This had to be a difficult week for Penn State - losing a heart-breaker at Iowa last week cost Joe Paterno's boys a shot at the national title, so a lull could be expected.And right on cue, the Nittany Lions sleepwalked through the first half against 3-7 Indiana this afternoon. This is an Indiana team that lost at home to Wisconsin 55-20 last week, and came into today as a 35-point underdog, but played the Nittany Lions to a 10-7 halftime score.
You have to give Indiana some credit for going into Happy Valley and playing solid - but this is more about PSU's lack of energy than anything the Hoosiers put together. I'm sure Paterno won't be making any excuses (eh ... maybe he will), but between last week's letdown and next week's Big Ten-deciding clash with Michigan State, this was an easy one to overlook.
There's probably no reason for long-term concern, but given the visit from Michigan State upcoming, a solid second half would be nice for Nittany Lion eyes to see (and it's off to a good start, with a quick touchdown).
Michigan State will be beyond ready for next week's finale. It's been 20 years since MSU made a trip out to Pasadena - and just about as long since the Spartans were nationally relevant. With that in mind, there's no reason to thing that Michigan State will roll over in any way for Penn State.
If there's anything that could be disturbing beyond today for the Nittany Lions, it's that the rushing attack has had trouble getting started against Indiana. The Hoosiers' rush defense is flat-out miserable, and Even Royster is leading Penn State with just 53 yards rushing early in the third.
The Nittany Lions look fine for this week - but we'll see how this hangover affects the Big Ten finale with Michigan State.
