Will Indiana and Oregon win the Big Ten matchups?
Joel Klatt previewed the Indiana Hoosiers and the Penn State Nittany Lions. He explained how the Hoosiers are battling injuries to WR Elijah Surrat and LB Aiden Fisher and questioned whether that will affect their chances of making the playoffs. Joel broke…
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Penn State was on the verge of a major upset against No. 2 Indiana, but Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. had other ideas.
Indiana outlasted Penn State, winning 27-24 Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium thanks to an incredible 73-yard, 10-play drive by author Mendoza.
The Nittany Lions led 24-20 with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter, and Indiana had no timeouts. On the first play of the drive, Mendoza was sacked by defender Zane Durant for a loss of seven yards.
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Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. catches a touchdown pass over Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley during the fourth quarter Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Reeger/AP Photo)
The Indiana quarterback rallied his team back to the line of scrimmage and completed a 22-yard pass to Cooper to negate the sack and pick up a first down. Mendoza spiked the ball to stop the clock.
On the next play after the spike, Mendoza connected with EJ Williams Jr. for 12 yards and another first down. Two plays later, Mendoza hit Riley Nowakowski for a 29-yard gain into Penn State territory.
Mendoza then connected with Charlie Becker for another 17 yards to advance to the Penn State 7-yard line. With 45 seconds left, Indiana gave itself a chance to win the game.
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza looks to pass against Penn State on Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Reeger/AP Photo)
It looked like Mendoza completed the comeback on the second try. The Hoosiers quarterback connected with Becker on a slant in the end zone for a touchdown, but the officials waved the play because Penn State got a timeout at the last second. The Nittany Lions forced an incomplete pass on second down to force third down after the timeout.
On third-and-goal, with the Hoosiers’ undefeated record on the line, Mendoza and Cooper saved the day.
Mendoza, who was about to be hit by the oncoming attackers, took a shot and delivered a high pass to Cooper. The receiver skied to make the catch and acrobatically simply stuck his toe into the end zone to complete not only an incredible touchdown, but also the comeback.
Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., center, celebrates his touchdown catch with his teammates Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Reeger/AP Photo)
Penn State got the ball back with 35 seconds and a timeout, trailing 27-24, but couldn’t get into field goal range and its Hail Mary attempt fell short.
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Mendoza threw for 218 yards and had a touchdown with an interception in the win. Cooper had six receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown.
Indiana improved to 10-0 with the win and will look to maintain that mark against Wisconsin (2-6) next week. Penn State fell to 3-6 with the loss and will look to bounce back against Michigan State (3-6) next week.
