UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - No. 10 Penn State welcomes Indiana to Beaver Stadium on Saturday. Kickoff is set for noon on CBS.
SERIES HISTORY: The Nittany Lions meet Indiana for the 27th time in program history. The teams are meeting for the 17th consecutive year, playing each season since 2007. Penn State holds a 24-2 lead in the series, including wins in eight of the last nine matchups. The Nittany Lions are 12-0 against Indiana in Happy Valley. In 2022, Penn State earned a 45-14 win in Bloomington. Kaytron Allen scored on three rushing touchdowns, while the Penn State defense tallied 16 tackles for loss, six sacks and three interceptions.
TOUGH AGAINST THE RUN: Penn State held Ohio State to 79 yards rushing, marking the sixth-straight opponent the Nittany Lions have held under 100 rushing yards in 2023. Over those six games, Penn State is allowing just 2.02 yards per carry. Since the start of the 2022 season, Penn State has held 15 opponents under 100 yards, tied second in the nation, and since 2014, the Nittany Lions have limited opponents to less than 100 rushing yards on 54 occasions.
ISAAC'S STRONG SEASON: Defensive end Adisa Isaac is enjoying a strong senior campaign. Isaac collected two tackles for loss, including a half-sack, at Ohio State. It marked Isaac's sixth career game with multiple tackles for loss. Since the start of the 2022 season, Isaac is tied for the Big Ten lead with five games with multiple tackles for loss, matching Illinois' Jer'Zhan Newton. In 2023, Isaac leads the Big Ten with 5.5 sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. He also paces the conference in sacks per game (0.79; 16th nationally) and tackles for loss per game (1.4; 15th).
THE OPPOSITION: Indiana dropped a 31-14 decision against Rutgers last Saturday. The Hoosiers tallied 279 total yards, including 153 on the ground. Brendan Sorsby threw for 126 yards and a score, while adding 49 rushing yards and a 4-yard touchdown. Omar Cooper Jr. hauled in a 35-yard touchdown reception. Aaron Casey led the defense with nine tackles, while Nick James registered a sack.
BY THE NUMBERS
- 16: Penn State has recorded at least five tackles for loss in 16-straight games.
- 21: Penn State has not allowed a first-drive touchdown in its last 21 games.
- 40: Since the start of the 2022 season, Penn State has forced 40 takeaways (21 interceptions, 19 fumbles)
- 218.1: Penn State leads the FBS allowing 218.1 total yards per game.
SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS
- Tom Allen was named Indiana University's 29th head football coach on Dec. 1, 2016. He made his head coaching debut in the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl.
- Allen is 32-45 in his seventh year leading the Hoosiers.
- Indiana is 2-5 this season and 0-4 in Big Ten play.
- The Hoosiers are coming off a 31-14 setback against Rutgers last Saturday.
- QB Brendan Sorsby threw for 126 yards and a touchdown, while adding 49 yards and a 4-yard score on the ground.
- On offense, Indiana ranks 14th in the Big Ten in scoring offense (17.9 ppg), 11th in total offense (311.7 ypg), 10th in passing offense (198.0) and 12th in rushing offense (113.7).
- Tayven Jackson (60.9 completion percentage, 914 yards, 2 TD/5 INT) and Brendan Sorsby (50.6 completion percentage, 420 yards, 3 TD/0 INT) have both seen significant time at quarterback this season.
- Jaylin Lucas paces the Hoosiers with 247 rushing yards and two touchdowns, while ranking third in the Big Ten averaging 99.3 all-purpose yards per game.
- On defense, the Hoosiers sit 13th in the Big Ten in scoring defense (29.3), 12th in total defense (366.1 ypg), seventh in passing defense (191.7) and 14th in rushing defense (174.4).
- LB Aaron Casey ranks fifth in the Big Ten averaging 8.4 tackles per game and third in the conference with 5.7 solo tackles per game.
STREAKING
- Penn State has not allowed a first-drive touchdown in the last 21 games, dating back to the Michigan State game in 2021.
- Penn State has not given up any points in 11 consecutive quarters at home since allowing a first quarter touchdown to Delaware in the second home game of the season.
- Penn State has a streak of 16-straight games with at least five tackles for loss. It is the second-longest streak in FBS behind James Madison's 17-game string.
- Penn State has not allowed a special teams touchdown in 55-straight games, dating back to the start of the 2019 season.
OHIO STATE POSTGAME NOTES
- The Nittany Lions snapped an 11-game win streak after entering the day tied with Air Force for the fourth-longest active win streak in the FBS.
- The Nittany Lions ended a streak off 11-straight wins, each by a 14-point margin.
- Penn State snapped a 13-game streak of scoring at least 30 points. It was the longest active streak in the nation.
- Dating back to the Rutgers game in 2022, Penn State had scored in 38-straight quarters until being shutout in the third quarter. It was the longest active streak in the nation.
- Penn State recorded two sacks, snapping an 11-game streak of at least three sacks.
- Penn State held the Buckeyes to 79 rushing yards, the sixth-straight opponent Penn State has held under 100 rushing yards.
- The Nittany Lions recorded nine tackles for loss, including two tackles for loss each by CB Johnny Dixon and DE Adisa Isaac and 1.5 tackles for loss by CB Kalen King.
- LB Tyler Elsdon recovered a muffed punt in the third quarter for Penn State's 14th takeaway of the season.
- P Riley Thompson averaged 43.7 yards on nine punts, including four inside the 20 and two punts of 50+ yards.