Penn State defeats Indiana 27-24 on Primanti's 39-yard Field Goal with 18-Seconds Left

Rashard Casey drove Penn State 52 yards in the final 2 minutes of the game and set up Ryan Primanti??s 39-yard field goal to give Penn State a 27-24 victory over Indiana in a wild game at the RCA Dome in Indianapolis.

This game was billed as a showdown between two multi-faceted quarterbacks in Penn State??s Casey and Indiana??s Antwaan Randle El and neither signal caller disappointed the 40,000-plus crowd at the RCA Dome. Casey completed 18 of 23 passes for 198 yards, one touchdown, and no interceptions. He also rushed 8 times for 27 yards. Randle El ran the option to perfection and helped the Hoosiers pick up an impressive 225 yards on the ground. He completed 9 of 22 passes for 88 yards and three interceptions. He also rushed for 66 yards against a Penn State defense geared to stop him.

Indiana put the first points in the board with a 67-yard drive that showcased Randle El??s ability to run the option. The drive featured three option plays that went for over 20 yards, one of which was a spectacular run by Randle El for 20 yards. On the fourth play of the drive, with the ball on the Lion 25, Indiana ran an option play to the right and Randle El appeared to be trapped, but before he was brought to the ground he was able to flick the ball to running back Levron Williams (20 rushes for 144 yards and 2 touchdowns), who streaked down the right side line for a 25-yard touchdown run and a 7-0 Hoosier lead.

Not to be outdone, Casey led the Nittany Lions on a 12-play, 76-yard drive to even the score. The big play on the drive was a 20-yard run by Eric McCoo that brought the ball to the Indiana 24. After a first down, Larry Johnson (8 rushes for 58 yards and one TD) ran up the middle from 12 yards out for a touchdown that evened the score at 7-7.

Randle El came right back on the field and led the Hoosiers on another scoring drive. On this drive he called his own number to successfully convert two 3rd-down situations. On the second occasion, he rolled to his left, but finding no one to pass to, scrambled back to his right to pick up 11 yards and a first down. At the end of the play, he turned his ankle, and the Hoosier faithful held their breath as he limped to the sideline. Back-up QB Tommy Jones filled in and led the team to a first down on the Penn State 5 yard line. Randle El, returned to the game and handed the ball off to De Wayne Hogan, who powered over the left side of the line for a touchdown that made the score 14-7 in favor of the Hoosiers. Randle El??s athletic abilities were not lost on Coach Paterno, who commented, ??That kid is an amazing athlete.??

Both teams went three-and-out on the next two series. On the next Penn State drive, Casey (like Randle El) converted two 3rd-down situations, connecting with Tony Stewart (7 catches for 65 yards) on both occasions, and drove the team to the Hoosier 5 yard line. From the 5, Eric McCoo (15 rushes for 73 yards, 2 catches for 22 yards, and one rushing TD) found daylight on the right side of the line and then fought his way into the end zone to make the score 14-14 and complete the scoring for the first half.

Indiana came out in the second half looking to put the Lions away, as they successfully pulled off an onside kick on the second half kickoff. Henry Frazier caught the kick in stride and raced a few yards to the Penn State 44 yard line. Hoosier momentum was short-lived as Bob Jones recovered a Derin Graham fumble on the Penn State 45 yard line.

Penn State was not able to capitalize on the turnover and went three-and-out. The Nittany Lions were able to hold Indiana deep in its own territory, and the Lion offense took over on the Hoosier 48 yard line.

Penn State looked like it was going to take its first lead of the game as they drove down to the Indiana 2 yard line. On 3rd down from the 2 yard line, Eric McCoo ran around right end and was held up at the one yard line. McCoo tried to spin out of the tackle and lunge for the goal line, but Ron Bethel came up and knocked the ball loose. Indiana cornerback Sharrod Wallace picked up the ball and raced up the sideline. Rashard Casey made a touchdown-saving play and knocked Wallace out at the Indiana 31 yard line.

Indiana was able to take advantage of this turnover, and they drove 69 yards on 10 plays. This drive saw Indiana and Randle El open it up. Randle El completed three passes on the drive and even lined up in the shotgun formation during the drive. Levron Williams capped off the drive with 26-yard run for a touchdown. Williams was hit at the one and fumbled the ball, but he was able to recover his fumble in the end zone to make the score 21-14 in favor of the Hoosiers.

Larry Johnson took the ensuing kickoff at his own three and returned it 38 yards and then fumbled the ball forward and out of bounds to the Nittany Lion 46. Paterno felt that the play helped spark his team. Looking back on it, he noted, ?? It was good. It gave us good field position and provided a psychological boost for the team.??

The play did fire up the Lions, as Kenny Watson caught a pass for a 35-yard gain on the first play of the drive. On the next play, Larry Johnson rumbled over the left side of the line for a 17-yard gain that brought the ball to the Hoosier 2. Two plays later, Casey rolled to the right and, seeing his primary receiver covered, patiently waited for Tight End John Gilmore to get open. Casey lofted a soft pass to Gilmore, who caught it in the back of the end zone to even the score at 21-21.

The Penn State defense stopped Indiana on its next drive, and the Lion offense was able to drive to the Indiana 10. From there Ryan Primanti missed a 27-yard field goal, wide right, and Indiana regained the ball at its own 20 yard line.

On Indiana??s second play of the drive, Randle El rolled right and threw a pass downfield that was knocked up in the air by Penn State linebacker Deryck Toles. Safety Bryan Scott caught the ball at Hoosier 30, and returned it to the 19 yard line.

Primanti was able to atone for his earlier miscue and on the 4th play of the drive he converted a 39-yard field goal to give Penn State its first lead, 24-21.

Randle El wasted no time and drove the Hoosiers back into scoring position. The key play of the drive happened on third down with Indiana at the Penn State 39 yard line. Randle El lofted a pass for Derin Graham that slipped through his fingers. A moment after dropping the ball, Graham was knocked to the turf by James Boyd. After the game, when asked about the hit, Boyd said, ??It was a clean hit.?? The officials did not see it that way and flagged him for a 15-yard penalty that gave Indiana new life at the Lion 24 yard line. The Penn State defense stiffened after that, and Indiana came away from the drive with a 29-yard field goal by Andy Payne and a tie ball game, 24-24. Indiana coach Cam Cameron was disappointed in his team??s inability to score a touchdown in that situation. He remarked, ??We need to score. Getting a field goal in that situation is not ideal. That was the difference in the ball game.??

The Lions got the ball back with 1:55 left in the game and no time outs left. Casey was not fazed by this and ran the 2-minute drill to perfection. Paterno referred to Casey as the ??mastermind?? behind the drive. He added, ??We were on the sidelines, he??s out there running the show.??

Casey started the drive by running a quarterback draw for 14 yards to the Penn State 41. He then completed two consecutive passes: one to Tony Stewart and the second to Eric McCoo, who made a nice catch and run over the middle for 10 yards and a Lion first down. On the next play, Casey was chased from the pocket and almost sacked. On his way down, he threw the ball away. The Indiana faithful clamored for an intentional grounding call, but to no avail. On the next play, Casey again found McCoo over the middle for a gain of 12 yards that put the ball on the Indiana 32 yard line. Eddie Drummond (3 catches for 46 yards) then caught a 7-yard pass, which was followed by a 4-yard catch by Tony Stewart for a first down at the Indiana 21 yard line. With 22 seconds on the clock, Paterno sent in the kicking team to win the game. Primanti calmly booted a 39-yard field goal that gave Lions the lead for good, 27-24, with 18 seconds left in the game. Primanti was appreciative to have the chance to win the game, especially after missing his first attempt of the day. ??You just got to put it away and get ready for the next kick," he said. "I was just thankful that I had another opportunity right away and got my confidence back.??

An Indiana penalty on the kickoff put the Hoosiers back on their own 7 yard line with 12 seconds left in the game. Randle El threw an incomplete pass and then heaved a 50-yard pass that was intercepted by Titcus Pettigrew. Pettigrew ran with the ball over to the Penn State sidelines as time expired and took a knee to end a thrilling game.

Joe Paterno felt that this was a great game for his team to win. ??Games like this improve confidence. We showed that we were able to play through some adversity.?? The Lions certainly were as they showed tremendous resiliency by battling back from deficits of 7-0, 14-7 and 21-14 to go on and win the game 27-24.

Next weekend Indiana (3-5, 2-3 Big Ten) travels to Illinois to take on Ron Turner??s Illini (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten). Up next for Penn State (4-5 3-2 Big Ten) is a visit from the Iowa Hawkeyes (1-8, 1-4 Big Ten).