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At least one analyst has Penn State on upset alert in Week 1
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Penn State has dominated Indiana over the years, but one prominent ESPN analyst thinks the Hoosiers have a chance on Saturday.
“[Penn State] find themselves in a trap game Week 1,” college football analyst Trevor Matich said on ESPN’s Thursday night Halftime Report as transcribed by Sam Marsdale with 247 Sports. “Because guess who is coming to town in Week 2? Ohio State — the boogeymen from Columbus. And Indiana is a really good team. They played Penn State within a touchdown the last two times they’ve faced each other.”
Matich is correct — the Hoosiers have been close to upsetting the Nittany Lions in each of the last two seasons. In 2019 Penn State edged out a 34-27 victory. In 2018, it was an even smaller margin at 33-28.
“This is an offense that can put points up,” Matich said of Indiana. “So this could be a really tricky place for Penn State to have to play.”
Penn State will be without its top pass rusher in Micah Parsons, who opted out of the 2020 season.
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The rest of the Nittany Lions will need to step up, because this Hoosiers offense is very talented. Quarterback Michael Penix looked great a year ago, completing over 68 percent of his passes. Running back Stevie Scott and receiver Whop Philyor are also back this season after breaking out a year ago. With all that returning talent, Indiana should be able to build on an attack that finished No. 22 in SP+ in 2019.
Still, Penn State is a 6-point favorite according to BetMGM. The Nittany Lions are 22-1 all-time vs. Indiana and have an active winning streak of six games in the series. The Hoosiers’ lone win vs. PSU came in 2013.
Kickoff in Bloomington is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. FS1 will have the broadcast.
Spenser is the news manager at Saturday Road and covers college football across all Saturday Football brands.