Penn State Football: DaeSean Hamilton breaks record as Nittany Lions beat Indiana

Penn State used a big day from senior wide receiver DaeSean Hamilton to help knock off the Indiana Hoosiers.

History was set at Penn State on Saturday as DaeSean Hamilton became the school’s all-time leader in receptions. He had nine catches in the game for 122 yards and three touchdowns. Hamilton broke the record of 179 total catches that was held by Deion Butler.

As for the game, the start could not have been any better for Penn State. Avoiding a hangover after last week’s last-second, comeback win against Iowa, the Nittany Lions came out ready to put some points on the board.

Star running back and Heisman Trophy hopeful Saquon Barkley electrified the Beaver Stadium crowd before some fans had even found their seats. Barkley, who has been waiting to make a big play on special teams, took the opening kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown.

Indiana fumbled on its first drive, setting up the second Penn State touchdown when quarterback Trace McSorley ran it in from one yard out.

The problems continued for the Hoosiers, as they fumbled a punt later in the quarter that Penn State’s Nick Scott picked up and ran 13 yards for the score. The Nittany Lions added another touchdown — totaling 28 points before 10 minutes had even expired in the game.

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With everything rolling, Penn State began to sputter on offense, scoring just one more time before halftime. Indiana was able to get on the board twice and pull to within 14 at halftime.

Fortunately, Penn State found a spark again in the second half and scored 17 unanswered points to put the Hoosiers away.

McSorley was still inconsistent at quarterback, but finished the game with 315 passing yards and two touchdowns.

Barkley had an odd game by his standards. Going up against a defense that was definitely keying on him, he managed just 56 yards rushing on 20 carries. However, along wirth the kick return, he showed his versatility by tossing a 16-yard touchdown pass to Hamilton on a halfback-option play. Barkley totaled 205 yards on the day.

The star running back became the first player in the history of the Big Ten to score a kickoff return touchdown and throw a touchdown pass in the same game.

Penn State was once again stout on defense, allowing just 14 points. Jason Cabinda led the team with 14 tackles, including a sack and a fumble recovery. In all, Penn State forced four Indiana turnovers.

It wasn’t a complete game, and it wasn’t always pretty. There were a lot of errors for the Nittany Lions to work on, when it came to kicking field goals. Tyler Davis missed two kicks, including one that was blocked.

On the injury front, tight end Mike Gesicki was injured late in the first half and didn’t return.

While head coach James Franklin will find a lot to be upset with, it was still a solid victory for the Nittany Lions. They are now 5-0 and 2-0 in the Big Ten. It’s the first time they have started 5-0 since the 2008 season.

Up next is a tricky game next week at Northwestern.

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