11/4/2022 football Edit

Game Preview: Indiana vs. No. 16 Penn State - storylines, how to watch

Mason Williams • TheHoosier

Senior Writer

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With the bye week in the rearview mirror, Indiana is set to finish off their season with their toughest stretch of games all season, the first of which coming against Penn State this weekend.

Before the bye week, Indiana traveled to Piscataway in hopes of putting an end to their then 4-game skid. However, after a kickoff return for a touchdown and their best offensive drive of the season put them up 14 points midway through the first quarter, the wheels fell off as Indiana surrendered the next 24 points, only salvaging a field goal at the end.

The loss made five straight for Indiana, and the Hoosiers also received news of the loss of their top wideout all season, Cam Camper, to a torn ACL. Now, after a week of licking their wounds and recovering, Indiana welcomes the Nittany Lions to Bloomington on Saturday for a nationally televised contest.

The Nittany Lions come into the matchup ranked 16th in the first College Football Playoff rankings that were released this past Tuesday. Penn State fell to 6-2 on the season after an agonizing loss at home to Ohio State in a game they looked poised to take. With losses to Michigan and Ohio State now on the season, Penn State is likely playing only for a NY6 bowl bid, but nonetheless will come out swinging to try and make a statement against the lesser Hoosiers.

Catch up to speed and take a look at everything you need to know about Indiana's ninth game of the 2022 season ahead of tomorrow's clash.

Last Time They Played

Indiana traveled to State College last season to play the host Nittany Lions in primetime, a matchup the Hoosiers lost 24-0.

The loss had dropped Indiana to just 2-3 on the relatively young season, but this one particular loss sticks out due to it being the last game former Hoosier quarterback Michael Penix Jr. played in during his time at Indiana. Penix Jr. left the game with an injury that kept him out the rest of the season, and he ultimately transferred following the season.

Injury Updates

Indiana found out during the bye week that their most productive weapon by a large measure, WR Cam Camper, had torn his ACL in the Rutgers contest two weekends ago, ending his season.

LB Cam Jones is still out this week, but Indiana says he's making good progress and that they received good news regarding his health and recovery during the week off.

Although Indiana is still looking to get WR DJ Matthews fully up to speed, the Hoosiers seem to have hit the bye week at the right time to try and get healthy.

Key Storylines, Players to Watch

Who is going to step up to replace Cam Camper's production?

It's hard to ask just anybody to fill the shoes of a team's top receiver, especially late in the season like it is with Camper's injury. Yet, with the bye week providing extra opportunities for clean reps and film study, Indiana should have a general idea of who they're keying to assume the role of WR1.

Whether it's Andison Coby, Emery Simmons, or more of the youth in guys like Donaven McCulley, it will likely have to be a group effort from Indiana's wideouts. The only problem, however, is that receivers not named Cam Camper have had their fair share of struggles in trying to get open on the outside this season. With DJ Matthews' size providing more value out of the slot receiver role, Indiana will likely have a rotation of guys lining up on the outside for the rest of the season if or until they find a successful combination.

Who lines up at quarterback for either team?

Tom Allen caused a bit of a stir by not coming right out and naming Connor Bazelak as the starter for this week, essentially confirming that there was a position battle for the spot this week at practice. Going into the bye week, Allen had said that every position would be up for evaluation, and it appears that quarterback is included in that as well.

However, Indiana is not alone in having a little uncertainty at the lead signal caller position. PSU head coach James Franklin was hesitant to name Sean Clifford as his starter for this week as well. Whether it's gamesmanship or an actual battle on either side, as Allen said on Monday, we'll just have to wait until tomorrow's matchup.

If Indiana does make a change, it'll be just as intriguing to see whether it's Jack Tuttle or Dexter Williams II that gets the nod. Tuttle could theoretically put on an audition for anybody that would be interested in suiting the graduate transfer after this season when he's scheduled to hit the portal, while Williams II could audition for the position he'll likely battle Bazelak for heading into next season.

Can Indiana slow down Penn State enough on offense?

Regardless of who lines up at quarterback for the Nittany Lions on Saturday, the tremendous duos of backs that lineup in the backfield next to him will surely give Indiana fits. Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are an electric one-two punch in the backfield that have had a lot of success, and Parker Washington is still as productive as he always has been on the outside.

The question is raised more towards the Indiana defense, who has been a relative shadow of what they once were just a couple of seasons ago. Mixing in a few injuries here and there, the defense has struggled to get off the field and limit offenses from doing what they want to do when they have the ball in their hands.

Match Indiana's struggles on defense to stop their opposition with Penn State's stifling defense, and it could be a long afternoon at Memorial if Indiana doesn't pull something magical out of their hat this weekend.

Quick Hitters

Who?: Indiana (3-5, 1-4 in Big Ten) vs. No. 16 Penn State (6-2, 3-2 in B1G)

Where?: Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Indiana

When?: 3:30 p.m. ET

TV: ABC - Bob Wischusen (pxp), Dan Orlovsky (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)

Radio: IU Radio Network - Don Fischer (pxp) and Rhett Lewis (analyst)

Vegas: Penn State -13.5, o/u 51.5

ESPN's SP+: 36-18 Penn State, 85% chance of a Nittany Lion victory

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