No. 9 Penn State Bounces Back in 34-27 Win over Indiana

No. 9 Penn State football (9-1, 6-1 Big Ten) held off Indiana (7-3, 4-3 Big Ten) 34-27 on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.

The Hoosiers stuck around throughout the game and only trailed Penn State by three points with about 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. Sean Clifford then led the offense on an impressive 18-play, 9:01 drive that he capped off with a 1-yard touchdown rush to effectively seal the game.

A late Indiana field goal pulled the Hoosiers within striking distance but Penn State recovered the ensuing onside kick to end it.

Journey Brown was key for Ricky Rahne’s offense as he finished the day with 100 yards on the ground, while Clifford threw for 179 yards and had three total touchdowns on the day.

How It Happened

Penn State received the opening kick off and went three-and-out as it failed to pick up any positive yardage. The Nittany Lions got a spark, however, when Indiana returner Whop Philyor muffed Blake Gillikin’s punt and Jan Johnson recovered it.

Sean Clifford and Co. took over at the Hoosiers’ 27-yard line and needed just five plays to score on a 12-yard touchdown reception by Nick Bowers. Penn State took an early 7-0 lead with 12:04 remaining in the first quarter.

Indiana responded quickly with a 75-yard drive of its own, capped off by a 38-yard touchdown catch-and-run by Ty Fryfogle. Peyton Ramsey found the receiver wide open for an easy score, and the Hoosiers tied the game 7-7.

A 41-yard reception by KJ Hamler helped the Nittany Lions drive back down the field on their next possession, but they were unable to punch it into the end zone. Jake Pinegar hit a 47-yard field goal to give Penn State a 10-7 lead with 6:22 left in the first.

Ramsey led the Hoosiers on another impressive drive and finished it off with a 1-yard keeper for a score. Indiana took a 14-10 lead late in the first.

The Nittany Lions responded quickly as Clifford showed off his legs on the ensuing drive. The quarterback took a 38-yard scamper to the house and the Nittany Lions took a 17-14 lead.

Clifford’s touchdown run was pretty good, though. pic.twitter.com/Uc1y6GdrMF

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 16, 2019

 

Ricky Rahne’s offense stayed hot to open the second quarter. Big runs from Clifford and Devyn Ford helped the Nittany Lions drive into Indiana territory, but the quarterback was stripped in the backfield and the drive was killed.

Marquis Wilson picked up his teammate, though, as he forced and recovered a fumble on a screen pass. The Nittany Lions took over at Indiana’s 38-yard line, but they failed to pick up a first down off the turnover. Penn State bounced back on its next possession with a solid nine-play, 50-yard drive that Pinegar finished off with a 27-yard field goal. The Nittany Lions took a 20-14 lead with 3:03 remaining in the first half.

Penn State’s defense stuffed the Hoosiers on their next possession, and the Nittany Lions kneeled out the final seconds of the first half.

Indiana attempted a fake punt on its opening drive of the second half, but the Nittany Lions stuffed it easily. Penn State took over at the Hoosiers’ 40-yard line and immediately capitalized with a 35-yard rushing touchdown by Journey Brown. Penn State took a 27-14 lead with 10:24 left in the third quarter.

Indiana’s fake punt: Not great!

Journey Brown’s 35-yard touchdown: Pretty great! pic.twitter.com/waR2H9kxSV

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 16, 2019

 

The Hoosiers drove all the way down to Penn State’s seven on their next possession, but couldn’t punch it in for a touchdown. They hit the 25-yard field goal to narrow Penn State’s lead to 27-17.

Indiana’s offense stayed hot on its next possession. Ramsey orchestrated an 11-play, 91-yard drive that he capped off with another QB sneak for a touchdown. The Hoosiers trailed 27-24 with 10:45 remaining in the game.

Clifford then led the Nittany Lions on a massive, 18-play, 9:01 drive that iced the game. The quarterback finished it off with a 1-yard rushing touchdown that gave Penn State a 34-24 lead with just 1:44 remaining in the game.

The Hoosiers quickly moved deep into Penn State territory and needing two scores opted for a 27-yard field goal with 13 seconds left. Indiana failed to recover the onside kick attempt and Penn State’s 34-27 victory was sealed with a kneel-down.

Takeaways

• Journey Brown is starting to get into a groove as Penn State’s featured back. The redshirt sophomore led the Nittany Lions with 100 rushing yards on 21 carries and a touchdown to boot. This is his second-consecutive 100+ yardage day on the ground and the third game in a row that he’s led the Nittany Lions in rushing.
• KJ Hamler left Saturday’s contest in the first quarter and never returned. The redshirt sophomore has obviously been a favorite target of Sean Clifford’s, as he leads Penn State with 739 receiving yards on the season, but the quarterback will need to start to rely on other pass-catchers soon if the injury proves to be serious.
• James Franklin’s kryptonite as Penn State’s head coach has been putting teams away in the fourth quarter, but he executed this beautifully today. The Nittany Lions marched down the field in a 9:01 drive and used up every bit of time possible, as they didn’t score until 4th down on Indiana’s goal line with less than two minutes remaining.

What’s Next

Penn State will travel to Columbus next weekend for its biggest test of the season against No. 2 Ohio State. The game will kickoff at noon and be broadcast on Fox.