After what has been a dismal season, Penn State fans were thinking of 2016.
Sitting at 3-5, Penn State’s own title hopes had long vanished, with losses to Oregon and UCLA dropping the preseason No. 2 out of the Top 25, and a subsequent loss to Northwestern costing James Franklin his job. But on Saturday, interim head coach Terry Franklin welcomed Indiana — now the team ranked second in the initial College Football Playoff rankings — to Beaver Stadium.
And the Penn State faithful were thinking upset.
The Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points in the second half to take a 24-20 lead late in the game, putting Indiana on the ropes. It was reminiscent of a game from 2016, when the then-unranked Nittany Lions welcomed No. 2 Ohio State to Beaver Stadium and shocked the Buckeyes with a 24-21 win over their rivals. In that game, Penn State’s Grant Haley returned a blocked field goal 60 yards for a touchdown with under five minutes in the game, as the Nittany Lions scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter for the win.
However, the final whistle had yet to blow, and the Hoosiers were not done.
Indiana had a chance late, forcing a punt from Penn State to take over on their own 20-yard line with under two minutes to go, and without any timeouts. Their situation went from bad to worse, as Fernando Mendoza was sacked on the first play of Indiana’s possession. They faced 2nd and 17 on their own 13-yardline, a situation that is not known to be conducive to success.
But the Hoosiers moved down the field from there, with Mendoza connecting with Omar Cooper Jr. to start the drive. Then, a big completion to tight end Riley Nowakowski moved the ball into Penn State territory.
Then came an incredible catch from Charlie Becker on a vertical route along the left sideline, on a high, contested throw. It was Becker’s seventh catch of the game, for 118 yards.
Becker entered the day with seven career catches for 158 yards and a touchdown.
At that point, Indiana faced 1st-and-goal at the Penn State 7-yard line with under 50 seconds remaining. A Mendoza throw on first down was deflected at the line of scrimmage, and with the Nittany Lion faithful roaring, a blitz off the left edge rocked the Indiana quarterback on second down, leaving the pass to flutter harmlessly to the turf.
Third down, however, was a different story.
Penn State blitzed again, and Mendoza hung in the pocket in the face of pressure to deliver a high throw over the middle to Cooper, who leapt into the air and not only caught the football, but perhaps saved Indiana’s season. Cooper somehow, some way, pulled the football out of the sky and managed to get a toe down in the end zone as the defender shoved him out of the back of the end zone.
In the FOX Sports booth, Gus Johnson went ballistic, as Joel Klatt called the throw a “borderline throwaway” and the best catch he had seen all season. After a video review, the touchdown was upheld.
Here is a look at the reception:
On the drive, Mendoza was 5-of-8 for 87 yards and a touchdown.
Penn State had a chance, with 36 seconds remaining on the clock and one timeout at its disposal. The offense drove just past midfield, but with just five seconds left, Penn State faced a 3rd-and-5 situation at the Indiana 28-yard line.
It was, as Johnson said in the booth, Hail Mary time.
Ethan Grunkemeyer’s throw fell incomplete.
“Refuse to lose, basically,” said Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti after the game. “This was an unbelievable win. I’ve seen a lot of stuff in my days … I’ve never seen anything like this.”
The win moved Indiana to 10-0, reaching ten wins for just the second time in school history. The first ten-win season came a year ago, in Cignetti’s debut year on campus.
While the Hoosiers made the College Football Playoff last year, they’re dreaming of bigger things here in 2025.
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