Indiana Football: Hoosiers pick up signature win in Penn State thriller
Indiana Football has a signature win under its belt
Indiana defeated Penn State 36-35 in a thrilling overtime battle which concluded on a successful two-point conversion by Michael Penix Jr.
The game didn’t start out looking promising. Penn State drove down the field with relative ease and scored a touchdown, and IU went three and out on their first two drives.
Everything changed when Sean Clifford threw an atrocious pass straight to Jaylin Williams. The Hoosiers scored a field goal on the following drive, but it shifted the momentum in their favor.
IU forced a punt and drove down the field, scoring on a 6 play, 62 yards drive. Clifford then threw another interception that set the Hoosiers up for a four-yard touchdown drive.
From that point on, the Hoosiers were in control of the game. Both offenses struggled mightily but Tom Allen’s team remained in the lead.
Indiana was ahead from the 8:12 second mark of the second quarter until the 2:30 in the fourth quarter when Clifford tossed a 60-yard score to Jahan Dotson. The Hoosiers had to run the two-minute drill, but allowed two straight sacks, creating a third and 22 situation. Penix Jr tossed two incompletions and the Nittany Lions took over.
Coach James Franklin wanted to run the clock out, but instead running back Devyn Ford took it into the endzone, putting Penn State up 28-20 with 1:42 left in the game.
He was inaccurate and unaware the entire day, but Penix Jr. turned it on when his team needed it. The junior quarterback orchestrated a beautiful two-minute drill and led his team to the endzone in seven plays. Penix then scampered for the two-point conversion, tying the game with 22 seconds left.
A poor kickoff gave Penn State excellent field position, and Clifford moved his team into long field goal range. However, Jordan Stout didn’t quite have the leg and left it just short, sending the game to overtime.
Clifford ran for 13 yards and threw two completions to lead his team to a touchdown. However, the Hoosiers responded, driving down to the nine-yard line where Penix Jr. tossed a back-shoulder touchdown to Whop Phyilor. In a gutsy move, Allen decided to send his offense back out on the field and go for two
In a dramatic feat of athleticism and willpower, Penix scrambled for the pylon and dove completely horizontal to the turf. The football in his outstretched arm hit the pylon, and after review, the referees confirmed it: the two-point conversion is good.
Just like that, Indiana has its signature win in the Tom Allen era. It is the first win against a top-ten opponent since 1987 against #9 Ohio State.
Celebrate this win Hoosier fans. You deserve it.
Indiana
Total yards: 211
Passing yards: 170
Rushing yards: 41
Penalties: 4-36
Turnovers: 2
Penn State
Total yards: 488
Passing yards: 238
Rushing yards: 250
Penalties: 10-100
Turnovers: 3
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