Written by: TJ Inman
The Indiana Hoosiers had never won in Beaver Stadium, losing all 13 of their previous meetings. This is no ordinary IU football team and as Curt Cignetti accurately pointed out during his pregame interview, this version of Indiana has never played at Penn State. That was true but Curt Cignetti has been rewriting history since he arrived in Bloomington and he did so again as IU escaped Happy Valley with a dramatic 27-24 escape over the Nittany Lions.
The Indiana Hoosiers began the game with the ball but without All-American wide receiver Elijah Sarratt and starting left guard Drew Evans. The teams traded punts with both teams kicking the ball away twice before Indiana’s offense struck. Fernando Mendoza connected with Charlie Becker for 53 yards to get IU into scoring territory and two plays later, Mendoza scampered 18 yards for the opening score to put Indiana ahead 7-0. Penn State responded, converting a fourth and short and then getting a 45-yard reception from Trebor Pena and finishing the drive with a Nicholas Singleton touchdown to make level the game at 7. IU’s next possession resulted in another nice drive for the offense but it stalled inside the ten-yard line and the Hoosiers had to settle for a short field goal to go ahead 10-7. The game appeared to really turn in IU’s direction as Kaytron Allen fumbled and Aiden Fisher recovered at the Penn State 22-yard line with 1:09 remaining in the first half. The Hoosiers wasted no time capitalizing on the turnover as Charlie Becker caught a pass to move the ball to the one and Kaelon Black punched it in to make it 17-7 at halftime.
The Nittany Lions began the second half by taking a deep shot at De’Angelo Ponds but it was broken up by the All-American defensive back. On the second play for PSU, Ethan Grunkemeyer’s pass was tipped into the air and intercepted by Aiden Fisher at midfield. IU picked up three first downs but failed to land a knockout punch and had to settle for a field goal that moved IU ahead 20-7. It was a missed opportunity for Indiana and the Nittany Lions were still alive. Grunkemeyer completed a pair of long passes before IU halted the drive and forced a field goal from 36 yards out. The Hoosiers were forced to punt and then Nicholas Singleton ripped off a 60-yard run to set Penn State up inside the five-yard line. Singleton scored a couple of plays later and Beaver Stadium was rocking as the Nittany Lions closed the deficit to three points at 20-17. Fernando Mendoza threw an interception on IU’s second play of the drive and Penn State was set up in IU territory with a chance to take the lead. Kaytron Allen got a pair of first downs on the ground and then Nicholas Singleton scored his third touchdown of the day as he made multiple IU defenders missed on a screen pass. With 6:27 remaining in the game, Penn State had the 24-20 lead in State College. Indiana was reeling as Fernando Mendoza and the offense took the field with the ball at the 25-yard line. Charlie Becker picked up a first down on the first play of the drive but the Hoosiers were forced to punt with four minutes remaining and with 3:53 to play, PSU had a chance to ice the game. They got one first down before IU’s defense made them punt and Indiana took over at the 20-yard line with no timeouts and 1:51 remaining. Fernando Mendoza was sacked on first down but Omar Cooper got a first down on a 22-yard catch to try and kickstart the drive. E.J. Williams caught an out-route to move the chains again. Riley Nowakowski caught a laser at the 24-yard line and then Charlie Becker had a remarkable catch at the 7-yard line. Penn State called a timeout to try and stop the Hoosiers and they batted down the pass on first and goal and Mendoza was hit as he threw on second down. On third down, Omar Cooper leapt into the air and somehow got a foot down while holding onto the ball for the go-ahead touchdown with 36 seconds left to put IU back into the lead at 27-24. It was a ten-play and 80-yard drive and a remarkable answer from the Hoosiers. Penn State got the ball at the 36-yard line after an odd squib kick with one timeout remaining. Luke Reynolds gained five yards and got out of bounds and then Penn State picked up a first down before calling their final timeout. Penn State’s Hail Mary attempt as time expired fell to the ground and Indiana escaped 27-24.
Nicholas Singleton had three touchdowns to lead the way for the Penn State Nittany Lions while Charlie Becker was the standout performer for Indiana with 118 yards receiving as Fernando Mendoza 218 yards and two total touchdowns. The Hoosiers were ultimately outgained 336-326 and they certainly did not play their best game but Indiana remained unbeaten with the amazing game-winning drive. The Hoosiers return home to take on the Wisconsin Badgers on Senior Day next Saturday before closing the regular season against the Purdue Boilermakers.