2023 Penn State football film review: Indiana

As much as Penn State wanted to move on from its loss to Ohio State against Indiana, struggles lingered.

The Nittany Lions didn’t hold a lead until the last moments of the first half before they rallied to defeat the Hoosiers 33-24. Another slow start plagued the offense and early Indiana-explosiveness challenged the defense.

Michael Bolger and Amanda Vogt go through the film and analyze the most important moments before the Nittany Lions head to College Park, Maryland, this upcoming week.

Amanda

Play we liked: 2nd&7 PSU 45 – Jaylen Reed interception

After Penn State tied the game at 14, Indiana had two minutes to work with before halftime. On the fourth play of the drive, the Nittany Lions forced quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who made his collegiate debut last season against the blue and white, to scramble.

While moving to his left and facing heavy pressure from Adisa Isaac, Sorsby intended a pass for Josh Henderson. However, Jaylen Reed anticipated the short trajectory of the pass and jumped in front to intercept the pass.

Reed returned his first career interception 17 yards to Indiana’s 43-yard line. One minute remained as Drew Allar and the offense returned to the field, but it was enough time to notch three points and take the lead before heading to the locker room.

James Franklin stresses the importance of the middle eight — the last four minutes of the first half and the opening four minutes of the second half. And because of Reed’s pick, Penn State went into halftime with the lead and the opening possession of the third quarter waiting for it.

Play we didn’t like: 1st&10 IND 10 – Indiana needs just one play to reach the endzone

For the first time in Beaver Stadium this season, Penn State wasn’t the first to score. On its third drive of the game, Indiana marched onto the field at its own 10-yard line after a 51-yard punt from Riley Thompson.

Sorsby lined up in the shotgun and faked the handoff upon receiving the snap. Penn State forced the pocket to collapse quickly, but he stepped into pressure and launched a pass to Dequence Carter, who caught it at the Hoosier 36.

Carter used his speed to create separation from Zakee Wheatley as he extended to make the grab. Cam Miller attempted to tackle the wide receiver at midfield but missed his ankles. Carter danced along the sideline but stayed in bounds for the 90-yard score for the first points of the game.

The Nittany Lion defense hardly allows these large chunk plays for scores, let alone on the first play of the drive. As the game progressed, the unit did a better job of attacking the quarterback and getting the offense on the field without the scoreboard changing.

Unique Play: 1st&10 PSU 43 – A Penn State Explosive Play!

It’s no secret that Penn State’s offense struggles with explosiveness — especially in its last two games.

Franklin considers any rush that goes for 12+ yards or any pass that’s 15 or more yards to be considered an explosive play.

With just under two minutes in the game, Allar rocketed a pass deep downfield and connected with KeAndre Lambert-Smith for the 57-yard go-ahead touchdown, sending the team and fans into a frenzy.

How it happened: Allar lined up in the shotgun with Kaytron Allen in the backfield and two receivers wide left and one right.

He dropped back to about the Penn State 35, set his feet at the 33 and chucked it up. Lambert-Smith, who was one-on-one with Jordan Grier, created just about a yard of separation as he caught the ball at the 16-yard line.

With all the momentum he had, the wide receiver was careful to stay in bounds as he reached the end zone. His feet danced along the edge as he kept his balance while sprinting to the house.

The touchdown broke the 24-24 tie and was Lambert-Smith’s longest touchdown reception since his 72-yard score against West Virginia in the first week of the season.

Allowing Allar to take those deep shots will only help the offense. Explosiveness has been lacking in Penn State’s playbook, but this touchdown only proves how important incorporating it can be.

Mike

Play we liked: 2nd&8 on IND16 — Drew Allar and his tight end

Allar and his tight ends in the red zone are always a connection worth mentioning.

After finding Khalil Dinkins in the opening slate of the game, the Ohio native went right back to his all-reliable department midway through the third quarter.

On a second and 8 situation, Allar faced a six-man rush and man-to-man coverage across the board. Allar was alone in the backfield with Tyler Warren and Lambert-Smith at the top of the play and Theo Johnson with Malik McClain and Nicholas Singleton at the bottom.

Allar dropped back seven yards behind the line of scrimmage to neglect the blitz and lock eyes with Johnson, who was overpowering the Hoosiers safety tasked with the coverage of the 6 ‘6 tight end.

With no help over the top, Allar lofted the ball up for only Johnson to go get.

Johnson blew a kiss to the crowd and ran over to the sidelines with a 10-point lead over Penn State’s conference opponent.

Play we didn’t like: 3rd&8 on PSU14 — Drew Allar’s first collegiate interception

It’s a moment that all young quarterbacks must face in their first year, starting the inevitable headslap decision/throw.

Penn State went 0-for-3 on third down and medium (five to eight yards) against Indiana, including this one that saw the Hoosiers rush six, five on the line and one on a cornerback blitz.

Off of the snap, Nicholas Singleton recognized the blitz from the outside and picked it up as well as he could as the offensive line got pushed back three to four yards behind the line.

Allar began his progression at the top of the field, where he had McClain shallow running towards the sidelines and Lambert-Smith running the same type of route 10 yards down the field. He had Lambert-Smith if he could step up and deliver a strike, but Singleton got pushed too far back while picking up the blitz.

Allar then scanned to his left where Dante Cephas and Johnson were across the middle of the field, but had little to no room to work with.

Time ran out as the sophomore quarterback continued to look downfield as three Hoosiers charged directly at him.

In a last-ditch attempt, Allar threw the ball to Johnson while being brought down to the ground. The pass had too much air under it as the safety came down to pick it off.

Unique Play: 1st and 10 on IND25 Dani Dennis-Sutton strip sack for a safety?

Manny Diaz’s defense has to be one of, if not the most clutch defenses in all of college football.

The defensive unit held Indiana to three points after Allar threw an interception that left them to defend its own red zone to start the drive.

The offense bounced back with a quick 57-yard strike that put the Nittany Lions up 31-24 and the defense back out on the field in a matter of minutes. Penn State took the challenge on with the energy of Beaver Stadium fueling its fire.

On the first snap of the drive, Diaz had his defense press with a safety over the top, a linebacker to shadow the middle and a four-man rush against seven blockers.

With Chop Robinson out for the game, Dennis-Sutton stepped up with a quick rush off the edge and swim move to get by the offensive tackle.

Brendan Sorsby had no clue the danger that he was in as Dennis-Sutton leaped at him and punched the ball out for Penn State to recover.

Here’s where it gets interesting.

As the ball rolled down to the 14-yard line, Hakeem Beamon had a chance to scoop and score to seal the game. Instead, the 6’3, 290-pound defensive tackle fell on the ball after being brought down from behind by Kahlil Benson, which made it fly into the end zone.

Adisa Isaac, Johnny Dixon and Kevin Winston Jr. then all slid to recover the ball for the touchdown but ended up punching it even further from their grasp.

The ball finally dribbled past the backline for a safety as Isaac crawled with the last bit of energy that he had left in a last-ditch attempt.

To recap, four Nittany Lions had a chance to recover the fumble across 25 yards, and everyone ended up on the ground, but with an extra two points on the board.

Amanda Vogt is a second-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com.

Micheal Bolger is a third-year majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email mpb6233@psu.edu.