UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 4/6 Penn State battles Indiana on Saturday in Beaver Stadium in a key Big Ten East matchup. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC. The 2021 season is presented by PSECU.
SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions will meet Indiana for the 25th matchup in the series. Penn State had a six-game win streak snapped with a 36-35 overtime setback in 2020. The Nittany Lions out-gained Indiana, 488-211. Sean Clifford threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns, while running for 119 yards and a score. Jahan Dotson caught four passes for 94 yards and a touchdown.
CLIFFORD EARNS B1G HONOR: Sean Clifford was named Big Ten Co-Offensive Player of the Week following his 401-yard, four-touchdown performance against Villanova. Both numbers were career highs for Clifford. The senior completed seven passes of 20 or more yards.
CLIFFORD-DOTSON CONNECTION: Sean Clifford and Jahan Dotson connected on a 52-yard touchdown on Penn State's first offensive play against Villanova. It marked the 16th passing touchdown between the duo. They trail only Todd Blackledge-Kenny Jackson (17) as the top QB-WR touchdown pair in Penn State history. Among current FBS players, they are only trailing Iowa State's Brock Purdy-Charlie Kolar (17).
DYNAMIC DUO: Jahan Dotson and Parker Washington each went over the 100-yard receiving mark against Villanova. Dotson had seven catches for 117 yards and a touchdown, while Washington had five catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns. Dotson (27 rec, 362 yards, 4 TD) and Washington (23, 301, 2) are the only receiver duo in the Power Five with at least 23 receptions and 300 receiving yards this season.
STRONG SECONDARY: Penn State did not allow an opponent passing touchdown through the first 147 passing attempts faced this season, the most in the FBS in 2021, and the first 15 quarters of the season. Ji'Ayir Brown recorded his second interception of the season and Penn State's fifth of the season against Villanova. Penn State has at least five interceptions in the first four games of a season for the third time in the James Franklin era.
THE OPPOSITION: Indiana is 2-2 this season. The Hoosiers are coming off a 33-31 win at Western Kentucky. Michael Penix Jr. completed 35-of-53 passes for 373 yards. Stephen Carr rushed for 109 yards and two touchdowns. Charles Campbell hit four field goals, including a 46- and a 48-yarder. Micah McFadden led the defense with 12 tackles and a sack.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
- Indiana is 2-2 this season after a 33-31 win over Western Kentucky on Saturday. The Hoosiers' other win came against Idaho, 56-14.
- Indiana ranks seventh in the Big Ten in scoring offense (29.8), 10th in total offense (363.5), seventh in passing offense (228.0) and 11th in rushing offense (135.5).
- QB Michael Penix Jr. has completed 55 percent of his passes for 821 yards and four touchdowns. Penix also has two rushing touchdowns.
- RB Stephen Carr has rushed for 336 yards and three scores, while WR Ty Fryfogle has made 21 catches for 224 yards and a touchdown.
- The Hoosiers sit 14th in the Big Ten in scoring defense (29.2), 10th in total defense (340.0), fourth in rushing defense (111.0) and 11th in passing defense (229.0).
- S Raheem Layne paces the Hoosiers with 22 tackles, while DE Ryder Anderson has 21 stops, including 5.5 for loss, three sacks and a forced fumble. LB Micah Mcfadden has 19 tackles with five for loss and two sacks to go with two forced fumbles.
- K Charles Campbell has converted all seven field goal attempts this season, including four of 40+ yards.
BLACKLEDGE ON ABC BROADCAST TEAM
- Former Penn State quarterback Todd Blackledge will be calling Saturday's game.
- Blackledge led Penn State to an 11-1 record and its first National Championship with a 27-23 victory over previously unbeaten Georgia in the 1983 Sugar Bowl. He earned the Davey O'Brien Award as the nation's top quarterback in 1982, was sixth in balloting for the Heisman Trophy and concluded his collegiate career with 26 school records.
- A three-year starter, Blackledge directed the Nittany Lions to a 29-4 record, including 13 comeback victories, from 1980-82, including two Fiesta Bowl wins and one Sugar Bowl victory.
- Blackledge began his national broadcasting career in 1994 with ABC Sports, serving as a studio and game analyst. He then served as a game analyst for ESPN (1997-98) before joining CBS in 1999. He returned to ESPN/ABC in 2006.
- Blackledge received the University's prestigious Distinguished Alumni Award in 2009.
- Blackledge earned a B.A. in speech communication in 1983, graduating Phi Beta Kappa with a 3.80 grade point average. A first-team Academic All-American, he also was presented the Eric Walker Award, given to the Penn State senior who has most "enhanced the esteem and recognition of the University." In 1997, Blackledge was inducted into the prestigious Academic All-America Hall of Fame.
OFFENSIVE NOTES
- Sean Clifford has connected with Jahan Dotson for 16 passing touchdowns in their careers. That trails only Todd Blackledge-Kenny Jackson (17; 1980-82) for the most by a Penn State QB-WR duo.
- Clifford and Dotson have the second-most passing touchdowns of any current FBS duo, trailing only Iowa State's Brock Purdy-Charlie Kolar (17).
- In 2021, Dotson (27 rec, 362 yards, 4 TD) and Parker Washington (23, 301, 2) are the only receiver duo with at least 23 receptions and 300 receiving yards among Power Five teams and one of two FBS duos, joining Fresno State's Jalen Cropper (39, 455, 8) and Josh Kelly (23, 401, 2).
- Penn State sits 12th in the country in completion percentage (.711) and 18th in passing offense (307.8).
- Dating back to the second half at Wisconsin, Penn State has scored in 14 consecutive quarters.
- Against Villanova, Penn State had three receivers with 80 or more receiving yards (Parker Washington, 148; Jahan Dotson, 117; KeAndre Lambert-Smith, 83) for the first time since 2017 at Michigan State (DaeSean Hamilton 112; DeAndre Thompkins, 102; Mike Gesicki, 89).
- The Nittany Lions' 429 passing yards against Villanova mark the second-highest total in school history, behind only a 454-yard passing effort vs. UCF in the Croke Park Classic in Dublin in 2014.
- Penn State had four pass plays of 50 or more yards. It was Penn State's first game with four plays of 50+ yards since Wisconsin in 2013.
- The Nittany Lions scored on their first offensive play of the game, a 52-yard strike from Sean Clifford to Jahan Dotson. Penn State scored on their first offensive play for the first time since Illinois in 2020, also a Clifford to Dotson touchdown pass.
- Sean Clifford connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith on an 83-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. It was Penn State's longest play this season and the sixth-longest pass play in program history.
DEFENSIVE NOTES
- Over the last seven seasons, PSU sits second nationally in sacks per game (3.10; trailing only Clemson), third in QB hurries (889), fourth in total pressures generated (1316), fourth in fewest passing TDs allowed per game (1.05), fifth in tackles for loss percentage (10.78), 10th in fewest passing yards per attempt (6.30) and 12th in fewest rushing yards per attempt (3.56).
- Penn State's 245 sacks over the last seven years (2015-21) are third only to Clemson (295) and Alabama (260).
- Over the last seven years, Penn State has accumulated a 8.73 percent sack percentage (245 sacks on 3,134 plays), which ranks fourth in the FBS.
- Since 2014, Penn State has held opponents to seven or less points 21 times, tied for fourth-most among FBS teams. Fifteen of those 21 games have been against Big Ten opponents.
- Since 2014, Penn State has kept opponents under 300 total yards 43 times, the seventh-most games among FBS teams.
- The Nittany Lions have limited opponents to under 100 yards rushing 36 times since 2014. Penn State is 30-6 in those games.
- Penn State has registered 10 or more tackles for loss 24 times since 2014.
- Penn State did not allow a passing touchdown through the first 147 passing attempts faced this season, the most in the FBS.
- Since 2000, 147 is the most passing attempts Penn State has faced without allowing a passing touchdown to start a season.
- Penn State is allowing opponents only a 61.5 conversion rate in the red zone this season, ranking 10th in the country.
- Through four games, Penn State has five interceptions, already bettering its total for the 2020 season.
- The Nittany Lions have at least five interceptions through the first four games of a season for the third time since 2014.
- Penn State has forced seven takeaways.
SPECIAL TEAMS NOTES
- Redshirt senior Jordan Stout has served as Penn State's kicker, for both field goals and extra points, punter and kickoff specialist in all four games this season.
- Led by Stout, Penn State ranks sixth in the country in net punting (47.2).
- Stout is seventh in the country, and fourth inthe Big Ten, with a 49.2 punt average.
- Stout averaged at least 50.0 yards per punt in the first three games this season.
- Nine of Stout's 18 punts this season have been 50 or more yards.
- Stout has landed six punts inside the 20, including four vs. Villanova, five inside the 10 and two inside the 5.
- Senior PR Jahan Dotson's 15.9 career punt return average is tied third all-time at Penn State.
- Dotson's 15.9 career punt return average (18 returns) is the fourth-best among current FBS players.