Tale of the Tape: Penn State offense vs. Indiana defense
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Indiana's defense has taken a step up from last season and has the Hoosiers as a legitimate national championship contender. Despite preseason expectations, Penn State's offense has struggled mightily, and the loss of Drew Allar hasn't made it any easier.
How does Penn State's offense stack up on paper against Indiana's defense?
All rankings and stats are from CFBStats.com
Passing yards per game
- Penn State offense: 180.4 ypg (114th in nation)
- Indiana defense: 168.3 ypg (18th)
Ethan Grunkemeyer has started two games and has just 343 passing yards. That includes some yards in garbage time earlier in the season. The big key for Penn State's offense is to get Grunkemeyer comfortable in the pocket. With the offensive line struggling to hold the pocket up, the newly inserted quarterback has had to get rid of the ball early or take sacks. This has led to minimal passing yards or many incompletions.
Grunkemeyer will need to connect with his receivers more often for the number to rise, and if Tyseer Denmark and Koby Howard get more involved, that number could take a jump. One of the worst passing offenses will still be facing one of the best pass defenses, showcasing signs could be bad for the game.
Passing yards per attempt
- Penn State offense: 6.4 ypa (104th)
- Indiana defense: 5.8 ypa (12th)
Not only is there limited passing yards, the passing yards per attempt aren't high either. The Nittany Lions are near the bottom in yards per attempt, which means one thing. They don't throw it deep. The throw it deep crowd from a couple of years ago is essentially back as the deep passing game has become non-existent.
Devonte Ross is a speed threat and his speed hasn't been utilized on deep balls. It's not even that the offense has shown the possibility of a deep ball.
Rushing yards per game
- Penn State offense: 155.25 ypg (69th)
- Indiana defense: 80 ypg (4th)
The running game is better than the passing game. It isn't a high bar, but the rush has been strong. Kaytron Allen spearheads the group and after becoming the legitimate lead back, has taken a bigger rise in rushing. Allen's success has helped Penn State stay alive in games, but another running back is needed, to get the unit back to where it's been.
Insert Nick Singleton, who showed signs of his past self during the Ohio State game, but overall still had limited action. If Singleton can fully get back to that former self, the duo could bring the rushing numbers back up from where it was earlier in the season and all of last season.
Rushing yards per attempt
- Penn State offense: 4.45 ypa (56th)
- Indiana defense: 3.09 ypa (17th)
Another number that continues to drop is rush yards per attempt. Indiana limits rushing numbers, allowing just over three yards per carry. Penn State is averaging just under five yards per carry, a number that has continued to decrease. Against a high-powered defense in Ohio State last week, the Nittany Lions struggled to pull off consistent runs. It was the occasional big run and many small runs.
Allen's production is typically high, but against a great defense took a drop. If he can find the gap quickly against Indiana, the number could go back up from where it was the past couple of weeks.
Points per game
- Penn State offense: 31.5 ppg (49th)
- Indiana defense: 10.8 ppg (3rd)
Indiana's defense has limited offensive scoring. Curt Cignetti has this team playing better than maybe any Indiana team ever. A monumentally good offense mixed with one of the best defenses in the country, allowing just 10.8 points per game, is a recipe for success.
With the numbers, Penn State likely scores around 20 points, a number that will not match Indiana's. The Nittany Lions will have to take advantage of and utilize the home crowd to propel them above the play that has been put on the field. With Indiana's high-powered offense, Penn State will likely have to keep up for a chance, meaning the probability of having to score more than what the team averages of 31.5 points per game.
This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Tale of the Tape: Penn State offense vs. Indiana defense
