Indiana football vs. No. 16 Penn State: Kickoff & prediction

Indiana football comes off of a bye week and loses their best wide receiver for the season and now has to play one of the best teams in the country.

The last time these two teams met in Bloomington was pure magic. Michael Penix Jr. and the Hoosiers went toe-to-toe with one of the best teams in the nation and took them down with true grit and luck.

Indiana and Penn State went back and forth in this game with both teams dominating on the offensive side of the ball. With 1:42 left in the game, the Nittany Lions begrudgingly scored an easy touchdown to give them a 28-20 lead. Penix Jr. led the Hoosiers right down the field and punched it in with 22 seconds remaining. Thanks to a missed field goal from Penn State, we were heading to overtime.

After the Nittany Lions took the lead in overtime, 35-28, Penix Jr. threw a perfect ball in the endzone to Whop Philyor to make the score 35-34. Tom Allen risked it all and went for the two-point conversion to win the game. As you can see in the video below, Penix Jr. extended the ball right at the goal line to give the Hoosiers the two-point conversion which won it, 36-35.

It’s fair to say Indiana football won’t be creating any magic this weekend.

Indiana football vs. No. 16 Penn State kickoff

Saturday, November 5th
3:30pm E.S.T.
Memorial Stadium – Bloomington, IN
ABC

Indiana football vs. No. 16 Penn State prediction

Indiana football’s only two wins all-time against Penn State came at home (2013 and 2020). The Hoosiers have lost 23 of the 25 matchups all-time and in their last three home losses, they have only lost by 8.3 points per game. Last season, Indiana football was shut out by the Nittany Lions, 24-0, with nothing going offensively for the Hoosiers all game long. It may look eerily similar for IU this weekend.

My original final game-by-game predictions before the season began had the Hoosiers losing just 27-10 to Penn State. That’s not happening. I wish Indiana football could limit a high-powered offense to just 27 points. Though I believe Dexter Williams II could come in and show some promise, the Hoosiers aren’t hanging in with the Nittany Lions on Saturday.

Do you think the Hoosiers can pull off yet another miracle in Bloomington over Penn State?