Junior cornerback Zion Tracy was shaken up on a first-and-10 rush attempt from No. 2 Indiana's running back Roman Hemby.
As linebacker Amare Campbell pushed the running back behind the line of scrimmage for a loss of three, wide receiver Charlie Becker lowered his shoulder and delivered a cheap shot on the Penn State cornerback. Tracy took the blow and remained down on the field for an extended period of time. Though staff tended to him for a short time on the field, Tracy did not have any visible pains that would result in an injury.
The officials called a timeout as Tracy collected himself on the field. With almost two minutes left of the first quarter, the junior jogged off the field into the huddle under his own power, according to Penn State reporters at Happy Valley.
After the hit that knocked the wind out of Tracy, quarterback Fernando Mendoza rushed into the end zone for an 18-yard score, the first points put on the board for either team on Saturday afternoon.
Zion Tracy went down, briefly had assistance, but then jogged off under his own power
— Lyle Alenstein (@LAlenstein) November 8, 2025
Zion Tracy gets shaken up, but returns to field and continues showing up big for Penn State
Tracy returned to the field without any further injury update and did not have any limitations on the next defensive drive.
In the second quarter after Penn State evened the score at 7-7, Tracy stayed on wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. and broke up a pass in the end zone from Mendoza. The cornerback remained a crucial component of the defense, supported by the boisterous atmosphere in Beaver Stadium, that forced the Hoosiers to try for a field goal.
The Nittany Lions, who won the toss and deferred before kickoff, went back on offense with 2:30 left in the first half. However, on the offensive drive, Indiana recovered the football on a fumble and Penn State's defense had to get back on the field with just over one minute remaining. The Hoosiers put another touchdown on the board and took a 17-7 lead at the end of the second quarter.
Penn State will receive the second half kickoff at the start of the third quarter.