Penn State will look to bounce back from their second loss of the season on Saturday afternoon against the Indiana Hoosiers.
The Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2) will be tasked with rebounding from their 44-31 to Ohio State last weekend while 44-31 while handing the Hoosiers (3-5, 1-4) their sixth straight loss of the year. Saturday also marks the first trip to Bloomington for James Franklin's program since the Nittany Lions' infamous loss in 2020 to the Hoosiers.
Below we discuss five key storylines to watch for on Saturday that could ends up deciding this Big Ten East matchup.
1. Who will play at quarterback / how will the reps be split?
The most important storyline and question to watch for not just on Saturday but the rest of the season for Penn State will be the quarterback position. How will the Nittany Lions go about determining who plays quarterback?
Will sixth-year senior Sean Clifford continue to be Penn State's primary quarterback or will we see the beginning of a transition from Clifford to the star true freshman in Drew Allar?
The argument for Clifford is that he’s for the most part played well this season and very well could lead Penn State to a 10-2 season. The argument for Allar is that he’s viewed as the future of the program and is the likely starting quarterback in the 2023 season.
It's something we've discussed heavily over the last few days including yesterday, in an opinion piece on why it's time for Penn State's youth movement.
Will we see Drew Allar? If so, how much of him will we see?
2. The health of the offensive line...
The health of Penn State's offensive line has quickly become quite the storyline around the program. During Wednesday's practice, both Olu Fashanu and Landon Tengwall were missing. Everyone else appears to be healthy but at this point in the season, most players are likely dealing with some sort of ailment.
Penn State has played the last three games without Tengwall, with Cornell transfer Hunter Nourzad stepping up into his spot and playing extremely well but losing Fashanu would be a big big hit to a Nittany Lions offensive line that has improved quite a bit from last season.
3.Can Parker Washington continue his strong play?
It was a quiet start of the season for Parker Washington but the junior wide receiver has come on strong the last few weeks. The Texas native has found the endzone in each of the Nittany Lions' last two games, totaling 18 receptions and 249 receiving yards. Four weeks ago against Northwestern, Washington had another quality effort with four receptions for 73 yards. So far this season, Washington has recorded at least two receptions in every game and totaled at least 30 yards. He's recorded 50 yards or more in six of eight games as well.
It's no question when Washington is playing at a high level, the Nittany Lions' offensive is a much more explosive one and we've seen that each of the last two weeks. Can he continue to play at this high level?
4.How will Penn State respond from fourth quarter collapse to Ohio State?
Over the years, Penn State teams have had tough times responding to losses, especially of their heartbreaking variety. While last week's loss to Ohio State may not be the definition of a heartbreaker, the Nittany Lions were up 21-16 with 9:26 remaining before Ohio State completely flipped the game on its' head.
How will the Nittany Lions respond? Will they come out flat on Saturday as they have in years past against opponents similar to Indiana? Will they bounce back in a similar fashion to how they did against Minnesota just a few weeks ago after being walloped by Michigan? We'll find out exactly who these Nittany Lions are on Saturday afternoon against Indiana. On paper, it's a game that James Franklin's program should win by multiple digits - will they let the loss carry over into this week's contest or will they put it behind them and come swinging against a reeling Hoosiers team that has lost five straight?
5. Returning to the scene of the crime...
Finally, we can argue and debate Michael Penix Jr's two-point conversion in 2020 all we want. Either way, Penn State has an argument that they should've won that game, and while it was two years ago and now mostly means nothing, for some Nittany Lions on Saturday, it will give them a chance to return to Bloomington and exercise the demons perhaps of that loss.
They may not say it to the media and they may not even talk about it inside the locker room but there's no doubt that anyone in the locker room who was on that 2020 team wants to get some revenge for how that game ended. While playing a 3-5 Indiana team may not provide much motivation of its own, the revenge factor may very well be just the emotional boost Penn State needs to come out on Saturday and avoid a slow start.
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