“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”

It’s a very common and old time saying, but right now, what else can you really say. Penn State faithful needs to hang tough to make it through the rest of this season — as do the players, coaches and really anyone else associated with the Penn State football program.

I’m sure when Penn State athletic director Pat Kraft made the decision to move on from James Franklin, he knew that the program was going to have to navigate through some rough waters for the remainder of the 2025 campaign. I don’t like to put words into anyone’s mouth, but common sense would tell you that Kraft made the decision obviously not for the immediate present, but for the future.

Times are certainly going to be tough until the Nittany Lions have a new leader at the helm, and again, there could be very few wins to celebrate from now until Nov. 30.

Penn State lost its fifth game in a row last week in a 38-14 defeat to the No. 1 team in the country in Ohio State. The slate doesn’t get any easier this week as the Nittany Lions will host the No. 2 team in the country in Indiana (Noon ET, FOX).

The Nittany Lions will need to be a whole lot better against the pass this week as Heisman Trophy favorite and potential No. 1 pick in Hoosiers’ quarterback Fernando Mendoza and the Indiana passing attack are coming into Beaver Stadium. Mendoza ranks second in the country in touchdowns passes with 25 and has thrown for 2,124 yards. He has two game breakers at wide receiver as well in Omar Cooper Jr. (669 receiving yards, 8 TDs) and Elijah Sarratt (609, 10 TDs).

The Penn State defense did not look good at all against Ohio State’s passing attack last week, giving up 316 yards and four touchdowns. Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith both went over 120 yards receiving in the game and combined for three receiving scores.

Last week I talked about how important it was for the Nittany Lions’ defense to get pressure on the quarterback. That will once again need to be priority No. 1 on the defensive side of the ball this week. Buckeyes’ quarterback Julian Sayin had too much time to throw the ball down the field, and if Mendoza gets that same amount of time then you can expect to see the same result this afternoon. Penn State has fallen to 93rd in the country in sacks per game as it’s down to just 1.8 per contest.

The Hoosiers also run the ball as well as anybody in the country and their offense bolsters a two-headed monster that has been very productive. Indiana ranks sixth in the country in rushing offense, as they average 245.7 rushing yards per game. Kaelon Black (619 rushing yards, 4 TDs) and Roman Hemby (601, 5 TDs) are a tough duo to hold in check.

I thought PSU actually did a pretty good job against the Buckeyes’ rushing attack last week except for one explosive run. Still, even with the IU rushing attack being as good as it is, I think the main concern has got to be eliminating the big plays in the passing game.

I know I keep sounding like a broken record, but interim head coach Terry Smith and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have to find a way to push the ball down the field on the offensive side of the ball. I get it. Ethan Grunkemeyer is an inexperienced quarterback, but it’s time to take the handcuffs off the redshirt freshman and let’s see what he’s got.

I just think the offense has again been too conservative. Right now, this team has nothing to lose. Let Grunkemeyer throw the ball down the field and maybe he will make a big play or two that can give the offense some confidence.

You know Kaytron Allen is going to come to play in the run game. Allen has rushed for 688 yards and 10 touchdowns, and he has scored a rushing touchdown in all eight of Penn State’s game this season. But playing one-dimensional football will continually put you at a disadvantage.

True freshman Koby Howard made another play at wide receiver last week and it continues to baffle me why Howard and redshirt freshman Tyseer Denmark are not on the field more often. Coach Smith, when he was asked that question numerous times by reporters in his Monday press conference, responded by saying that the freshman didn’t have a full grasp of the playbook when referring to why Howard hasn’t been on the field more.

I don’t quite fully understand that. I think you need to find a way to get your most explosive players on the field and nine games in, the staff should have a plan for that.

Las Vegas has Penn State as a 14.5-point underdog to Indiana.

When the season started, I don’t think I would have ever imagined uttering these words, but I just don’t trust the defense. The Hoosiers tallied 588 yards of total offense last week in another dominant victory, defeating Maryland 55-10. IU had 367 rushing yards and 221 passing yards in the game. IU also ranks No. 1 in the country in scoring offense, averaging 46.4 points per game.

The PSU defense would really need to do a total 180-degree turn and execute things that they haven’t been able to regularly execute, specifically getting after the quarterback and completing the rush with a sack.

Indiana has also been so good this season because they force turnovers. The Hoosiers forced five takeaways against the Terrapins last week and they’re plus-12 in turnover margin, which ranks second in the country. I just think this is too much of an uphill climb, and I’m guessing this week turns out a lot like last week. Penn State will hang tough in the first half, but the Hoosiers will pull away in the second half.

My pick is: Indiana 31, Penn State 14.