Grading Penn State's performance against No. 2 Indiana

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Penn State lost its sixth consecutive game on Saturday in gut-wrenching fashion, as a fourth-quarter comeback was spoiled by a clutch drive from No. 2 Indiana. The 27-24 loss will hurt for Penn State fans, but the Nittany Lions played one of their best games in recent weeks and looked like a team that still could find a way to become bowl eligible. Here’s the postgame report card.

Quarterbacks: B-

Ethan Grunkemeyer turned in easily his best performance as Penn State’s starting quarterback, showing some clear progress from his previous starts against Iowa and Ohio State. Grunkemeyer threw for a season-high 219 yards passing, one touchdown and one interception. He found success throwing down the middle with some nice layered passes, and he also did a good job with extending plays. There are plays he’d like to have back, like the interception that he forced into coverage or the missed sideline pass to Devonte Ross on the final drive of the game. He also called for the snap too quickly during up-tempo situations, resulting in false starts. Overall, though, the freshman quarterback looked more confident and comfortable leading this offense and showed he has the potential to be a starter at Penn State in the future.

Running backs: B

Now that’s the Nicholas Singleton that Penn State fans have been waiting to see this season. Singleton came alive with three total touchdowns, including a great run after the catch on his go-ahead touchdown reception. His 59-yard sprint in the fourth quarter was his longest run since his freshman season in 2022. If you factor out the 59-yard run, though, Singleton only had 34 total yards on 12 touches (2.8 yard average).

Kaytron Allen was also kept in check with 51 total yards on 21 touches (2.4 yard average). That’s a credit to Indiana’s run defense on the day, especially when the Hoosiers were able to stuff the run late in the game to get the football back for their offense. Singleton’s long run showed why it can pay dividends to stay committed to the run, but the overall ground game was contained pretty well by Indiana.

Wide receivers and tight ends: C+

Trebor Peña put together his best game of the season with 99 yards receiving on six receptions, capitalizing on Penn State throwing the football downfield more aggressively in the second half. He found success running more routes downfield against Indiana, rather than the screens and jet sweeps that he has been used for earlier in the season. Freshman Koby Howard saw more snaps and had 28 yards on two grabs, continuing to show some potential as a potential starter in the future.

Kyron Hudson was held to only one reception, and Devonte Ross had zero receptions on five targets. Those two need more production in this offense, and hopefully that can come for Penn State as Grunkemeyer continues to develop.

It was a good game for the tight ends, with Khalil Dinkins standing out with his 40 yards on four receptions. Luke Reynolds and Andrew Rappleyea each had a catch of their own, and all three tight ends did a great job in run blocking down the stretch. The tight ends’ ability to block is something for Penn State to build on, and it can lead into more play-action passes.

Defense: B-

Jim Knowles’ defense played their hearts out against Indiana, and it was easily the most energized the unit has looked in recent weeks. The pass rush got after quarterback Fernando Mendoza, picking up three sacks and racking up a lot of hits and pressures. Knowles called more blitzes than he has previously, especially on obvious passing downs. The philosophy was to force Mendoza to get rid of the football quickly, which is a fair plan, but it didn’t always work. Wide receiver Charlie Becker made some great contested catches, and Omar Cooper Jr. scored the game-winning touchdown on a remarkable catch in 1-on-1 coverage. Those are plays that Penn State’s secondary would like to have back, but the overall aggressive philosophy is a welcome change for a defense that has felt lifeless at times.

It’s also worth noting how Penn State’s young freshmen have been making plays. Defensive lineman Yvan Kemajou had a deflection, cornerback Daryus Dixon had two tackles and one sack, and Alex Tatsch had a key pass breakup in the fourth quarter. All that was without budding star Chaz Coleman, who was out against Indiana. The Nittany Lions showed they have a lot of pieces to work with for their future defense, if they can retain all those players during the transfer period,

Special teams: A-

Not too much to say from a special teams standpoint. Ryan Barker made his only field goal try of the game from 36 yards, improving to 11-of-12 on the season. Punter Gabe Nwosu was only called on three times in the game, downing one punt inside the 20-yard line. On his last punt, prior to Indiana’s game-winning drive, Penn State got faked out by the returner and let the ball bounce for a touchback. Those extra yards Indiana would’ve had to drive could’ve possibly made a difference.

Coaching: B-

I want to credit offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki for pushing the ball downfield in the second half, seemingly getting a mandate from Terry Smith to do so. The offense is much more potent with the threat of a downfield passing game, and when defenses have to respect that, it opens up chances in the run and short passing game. This was the best Penn State has thrown the football in weeks, and I hope they can build on it.

Defensively, I talked about Jim Knowles being more blitz heavy this week, which I think is a good idea. However, I didn’t like the decision to send back-to-back zero blitzes on 2nd-and-goal and 3rd-and-goal on Indiana’s last drive. It worked on 2nd-and-goal, but Mendoza was more prepared for it on the 3rd down and had a good 1-on-1 matchup with Cooper in the back of the end zone.

The timeout management in the second half was also an issue. Penn State was forced to burn two timeouts on Indiana’s game-winning drive because of late substitutions. Indiana wasn’t even getting set that quickly, it was just delayed personnel changes by the Nittany Lion defense. That left Penn State with only one timeout for its last drive of the game. On that drive, Penn State got a first down and was at the line ready to spike the ball with about 20 seconds left. Smith called a timeout anyway, which I think was a mistake. At most, 1-2 seconds would’ve run off before spiking the ball. Thattate left Penn State with no timeouts, meaning they had to go to the sidelines, even though the passing game was having the most success in the middle of the field. Those late game sequences cost the program from a signature win.

Overall: B-

At the end of the day, there are no moral victories for Penn State. That ship sails when you went from No. 2 in the country to a 3-6 team that’s winless in conference play. The Nittany Lions played a great game and had Indiana on the ropes, but they couldn’t close it out. There’s a lot to be happy about, but there can only be so much positivity after another tough loss. This is a game to build on, yes, but it also is a disappointment given how close Penn State got.

This article originally appeared on Nittany Lions Wire: Grading Penn State’s performance against No. 2 Indiana

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