Game Wrap and Reaction: Penn State 33 Indiana 24
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Written by Sammy Jacobs (@Hoosier_Huddle)
Opponent: Penn State Nittany Lions
Location: State College, PA
Why They Played: The Hoosiers and the Nittany Lions play annually as members of the Big Ten East.
What The Game Meant: Indiana has never won at Beaver Stadium and this was the final game against the big three of the Big Ten.
Top Offensive Performers
Indiana Wide Receivers- It was a breakout game for the Hoosier wideouts as they hit pass plays of 90 and 69 yards. The trio of DeQuece Carter, Donaven McCulley and Omar Cooper Jr. combined for 10 catches, 252 yards and three touchdowns.
KeAndre Lambert-Smith, WR, Penn State- Lambert-Smith had the back breaking play for Penn State on a 57-yard touchdown. He finished with six catches for 96 yards and the score.
Top Defensive Performers
Aaron Casey, LB, Indiana- Casey was a force for the Hoosiers making 10 tackles including 1.5 tackles for loss.
Louis Moore, S, Indiana- Moore also made 10 stops for IU and forced a fumble.
Jaylen Reed, S, Penn State- The Nittany Lion safety made eight tackles and picked off a pass that changed the momentum of the game.
Special Team Performance
Indiana continues to struggle on special teams. This week the Hoosiers muffed a punt that led to a touchdown, missed a field goal and had multiple other misfires. Penn State had a punt return touchdown negated by penalty. The kick coverage unit surrendered a 50-yard return as well. James Evans punted the ball well, but often out kicked the coverage.
Key Stat(s)
19
This is the amount of points the Hoosiers either gave to Penn State off of mistakes or left on the field by settling for field goals inside the redzone. In a nine-point game, this was the difference.
Turning Point
There were plenty of twists and turns during this game and as soon as IU gained momentum they gave it right back. The final turn came when IU settled for a game-tying field goal after an interception set them up at the Penn State 21-yard line with 5:02 left in the game down 24-21.
I Knew it Was Over When…
Drew Allar hit KeAndre Lamert-Smith on a 57-yard touchdown pass to give the Nittany Lions a 31-24 lead.
Players of the Game
KeAndre Lamert-Smith Penn State- Six catches for 96 yards and the game winning score will give you the honor of being the player of the game.
Brendan Sorsby, Indiana- While the receivers put up great numbers, someone had to deliver them the ball. Sorsby had his best game as a young player. He completed 13-of-19 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns. While he still made critical errors, his growth was evident.
What I took away from the game
The good news from this game was that Indiana still has players who are bought in. That may not seem like a big deal, but it is as this season has gone sideways. The bad news is that it was a game that IU probably should have won comfortably.
The Hoosiers continue to get momentum and give it right back to the opponent. IU had the Penn State faithful booing their team off the field before a muffed punt injected life into the stadium. After taking a 14-7 lead, IU gives up a big kick return that leads to a touchdown drive. Then there was the bad interception right before halftime that gave Penn State a 17-14 lead that grew to 24-14 on the first possession of the second half. That’s killer.
The most frustrating part of the game came with 5:02 left and IU poised to take a lead after getting the ball back on the PSU 21-yard line. IU ran the ball three-straight times settling for a short field goal.
IU had nothing to lose with a chance to beat a top-10 team on the road and they just refused to take a shot. Those are the moments that help bring momentum back to the program, even if there is a coaching change. Penn State gave IU a road win and the Hoosiers said ‘no thanks, you take it’.
Tom Allen said IU is in “Playoff Mode” as the Hoosiers fall to 2-6 and need to win out to get to the postseason. This loss gives IU fans a little hope that they found some momentum going into four winnable, but tough games. However, it has been proven that IU cannot handle positive momentum.