Will Indiana and Oregon win Big Ten matchups?
Joel Klatt previewed the Indiana Hoosiers and Penn State Nittany Lions. He discussed how the Hoosiers are battling injuries to WR Elijah Surrat and LB Aiden Fisher and wondered if it would affect their chances of making the playoffs. Joel broke…
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Penn State was poised for a massive upset of No. 2 Indiana, but Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. had other ideas.
Indiana outlasted Penn State, winning 27-24 Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium thanks to an incredible 10-play, 73-yard drive by Mendoza.
The Nittany Lions led 24-20 with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter, and Indiana had no timeouts. On the first play of the drive, Mendoza was sacked by defensive end Zane Durant for a loss of seven yards.
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Indiana receiver Omar Cooper Jr. catches a touchdown pass from Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley during the fourth quarter Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Reeger/AP Photo)
The Indiana quarterback brought his team back to the line of scrimmage and completed a 22-yard pass to Cooper to negate the sack and get a first down. Mendoza threw the ball to stop the clock.
On the ensuing play after the spike, Mendoza connected with EJ Williams Jr. for 12 yards and another first down. Two plays later, Mendoza hit Riley Nowakowski for a 29-yard gain to get into Penn State territory.
Mendoza then connected with Charlie Becker for another 17 yards to the Penn State 7-yard line. With 45 seconds left, Indiana gave itself a chance to win the game.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks for success against Penn State on Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Reeger/AP Photo)
It looked like Mendoza completed the comeback on the second try. The Hoosiers quarterback connected with Becker on a slant in the end zone for a touchdown, but the referees blew the play because Penn State got a timeout at the last second. The Nittany Lions forced an incomplete pass on second down to force third down after the timeout.
On third-and-goal, with the Hoosiers’ undefeated record on the line, Mendoza and Cooper saved the day.
Mendoza, who was about to be hit by oncoming runners, went for a throw and delivered a high pass to Cooper. The wide receiver skied for the catch and, acrobatically, simply planted his toe in the end zone to complete not only an incredible touchdown, but also a return.
Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., center, celebrates his touchdown with teammates Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Reeger/AP Photo)
Penn State got the ball back with 35 seconds and a timeout, down 27-24, but couldn’t get into field goal range, and their Hail Mary attempt failed.
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Mendoza threw for 218 yards and had a touchdown with an interception in the victory. Cooper had six catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana improved to 10-0 with the win and will look to continue that against Wisconsin (2-6) next week. Penn State dropped to 3-6 with the loss and will look to rally against Michigan State (3-6) next week.
