Penn State 29, Indiana 7: Team Report Card

After a poor performance in a winning effort against Army last Saturday, Penn State's performance against Indiana was a breath of fresh air for the Nittany Lions faithful. The Penn State defense was excellent as usual, and the offense showed signs of improvement. In this post, I will provide a report card to evaluate the performance of the Penn State defense, offense, and special teams. Let's get into it. First, let's talk about the offense.

Running Game

Penn State has been playing for the past two weeks with a severe handicap in the running game. Ever since both Saquon Barkley and Akeel Lynch left with injuries against San Diego State, James Franklin has been forced try and find the ''next man up.'' On Saturday, Nick Scott and Mark Allen proved to be up to that challenge. Despite only combining for 16 carries, Allen and Scott made the most of their touches, combining for 102 yards and and impressive 6.3 yards per carry. I was particularly impressed with Scott and felt that offensive coordinator John Donovan could have called his number more often. Aside from a lost fumble in the second quarter, Scott was impressive as well, and Penn State will have fantastic depth at running back assuming Barkley and Lynch get back soon. It could be argued that the running game deserves an A for Saturdays performance, but I will give them a high B simply because they were not a large part of the game plan.

Grade: B+

Passing Game

Even though the stats don't look great, today was definitely Christian Hackenberg's best performance of the season. Although his stat line of 21-39, 262 yards, and two touchdowns may not look all that eye-popping, a lot of Hackenberg's shortcomings came in the early stages of the game. After a rough first two possessions in which Hackenberg's passes were either dropped or poorly thrown, #14 was excellent from the second quarter onward, even showing some versatility by running for two touchdowns. One player who I think should be more involved in the Penn State offense is Brandon Polk. The freshman receiver has been used primarily on jet sweeps, but today he showed his potential with a 39-yard touchdown reception. Polk has great speed, and I think Penn State should use his talents less sporadically and give him more of a chance to prove what he can do. John Donovan's play calling is getting better, as his plays aren't nearly as predictable as they were during the first two games. Although the Indiana secondary ranks among the worst in the country, today will hopefully be a good building block to get the Hack Attack moving. 

Grade: B

Offensive Line

Up front, Penn State still needs work. It is true that the offensive line has gotten a lot better since the infamous Temple game, but it is still a work in progress. The O-Line was better than usual today, as Hackenberg had more time to throw than he is used to, but Penn State also allowed 5 sacks, which is too many especially against a struggling Indiana defense. The Offensive Line has to improve every week in order for the rest of the offense to become consistent.
Grade: B-

Overall, the offense is getting better. There is talent everywhere, and the only thing missing is consistency.
Overall Grade: B

Now, on to the defense

D-Line/Linebackers

Just awesome. Penn State's front four is one of the best in the nation, and defensive end Carl Nassib has developed into one of the best past rushers in the nation. Saturday was not fun for either of Indiana's quarterbacks, as Zander Diamont was under great pressure from Nassib and company until he was knocked out of the game in the 3rd quarter. Penn State didn't make things much easier for Danny Cameron when he took over behind center. The linebackers looked good as well, with Jason Cabinda leading the way.
Grade: A

Secondary
Much like the front seven, the secondary did their job, limiting Indiana to just 155 yards passing. It was hard to evaluate the secondary, as Indiana came into the game without starting quarterback Nate Sudfeld, and left without their second string QB when Diamont was knocked out of the game. Nonetheless, the secondary did not allow the Hoosiers to get much passing done, and they deserve to be rewarded.
Grade: A

Indiana's offense was banged up, as both Sudfeld and running back Justin Howard missed the game with injuries. Nonetheless, Penn State's defense did what they had to do and held a Big 10 offense to 7 points, making them worthy of an A.

Overall Grade: A

Special Teams

Penn State's performance on Special Teams was a mixed bag. Daniel Pasquariello did a good job punting, averaging 44.3 yards per punt. However, as much as we all love Joey Julius, he did not get the job done on Saturday, missing two extra points that could have been fatal in a close game. Penn State's return men were held at bay. Overall, the special teams unit was nothing special, but I don't think it is a cause for concern just yet.

Overall Grade: C

Overall

Today was a good day for Penn State, and I look forward to seeing what will happen with the offense once Barkley and Lynch get back in the lineup. Overall, not a lot to complain about. The Nittany Lions took a step towards a solid season in the Big 10. I will give the team a B overall, simply because Indiana was not at full strength and are not an elite team.

Overall Team Grade: B

Thank you for reading. I'm Joe Smeltzer. Fight on State!