Penn State Football vs Indiana – Reasons to worry, and for optimism
By Nick Kreiser
Penn State Football reason to Worry: The Running Game
Through four games for Penn State Football this season, their inability to effectively run the football has stood out as a glaring weakness. The Nittany Lions are averaging only 113.5 rushing yards per game…only Purdue is worse in that category among Big Ten teams.
The Nittany Lions’ number one back in terms of carries, Noah Cain, is averaging just 3.4 yards per carry. Cain only had one carry against Villanova, and James Franklin said he was banged up from the Auburn game. Will Cain be 100% available against Indiana?
Keyvon Lee is the team’s leading rusher in terms of yards per carry, at an even 5 yards per attempt. It his, however, helpful that an experienced John Lovett has finally gotten into the rotation the past couple of games.
Indiana is fourth in the Big Ten in terms of rush yards allowed per game, allowing just 108.5 yards on the ground per contest.
Penn State Football has been one-dimensional so far offensively, and if Indiana is able to neutralize their passing attack, it could be a long night for the Nittany Lion offense if they cannot run the ball.
Finally, Penn State should have a lead in the fourth quarter, but if they are unable to run the ball and take time off the clock in that situation, that may allow Indiana to stay in the game until the very end.