Penn State at Indiana 10/24/20 - College Football Picks & Predictions

By: Mike |

Last Updated: 10/22/2020 at 7:29 PM ET

The No. 9 ranked Penn State Nittany Lions visit Memorial Stadium in Bloomington, Indiana on Saturday for a Big 10 tilt against the Indiana Hoosiers.Sean Clifford returns a quarterback for Penn State after last season passing for 2,654 yards in 23 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. Clifford also rushed for 402 yards and five touchdowns. Journey Brown returns as the leading running back after last season rushing for 890 yards and 12 touchdowns. Penn State has tight end Pat Freiemuth returning from last season when he caught 43 passes for 507 yards and seven touchdowns but must replace wideout KJ Hamler.

Defensively Penn State only has four starters returning from last year with the only returning starter on the defensive line is Shaka Toney, who led the Nittany Lions with 6.5 sacks last season. Antonio Shelton will return and start at nose guard. Micah Parsons opted out of his 2020 season therefore leading the linebackers corps will be sophomore Brandon Smith while true freshman Curtis Jacobs is expected to make an immediate impact. Safety Lament Wade is the leading tackler returning from last season with 67 while cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields returns to give the secondary much experience.

Last season Indiana won eight games for the first time in 26 seasons. Michael Penix returns as the starting quarterback, Penix was lost in November of last year to an injury for the remainder of the season. In Penix’s six starts last season the Hoosiers were 5-1. Penix passed for 1,394 yards and 10 touchdowns before his season-ending injury. Stevie Scott returns as the lead running back and the top wide receiver returning from last year is Whop Philyor who caught passes for more than 1,000 yards last season. Peyton Hendershot is a sure-handed tight end that gives Penix another option to throw to.

Defensively Indiana’s top tackler from last year linebacker Micah McFadden returns. Last year McFadden had 61 tackles and led Indiana in tackles for a loss and was tied for interceptions. Jerome Johnson returns at defensive tackle led the Hoosiers with five sacks last season. Safety Marcelino Ball, who led all players in the defensive secondary in tackles last season returns as does cornerback Tiawan Mullen, who broke up 13 passes as a freshman last year.

Penn State is expected to battle for the national championship this season as the Nittany Lions have one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Sean Clifford. The Penn State defense has many new faces but will stand up to the test in its opening game on the road against Indiana. The Hoosiers have several holes to fill on defense and at wide receiver and will find it hard to keep pace with the Nittany Lions offense. Final Score Prediction, Penn State Nittany Lions win and cover ATS 31-17.

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