathan Sutherland, and also had seven tackles and an interception. Nick Scott is tied with Jan Johnson for the team lead in tackles this season with 37.

Garrett Taylor, who’s been playing out of his mind, had three tackles and a fumble recovery, but was ejected for targeting in the second half of the game. He’ll be suspended for the first half against Iowa, so expect Sutherland to see an increase in playing time. Lamont Wade, who had a tackle for a loss in this game, will also see more time in the first half of next week’s game in place of Taylor.

If the secondary can continue to force turnovers, that’ll continue to change games for Penn State. That’s been extremely valuable to this team.

Grade: C+

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