They say, “C’s get degrees.” I suppose that saying can translate to college football. Indiana didn’t play its best game against Penn State. However, despite a report card littered with mediocre letter grades, the end result was a positive one.
The Hoosiers’ 27-24 victory in Happy Valley wasn’t pretty. In fact, senior linebacker Aiden Fisher referred to the performance as “ugly” multiple times during his postgame press conference. Fortunately for Indiana, football games aren’t decided by how well the on-field performance would fare in a Miss America competition.
While I’m not someone who critiques looks, I am someone who critiques the performance of each Hoosier position group on a weekly basis. And for the first time in a long time, I have something to be critical about.
Quarterbacks
Grade: C+
Explanation: It’s not easy to play quarterback when you don’t have time to make any decisions. Redshirt junior Fernando Mendoza knows that all too well after going through the gauntlet against the Nittany Lions’ pass rush. It felt like he was hitting the turf every other snap because, quite frankly, he was. Given the circumstances, his final stat line was actually alright. Mendoza completed 19 of his 30 pass attempts for 218 yards and a touchdown. He still made mistakes. An ill-informed lofted pass attempt in the fourth quarter was intercepted, giving Penn State good field position on their eventual lead-taking touchdown drive. More importantly, however, Mendoza did what was needed for Indiana to win. He used his legs to evade pressure and was composed enough to lead a game-winning touchdown drive with less than a minute remaining.
Running Backs
Grade: B-
Explanation: It was tough going on the ground for Indiana. Even so, the Hoosiers eclipsed the 100-yard mark on the ground. Redshirt senior Roman Hemby ran for a respectable 55 yards on 12 carries. His classmate Kaelon Black tallied a less-productive 32 yards on the same amount of rushes and found the endzone in the closing seconds of the first half. Indiana’s running back tandem faced a similar obstacle to Mendoza’s — poor blocking. I’ll still give them credit for the success they had despite that hurdle.
Receivers
Grade: A+
Explanation: If it wasn’t for one single catch, this entire section would be me praising the unexpected heroics of sophomore Charlie Becker in the absence of senior wideout Elijah Sarratt. The Hoosiers’ fourth-string wide receiver was Mendoza’s go-to option and torched his career-highs with seven catches for 118 yards. However, that single catch — redshirt junior Omar Cooper Jr’s leaping toe-tapping body control masterclass — warrants even more mention. When Indiana needed it most, he came down with one of the best catches I have ever seen on a football field. Maybe this unit doesn’t deserve an A+ when compared to some of the other showings it had this season, but how can I not give the Hoosiers’ receiving core a perfect score after watching that catch.
Offensive Line
Grade: D
Explanation: This is the worst grade I’ve given out all season and it's for good reason. Indiana’s offensive line lost in the trenches, and it very nearly ended the team’s undefeated season. Mendoza was sacked three times, and the Hoosiers allowed eight total tackles for loss, statistics that don’t do justice to just how poorly this group played. Yes, the loss of redshirt junior left guard Drew Evans hurt, but that can’t be an excuse. Penn State figured out the Hoosiers’ offensive line and terrorized the backfield, especially in the second half. All of that’s on film now and it's a blueprint teams will use against Indiana moving forward.
Defensive Line
Grade: C-
Explanation: It was a tale of two halves for Indiana’s defensive line. In the first half, the Hoosiers penetrated the line of scrimmage, closed up run gaps and forced Penn State’s redshirt freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer into rushed decisions. In the second half, none of those things happened. Indiana’s pass rush seemingly disappeared, the Nittany Lions’ offensive line was more physical in the run game and the offense as a whole came to life. This is a unit that’s shown it can dominate for four quarters against high-end competition, look no further than a 30-20 win over Oregon on Oct. 11. That’s the group that needs to show up for Indiana to be successful against elite teams down the road.
Linebackers
Grade: C+
Explanation: I already mentioned how the team captain Fisher described the Hoosiers’ performance. Ironically, it was the veteran linebacker’s fumble recovery and interception that gave the linebackers the best grade on Indiana’s defense this week. Even so, this unit faced similar struggles to the defensive line in the second half with an inability to rush the quarterback and fill run gaps.
“It came down to winning in one-on-ones and we didn’t execute at a high level today,” Fisher said. “A lot of us just didn’t feel we were on the same page today.”
Secondary
Grade: C
Explanation: The Hoosiers allowed 219 yards through the air. Six plays made up 148 of those 219. Big plays haven’t been a problem that’s plagued Indiana’s secondary this season, but they were the driving force behind Penn State’s 17-0 run in the second half. The absence of a pass rush can be partially blamed for that, but at the end of the day, complementary football goes both ways. This unit allowed Grunkemeyer to have his best passing performance since taking over as the Nittany Lions’ starting quarterback. That’s reason enough for me to give them a mediocre grade this week.
Special Teams
Grade: B
Explanation: With Sarratt, Fisher and Evans among Hoosiers who’ve missed time this season, it's easy to forget an important injury the special teams unit sustained. Redshirt sixth-year senior kickoff specialist Brendan Franke missed his second-straight game, forcing sophomore punter Quinn Warren to handle kickoff duties. Franke’s ability to consistently boot the ball out of the end zone was missed, as Warren’s kicks often yielded good starting field position for Penn State. Still, redshirt sophomore kicker Nico Radicic split the posts on both of his field goal attempts, staying perfect on the season.
Follow reporters Conor Banks (@Conorbanks06 and conbanks@iu.edu) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames and jamesdm@iu.edu) and columnist Quinn Richards (@Quinn_richa and qmrichar@iu.edu) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
