A Few Plays Spoil Solid Indiana Defensive Performance

Image: Scott Taetsch/Getty Images

Written by: Nate Comp (@NathanComp1)

College football fans see it all the time: when you get two ranked opponents playing each other, just a play here or there can be the difference between winning and losing.

What Indiana fans haven’t seen in a while, however, is one of those ranked teams being their Hoosiers.

Today, fans saw two teams worthy of being in the polls battle it out in Happy Valley.

After starting the game with a 3-and-out, the Indiana defense had no time to catch their breath as they were forced back onto the field when Whop Philyor muffed the ensuing punt. Just a couple plays later, Penn State had its first touchdown of the game on a 12-yard Sean Clifford pass to tight end Nick Bowers.

Flash forward to the second half, and after a miscue on a fake punt in which Peyton Hendershot lined up to block but was surprised when the snap hit him in the chest, the Nittany Lions immediately made Indiana pay. Journey Brown capped off a quick 2-play, 28 second drive with a 35-yard touchdown scamper to put Penn State up 27-14.

And when Indiana’s defense needed a stop the most, they were unable to come through. Penn State got the ball with a 27-24 lead and just under 11 minutes to play in the 4th quarter. By ways of two 3rd down and two 4th down conversions, the Nittany Lions tacked on an insurance touchdown on an 18-play drive that consumed 9 minutes of game time.

“There were a few key third-down stops that we really needed to capitalize on, and we didn’t. They’re a great team, they’re going to make great plays, you know, it just tipped their way,” linebacker Micah McFadden said about the game’s final defensive drive.

Unfortunately for Indiana, the team with more experience finding themselves in the polls was able to make the plays down the stretch that make them a commonplace among the nation’s best teams.

“We played a good football team today. We’re a good football team too,” said Coach Allen postgame.

Indiana is still searching for their signature “breakthrough” victory in the Tom Allen era, though this year they have shown they can consistently compete with the conference’s best while beating the teams they should.

“I was highly disappointed. We didn’t come here to be close,” said Allen. “The next step is winning these kinds of games.”

Indiana will have another shot next week when a surging Michigan team will head to Bloomington for Indiana’s penultimate regular season game.