Rapid Reaction: Down 3 starting offensive linemen, Penn State still manhandles Indiana

Sean Clifford continued to pile up career stats and Penn State dominated in all phases despite playing with a patched together offensive line, powering past Indiana on a blustery day in Bloomington.

With true freshman Drew Shelton subbing in at left tackle, Penn State (7-2, 4-2) cruised past Indiana 45-14 Saturday at a half-empty Memorial Stadium, sending the Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5) to their 6th straight loss.

Clifford did indeed make his 42nd start at quarterback for the Nittany Lions, going 15-of-23 for 229 yards with an interception. With the performance, the 6th-year senior closed on predecessor Trace McSorley for the program record in career passing yards. He now has 9,884, 16 short of passing McSorley.

It was the 28th victory for Clifford as the starter for Penn State, leaving the 24-year-old in range of McSorley’s record of 31.

Penn State will be favored in its remaining 3 November games, giving it a great shot to hit double-digit wins for the first time since 2019, Clifford’s first year as the team’s starting quarterback.

More importantly to many Penn State fans, 5-star freshman backup Drew Allar played multiple series, first entering the game in the third quarter. The presumed starter next season, Allar completed 5 of his first 7 passes for 34 yards and 2 TDs. He finished 8-of-11 for 66 yards.

The Hoosiers started Jack Tuttle at quarterback, switching from Missouri transfer Connor Bazelak to a team captain intending to portal out of Indiana after the season. Coach Tom Allen, looking for a spark after 5 straight losses, found one briefly in the well-liked backup who has played sporadically for the Hoosiers since 2019.

In his 15th college appearance, Tuttle made the most of scrambling lanes and soft spots in the Penn State defense to lead the Hoosiers to a tying first-quarter touchdown.

Indiana, a talent-deprived team playing in front of a sparse home crowd, started slow. But then Tuttle provided a spark, making plays with his arm and his legs. He went 4-4 for 64 yards and ran for 15 more on an 8-play, 75-yard drive that tied the game at 7-7.

But after that, Penn State’s deep, talented defense tightened and started sending overwhelming pressure at Tuttle. The Lions posted 4 sacks of Tuttle in the first half, the final one knocking him from the game.

Left with freshman Brendan Sorsby behind a shaky offensive line, Indiana was done. In the second half, Dexter Williams took over at quarterback for Sorsby and provided a brief spark. But the Hoosiers were already down 31-7 at that point, and Williams’ flurry died on a tipped-ball interception on a 4th-down play.

Penn State led 24-7 at the half, with freshman running back Kaytron Allen doing a lot of the damage. He had 74 yards and 2 TDs on 14 carries before the break, seemingly on his way to snapping the Lions’ streak of 4 games without a 100-yard rusher. (He actually didn’t make it, leaving with 86 yards on 18 carries as deep reserves got fourth-quarter playing time.)

Allen clearly has moved ahead of 5-star classmate Nick Singleton as the team’s top back. But Singleton made the most of his extended time in the second half to rack up 73 yards on 16 carries.

With Allar, Singleton and young linemen playing extensively in the second half, Penn State fans got a good look at the future.

Although Clifford took a sack and threw a pick early, Penn State steadied itself behind its revamped line.

Starters Olu Fashanu, Landon Tengwall and Caedan Wallace all were sidelined with undisclosed injuries or other issues, and Hunter Nourzad went out after the Lions’ first offensive play. (He returned before the first quarter was done.)

In place of Fashanu, a projected first-round pick should he declare for the NFL Draft, true freshman Drew Shelton took over at left tackle. JB Nelson wound up at left guard until Nourzad returned — both holding the spot for Tengwall, who missed his 4th straight game. Regulars Juice Scruggs and Sal Wormley manned center and right guard, as usual. Bryce Effner, as he has done often throughout the season, played at right tackle in place of Wallace.

After Allen had a 45-yard catch-and-run to set up his own 6-yard touchdown, Penn State led 31-7 early in the third quarter. At that point, the only question was how soon Allar would enter the game.

Penn State coach James Franklin had said during the week that he hoped his team could win and build for the future at the same time. Indiana afforded the Lions that opportunity.

To on one’s surprise, the 18-year-old entered for the next series, roughly midway through the third quarter. His first 2 plays were a completion and a scramble for a first down.

Penn State’s defense had itself a day after Indiana’s first-quarter score. Adisa Isaac and Ji’Ayir Brown had back-to-back sacks to thwart Indiana’s drive following Clifford’s interception. DTs Dvon Ellies and Coziah Izzard also had sacks, and freshman LB Abdul Carter knocked down a pass on an unblocked edge rush. The defense had 5 sacks and 2 picks by the end of the third quarter.

Notable

PSU TE Theo Johnson dropped a sure score while wide open, costing Clifford a TD completion. … PSU K Jake Pinegar, a 5th-year senior, hit a career-long 50-yard field goal. … It’s not clear if Bazelak is injured or just out of favor, but he was in shorts and a hoodie on the sideline and obviously not available.

Up next for Penn State

The Lions will host Maryland (6-3, 3-3), which got hammered at Wisconsin despite the return of quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa.

Up next for Indiana

The Hoosiers travel to No. 2 Ohio State (9-0, 6-0) in what probably will be the biggest B1G East mismatch of the season. Indiana can take heart from Northwestern, which was tied with the Buckeyes at halftime.

Luke Glusco

Luke Glusco is a Penn State graduate and veteran journalist. He covers Penn State and occasionally writes about other Big Ten programs and topics. He also serves as the primary copy editor for Saturday Tradition.