Takeaways from Penn State's rout over Indiana
Penn State got back on track Saturday with its 45-14 victory over Indiana in Bloomington.
Here are the biggest takeaways from the Nittany Lions' seventh win of the season:
Defense flexes its muscle
Coach Manny Diaz and his defense deserves a massive pat on the back after Saturday night's effort.
The Nittany Lion defense allowed just 196 total yards, the fewest it has allowed all season.
Indiana's quarterback troubles certainly helped, as the Hoosiers offense struggled with all three passers that trotted out.
The Indiana rushing attack was similarly ineffective, compiling 65 yards at just 1.9 yards a pop. As the Hoosiers fell behind, they became one-dimensional which only played into the hands of the Penn State defense.
Evaluating the quarterbacks
After the Ohio State debacle last week, there were plenty of rumors swirling around Happy Valley about if Sean Clifford or Drew Allar would get the start against Indiana.
Coach James Franklin went with Clifford, who turned in an average performance. After an ugly first quarter interception, Clifford bounced back to have a solid day, going 15-of-23 for 229 yards.
Allar entered the game in the third quarter and did a lot of the things that have Penn State fans excited for the team's future. The freshman went 9-for-12 for 75 yards and two touchdowns. Aside from the stat sheet, Allar showed strong pocket presence, good arm strength and accuracy around the field.
There were some good things for both players, so don't expect any changes in the quarterback room after this game,
With Allen and Singleton, the future is now
Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton have been every bit of the running backs that Penn State fans hoped for when they committed to the school.
The duo combined for 34 carries and 159 yards, as the Nittany Lion offense was a run-first unit Saturday. Allen plunged into the end zone for three touchdowns while Singleton scored another.
With Keyvone Lee's status up in the air, it's clear that the running game is in good hands with the youngsters in the backfield.
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