Penn State vs. Indiana: Staff Predictions

The Hoosier State of Mind staff answers questions and offers predictions for Penn State vs. Indiana.

Question: Who wins the battle tomorrow, Tevin Coleman or the number one rushing defense in the country?

Kyle Grand: I think Coleman comes out on top. That doesn’t mean his team will win the game, but Coleman has played well against other top rush defenses so far, so why would it stop now? I think he barely gets over 100 yards and keeps his streak of 100+ rushing yards alive.

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Jessica Hunt: Penn State has the best rush defense in the conference, allowing just over 77 rushing yards a game (by comparison Michigan State is second at 95.4 yards a game). If any team is going to stop the run, it’s going to be Penn State. Last weekend it took Coleman a staggering 27 carries just to get to108 yards, and Penn State’s rush defense is better than Michigan’s. It will be close, but Penn State will be putting extra muscle behind their rush defense as Diamont is proving himself to be somewhat of a non-issue. Penn State will edge out Coleman, but this game should not in any way diminish Coleman’s accomplishments thus far.

Will Logan: Coleman and the O-line. Indiana is going to score a couple big pass plays early on (Wynn isn’t going to let a struggling QB end his college career on a down note), and that’s going to help keep PSU honest. At a point in the season where motivation is getting hard to come by, the offensive line and Tevin Ford Coleman will embrace the challenge of facing the country’s top run defense.

Q: Is the the week Zander Diamont finally puts it together?

Grand: No, but I think he will at least throw for 100 yards and perhaps a touchdown. I mean he has to right? It’s his third start. He’s been practicing for a month. It’s about time he started looking like a real QB.

Hunt: Considering Diamont is averaging a solid 17.5 yards in his first two games, I would say…not. Anything out of Diamont should be an improvement from the previous two games, but that’s not saying much as it’s hard to imagine he can put up worse numbers. If by “puts it together” you mean a 50-60 yard game, then yes, I think that is an attainable number for Diamont. However, if you mean a competent game by today’s starting QB in a power five conference? Nah.

Nov 1, 2014; Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Zander Diamont (12) rolls out to pass against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Logan: Hunt’s probably right. But, hell. Look. Diamont came to IU thinking he was going to be firmly buried behind Sudfeld and Roberson on the depth chart. Each of his first two games were against defenses ranked in the top 1o nationally. I’m not excusing how bad he’s been. I’s just saying it can’t get any worse, right? I think the coaches are going to make a concerted effort to get the ball to their play makers (Wynn) in space this week. Diamont will finally go over 100 yards passing, although many of those yards will come as “yards after catch.”

Prediction

Grand: Penn State 24, Indiana 10. Coleman will again impress and Diamont will be better, but still not good enough for the Hoosiers to win. Also, Indiana’s defense has shown no signs of being able to stop anyone and even Penn State QB Christian Hackenberg is struggling, PSU’s O should be able to put enough points on the board.

Hunt: Penn State 24, Indiana 17. I’m going to be perfectly honest: IU is not a good football team. Give the points, and take the under.

Logan: Indiana 24 Penn State 20. Penn State’s rushing offense is the worst in the B1G. That’s good for the IU defense. Penn State’s offensive line is 121st in the country in protecting the QB. That’s good for Knorr’s blitz happy defense. Wilson has had two weeks to figure out what does and does not work for the offense. Tevin Coleman, the offensive line and Shane Wynn (special teams?) are going to get it done this week. Sharpie.

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