In tuning up for Iowa, Penn State looked a bit like the Hawkeyes on Saturday, taking down Indiana with dominating defense, some power running and solid but not spectacular quarterback play.

The No. 4 Nittany Lions built an early 14-0 lead, then went into grind mode the rest of the way in their 24-0 victory.

With the victory, Penn State (5-0) set up next Saturday’s showdown with No. 5 Iowa at Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City. The Hawkeyes dismantled previously unbeaten Maryland 51-14 on Friday night.

Indiana (2-3) fell to a highly-ranked opponent for the third time this season, with its other losses to Iowa and current-No. 7 Cincinnati, which beat Notre Dame in a showdown game earlier in the day.

The Hoosiers couldn’t get much going, as quarterback Michael Penix Jr. struggled through the first half before going down with an injury shortly after the intermission. Backup Jake Tuttle was sacked by Penn State DE Arnold Ebiketie on his first play.

Though Tuttle did get his team into scoring position with a 62-yard drive in the third quarter, it ended with a blocked field goal. The Hoosiers were shut out for the first time since a 58-0 loss to Michigan in 2000.

Penn State earned a shutout for the first time since blanking Maryland 59-0 in 2019. The Lions’ first-team defense hasn’t allowed a passing touchdown all season. (The reserves allowed 2 late in last week’s 38-17 win over Villanova.)

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Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford made several clutch plays in a hot-and-cold performance, including converting 2 fourth downs to keep touchdown drives alive. The first one came on a 4th-and-7 in IU territory on Penn State’s first TD drive. The second, on a 4th-and-4, went 30 yards to Jahan Dotson for a TD as PSU took a 21-0 lead in the third quarter. On the play, Clifford scrambled to buy time and put defenders in conflict by showing run, only to pull up throw. He used that move effectively on several key plays.

Penn State put together 2 solid touchdown drives to take a tenuous 14-0 lead into halftime. Tenuous, because the Hoosiers remained in range despite being dominated in front of 105,000 or so fans in a Striped Out Beaver Stadium.

Playing in front of its home fans for a fourth straight Saturday, the Lions took charge with a dominant first 16 1/2 minutes.

Penn State’s first scoring drive went 80 yards on 13 plays in 5:14 — one of the Lions’ more methodical drives of the season. Sean Clifford capped the march with a 10-yard TD pass to Brenton Strange. The 3rd-year starter at QB rolled left on a run-pass option and hit his big tight end just inside the sideline in the end zone.

On PSU’s second TD drive, Keyvone Lee kick-started Penn State’s dormant running game with a season-long 44-yard romp. Later in the 9-play, 96-yard march, Lee broke through the line for 21 yards on a 3rd-and-1. That set up an 8-yard Clifford-to-Jahan Dotson touchdown pass a couple plays later.

But outside of those drives, neither team did much on offense in the first half. The Lions averaged less than 3.2 plays on their other 6 drives. The Hoosiers averaged 4 plays on their 8 possessions. They finished the half with 4 first downs and 137 total yards.

Clifford, coming off 2 of the best games of his career, finished the first 30 minutes 11-of-23 for 96 yards with 1 INT. His longest completion went for just 12 yards.

Indiana’s Michael Penix Jr., meanwhile, started 1-of-10, and his second completion went for 1 yard on a 3-and-5. He tweaked something in his lower left leg early in the game, and persevered wearing a compression sleeve the rest of the way. Shortly after his longest completion of the first half, he threw a ball up for grabs under pressure for Jesse Luketa. PSU corner Joey Porter grabbed it, adding an INT to Penix’s rough first-half numbers: 8-of-19, 109 yards.

Penix exited early in the third quarter with a line of 10-of-22, 118 yards and the 1 INT.

Star linebacker Micah McFadden did what he could for Indiana, blowing up a quarterback draw to get his defense off the field on a 3rd-in-1 when the Hoosiers were still hanging around, down 14-0 early in the second quarter. Later in the quarter on another 3rd-and-1, his pressure on Clifford forced an off-target throw that an open Dotson couldn’t run under despite a twisting, turning effort.

But Penn State got strong play from throughout its defensive lineup in beating Indiana for the 12th time in as many tries at Beaver Stadium and improving to 23-2 all-time in the series. Penn State coach James Franklin is now 7-1 against the Hoosiers in his tenure leading the Lions. Next week, he’ll try to get to 5-1 vs. Iowa.

Indiana gets a bye week to sort things out, then will host Michigan State and Ohio State in Bloomington on consecutive Saturdays.

Penn State ran the ball better than it has since Week 2, finishing with more than 200 yards. Lee led the way with 74 yards on 8 carries. Clifford made the most of some designed runs and some improvised ones, netting 58 yards on 10 carries.

Clifford finished 17-of-33 passing for 178 yards and 3 TDs, with 1 INT, before giving way late to Ta’Quan Roberson.

Dotson contributed in several ways, catching 8 balls for 84 yards and 2 TDs. He also completed a pass.