STATE COLLEGE, Pa. (WHTM) – Penn State was handed its first loss of the season last Saturday when the Nittany Lions were downed by Ohio State for the seventh straight year.

Now, the No. 10 Nittany Lions will try to regroup from the 20-12 loss as they prepare to face the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday, Oct. 28.

Since their first meeting in 1993, Penn State has only lost twice to Indiana – once in 2013 and in 2020 in an overtime game. Both losses took place in Bloomington, Indiana.

Last time out

Penn State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten)

Another season, another loss to Ohio State. The Buckeyes are the Nittany Lions crux and this season the Buckeyes ended a perfect Penn State campaign.

Drew Allar has his worst performance of the season, only posting a 42.9% save percentage. Prior to the rivalry game the Sophomore was averaging 66.2%. The Nittany Lions only had 240 yards of total offense and were 1 for 16 on 3rd down conversions.

The defense was able to hold Ohio State to just an 8-point victory, with the Buckeyes going 6 for 16 on third down. The Nittany Lions totaled two sacks with Curti Jacobs and Abdul Carter both having a team-high 9 tackles.

Indiana (2-5, 0-4 Big Ten)

Indiana is coming off a loss as well, falling 31-14 to Rutgers on Oct. 21. Quarterback Brendan Sorbsy was 15 for 31 with 126 yards and one touchdown. The top rusher in the defeat was running back Trent Howland, who had a net of 54 yards. Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. was the only receiver for the Hoosiers to score a touchdown on a 35-yard reception.

Linebacker Aaron Casey led the defense with nine tackles (five solo). The Hoosiers were only able to hold the Scarlet Knights to 2 of 11 on third down.

Dissecting Indiana

Indiana is tied for last place with Michigan State in the Big Ten standings and has yet to get a win against an in-conference opponent.

The Hoosiers are led by Head Coach Tom Allen who is in his seventh season at the helm of Indiana. Allen has a 31-year coaching history and was named the 2020 Hayes-Schembechler Coach of the Year and the Dave McClain Coach of the Year.

The Hoosiers quarterback situation has been fluid and Allen stated that the decision over who will start on Saturday has not been revealed.

Redshirt Freshman Sorsby, who played in the loss to Rutgers, has a 51.66% pass completion percentage this season with four total touchdowns (1 rushing). Sorsby has accumulated 420 passing yards and 130 rushing yards.

The other option for Indiana is Tayven Jackson who has played in six games this season. The redshirt freshman has a 60.94% pass completion percentage with 914 yards and two touchdowns.

The Hoosiers quarterback situation has been fluid and Allen stated that the decision over who will start on Saturday against the Nittany Lions.

The Hoosiers’ top rusher is running back/return specialist Jaylin Lucas who has a net 247 yards with two touchdowns. Their top receiver is wide receiver Cam Camper with 285 yards and one touchdown.

The defense is holding opponents to 29.29 points per game with a 36.47% success rate on third-down conversions. Linebacker Aaron Casey is commanding the defense with 59 tackles (40 solo), eight tackles for loss, and three sacks.