UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 18/16 Penn State returns to the road to take on Indiana Saturday afternoon starting at 3:30 p.m. on ABC.

(Photo by Paul Burdick. Check out more of Burdick’s work here)

Penn State Game Notes

Penn State looks to return to its winning ways after its second close loss of the season. The Nittany Lions are 24-5 in their last 29 games dating back to 2016, with none of the five losses being decided by more than four points.

Penn State has won 20 of 21 all-time meetings against the Hoosiers, and the two teams have met annually for the past 12 years. The Lions rallied past Indiana in their last trip to Bloomington in 2016, erasing a 10-point third-quarter deficit with a 31-7 scoring run. Quarterback Trace McSorley has thrown for more than 300 yards in each of his previous two games against Indiana.

McSorley, now Penn State’s career passing yards leader, leads an offense that ranks second in the Big Ten in scoring (44.2) and third in total yards (491.2). McSorley and running back Miles Sanders have led a particularly strong running game this season that is averaging 251.8 yards per game, which ranks second in the Big Ten and 12th nationally. Sanders is averaging 116.7 yards rushing per game and 6.73 yards rushing per carry to rank second in the Big Ten in both categories.

The Penn State defense continues to get stops in the backfield, leading the Big Ten and ranking ninth in FBS with 8.5 tackles for loss per game. Its 21.0 points allowed per game ranks fifth in the Big Ten.
Indiana looks to get back on track after taking losses in three of its last four games, including defeats to Michigan State and Ohio State. Quarterback Peyton Ramsey leads a pass-heavy offense, ranking 10th in FBS with 24.6 completions per game, while J-Shun Harris II is the Big Ten’s leading punt returner (12.5 ypr).

HEAD COACH TOM ALLEN

• Tom Allen was named Indiana University’s 29th head football coach on Dec. 1, 2016. He made his head coaching debut in the 2016 Foster Farms Bowl.
• Allen joined Indiana as the associate head coach and defensive coordinator prior to the 2016 season.
• Since his arrival, Indiana is the most improved team nationally in total defense (-169.4 ypg) and passing defense (-134.1 ypg), the sixth-most improved in third down defense (-12.2 percent) and the ninth-most improved in points per game allowed (-12.3 ypg).
• He was a nominee for the 2016 Broyles Award, which honors college football’s top assistant coach.
• A 26-year coaching veteran, Allen was the defensive coordinator at USF in 2015, the linebackers coach and special teams coordinator at Ole Miss (2012-14), the assistant head coach at Arkansas State (2011) and the defensive coordinator and linebackers coach at Drake University (2010).

SCOUTING THE HOOSIERS

• Indiana is 4-3 overall and 1-3 in Big Ten play. The Hoosiers opened the season with three-straight non-conference wins over FIU, Virginia and Ball State and own a Big Ten win over Rutgers, but they have been defeated by Michigan State, Ohio State and Iowa.
• Indiana uses a pass-heavy attack on offense, as quarterback Peyton Ramsey ranks third in the Big Ten and 10th in FBS averaging 24.57 completions per game, but yielding just 9.44 yards per completion. His 68.0 completion percentage ranks fourth in the Big Ten at 17th in FBS.
• Stevie Scott leads the ground game, ranking sixth in the Big Ten with 79.6 rushing yards per game.
• Indiana has taken advantage of turnovers this season, as it has scored 48 points off of 14 takeaways. The Hoosiers have a takeaway in all seven games and an interception in six of seven games.
• J-Shun Harris II is the Big Ten’s leading punt returner averaging 12.5 yards per return (11th FBS). He also returned a punt for a touchdown against Ball State. It was his third career punt return touchdown, tying the Indiana school record.

PENN STATE-INDIANA CONNECTIONS

• Penn State junior running back Mark Allen and redshirt freshman defensive end Shane Simmons and Indiana junior defensive back Tyler Green played together at DeMatha Catholic in Maryland.
• Penn State sophomore QB Sean Clifford and Indiana redshirt freshman OL Dominic Altimari played together at St. Xavier in Cincinnati.
• Penn State sophomore WR Mac Hippenhammer and Indiana redshirt freshman Zenden Dellinger played together at R. Nelson Snider in Indiana.
• Penn State freshman DT Judge Culpepper and Indiana redshirt freshmen DB Juwan Burgess and LB Thomas Allen, sophomore WR Whop Philyor, and freshman LB Micah McFadden played together at H.B. Plant High School in Florida.

NITTANY LIONS FROM INDIANA

• WR Mac Hippenhammer – Fort Wayne/R. Nelson Snider
• QB Tommy Stevens – Indianapolis/Decatur Central

HEARTBREAKERS

• The Nittany Lions’ last five losses have been by a total of 12 points (2016: USC – 3 points; 2017: Ohio State – 1 point, Michigan State – 3 points; 2018: Ohio State – 1 point, Michigan State — 4 points), which is the smallest margin of defeat over five losses in program history.
• The 2016 loss to USC in the Rose Bowl and 2017 Michigan State loss came on field goals as time expired.
• Ohio State took leads with 1:48 remaining (2017) and 2:03 remaining (2018).
• Michigan State took its first lead in 2018 on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining.
• Penn State last lost a game by more than four points on Sept. 24, 2016 at Michigan (49-10).

MILESTONE WATCH

• Trace McSorley is 390 yards shy of 9,000 career passing yards.
  • … 80 completions shy of 700 career completions.
  • … 44 yards shy of 10,000 career yards of total offense.
  • … 6 TDs shy of 100 career touchdowns responsible for.
• Tommy Stevens is 124 yards shy of 500 career rushing yards.
• Juwan Johnson is 8 yards shy of 1,000 career receiving yards.

MILESTONES ACHIEVED

• Miles Sanders surpassed 1,000 career rushing yards with 162 against Michigan State.
• Trace McSorley surpassed 1,000 career passing attempts with 32 against Michigan State.
  • … 1,000 career rushing yards with 54 yards against Kent State.
  • … 9,000 career yards of total offense with 283 against Kent State.
  • … 8,000 career passing yards with 160 against Illinois.
  • … 600 career completions with 16 against Ohio State.
• DeAndre Thompkins surpassed 1,000 career receiving yards with 101 against Kent State.
  • … surpassed 500 career punt return yards with a 29-yard return against App State.

STREAKING

• QB Trace McSorley has thrown a touchdown pass in 34 consecutive games, dating to the 2016 TaxSlayer Bowl, extending his school record. It is the longest active streak in FBS and the fifth-longest in Autonomy Five history.
• Penn State has rushed for 200 yards in nine consecutive games, dating back to last season’s Nebraska game on November 18, 2018.
• Penn State has scored first in its last nine games.
• The Lions have made 179 consecutive extra points.
• Penn State has won its last eight games against Big Ten West Division opponents.

SECOND-HALF TEAM

• Penn State leads FBS in scoring offense in the second half, averaging 26.3 points. Western Michigan is second averaging 23.71 points.
• Penn State also leads FBS in fourth-quarter scoring, averaging 16.67 points. Houston is second averaging 14.5 points.
• For the season, Penn State is outscoring opponents  158-69 in the second half. The plus-14.83 points per game margin in the second half leads FBS.
• Penn State’s plus-8.67 scoring differential in the fourth quarter ranks fifth in FBS. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)

MOVING THE BALL

• Penn State is averaging 491.2 yards per game on offense to rank 13th in FBS and third in the Big Ten.
• Penn State is the first and only FBS team to record two 90-plus yard plays from scrimmage this season.
• Penn State leads the Big Ten in “big play” (15 or more passing yards and 12 or more rushing yards) percentage (17.22% of plays; 10th in FBS), 12 or more-yard run percentage (15.66% of plays; 3rd in FBS) and 15 or more-yard passing percentage (19.34% of plays; 37th in FBS). (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
• Penn State ranks tied for eighth in FBS with eight scoring drives of less than one minute.
• The Nittany Lions had 1,234 yards of total offense over the Kent State (643) and Illinois (591) games, which is the highest two-game total since posting 1,266 against Temple (605) an Rutgers (661) in 1995.
• Penn State’s 591 yards of total offense at Illinois rank fifth in program history in Big Ten games and are the fourth-best outing of James Franklin‘s tenure.
• Penn State had 31 first downs against the Illini, the second-highest total under Franklin and the fourth-best total in the program’s Big Ten history.
• Penn State’s 643 total yards of offense against Kent State were the most by the Nittany Lions since having 661 yards of total offense at Rutgers in 1995.

TOTAL EFFORT FOR MCSORLEY

• QB Trace McSorley owns the Penn State career passing yards record with 8,610 yards.
• McSorley has 9,956 yards of total offense for his career, which is a Penn State record and ranks 11th place in the Big Ten annals. He trails Juice Williams of Illinois (10,594) for 10th place.
• McSorley has 1,346 career rushing yards, which ranks 32nd in program history and second among quarterbacks.
• McSorley’s six rushing touchdowns this season rank third in the Big Ten, one behind running back Miles Sanders. McSorley tied the Penn State record for rushing touchdowns by a quarterback in a season with 11 rushing scores in 2017 to equal the mark of 11 set by Michael Robinson in 2005.
• McSorley’s 447 yards rushing this season are good for  third on Penn State’s single-season list for rushing yards by a quarterback. He trails his own mark of 491 yards rushing from last season for second place.
• McSorley finished the Ohio State game with 461 yards of total offense (286 passing, 175 rushing), setting the Penn State record for total offense in a game. The previous school mark was 456 yards by Christian Hackenberg (454 passing, 2 rushing) vs. UCF in Dublin in 2014.
• McSorley had a career-high 175 rushing yards against Ohio State, surpassing his previous high of 92 yards the previous week at Illinois. It’s the most by a Penn State quarterback since Eugene “Shorty” Miller had 250 against Carnegie Tech in 1913.
• McSorley’s 25 rushing attempts against Ohio State were a career high. His previous high was 19 against Ohio State in 2016.
• McSorley’s 51-yard rush in the first quarter of the Ohio State game was a career long. His previous longest run was a 36-yard scamper against Pitt in 2017.
• McSorley’s 286 yards passing against Ohio State gave him 25 200-yard passing games for his career, extending his Penn State record.
• McSorley’s 93-yard touchdown pass to KJ Hamler in the second quarter against Ohio State was a career long and the second-longest play from scrimmage in Penn State history.

PILING UP THE POINTS

• Penn State is averaging 44.2 points per game to rank second in the Big Ten and eighth in FBS in scoring.
• The Nittany Lions had their streak of 20-point games snapped at 28 against Michigan State when they were held to 17 points. The streak is the second-longest in Big Ten history.
• Penn State owns the lowest plays per point ratio in the Big Ten at 1.65, which ranks fifth in FBS. (Per Coaches by the Numbers).
• Penn State ranks eighth in FBS in points per possession (2.56) and second in the Big Ten, trailing Ohio State. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
• Penn State scored 63 points in consecutive games (Kent State; Illinois) for the third time in program history (1917 & 1894).
• At Illinois, the Nittany Lions scored 60 or more points for the third time in six games.
• The Nittany Lions are the fourth Big Ten team to score 60 or more points in consecutive games in the last 100 years, joining 2016 Ohio State, 1996 Ohio State and 1971 Michigan. (Per @BTNStatsGuys)
• At Illinois, the Nittany Lions scored at least 50 points for the seventh time since 2016 and 40 points for the 15th time since 2016. By comparison, from 2008 through 2015, the Nittany Lions had 18 40-point outings.
• Penn State has scored 30 or more points 22 times in the last 26 games.
• Penn State’s 222 points in the first four games were the most in a four-game stretch in program history.
• The 35 points scored in the fourth quarter at Illinois are the most in a quarter since Penn State had 36 tallies in the second quarter against Louisville in 1997.
• The 63 points scored at Illinois are tied for the second-most by the Nittany Lions in a Big Ten game with the 1994 Ohio State and 2005 Illinois games. The program record for points in a Big Ten contest is 66 at Maryland last season.

THE MILES SANDERS SHOW

• RB Miles Sanders’ 116.7 rushing yards per game ranks eighth in FBS and second in the Big Ten.
• Sanders ranks third in FBS in yards after contact (487), eluding 28 tackles to rank 13th.
• Sanders’ 162 yards rushing against Michigan State gave him 1,075 for his career, making him the 45th Nittany Lion with at least 1,000 rushing yards. He ranks 43rd in program history in rushing yards.
• Sanders’ 162 yards against the Spartans marked the third 100-yard rushing game of his career, and first since a 200-yard effort earlier this season against Illinois.
• Sanders had a career-long 78 yard rush in the first quarter against Michigan State. His previous long was a 57-yard run at Rutgers in 2016.
• Prior to playing Penn State, the longest rush that Michigan State had allowed this season was a 16-yard run against Central Michigan. Sanders’ 78-yard run in the first quarter was the longest against Michigan State since Mike Weber of Ohio State had an 82-yard rush on November 11, 2017.
• Sanders posted his first 200-yard outing with a career-high 200 yards at Illinois. He was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week and the Rose Bowl Game Player of the Week for the performance.
• Sanders is the 28th player in Penn State history with a 200-yard rushing game and the first since Saquon Barkleyin 2017 (at Iowa).
• Sanders is the sixth player (nine occasions) in Penn State history to have 200 rushing yards and at least three rushing touchdowns in a game. The last player with 200 rushing yards and three scores was Larry Johnson in 2002, which he accomplished twice.
• Sanders set a career high with three rushing touchdowns against the Illini, breaking his previous high of two scores against App State in the season opener.

LIMITED ACCESS

• Penn State ranks fifth in the Big Ten and 34th in FBS in scoring defense, allowing 21.0 points per game.
• Penn State ranks tied for 16th in FBS and tops in the Big Ten with Iowa averaging 4.83 three-and-outs per game.
• Penn State’s 1.15 points per possession ranks 10th in FBS and second in the Big Ten behind Michigan. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
• Penn State’s 1.13 points per possession over the last two years is fourth in FBS. (Per Coaches by the Numbers)
• Penn State broke up 15 passes against the Spartans, which was the most for the team since breaking up 16 passes against Purdue in 2000.
• Penn State became the first team to hold Ohio State scoreless in the opening stanza this season. The Buckeyes had scored at least 10 points in the first quarter in each of the first four games of the season.
• Penn State is the first team to hold Ohio State under 100 yards of offense in a half since Oklahoma did it last year in the first half of their 2017 meeting.
• Penn State allowed just seven second-half points at Illinois and shutout Pitt and Kent State in the second half.
• Penn State allowed just 221 total yards to Kent State, the sixth-fewest yards allowed under James Franklin, tied with 221 yards allowed at Indiana in 2014.
• The 221 total yards allowed vs. Kent State are the fewest since allowing 200 vs. Rutgers in 2017.
• The Nittany Lions allowed just 41 yards rushing by Kent State, the lowest value since giving up 39 at Rutgers in 2016.
• Penn State held Pitt to just six points, marking the fewest points allowed by Penn State since holding Maryland to three points in the 2017 regular season finale.

STEPPING UP ON D

• Penn State’s top five tacklers this season do not include any returning starters from last season.
• In his first start at middle linebacker in the opener against App State, Jan Johnson had a career-high 11 tackles, including four solo. He leads the team with 34 tackles.
• S Garrett Taylor has 33 tackles on the season and is coming off a career game against Michigan State. Taylor had a career-high five pass breakups, which were the most by a Penn State player since Amani Oruwariye had five against Michigan State in 2017.  Taylor also recorded his first career forced fumble and grabbed the second interception of his career. It was his second-straight game with a pick.
• Safety Nick Scott recorded a career-best nine tackles in the opener at App State and has 30 tackles on the season.
• LB Cam Brown and LB Micah Parsons are tied with 28 tackles apiece this year. Brown is third on the team with 5.0 tackles for loss.

CAUSING CHAOS BEHIND THE LINE

• Penn State ranks 13th in FBS and third in the Big Ten with 3.17 sacks per game, and ninth in FBS and tops in the Big Ten with 8.5 tackles for loss per game.
• Penn State is continuing to bring a balanced pass rush, as 14 different Nittany Lions have contributed to the team’s 19 sacks for the season.
• DE Shareef Miller leads the team with 4.0 sacks, seventh in the Big Ten with 0.67 per game, while his team-best 8.5 tackles for loss rank fifth in the Big Ten.
• The Nittany Lions totaled 42 sacks in 13 games in 2017. Following totals of 46 sacks in 2015 and 40 sacks in 2016, Penn State posted back-to-back-to-back 40-sack seasons for the first time since it posted three-consecutive 40-sack seasons in 2005 (41), 2006 (40) and 2007 (46).