In a 29-7 loss at Penn State, there were few bright spots for the IU offense.
But that’s to be expected when your stars aren’t on the field.
From backup quarterback sophomore Zander Diamont, the Hoosiers had just 90 yards passing and seven points.
From third-string quarterback Danny Cameron, they had 65 yards passing and zero points.
And from the backup running back committee of four, they had just 54 yards rushing when factoring out performances by quarterbacks.
All in all, the Nittany Lions limited the Hoosiers to a season-low output in every offensive metric: passing, rushing, total yards and points scored.
But as bad as things looked in Happy Valley, it’s impossible to judge the merits of a team riddled with injuries.
When stretched for depth as much as IU was, there are few college football programs in the country that have the reserves talented enough to compete against a solid team like Penn State.
That stands without factoring in the environment of Beaver Stadium, where a homecoming crowd of 97,873 made a sellout crowd at Memorial Stadium look diminutive by comparison.
It’s a tribute to the IU defense — who posted its fifth third-quarter shutout in six games — that the game stayed competitive for as long as it did.
Led by the second of back-to-back two-sack performances by senior lineman Nick Mangieri, the IU front seven managed to out-sack Penn State, who led the Big Ten with 4.2 sacks per game heading into the day.
Though Cameron moved the ball well in his first game as a Hoosier, he was the victim of an interception that led to the game-icing score.
To those who question why Cameron — or even Diamont — was in the game at all with senior quarterback Nate Sudfeld medically cleared to play, the answer is quite simple.
It wasn’t worth risking Sudfeld’s long-term health, and the health of the season, for this game.
In the grand scheme of things, a loss to Penn State has very few lasting implications on IU’s goals of reaching a bowl game.
But next week is a must-win, and — stars or not — IU needs to come equipped with a better game plan against Rutgers if it hopes to keep those aspirations alive.
vziege@indiana.edu
