Oct. 5, 2015
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. ââ'¬" On the heels of a strong performance in the Pinstripe Bowl, sophomore wide receiver Chris Godwin worked tirelessly during the offseason to take his game to the next level.
Godwin has picked up right where he left off in Yankee Stadium and has been a consistent threat for the Nittany Lion passing attack during the first five games of the seasons.
Ranked sixth in the Big Ten, Godwin has made 23 catches (4.6 per game) for 349 yards and scored a touchdown for the Nittany Lions. The true sophomore is pleased with how the passing game is taking advantage of the opportunities given.
"Mostly we are making the plays that we didn't make earlier in the year," Godwin said. "Some deep passes we haven't been able to make early in the year, we are completing now. As the year goes on we are continuing to improve."
The Delaware native has been a threat down field, notching a team-best five receptions of 30 or more yards. That list includes a season-long 49-yard connection with Christian Hackenberg on a fingertip catch against Army on Saturday.
Godwin has receptions 30 (two times), 32, 38 and 49 yards this season.
"Chris Godwin has been big all year long, coming down with contested catches for us," said head coach James Franklin.
Nassib Remains Among Nation's Best
Playing a team with fewer than 10 pass attempts per game during the first four weeks of the season, the Nittany Lion defensive line knew that it would have limited opportunities to make plays behind the line of scrimmage against Army on Saturday.
Nonetheless, senior defensive end Carl Nassib made the most of the opportunity by tallying his eighth sack of the season, continuing a string of at least one sack in every game this season.
After entering the season with 2.0 career sacks and 5.5 career tackles for loss, Nassib has now made 10.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks in five games this season. He's been a man on a mission since training camp opened in August, and he's been one of Penn State's most productive players as the season nears the midpoint.
Nassib is ranked No. 2 in the nation in sacks and No. 5 in tackles for loss. He is also ranked second in the Big Ten in both statistical categories. As a team, the Nittany Lions are third in sacks and fourth nationally in tackles for loss.
Penn State 4-0 at Home
The Nittany Lions improved to 4-0 inside Beaver Stadium with the victory over Army, marking the first time since the 2008 season with four-straight wins to open the home slate. The Lions went 7-0 at home in 2008 en route to winning the Big Ten and playing in the Rose Bowl.
Since Beaver Stadium opened in 1960, Penn State has started 4-0 at home 22 times. This season marks the fourth time since 2000 that the Nittany Lions have started the season with four consecutive home wins. The Lions went 5-0 in 2005, '07 and '08.
Early Look at Indiana
Indiana will enter Saturday's game after playing top-ranked Ohio State to the wire on Saturday in Bloomington. The Hoosiers went toe-to-toe with the Buckeyes for 60 minutes, falling just shy in a 34-27 Ohio State victory. Indiana tallied more than 400 yards of total offense against Ohio State, including 176 on the ground.
The Hoosiers enter the game with a 4-1 overall record following victories over Southern Illinois (48-47), Florida International (36-22), Western Kentucky (38-35) and Wake Forest (31-24) to open the season. Senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld enters the game as the Big Ten's second-ranked passer (1,277 yards, 7 TDs, 1 INT). Sudfeld left the game on Saturday with an ankle injury, but said in the media on Monday that he is hopeful to return against the Nittany Lions on Saturday.