Penn State Nittany Lions vs Indiana Hoosiers Match Player Stats On Nov 12, 2016

The Sports Xchange
Nov 12, 2016

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- No. 10 Penn State rallied from a 10-point deficit in the third quarter to upend unranked Indiana 45-31 on Saturday at Memorial Stadium and sustain the Nittany Lions' Big Ten East Division title hopes.

Saquon Barkley rushed for two touchdowns, including the deciding score on a 2-yard run with 3:58 remaining in the game, and wide receiver Chris Godwin caught two scoring passes as Penn State (8-2, 6-1 in the Big Ten) won its sixth consecutive conference game.

The Nittany Lions added 10 points in the final minutes after Indiana was unable to rally in its own end.

Penn State began the day behind No. 3 Michigan (9-0, 6-0) and tied with No. 6 Ohio State (8-1, 5-1) in the East with two games remaining, so it needs help to secure a spot in the conference championship game.

Barkley's first touchdown on a 4-yard run gave Penn State a 28-24 lead with 12:23 remaining, but Indiana reclaimed the lead on Richard Lagow's 40-yard touchdown pass to Nick Westbrook.

Back came the Nittany Lions, as sophomore quarterback Trace McSorley threw a 26-yard pass to Godwin to set up the go-ahead score. Godwin finished with five catches for 82 yards. McSorley passed for 332 yards.

Indiana (5-5, 3-4) is trying to become bowl eligible for a second consecutive year, something that hasn't happened since 1990 and 1991, but the Hoosiers instead saw a three-game conference winning streak come to an end.

Indiana still has two more shots at an all-important sixth win with a trip to Michigan next week before the annual Old Oaken Bucket game against rival Purdue (3-7, 1-6) at home in two weeks.

Junior running back Devine Redding of Indiana ran for two touchdowns, including a 6-yarder to make it 24-14 in the third quarter.

Griffin Oakes had nudged the Hoosiers ahead 17-14 on a 47-yard field goal earlier in the quarter. The 2015 Big Ten Kicker of the Year has struggled with nine misses in 21 attempts this season, often prompting Hoosiers coach Kevin Wilson to pass on such longer tries.

The Nittany Lions have won 19 of 20 career meetings against Indiana, the lone exception a Hoosiers home win in 2013.

Indiana had four giveaways in the opening half, but the game was tied 14-14 at intermission.

Penn State scored on its opening possession as McSorley, unable to find an open receiver on third down, eluded one tackler and took another on in a 10-yard touchdown scramble.

Late in the opening quarter, the Hoosiers moved into scoring position but wide receiver Mitchell Paige fumbled after a 2-yard reception and Penn State’s Malik Golden recovered at the Nittany Lions' 24-yard-line.

When Indiana got the ball back early in the second quarter, it drove 60 yards to tie it at 7-7 as Lagow threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Ricky Jones.

The Hoosiers' momentum would be stalled again by a turnover as Lagow and freshman running back Devonte Williams botched a backfield handoff and Penn State's Kevin Givens recovered at the Nittany Lions' 46.

Penn State went for it with a fourth-and-1 rush at the Indiana 45, but Hoosiers defensive tackle Ralph Green III broke up the play and linebacker Tegray Scales dumped Barkley for a 4-yard loss.

But on the next play, the Hoosiers once again fumbled away the opportunity. Paige lost control of the football on a 5-yard end around, as Shareef Miller knocked it loose and Golden recovered at the Penn State 46.

One play after Penn State recovered a muffed punt, McSorley threw a 6-yard touchdown pass Godwin to make it 14-7 with 4:43 remaining in the second quarter.

Indiana pulled even 14-14 on Redding's 12-yard touchdown run with 1:00 remaining in the first half. Cornerback Rishard Fant set up the game-tying possession with a 34-yard interception return to the Penn State 32.

NOTES: Indiana had only four lost fumbles in nine games this season before losing four in the first half. The Hoosiers also had four giveaways in last week's comeback victory at Rutgers. ... When quarterback Trace McSorley exited briefly in the second quarter to get his left ankle wrapped, his replacement was redshirt freshman Tommy Stevens, who initially committed to Indiana in 2014. Stevens changed his mind two days after the Nittany Lions defeated the Hoosiers 13-7 in Bloomington. ... In the last two Decembers, both schools represented the Big Ten in overtime outcomes at the New Era Pinstripe Bowl. Indiana lost 44-41 to Duke last year. Penn State defeated Boston College 31-30 in 2014. ... Indiana hasn't defeated two ranked opponents in a season since 2004, when Gerry DiNardo's Hoosiers (3-8) upset a pair of 24th-ranked opponents, Minnesota at home and Oregon on the road.