No. 2 Indiana looking for first win in Happy Valley against sinking Penn State

Terry Smith wants to give the Penn State football program something to feel good about, but he knows he’s running out of chances.

The team’s interim coach will lead the Nittany Lions (3-5, 0-5 Big Ten) as they try to snap a five-game losing streak against No. 2 Indiana (9-0, 6-0) on Saturday.

With the athletic department currently searching for a new coach, Smith has taken on extra responsibilities. At this point, those include re-recruiting players who chose to don the program’s plaintive white helmets in the first place.

“The reality is no one knows who is going to be here,” Smith said. “When the next head coach is hired, that person could wipe the whole building out. We just try to stay grounded, keep our feet on the ground, and be professionals. The young men in the locker room, they deserve that. They’re showing up to work every single day, so us as coaching and as a staff, we have to give our 110% for these guys.”

Since Smith took over after James Franklin’s firing on Oct. 12, Penn State has lost in two of the Big Ten’s toughest environments. The Nittany Lions let Iowa come back and win 25-24 at Kinnick Stadium before losing in Columbus to No. 1 Ohio State 38-14.

While Smith tries to change Penn State’s trajectory with just four games left, it’s taken Curt Cignetti just two seasons to completely change the image of Indiana football.

The Hoosiers won a school record 11 games and made their first playoff appearance last season. This year they’ve extended their school record home winning streak to 14. Now, they can achieve another milestone — winning for the first time in 14 tries in State College.

The Hoosiers have struggled mightily in this series, going just 2-25 overall. It’s not something Cignetti intends to talk much about.

“Everything in this game is earned, not given, and you’ve got to earn it every single day,” Cignetti said. “The game gives you nothing. You get out what you put in. We’ve got to really be sharp this week and have a great mindset.”

Indiana’s offense will be without starting guard Drew Evans. The status of two other starters, preseason All-American linebacker Aiden Fisher and top receiver Elijah Sarratt, probably won’t be known until Saturday.

Evans missed last week's game with an undisclosed injury and was replaced in the lineup by Zen Michalski, an Ohio State transfer who had primarily played offensive tackle. Fisher injured his left knee in the rout over UCLA two weeks ago and was a late scratch at Maryland. Sarratt left last weekend’s game in the first half with an injured hamstring and was held out as a precaution though Cignetti said Sarratt also was dealing with an additional undisclosed injury.

Sarratt is tied for second among FBS players with 10 touchdown catches this season.

Two weeks ago, the Hoosiers faced a UCLA team that made midseason changes with the head coach, offensive coordinator and defensive coordinator. Back then, Cignetti said he wouldn’t look at the film from those prior to the changes.

That’s not necessarily the case this week against another conference school that made a midseason coaching change.

“The defensive coordinator is still in place, and obviously we faced him last season at Ohio State, so that part of it really hasn’t changed,” Cignetti said. “We put a little bit more weight, obviously, on some games than others in our breakdowns. Same with the offense. But in regards to our defensive preparation, there will be obviously a strong focus on their offense since this fella (Ethan Grunkemyer) has been playing quarterback. That doesn’t mean that we won’t look at all the other stuff because a lot of it is core to what they do.”

Penn State has looked for ways to get its vertical passing game going.

Smith has committed to playing freshmen receivers Tyseer Denmark and Koby Howard, but both underclassmen barely saw the field at Iowa and Ohio State. Howard caught one pass for 26 yards in Columbus while Denmark hasn’t caught a ball since the season opener.

The Nittany Lions are 104th nationally with only 62 passes of 10 or more yards. They’ve completed only 16 passes for more than 20 yards.

“We keep saying that,” Smith said. “It’s my job to make sure it gets changed. It will get changed this week. I’m talking with the offensive staff. We’re going to push the ball a little bit further down the field.”

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