This was not the opponent that Penn State wanted to see for its season opener. Not in any season, really, but certainly not this (insert whatever adjectives you’re using to describe 2020 these days) season.
Indiana, the punchy punchline of the Big Ten. Maybe someday someone will come along and lead the Hoosiers to back-to-back-to-back conference titles, and they’ll smack around Alabama in a playoff game, and the five-stars will flock to Bloomington. Until that day arrives, though, Indiana is not a name that will be taken seriously among fans of other Big Ten programs. On the contrary, people will expect Indiana to find new and creative ways to hand opponents the game, because, well, that’s what Indiana does.
The Nittany Lions themselves had little reason to take the Hoosiers lightly after getting healthy scares last season (34-27) and the season before (33-28), but players hear the Indiana jokes, and they know who they’re playing next week.
