This year, IU football has continuously adapted to new regulations and guidelines as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. Now, after its season was nearly lost, the team welcomes No. 8 Penn State when the season kicks off on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.
The Hoosiers will have to continue to adapt, as they’ve done throughout the fall, but this time it’ll be on the field against live competition. And for the first time in program history, the team will play the Nittany Lions on opening day.
The last time IU started its season at home was in 2017 against then-No. 2 Ohio State. It was the first home game for Tom Allen as the team’s head coach.
“That was a challenging opportunity, and so it feels similar to that — playing a team of that caliber,” Allen said during a Monday Zoom call. “Bottom line is, you have to have all those typical, first-game questions answered. But the margin for error is much, much smaller.”
Both teams will feature new offensive coordinators on game day. Penn State hired former Minnesota offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach Kirk Ciarrocca, while IU promoted Nick Sheridan, who coached tight ends last season, after the departure of Kalen DeBoer.
The Hoosiers’ defense will prepare for an offense that returns 10 starters, including junior quarterback Sean Clifford and junior tight end Pat Freiermuth.
However, the Nittany Lions will be without junior running back Journey Brown, who is at risk of missing the entire season due to an undisclosed medical condition. Brown rushed for 100 yards, including a 35-yard touchdown in last year’s matchup in University Park, Pennsylvania.
Under Ciarrocca, Minnesota ranked fourth in the Big Ten in scoring and yards per game last season. But it has yet to be seen how he will adjust his scheme based on Penn State’s roster.
“I think it’s a culmination of seeing what their personnel is and what he’s done in the past and trying to blend the two,” IU defensive coordinator Kane Wommack said.
Penn State also returns only four defensive starters, and All-American junior linebacker Micah Parsons decided to opt out of the 2020 season to prepare for the NFL draft this year.
But despite the new personnel, Sheridan said the Nittany Lions are a perennial top defense in the Big Ten, making them a top defense in the nation. In 2019, they allowed just 16 points per game, which ranked third in the conference.
“They’re not lacking for ability, they’re not lacking for talent and they’re extremely well-coached and aggressive,” Sheridan said. “We look for the guys that are filling in those shoes to be productive and outstanding players.”
IU is coming off an 8-5 record, its best season since 1993. But a 23-22 loss to the University of Tennessee in the Gator Bowl still lingers for some members of the team.
As IU heads into a nine-game, conference-only schedule, the team will have opportunities to cement itself as a program that shouldn’t be looked over in the Big Ten.
“I see a lot of people playing with a chip on their shoulder,” IU sophomore quarterback Micahel Penix Jr. said Tuesday. “Going out and performing real hard in practice, just straining to be great.”
In 2019, IU lost 34-27 against Penn State, who leads the overall series between the two teams 22-1. The Hoosiers’ lone victory against the Nittany Lions came in 2013.
During Allen’s tenure, the Hoosiers have never defeated a nationally-ranked opponent. But he said one of the team’s goals this season is to finish against the top teams in the Big Ten and in the country.
“Playing a team like Penn State gives us that opportunity,” Allen said. “And then when you talk about what’s next for our program, it’s winning these games. Obviously, being close is no longer acceptable, or the goal, or the objective whatsoever.”
