IU looks to rebound against Penn State

Last week was a lesson. A hard lesson. If this were a Hoosier team of past years, losing 52-27 could very well spell the end of the season. Heads would be hanging low, and team spirit would be lost on and off the field.\nBut not this year, said senior cornerback Tracy Porter. Refusing to give into one loss, the Hoosiers (5-2, 2-2) are instead holding their heads high as they ready for their homecoming game against Penn State.\n“I definitely think our confidence level is steadily \nimproving as the days go on, as each practice goes on,” Porter said. “We put that game behind us, and we know what we have to do this week.”\nJoe Paterno’s Nittany Lions have the same conference and regular season record as the Hoosiers. Even though Penn State’s record isn’t as strong as in past years, after coaching for 42 years, Paterno’s team still shows a defensive toughness – one that will go head-to-head with IU’s high-scoring spread offense.\nSecond in the Big Ten in scoring defense, total defense and sacks, the Nittany Lions possess a stingy unit that will make sophomore quarterback Kellen Lewis earn every yard.\n“I would say, take Michigan State’s intensity and maybe double it,” Lewis said. “They just play with a high level of intensity, and they always play like they know that they are better than you up front, they’re better than you at linebacker, they’re better than you at corner.”\nNot exactly a team that will let the Hoosier passing attack march down the field.\nBut gaining yards and controlling the clock are what the Hoosiers will have to do to stay with Penn State, especially after IU only ran 16 offensive plays in the first half at Michigan State last Saturday.\nFor a team that runs the ball as well as Penn State – the team is second in the Big Ten in rushing touchdowns – the Hoosiers know they will have to tackle better than the team that allowed 368 yards rushing at Michigan State last week as well.\n“We know we missed a lot of tackles,” Porter said. “We know we have to tackle, we have to wrap up and get more guys to the ball.”\nIn defending a sporadic quarterback like Penn State’s Anthony Morelli, Porter also said it will be just as important to put pressure on the quarterback as it will be to stop the run. Though the Hoosiers are first in the nation in sacks, he said a balanced defense will be key to stopping the Nittany Lions’ offense.\nWhile the Hoosiers need to make stops on defense, they do not have to score on their first possession to make a statement against Penn State, IU coach Bill Lynch said. Instead, a fiery attitude from the first whistle until the final seconds tick off is what will be vital in playing a Penn State defense that gives up only 12.7 points per game.\n“We have to make it a four-quarter game, and we have to play as hard as we can possibly play,” Lynch said. “Our effort and that energy level that we come with is going to be very important.”\nLynch praised Paterno’s long-term success at Penn State, and said he believes the players are a complete football team.\n“Offense, defense and special teams, they are a football team,” Lynch said. “They may have those basic uniforms, but inside them they play hard and smart and are where they are supposed to be.”