Penn State Football 2018 Season Rewind: Trip to Indiana nearly ends in defeat

Penn State survived a scare at Indiana to end a two-game losing streak

Head coach James Franklin took his Penn State team into Bloomington in desperate need of a win after dropping back-to-back contests against Ohio State and Michigan State. The Hoosiers had just one Big Ten win on the year, but still presented a tough task for the Nittany Lions. Things got closer than they should have late, and Penn State had to fend off a near-comeback by the Hoosiers in order to escape with the 33-28 victory.

Exciting freshman KJ Hamler got things rolling early for the Nittany Lions when he returned the opening kick 58 yards. Penn State needed just five plays — capped by a Miles Sanders touchdown run — to take the early lead.

The Hoosiers, however, were not phased, as they marched right down the field on their opening possession and tied the game. Indiana added another first-quarter touchdown after a special teams mishap by the Nittany Lions and held a seven-point lead after one quarter.

Penn State scored 10 unanswered points in the second half, highlighted by a Tommy Stevens to Pat Freiermuth touchdown toss.

The Nittany Lions added a field goal midway through the third quarter, but Indiana scored to go up by one. Johnathan Thomas took the kickoff for the Nittany Lions and brought it back 95 yards to the Indiana five. McSorley scored on the next play, the extra point was blocked, so the Nittany Lions found themselves up just five.

McSorley added his second rushing touchdown of the game in the fourth quarter to give Penn State a 12-point lead. While the lead looked comfortable for the Nittany Lions, it turned out not to be, as Indiana put together a long drive that resulted in a touchdown, cutting the lead to five.

With just under a minute remaining, Indiana kept the hope of an upset alive by recovering the onside kick. Penn State fans had to be worried, especially after watching the Nittany Lions blow late leads to both Ohio State and Michigan State.

However, the defense held, and Penn State escaped with a much-needed win.

McSorley again played good, especially running the ball, racking up a team-high 107 rushing yards and two touchdowns. The Penn State defense struggled once again, allowing the Hoosiers to put up 554 yards.

It was another rough outing for the Nittany Lions, but a win is a win. Opponents in the Big Ten cannot be taken for granted, especially when playing on the road.