Predicting No. 4 Nittany Lions' matchup vs. Indiana

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- With each week there's been a Saquon Barkley run or catch that's garnered national attention, a play that lets fans, teammates and anyone watching realize they're seeing something special unfold.

With a talented cast around the Heisman Trophy candidate the No. 4 Lions (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) have found different ways to win, but the Hoosiers (2-1, o-1) were the one team last season that were able to limit Barkley. While Penn State then torched Indiana through the air and Barkley said countless times since arriving at Penn State he doesn't care if he compiles a school best 358 all-purpose yards or is used as a decoy, one has to wonder what Indiana plans to do to try and slow down this Penn State offense when the Hoosiers roll into town for Saturday's 3:30 p.m. game in Beaver Stadium.

Will it matter much if they do?

The pick: Penn State 41, Indiana 20



OFFENSE 

The Hoosiers were one of the few teams that slowed down Saquon Barkley last season, liming the Lions' standout to 58 yards on 33 carries (1.8 yards per carry).

They were hell bent on stopping Barkley and the ground game and in the process Trace McSorley lit up the defense with 332 yards through the air. The Hoosiers' five fumbles certainly didn't help matters, but it raises the question of whether or not Indiana tries a similar approach this season, especially now that Barkley is an effective pass catcher too.

While Penn State was known as a second-half team last year, they could get off to a slow start Saturday while trying to figure out how Indiana is going to play them, specifically whether or not it's going to do like it did last season or go another route. Trying to take away what Penn State's offense does best -- which is predicated around Barkley -- is the name of the game. Making the Lions try and beat Indiana with their weaknesses is the goal for Hoosiers' coach Tom Allen.

"I think we've reacted to people's plans pretty well over the last year and a half. We've been pretty successful," James Franklin said this week. "Sometimes it's taken 'til the second half to do it, but we've been pretty good and everybody has a theory or philosophy on how they are going to stop us. It's not a consistent deal. One week it's this and the next week it's that. Whether from a coverage perspective or from a pressure perspective or whether from a front perspective."

The 43 touches Barkley had last week against Iowa likely won't be duplicated, but the Lions' receivers had their way last season. It's back to the pick-your-poison problem for the Hoosiers who, even if they bottle up Barkley, will then have a deep receiving corps, tight end Mike Gesicki and an improved offensive line to factor in.

"When you have an embarrassment of riches at the playmaker positions, you’re doing a good job up front," offensive coordinator Joe Moorhead said this week. "We need to run the ball better in this game and I’m confident that we will. But that’s something Indiana did a good job taking away last year and forcing us to move the ball through the air."

The Lions do need to lock down a starting right tackle with Chasz Wright not playing last week, Andrew Nelson struggling and then redshirt freshman Will Fries coming in to replace Nelson.  It should be a boost should Wright be full go this week, but this team still needs to improve on short yardage and third downs. It's been a revolving door up front this season, so the sooner the Lions can get a productive game from one tackle, the better.

DEFENSE

Penn State's defense emphasized tempo all this week in practice, stressing it so much that it was exaggerated to the point where the Lions needed two scout teams to mimic the Hoosiers' quick turnaround between plays.

The tempo got to the Lions last year as they eventually avoided a road scare, but Indiana's offense isn't one to take lightly.

"Comes down to their quarterback, [Richard] Lagow," Franklin said. "Big, strong, can really throw the ball into tight windows, very accurate. [wide receiver] Simmie Cobbs, getting him back, obviously we all saw the Ohio State game to start the year and their chemistry and their connection together, that's going to be a challenge for us."

Cobbs, who missed last season due to injury, has 18 catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns this season. In the Hoosiers' season opener against Ohio State -- a game that the Lions can also use as a cautionary tale for how this team matches up with elite programs for at least a few quarters -- Cobbs had 11 catches for 149 yards and a touchdown. At 6-4, 220 pounds he will pose a challenge for cornerback Christian Campbell and the rest of the Lions' secondary.

Franklin said having the defensive backs work against Juwan Johnson and Irv Charles -- both 6-4 --  in practice should help them against Cobbs.

"I can't really compare him to a receiver that we've played against because he's probably like the tallest and the biggest receiver that we ever faced," Campbell said this week. "I mean, he's built like a tight end. So we rarely cover tight ends, but he's probably the first receiver that's really been huge and big."

The Lions' secondary hasn't had No. 3 cornerback Amani Oruwariye on the field for the past two weeks after he hobbled off late in the win against Pitt. But, what they have had this season is success creating takeaways and that was a difference maker last season in this game and cornerback Grant Haley has constantly been around the fall through these first four games.

Franklin said after the Iowa win the Lions' defense likely wasn't getting enough credit and this should be the toughest test they've faced thus far.

SPECIAL TEAMS 

Penn State solidified the kick return game with Barkley and the punt return unit with DeAndre Thompkins, but problems remain with the field goal unit.

Should the Lions get Wright back this week that will give them a strong presence along the interior of the line on field goals and extra points, something that was missing last week as Michal Menet and Will Fries lined up on the right side and the Hawkeyes blocked one kick and Tyler Davis missed another. There will be a lot of eyes on this unit after what happened last week and while Franklin said he's not concerned about the protection issues, until it improves it's worth monitoring.

The Lions continue working with long snapper Kyle Vasey and holder Billy Fessler, both in their first season at their respective positions.

"We've done a study now this weekend, over the last three and a half years, all the balls that we had blocked or were missed: Is there a trend there of why it's happening and what can we do to fix it," Franklin said. "That was pretty much [Monday's] special teams emphasis and focus. Just like Will Fries went in and stepped up in the game and has got to get the job done, that's no different on the PAT field goal. When guys get in there, they have to get in there and punch their gaps."

Or, just get Wright healthy and that's a boost right away.

DON'T BE SURPRISED IF... Penn State's defense is gashed for a few chunk plays here and there. The Lions' defense surrendered just 10 passes of 15-plus yards this season and 11 rushes of 12-plus yards. When a team uses tempo as much as the Hoosiers' offense, it could catch the Lions in transition trying to get players off the field and should limit how often they substitute during the game. Tempo also stresses the communication on defense, something that falls on the shoulders of middle linebacker Jason Cabinda.

KEEP AND EYE ON... Wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton. The Penn State senior is eight receptions away from passing Deon Butler and becoming the school's all-time receptions leader. Allen Robinson is five receptions ahead of Hamilton with 177 all-time, a mark that Hamilton could surpass against the Hoosiers.