It’s hard to argue with 5-0 and the first shutout of Indiana in 21 years. No. 4 Penn State clearly is making the grade so far in its bounce-back 2021 season. Still, there remains room for improvement heading into what will be the team’s toughest test yet, next week at No. 5 Iowa.

So let’s check the Nittany Lions’ progress after their 24-0 victory Saturday night.

Offense (B-)

QB (B-): Sean Clifford set a high bar for himself the previous 2 weeks, and wasn’t quite as sharp Saturday night. His first-quarter INT was perhaps his worst throw of the season, and he missed some other throws. But he also did a great job extending plays on multiple occasions and putting defenders in conflict by getting to the edge and going into RPO mode. And when he did decide to tuck and run, he averaged 5.8 yards on 10 carries. And he threw for 3 TDs, upping his season total to 11.

WRs (B-): Jahan Dotson gets an A+ after 8 catches for 84 yards and 2 TDs, plus a 21-yard pass completion. But Parker Washington and KeAndre Lambert-Smith were limited to 2 receptions apiece, and no other WR caught a pass.

TEs (C): Brenton Strange and Theo Johnson had but 1 reception each, and Strange whiffed on a block on a 4th-and-goal play from the 1. Tyler Warren didn’t gain a yard on his 1 rush from the wildcat formation.

RBs (C): Keyvone Lee pumped some life into the team’s dormant running game with 2 big-gainers on the Lions’ second-quarter touchdown drive. He broke free for a 44-yard gain, Penn State’s longest rush of the season, and later a 21-yarder on a 3rd-and-1 play. But outside of those 2 plays, PSU backs managed just 85 yards on 28 carries, barely 3 yards per carry. Noah Cain again struggled, netting only 23 yards on a team-high 11 carries.

Line (B-): Clifford dealt with quite a bit of pressure but was not sacked. The running game, bolstered by Clifford’s positive yardage, averaged 5.0 yards per carry and topped 200 yards for just the 2nd time in 5 games. Penn State even played some keep-away, holding he ball for nearly 35 minutes to win the time-of-possession battle.

Defense (A)

DBs (A+): Joey Porter and Ji’Ayir Brown had interceptions, and Penn State’s first-team secondary still hasn’t allowed a passing TD this year. The Lions limited IU’s main threats, TE Peyton Hendershot and WR Ty Fryfogle, to 5 receptions each. No one else caught more than 1 ball.

LBs (A): With Ellis Brooks (8 tackles) and Brandon Smith (5 tackles, 1 sack) leading the way, Penn State held Indiana to 69 rushing yards and 264 total yards.

Line (A): DT PJ Mustipher stuffed up the middle, making a team-high 4 solo tackles, 1 for a loss, and 6 total stops. Arnold Ebiketie had 1 of PSU’s 2 sacks, and the line generated enough pressure to bother IU’s Michael Penix Jr. into a 1-for-10 start.

Special teams (A+)

Jordan Stout nailed a 50-yard field goal, added 5 more touchbacks to his ledger on as many kickoffs and averaged 46.3 yards on 6 punts. Brandon Smith blocked a field goal to preserve the shutout. Jahan Dotson had a 16-yard punt return. Indiana didn’t try to return a single punt against PSU’s coverage team.

Coaching, intangibles (A)

James Franklin continues to make bold but sensible fourth-down decisions, and the Lions converted on 2 of 3 tries, with both successes leading to touchdowns. On the one that didn’t work, the decision and play call were not issues. With multiple players in the backfield on a 4th-and-goal from the 1, Noah Cain and Brenton Strange whiffed on blocks that would have allowed Keyvone Lee to walk into the end zone. Though it didn’t score, Penn State left Indiana backed up against its goal line, gaining a field-position victory that resulted in Stout’s FG a few minutes later.

OC Mike Yurcich opened up the playbook late, with mixed success. Tight end Tyler Warren’s latest wildcat run got stoned, but Jahan Dotson completed a 21-yard pass off a double reverse. The first-year Lions assistant has Clifford and the offense confidently progressing.

Penn State improved its turnover differential to +6 with 2 more interceptions. The team is playing with swagger and togetherness heading into its biggest game of the year.