Jump to content

Thanks for visiting BtownBanners.com!  We noticed you have AdBlock enabled.  While ads can be annoying, we utilize them to provide these forums free of charge to you!  Please consider removing your AdBlock for BtownBanners or consider signing up to donate and help BtownBanners stay alive!  Thank you!






Sign in to follow this  

One more look back: Penn State


Hutsell1979
  • It's over. That's the good news.

The little bit of good, the mostly bad and then even the ugly of Saturday's 29-7 loss to Penn State.

 

The Good

 

1. 0:00 - Yep, the clock expiring ranked as good news on this Saturday in the Keystone State. Playing without their top two playmakers on offense, Indiana saw even more attrition on the offensive side of things as backup quarterback Zander Diamont and Isaac Griffith both suffered injuries. A timetable on Diamont's injury is unknown. Griffith's season came to an end. The emotional and physical toll of the 34-27 loss to Ohio State earlier this month was one of the most understated aspects leading up to Saturday's game. It's best that the contest simply ended.

 

2. Danny Cameron - So Cameron's second-half performance netted exactly zero scoring drives. The offense as a whole netted 234 yards for the game, so seeing the redshirt freshman enter the game and not appear completely overwhelmed against one of the Big Ten's stouter defensive units was a small bright spot. Finishing 6-of-16 passing for 65 yards certainly wasn't pretty but little was for the Hoosiers.

 

3. Minnesota - The Gophers won 41-13 in West Lafayette against Purdue. Did we mention it was tough to find good news on Saturday?

 

The Bad

 

1. M.A.S.H unit - As stated, Sudfeld and Howard were both out and Diamont left with his arm in a sling. For all the good feelings of seeing Indiana sitting 4-0 after September, the depth is being seriously tested and an upcoming slate featuring Michigan, Michigan State and a resurgent Iowa is looking more daunting every week.

 

2. Poise - Winning Saturday was a long shot a best going in. But Indiana wasn't able to keep it together in two tough spots and both proved costly. In the first quarter Indiana looked to have forced a turnover in Nittany Lion territory on a strip sack by Tegray Scales. But a hands to face penalty (which seemed sketchy at best) gave Penn State the ball back and sent the defense into a quick tailspin. Two plays after the penalty Penn State was streaking to the end zone with the game's first score for a 7-0 lead.

 

Later, after what appeared to be a late hit on Diamont following a run into Lion territory, the IU sideline was hit with a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty that turned 2nd-and-4 into a 2nd-and-19 - and Diamont was injured later in the series after scrambling on third down. The margin for error was razor thin already for a shorthanded IU team. Those two small sequencing both played a hand in slamming the door.

 

Ugly

 

1. 234 yards, 7 points - Indiana has spoiled its fanbase to the point where performances like Saturday are nearly vomit inducing. Again, the Lions are one of the conference's best defensive units. They have players that will play on Sunday all over their front seven. But seeing four quarters of anemic, flat offense with little or no hope for a big play harkens back memories to eras that Indiana fans don't wish to speak of.

 

2. Bret Bielema - It goes without saying that every Hoosiers' favorite former Wisconsin coach has his own wing in the ugly section because of his history with the program but this week the Arkansas coach outdid himself by simply being Bret Bielema. The guy can't make himself not look like some sort of dullard can he? Questioning the Big Ten's overall strength before losing to MAC teams is one thing. Ripping Kliff Kingsbury before seeing his team get ripped by Texas Tech on the field is another, but this week Bielema initiated contact with an Alabama offensive lineman to draw a flag and then danced a jig when the SEC official fell for the bait. The Razorbacks lost BTW because that's what Arkansas does when Bret Bielema is their head coach.

Sign in to follow this  


User Feedback

Recommended Comments

There are no comments to display.



Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
















×