Can Indiana and Oregon win Big Ten games?
Joel Klatt announced the Indiana Hoosiers and Penn State Nittany Lions. He explained how the Hoosiers are dealing with injuries along with WR Elijah Surratt and LB Aiden Fisher and wondered if it will affect their chances of making the playoffs. Joel is broken…
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Penn State was on the verge of a tough loss to No. 2 Indiana, but Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. had other ideas.
Indiana survived Penn State won 27-24 on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium thanks to an incredible 10-play, 73-yard drive scored by Mendoza.
The Nittany Lions led 24-20 with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter and Indiana had no timeouts. On the first play, Mendoza was sacked by quarterback Zane Durant for a loss of seven yards.
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Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. makes a touchdown catch over Penn State quarterback Zaki Whitley in the fourth quarter Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Rieger/AP Photo)
The Indiana defensive back brought his team back to the line of scrimmage and completed a 22-yard pass to Cooper to deflect the sack for a first down. Mendoza poked the ball home and stopped the clock.
On the ensuing play, 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 and into Penn State territory.
Mendoza then connected with Charlie Becker for another 17 yards 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 guard Fernando Mendoza looks to make the pass against Penn State on Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Rieger/AP Photo)
Mendoza appeared to have completed his comeback by losing second place. The Hoosiers' quarterback connected with Becker on a slant in the end zone for a touchdown, but the officials blew 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 out of a timeout.
With the third goal, with the Hoosiers' undefeated record on the line, Mendoza and Cooper saved the day.
Mendoza, about to be confused by the oncoming attackers, stepped into the shot and passed high to Cooper. The wide receiver raced for the catch and, in acrobatic fashion, simply pinned his toe in the end zone to complete not only an incredible touchdown, but a comeback.
Indiana wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr., center, celebrates his touchdown with teammates Saturday in State College, Pennsylvania. (Barry Rieger/AP Photo)
Penn State got the ball back with 35 seconds and one timeout to lose 27-24, but were unable to get into field goal range and their Hail Mary attempt fell short.
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Mendoza threw for 218 yards and one touchdown with one interception in the win. Cooper had six catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.
With the win, Indiana improves to 10-0 and looks to build on that next week against Wisconsin (2-6). Penn State fell to 3-6 after the loss and will look to bounce back Michigan (3-6) next week.
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