Penn State Football Season Rewind: Big Fourth Quarter Helps Nittany Lions Beat Indiana

Penn State found itself down after three quarters at Indiana but roared back for the win.

Riding a five-game win streak and ranked No. 10 in the nation, the Penn State Nittany Lions headed to Bloomington for a road matchup with the Indiana Hoosiers. It was a definite trap game, as Indiana entered as one of the best offenses in the Big Ten.

Penn State struggled to just 14 points in the first half and found itself losing after three quarters. However, a 24-point fourth quarter propelled the Nittany Lions to a 45-31 comeback victory.

When the Nittany Lions went to Indiana on November 12 they had already become one of the surprise stories of the college football season. A win streak and a suddenly very potent offense had quickly put Penn State into the national conversation.

While there were a lot of positives flying around the Nittany Lions, there was some concern due to a recent trend of slow starts, particularly on the road.

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Things started as planned, as quarterback Trace McSorley scored on a 10-yard touchdown run on the first possession of the game. Unfortunately, aside from a McSorley to Chris Godwin touchdown pass, that’s all the Nittany Lions would manage in the first half. Indiana also scored twice, knotting the game at 14 at the break.

Penn State had been a second-half team all season, so there wasn’t too much need to worry just yet. The worry came during the third quarter when the Nittany Lions suddenly found themselves down 24-14.

McSorley hit Godwin again late in the quarter for a 21-yard touchdown that brought the Nittany Lions to within three and gave them momentum heading into the final frame.

It was all Nittany Lions in the fourth quarter — two Saquon Barkley touchdown runs, a Tyler Davis field goal, and a fumble return by Torrence Brown ultimately did the Hoosiers in.

McSorley had a big day, throwing for 332 yards with two touchdowns. He also added one on the ground. He was hit by the turnover bug however, as he threw two interceptions in the game. Barkley picked up just 58 rushing yards, but scored those two important fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Three receivers had over 80 yards, with tight end Mike Gesicki leading the way with 88 DaeSean Hamilton had 85, while Godwin had 82 and the only two receiving touchdowns.

Marcus Allen had a big day for the defense, picking up 10 total tackles. Linebackers Jason Cabinda and Brandon Bell each recorded nine.

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With the comeback win in Indiana, Penn State extended its win streak to six games. An added bonus was the fact that later in the evening Michigan would be upset by Iowa, giving the Nittany Lions a chance at winning the Big Ten East.

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