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Penn State football: 3 takeaways from thrilling overtime loss at Indiana

By Riley Platt

Oct 24, 2020; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) dives with the ball to score a two point conversion and win the game in overtime during the game at Memorial Stadium. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 36 to 35. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 24, 2020; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9) dives with the ball to score a two point conversion and win the game in overtime during the game at Memorial Stadium. The Indiana Hoosiers defeated the Penn State Nittany Lions 36 to 35. Mandatory Credit: Marc Lebryk-USA TODAY Sports /
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Penn State football enters 2020 with high hopes, but how did it fare in a potential trap game in Bloomington to start the season?

Final/OT. 35. 806. 36. 813

Alas, Big Ten football is finally back. One of the more interesting matchups in the opening week took place in Bloomington, with Penn State facing Indiana. With this being both teams’ first games, many weren’t exactly sure what to expect.

The Nittany Lions were hit with a wave of key losses coming into the season, most notably star linebacker Micah Parsons. There is not a ton of certainty in regard to running back Journey Brown, who is currently unavailable due to an undisclosed medical condition.

Receiving the opening kickoff, Penn State got off to a hot start. The inaugural thirteen play drive resulted in a Sean Clifford touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth. After this, things went downhill for the Nittany Lions in the first half. Due to a myriad of issues, the Hoosiers would respond with 17 unanswered points of their own. Despite having twice as much time of possession, Penn State found themselves down 17-7 at the half.

The second half got off to a much slower start, with there not being a lot of offensive production. However, Sean Clifford would break free for a 35 yard TD run to get cut the deficit to three. Indiana would go on to stretch the lead to six with a 49 yard field goal courtesy of Charles Campbell.

The Indiana defense would hold its ground, keeping Penn State off the board on a crucial drive late in the fourth quarter. However, it wouldn’t be long before the Nittany Lions would get the ball back. With just two and a half minutes remaining, Sean Clifford would link with a wide open Jahan Dotson for a 60 yard touchdown.

With a 21-20 lead, the PSU defense went to work, forcing a turnover on downs. This gave Penn State the ball back, with Devyn Ford scoring immediately. While this stretched the lead to eight, it ultimately gave Indiana the ball back with almost two minutes left. With this, the Hoosiers still had hope. Not only would the Hoosiers get into the endzone, but they would convert a two-point attempt to send it into overtime.

After a Penn State touchdown to start overtime, Indiana responded with a touchdown of their own. However, head coach Tom Allen decided to go for two, and my oh my did it pay off.

Let’s take a look at three things we learned about these two teams in this thrilling upset.

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