No. 2 Indiana is back on the road this week to face Penn State. Indiana (9-0, 6-0 Big Ten) is three wins away from a perfect regular season, while Penn State (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) has lost five straight games and is led by interim coach Terry Smith.

Indiana coach Curt Cignetti is aiming to do something never done: Get the Hoosiers a win in Happy Valley. Indiana is 0-13 all-time at Penn State, but it’ll be double-digit favorites to win on Saturday.

Cignetti, a Pennsylvania native, has still never lost to an unranked team in two seasons at Indiana. He’s looking to continue that streak against Penn State, which has seen its season turn upside down.

Let’s meet the Nittany Lions.

Key Offensive Players

• Ethan Grunkemeyer has started the last two games at quarterback for Penn State after Drew Allar suffered a season-ending ankle injury.

Grunkemeyer — the redshirt freshman — has played in six games for the Nittany Lions this year, throwing for 343 yards, one touchdown and three interceptions while completing 62.7% of his passes. He was 19-for-28 for 145 yards and an interception against No. 1 Ohio State last week.

The inexperienced quarterback has been thrown into the fire, as his second and third starts come against the top-two teams in the country. Indiana’s defense is allowing just 10.8 points per game, and it just gave Malik Washington — Maryland’s true freshman quarterback — troubles last week.

Grunkemeyer will have to read and react to the Hoosiers’ defensive disguises and pressure. If he struggles to read the Hoosiers defense, it could be a long day.

• Running back Kaytron Allen gets the ball more than anyone in Penn State’s offense.

Allen is in search of his second straight 1,000-yard season. He has 688 yards rushing (86 per game) and 10 touchdowns this year. 

Allen has been a bright spot in a Penn State offense that has otherwise struggled in Big Ten play. In the Nittany Lions’ five conference games, Allen has seven touchdowns and is averaging nearly five yards per carry. He has scored a touchdown in every game this year.

Indiana has to be ready for Allen — who averages 14.9 carries per game — to have a heavy workload. Indiana’s defense hasn’t allowed over 100 yards rushing since Week 1 against Old Dominion, but Allen will look to break that streak.

• Nicholas Singleton adds a nice punch to Allen’s strong running game.

Singleton and Allen have been a potent rushing duo since their freshman season in 2022. This season has been Singleton’s worst statistically, as he has just 292 rushing yards in eight games. Singleton had over 1,000 rushing yards in two of his first three seasons and never had fewer than 700 yards.

Despite the down year, Singleton remains a dangerous player. Of the running back tandem, Singleton is more dynamic as a pass-catcher, as he has 123 receiving yards to Allen’s 43 this year.

Indiana has to be prepared for Singleton’s versatile game out of the backfield. Singleton hasn’t had his best year, but Saturday could be an opportunity to make a statement against an Indiana defense with multiple potential NFL players.

Key Defensive Players

• Amare Campbell flies all over the field from the linebacker spot.

Campbell leads the Nittany Lions with 59 total tackles. After transferring from North Carolina, Campbell has been an impactful centerpiece for Penn State’s defense.

Campbell is one of five Big Ten players with at least 59 tackles and six tackles for losses this year. The Hoosiers have a potent running game, but Campbell will try to disrupt that. He led Penn State with eight total tackles against Ohio State.

• Safety Zakee Wheatley is also a fantastic tackler for Penn State.

Wheatley has 56 total tackles this season. He’s averaging 9.6 total tackles per game in Big Ten play, and he had an interception at Iowa on Oct. 18.

After having 96 tackles in 2024, Wheatley has been a tackle machine again this season. He went over the 200 career tackle mark against Ohio State, as he seems to constantly lurk around the football.

• Defensive tackle Zane Durant is the best player on Penn State’s defensive line.

Durant’s numbers aren’t gaudy this year, as he has just 2.5 tackles for losses and two sacks. But he’s coming off a 2024 campaign where he recorded 11 tackles for losses, which is why he’s on watch lists for the Bednarik Award, Lombardi Award, Nagurski Trophy and Outland Trophy.

Like Singleton, Durant is a senior who could be looking to make a statement in the last month of his college career. Indiana’s offensive line will continue to miss left guard Drew Evans this week, which could open the door for Durant to shine on the interior.

Indiana has to make sure it handles Durant and the rest of Penn State’s defensive line. The Hoosiers’ wonderful offense — which averages 46.4 points per game — owes a lot of its success to the offensive line. Handling Durant will be important to continue that success.

Indiana's Keys to Victory

• Stop the Run: As the underdog, Penn State’s best shot to win this game will be by limiting the number of possessions. The Nittany Lions will likely try to use their experienced running backs to slow the game down. Indiana can’t let Penn State’s run game get going, thus allowing Penn State to control the clock.
• Score First: While Penn State’s having a down year, Beaver Stadium is never an easy place to play. The Hoosiers are used to going to Penn State as the hunters, but on Saturday, they’ll be the hunted. If the Hoosiers fall behind early and allow Penn State’s crowd to get going, they could be on upset watch.
• Create Explosive Plays: Penn State’s defense hasn’t been great, but it doesn’t give up a lot of large gains. Indiana has typically been good at having long gains, but with wide receiver Elijah Sarratt’s status being unknown, Indiana has to find ways to create big gains.