BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Senior quarterback Trace McSorley rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns and was aided by big plays on defense and special teams, as No. 18/16 Penn State defeated Indiana, 33-28, in Big Ten football action Saturday afternoon in Memorial Stadium.
McSorley's 34-game streak with a passing touchdown came to an end but his 327 yards of total offense and two scores led the Penn State (5-2, 2-2 Big Ten) offense. Running back Miles Sanders added 126 all-purpose yards, catching a team-best six passes for 54 yards and rushing 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Turnovers and special teams were a factor as Penn State generated 10 points off of two fumble recoveries, while a pair of big kickoff returns by KJ Hamler (58 yards) and Johnathan Thomas (94 yards) setup quick Penn State touchdown drives.
Indiana (4-4, 1-4 Big Ten) was able to generate 554 yards of total offense, running 100 plays, but the Nittany Lion defense came up with a pair of stops in its own territory inside of two minutes at the end of the first half and another stop after Indiana recovered an onside kick with 49 seconds remaining.
Indiana was able to take leads twice in the game, once in the first quarter and once in the third, but McSorley's two rushing scores, with one late in the third quarter and another early in the fourth, clinched the game for the Nittany Lions.
Keys and Difference Makers
Trace McSorley (PSU, QB)
McSorley completed 19-of-36 passes for 220 yards, adding to his school record with his 26th career 200-yard passing game, and also rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns. His rushing yardage total ranks as the second most of his career and the 10th most by a Penn State quarterback all-time, and gives him a career-best 554 rushing yards this season, which ranks as the second-most by a Penn State quarterback all time (Michael Robinson, 806 yds; 2005). McSorley also became the 11th player in Big Ten history to surpass 10,000 career yards of total offense in Big Ten history, as he now has 10,283 career total yards.
McSorley was held without a touchdown pass, ending an FBS-leading 34-game streak. It ranks as the fifth-longest in Autonomy Five history.
Penn State was not without a touchdown pass though, as quarterback Tommy Stevens threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth out of the "Lion" package.
Turnovers
Penn State generated 10 points off of three second-half takeaways. Defensive tackle PJ Mustipher forced a fumble on the edge of the red zone on Indiana's first drive of the third quarter, and safety Garrett Taylor recovered it, leading to a Penn State field goal drive. In the fourth quarter, Jonathan Sutherland forced a fumble on a punt, and Nick Scott recovered it at the Indiana 32, setting up Penn State's final touchdown drive.
Scott then came up with an interception with 4:35 remaining in the game, ending a crucial Indiana drive.
Indiana was unable to take advantage of a McSorley interception in the second quarter and was unable to recover any of Penn State's three muffed kicks. The Hoosiers did get one last chance to try and take the game after Scott fumbled a late onside kick. That gave Indiana one last offensive possession with 49 seconds remaining.
Penn State Kick Returns
KJ Hamler opened the game with a 58-yard kickoff return, leading to a short Penn State touchdown drive, and Johnathan Thomas answered an Indiana go-ahead touchdown late in the third quarter with a 94-yard kickoff return, which setup a one-play touchdown drive to put Penn State back ahead, 26-21.
Miles Sanders (PSU, RB)
Sanders was Penn State's leading receiver, setting career highs with six receptions for 54 yards, and he rushed 15 times for 72 yards and a touchdown.
Juwan Johnson (PSU, WR)
Johnson surpassed 1,000 yards receiving for his career and hauled in a career-long 59-yard catch, leading to a field goal.
Indiana Offense
Quarterbacks Peyton Ramsey and Michael Penix Jr. combined to complete 35-of-55 passes for 330 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Stevie Scott led a rushing attack that totaled 224 yards with 138 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries.
Penn State Defense
The Nittany Lions faced 100 plays, but came up big in the final two minutes of the second and fourth quarters preventing Indiana from taking the lead despite getting two possessions each in two-minute situations. Yetur Gross-Matos led the unit with a career-high 10 tackles and two sacks, while Shaka Toney added a career-high four sacks, tying the Penn State single-game record.
Step-by-Step
Hamler returned the opening kickoff 58 yards for Penn State, setting up a five-play, 36-yard touchdown drive. A 29-yard completion to Sanders advanced the Lions to the 6-yard line, and after a pair of McSorley rushes to the 1, Sanders walked into the end zone on third-and-goal for a 7-0 lead.
Indiana responded though with an eight-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. A Whop Philyor 26-yard rush to the Penn State 5 setup a 5-yard touchdown run by Scott.
Indiana then went ahead 14-7 with 1:06 remaining in the quarter, taking advantage of a short field after stopping a Penn State fake punt. Starting at Penn State's 42, Ronnie Walker capped the drive with a 30-yard touchdown run.
Penn State retook the lead in the second quarter, as McSorley keyed a touchdown drive with a 44-yard run, moving the Lions to the Indiana 23. Penn State used a little trickery by having two quarterbacks on the field, as McSorley threw to Stevens for no gain, and then on the next snap, Stevens received the snap and threw a touchdown pass to tight end Pat Freiermuth with 10:08 remaining in the quarter.
On Penn State's next possession, a 59-yard reception by Johnson setup a Jake Pinegar 27-yard field goal, giving the Nittany Lions a 17-14 lead. The Penn State defense preserved the slim lead until the halftime break by coming up with a fourth-and-1 stop at the 10 with 1:50 remaining, and then by keeping Indiana out of field goal range over the last 1:10 despite the offense taking possession at the Penn State 42.
Indiana received the kickoff to open the second half and drove into Penn State territory, but Mustipher forced a Walker fumble, and Taylor recovered it for the Nittany Lions at the Penn State 23. The Lions then drove 63 yards on 13 plays for a 32-yard field goal by Pinegar for a 20-14 lead.
Indiana retook the lead with another touchdown by Scott, as he pushed across the goal line after a 3-yard rush, but it was short-lived asThomas returned the ensuing kickoff 94 yards to the Indiana 5. McSorley rushed for a score on his first snap, but the extra point was blocked, leaving Penn State with a 26-21 lead with 3:41 remaining in the quarter.
Penn State extended its lead following another forced fumble and recovery. Sutherland stripped J-Shun Harris II on a punt return, and Scott was there to recover it at the Indiana 32.On the fifth play from scrimmage, McSorley called his own number for a 4-yard touchdown rush.
Indiana threatened late as Ramsey connected with Harris on a 21-yard touchdown with 49 seconds remaining, and then recovered the onside kick, but the Nittany Lion defense came through with another late stop to secure the win.
Up Next
The Nittany Lions return to action next Saturday when they host Iowa for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on either ABC or ESPN.
A limited number of single game tickets for the 2018 season presented by PSECU are available for the Maryland game. Verified resale tickets are available for all seven home games via ticketmaster.com. With more than 6,300 new season tickets sold, the season ticket allotment for the 2018 season is exhausted. For information on joining the Nittany Lion Club, as well as club seating in Beaver Stadium, fans can visit www.NittanyLionClub.com, call 1-800-NITTANY weekdays from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. or visit the Bryce Jordan Center ticket office weekdays from 10 a.m-6 p.m.
