With Indiana looming, PSU can’t afford to dwell on loss
Jahan Dotson didn’t wait to turn his attention toward Indiana.
After he left the locker room last Saturday following a loss in Minneapolis, the sophomore wide receiver walked to the bus that would take the Penn State traveling party to the airport and immediately turned on his iPad.
“I started watching film on Indiana and not worrying about the loss,” Dotson said. “Moving onto the Indiana game was going to help me get over the Minnesota game. I wanted to bounce back as much as I could for Indiana, so I’m prepared for this week.”
The No. 9 Nittany Lions (81, 5-1 Big Ten) will try to rebound from their first defeat and beat Indiana (7-2, 4-2) Saturday (12 noon, Channel 6) at Beaver Stadium.
Dotson and linebacker Jan Johnson acknowledged that Penn State allowed its first loss each of the last two seasons, to Ohio State, to linger into its next game, losses to Michigan State.
“We know that in years past our first loss has carried over to the next game,” Dotson said. “We just want to bounce back and get back on track. We’re doing everything competitively in practice. We’re trying to better ourselves. We’re helping each other through the fight.”
The Lions got off to a slow start last week at Minnesota, especially on defense. The Golden Gophers built a 2410 lead in the second quarter and rolled up 321 total yards in the first half. It was a deficit that Penn State couldn’t overcome before losing 31-26.
“We can’t wait until the second, third or fourth quarter and finally turn it on,” said defensive tackle PJ Mustipher. “That’s going to be a point of emphasis. We have to be ready to work as soon as that whistle blows and as soon as we touch the field.”
Indiana has been one of the surprise teams in the Big Ten and the country. The Hoosiers entered the national rankings this week for the first time since 1994, at No. 24 in the Associated Press poll. But they’ve lost to their only previous opponent with a winning record, Ohio State (51-10).
Two weeks ago, they lost dynamic quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to a seasonending injury in his right shoulder. Peyton Ramsey, who had alternated with Penix, has completed 72 percent of his passes for 1,302 yards and nine touchdowns.
Wide receiver Whop Philyor and running back Stevie Scott III have helped the fastpaced Indiana offense average 34.0 points a game.
“They’re going to throw the ball and they’re going to throw the ball a lot,” Mustipher said. “I watched a thousand passing plays. I didn’t see many running plays. They’re going to throw that rock. That’s their bread and butter.”
The Hoosiers use a highrisk, high-reward scheme on defense, which has held Eastern Illinois, Connecticut, Rutgers and Northwestern to less than 200 yards. Ohio State and Nebraska, on the other hand, topped 500 yards.
“They’re a very good defense,” Dotson said. “They play with great effort. They have a lot of guys who are impressive. As long as we prepare the correct way, we can go 1-0. We have to take it step by step.”