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By Neil Rudel
nrudel@altoonamirror.com
Some nitpicking as the Nittany Lions hit November at 6-2 or probably about one game better than most thought they'd be until they opened 5-0:
n Today's game at Indiana will be Penn State's first game this season played in a sedate atmosphere. Road games at Purdue, Auburn and Michigan were packed. Memorial Stadium won't be. Indiana has trouble drawing in good years, and the Hoosiers have lost five straight so the Lions will need to find their energy internally.
n This is when team leadership -- and coaching -- is magnified.
Regrouping from last week's loss to Ohio State emotionally -- capping an 0-2 doubleheader against the Big Ten's biggest boys -- is at the top of this week's challenge list. With the season's main goals blown up, the team's most attractive NFL prospects start peeking ahead. It's also the time when guys who are injured may just decide to take off another week, or more.
n Offensive tackle Olu Fashanu and cornerback Joey Porter are projected as first-round draft picks with some draft lists including both in their top 10-15.
n Fashanu didn't finish the Ohio State game so he's questionable today, and guard Landon Tengwall has missed the last three games after apparently hurting his shoulder in preseason warm-ups at Michigan, odd as that may seem. Caeden Wallace has missed some time for injury and ineffectiveness so keep an eye on the line today because this is not exactly a position stocked with depth.
n I noticed where the NCAA granted a player from Minnesota a seventh season and immediately thought ... oh, never mind.
n James Franklin has gone all week without confirming that Sean Clifford will be his starting quarterback - dodging the topic in two press conferences -- so fully expect Drew Allar to see significant time, whether Clifford starts or not.
n Franklin often talks about the importance of running the football and "staying on schedule" relative to down and distance. Let's rewind the tape to last week. Buckeyes led 23-21 with 8:51 left. On first down, Kaytron Allen gets 6 yards. Second-and-4, game still very much in doubt. The call? Clifford drops back, with no added protection. The offensive line is devoured, Clifford is sacked, fumbles, Buckeyes recover and score on the next play to go up 30-21. Had the Lions run there -- which they had done successfully throughout the game and which is what they supposedly want to do -- they could have been looking at third-and-short with more options and it may be an entirely different fourth quarter. (And had Franklin taken the field goal in the third quarter, the Lions would have been no worse than tied at 24 at that point.)
n Though the defense played well through three-plus quarters, nobody was home against the Buckeyes' 41-yard touchdown run that put them up 23-21, and the 24-yard TD screen to tight end Cade Stover saw three different Lions - Keaton Ellis, Porter and Jonathan Sutherland - miss tackles. Ji'Ayir Brown literally limped over at the goal line but couldn't get there (and his limp could make him questionable today).
n Franklin's cautionary assertion Oct. 18 that Michigan ought to address its one-tunnel access for both teams could not have been more on target in the wake of Michigan State's assault on a Wolverine player after last week's game.
n In fact, it may have been Franklin's best call of the season.
n Illinois' resurgence under Bret Bielema has been most impressive, and some of it started during Penn State's nine-overtime nightmare loss to the Illini last year. Since that game, Illinois has won 10 of 13 games, including 7-1 this year with the only loss -- ironically enough -- to Indiana. At this point, Bielema should be the unanimous choice for Big Ten coach of the year.
Rudel can be reached at nrudel@altoonamirror.com. You can also follow him on Twitter@neilrudel.