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Instant recap: Indiana 27, Penn State 24

  • 3h ago
 

Fernando Mendoza rushes for a touchdown at Penn State.

Quick thoughts on IU football’s 27-24 win against Penn State at Beaver Stadium in front of 105,231 fans:

Three key plays in IU’s win

53-yard reception by Charlie Becker sets up first IU touchdown

Just like last week in College Park, the Hoosiers came up empty on their first two drives.

On IU’s third possession, quarterback Fernando Mendoza found Charlie Becker for a 53-yard completion on the first play of the drive. The long pass put IU in the red zone at Penn State’s 15-yard line.

After a three-yard loss on a rushing attempt from Roman Hemby, Mendoza’s run up the middle for 18 yards put the Hoosiers on the scoreboard with 2:06 left in the first quarter.

Forced fumble leads to late first-half touchdown

It looked like Penn State would enter the locker room trailing IU just 10-7, which would have been considered a win for the struggling Nittany Lions.

But with just over a minute remaining in the second quarter, Jamari Sharpe forced Kaytron Allen to fumble and IU recovered on the Penn State 22-yard line.

From there, the Hoosiers found the end zone three plays later on a one-yard run by Kaelon Black to extend the lead to 17-7 at the break.

Mendoza leads IU on game-winning 80-yard touchdown drive

With IU trailing 24-20 and nothing going offensively, the Hoosiers had one final shot with 1:51 to play.

Mendoza led the Hoosiers on a nine-play drive that ended with a seven-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr. to give IU the lead with just 36 seconds left.

It was a Heisman moment for Mendoza, who threw an interception earlier in the fourth quarter that set up Penn State’s drive to take the lead.

Offensive standouts

Mendoza completed 19 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. It was far from his best performance, but everyone will remember the game-winning drive when the Hoosiers were on the ropes. Mendoza also had a rushing touchdown in the first half.

Charlie Becker was pivotal for the Hoosiers, finishing with seven catches and 118 receiving yards. Cooper Jr. caught six passes for 32 yards, including the game-winning touchdown reception. Riley Nowakowski also had three big catches for 51 yards.

Indiana’s running game was quieter than usual, with Roman Hemby leading the way with 12 carries for 55 yards. Kaelon Black had 12 carries for 32 yards and a touchdown.

Defensive standouts

Linebacker Rolijah Hardy led IU with 12 tackles, including a sack and a tackle for a loss.

Linebacker Aiden Fisher had nine tackles and an interception while defensive back Jamari Sharpe forced a fumble. Defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker had three tackles, which included a sack.

Game highlights

What’s next for the Hoosiers

Indiana, now 10-0 and 7-0 in the Big Ten, will be back in action next Saturday at Memorial Stadium against Wisconsin. The 2-6 Badgers are hosting Washington this afternoon. Kickoff is set for Noon ET on BTN.

(Photo credit: Hoosiers Connect)

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