Indiana was forced to play in unfamiliar terrain on Saturday, when Penn State recovered from a 13-point loss and took a 24-20 advantage over the No. In the final quarter of the game, the No. 2 team in the nation was able to overcome a 13-point deficit and take a 24-20 lead over Indiana. Indiana forced a Penn State kick with just two minutes left to play after burning its three timeouts. This gave Mendoza and his offense one last chance to avoid the first loss of the year. Mendoza started off with a sack, but then he began to make some important completions. After a seam shot, Mendoza found Charlie Becker to make his ninth reception of the day and set up the goal-to-go scenario. Mendoza’s throw to Cooper Jr. on third-and goal was a high pass. Cooper Jr. managed to get his left foot to touch the inbounds line while his right leg hovered above the paint of the endzone. This led to the winning score and the go-ahead with just 36 seconds remaining.
Penn State had the ball in midfield but couldn’t get it to the field goal range, and Ethan Grunkemeyer failed to make his Hail Mary at the end of the game. Mendoza had one of his poorest statistical performances this season. He completed 19-of-30 pass attempts for 218 yard, with one touchdown, and one interception. The one touchdown was the result of a remarkable drive, which will live long in Indiana football history, despite an otherwise disappointing game. Becker, who didn’t score the game-winning touchdown but totaled 117 receiving yards for nearly matching his career in one match, stepped up to help injured star Elijah Sarratt. Hoosiers started off slow, but gained a 20-7 advantage midway through third quarter due in part to two turnovers caused by their defense.
The Nittany Lions defense kept Penn State in the game despite Indiana’s advantage. Penn State’s defensive effort allowed them to cut the Indiana lead down to 10 by the time the momentum swung in the Nittany Lions direction. Nick Singleton, aided in his 59-yard run by an umpire’s mistake in the secondary, finally broke free in the fourth quarter. This led to a Penn State touchdown that cut the deficit down to three.
Mendoza attempted to hit a corner route deep on the second down but was underthrown by his man. King Mack of Penn State, the safety, then intercepted the pass, giving the Nittany Lions possession in the plus territory.
Singleton added an exclamation to this solid drive by taking a pass on a screen, and forcing three Indiana defenders to miss as he made his way towards the endzone for the winning score. Penn State’s defense was spectacular all afternoon but they couldn’t get the last stop to pull the shock upset. Penn State’s heartbreaking defeat drops them to 3-6. In a season filled with disappointments, this may have been the worst of all. Indiana’s win puts them at 10-0, and they are on course to face Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship this year. The defense was beaten on the ground and the offense wasn’t as consistent as it would have liked to be. Curt Cignetti would prefer that his team learned those lessons through a win than a defeat, and keep the other Big Ten teams with one loss behind them.
2025-11-08 21:09:12
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