From the players to the coaches to the fans, everybody brought their Saturday best against Indiana, but in keeping with the theme of this cursed season, it wasn’t enough. The Hoosiers prevailed, and in heart-breaking fashion, narrowly avoiding a costly upset loss and denying Coach Terry Smith and the beleaguered Penn State fanbase the signature win they deserve. And yet amid that disappointment there also arose a powerful reminder of everything that makes Penn State football great – the resilient stuff that will survive this moment as it has endured many tougher trials in the past and will be here waiting, strong as ever, when the storm breaks and the next coach arrives.

Following the annual dispiriting loss to Ohio State – somehow both more AND less discouraging than usual – the unranked Penn State Nittany Lions return home to face undefeated and second-ranked Indiana as double-digit underdogs… IN FOOTBALL. What is this world coming to? And what’s next? Real “wrath of God” type stuff. Fire and brimstone coming down from the skies. Rivers and seas boiling. Forty years of darkness. Earthquakes. Volcanoes. The dead rising from the grave.

Bye Week’s over now. Back to the real world.

Penn State didn’t get the win in Terry Smith’s debut as interim head coach versus Iowa, but they did cover the spread for the first time this season. Can the Nittany Lions make it a streak and keep the margin within three touchdowns in Columbus? It seems like the best a beleaguered Nittany Nation can hope for. The guys ponder PSU’s quest for small comfort against the top-ranked Buckeyes and a college coaching carousel that is quickly spinning out of control.