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Penn State Football: causes for concern against the Indiana Hoosiers

By Nick Kreiser

STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads the team onto the field before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA - OCTOBER 01: Head coach James Franklin of the Penn State Nittany Lions leads the team onto the field before the game against the Northwestern Wildcats at Beaver Stadium on October 1, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /
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Penn State Football hits the road for the first time since getting dominated at Michigan three weeks ago, and this time, they’ll be heading to Bloomington to take on the Indiana Hoosiers.

Though this should be their easiest road trip of the season so far, this is still a losable game for the Nittany Lions if they let it be.

These are three causes for concern for Penn State Football as they head to Indiana this weekend for a 3:30 kickoff.

Rebounding from the Ohio State loss

STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 29: Zach Harrison #9 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 29, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images)
STATE COLLEGE, PA – OCTOBER 29: Zach Harrison #9 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates after intercepting a pass against the Penn State Nittany Lions during the first half at Beaver Stadium on October 29, 2022 in State College, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Though James Franklin was able to beat the narrative this time around and rebound from the first loss of the season, it could still be tough for this team to play with as much energy and excitement this week after letting a fourth quarter lead against the No. 2 team in the country slip away.

As unlikely as it was, up until the loss to Ohio State, a conference championship and playoff berth was still a mathematical possibility. With those hopes officially gone, how will this team respond knowing that what’s left to play for at this point isn’t as big?

Going on the road into what will likely be a lousy environment does them no favors. Will they sleepwalk through the first half of the game before deciding to wake up and turn it on in the second half? It’s hard to ‘get up’ for a game in a stadium that might be at 75% capacity at most.

The coaching staff needs to make sure this team continues to stay focused and engaged week in and week out to avoid losing a game that they’re supposed to win.

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