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Penn State's mission vs. Indiana: Stopping Tevin Coleman

Indiana junior Tevin Coleman may be the nation's best running back, and the reason goes far beyond the fact that he leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing.

Indiana running back Tevin Coleman breaks away from Iowa defensive back Jordan Lomax. (Reese Strickland/USA Today Sports)
Indiana running back Tevin Coleman breaks away from Iowa defensive back Jordan Lomax. (Reese Strickland/USA Today Sports)Read more

Indiana junior Tevin Coleman may be the nation's best running back, and the reason goes far beyond the fact that he leads the Football Bowl Subdivision in rushing.

The Hoosiers (3-5, 0-4 Big Ten), who host Penn State on Saturday, have been experiencing rotten luck at quarterback in their last three games. They lost their top two quarterbacks, Nate Sudfeld and Chris Covington, with season-ending injuries Oct. 11 against Iowa.

Third-stringer Zander Diamont, a freshman, has played the last two games and completed 10 of 23 passes for all of 35 yards in losses to Michigan State and Michigan. Nate Boudreau, his backup, was injured last week and is listed as day-to-day.

So the 6-foot-1, 210-pound Coleman soldiers on against opposing defenses that don't have to worry about the pass and aren't afraid to put eight men in the box to try to stop him. His 132 rushing yards against Michigan State and his 108-yard output against Michigan made Coleman 8 for 8 in 100-yard rushing games this season.

He certainly has Penn State's attention. Lions coach James Franklin compared him to former Arkansas star Darren McFadden for his mix of size and strength.

"The fact that he's able to do this and they've been really one-dimensional since they've lost their quarterbacks . . . I think really speaks volumes of the type of back he is and how well they're playing up front," Franklin said. "I've been very impressed with them."

Coleman has rushed for 1,300 yards and averages 162.5 yards per game and 8.02 yards per carry. He needed only 15 rushes to gain 219 yards against Iowa and scored on TD runs of 83, 69, and 45 yards.

"I looked at him on film and he's a really explosive back," Penn State defensive tackle Anthony Zettel said. "He's a one-cut kind of guy that makes a big impact on the field and gains big yards a carry. It's a big challenge for our defense and we're excited for it."

Former St. Augustine Prep star Austin Johnson, Zettel's partner at defensive tackle, said Coleman succeeds by getting "skinny through holes.

"He finds the hole very quickly and he's very good at it," Johnson said. "So we have to be very good with our technique and very consistent."

The Nittany Lions (4-4, 1-4) lead the nation in rushing defense at 77.1 yards per game. They have allowed just a single 100-yard rusher - Ohio State's Ezekial Elliott with 109 yards - all season. They've enjoyed success with a very good front four backed up by middle linebacker Mike Hull, an all-Big Ten candidate.

They've bought into the style and mentality of first-year defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, whom Johnson called "a genius."

"We have a mentality on defense that we're going to keep on attacking no matter what," he said. "That's what we're about on defense, just keep on attacking. We're going to do that every play that we're out there until the end of the season."

The Hoosiers are quickly bringing along true freshmen Diamont and Danny Cameron, the son of LSU offensive coordinator and former Indiana and Miami Dolphins head coach Cam Cameron. Coleman expects the team to have more balance Saturday.

"It's real tough, but we're working hard to fix that," he said after the Michigan game. "We're going to fix that by practicing hard, just keep working."

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