Penn State vs. Indiana: Game Grades, Analysis for the Nittany Lions

No matter how it looked, the Penn State Nittany Lions just needed a win against the Indiana Hoosiers on Saturday—to halt the bleeding from a four-game losing streak, to turn the season around and to keep their bowl hopes alive.

They got one, winning 13-7 in Bloomington, Indiana. 

Though there wasn't a whole lot about which to get excited on the offensive side of the ball, PSU's stingy defense kept Tevin Coleman under 100 yards and continued IU's struggles in the passing game. The only touchdown the Hoosiers mustered was a 47-yard interception return by Mark Murphy for a touchdown.

The Nittany Lions moved to 5-4 on the season with remaining games against Temple, Illinois and Michigan State.

So, how'd PSU fare grade-wise in its nail-biting win Saturday that was short on style points?

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Pass Offense	D	D
Run Offense	B	C+
Pass Defense	A+	A+
Run Defense	A	A
Special Teams	B	C+
Coaching	C	C

Penn State Nittany Lions Grade Analysis

Pass Offense

It's hard to put all the struggles on the broad shoulders of Christian Hackenberg when he's being sacked five more times, making it 35 for the season. But the sophomore signal-caller didn't do himself any favors against the Hoosiers.

Hackenberg threw two ill-advised interceptions, including one where he simply didn't read the safety blitz and passed the ball right into the awaiting arms of Murphy, who rumbled 47 yards for a touchdown.

He also had a couple of drives where he made crucial misreads, including one where he should have run the football on 3rd-and-4 inside the IU 10 but instead threw incomplete in the end zone, leading to a field-goal attempt. He's now thrown interceptions in five straight games and has seven scoring tosses and 12 picks.

Run Offense

Gaining 162 rushing yards behind this offensive line probably feels like an "A+" effort for a PSU team that has been much maligned in that area this season.

But other than Bill Belton's 92-yard scamper, the Lions finished with 36 carries for 70 yards. Any other day, that's a terrible effort. So, while the long run must be factored in, it was far from a banner day on the ground for PSU.

Through the ebbs and flows of the game, the Lions couldn't sustain drives, and the game was forced onto Hackenberg's arm time and time again. It was a step in the right direction, but it wasn't a sterling effort.

Pass Defense

It's possible that without Nate Sudfeld under center, Indiana's pass offense is the worst in all of major-conference football, so handing out a gold star is difficult here.

But Penn State can't control who it plays, and it was flat-out dominant, covering up all of IU's receivers and really not allowing Zander Diamont any window of opportunities for much of the day. Then as the Hoosiers threatened late, Nyeem Wartman put an end to the drive with a big interception.

Not only did PSU make the plays throughout the game, it made the biggest with the game on the line. Diamont had just 68 passing yards and a couple of picks.

USA TODAY Sports

Rush Defense

Allowing a quarterback to gain 84 yards on 14 carries is unacceptable, but Bob Shoop's stingy rush defense is tops in the nation for a reason. It obviously had the game plan of stopping Coleman, and it did.

Simply put, Penn State's defense won this football game. Coleman—the nation's leading rusher—had just 71 yards on 20 carries and was kept out of the end zone.

Regardless of the quarterback scampers (many of which came because coverage was so good downfield), any time you hold Coleman that much in check, a good grade is forthcoming.

Special Teams

Sam Ficken was the reigning Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week, and he nailed a couple of short field goals, but the Nittany Lions also had a 23-yarder blocked.

In most games, getting a close one blocked that way could be a momentum-swinger, but IU couldn't do anything with it.

Since PSU really didn't do anything in the return game and struggled punting, the couple of short field goals don't carry much weight. The only redeeming quality is they were the difference in the game on the scoreboard.

Coaching

It's hard to scheme around a poor offensive line, but this has gone on all season, and James Franklin's team still doesn't seem to be able to get past it.

Hackenberg is one of the highest-potential weapons in the country, but it appears he is regressing. Also, PSU wound up getting stuffed by a bad IU defense on three plays from the 1-yard line. When you can't come up with a play to punch the ball in the end zone, that has to fall somewhat on the coaches.

From a defensive standpoint, Shoop is a mastermind, and the nation is seeing it. The game plan to bottle up Coleman worked perfectly, and PSU's defensive backs made their coaches look good by playing well enough to allow the Lions to stack the box.

When nothing is working and you rely on field position to win the game, it isn't a good look. Luckily for the Lions, they survived with a win. But they've got to play (and coach) better.

All stats and information taken from GoPSUSports.com.

Brad Shepard covers college football for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.