Hoosiers Fall in Back-and-Forth Battle With No. 10 Penn State

Saturday, November 12

Bloomington, Ind.

Noon

Indiana University

5-5 , 3-4

Penn State

8-2 , 6-1

1st

2nd

3rd

4th

Penn State

Indiana

Hoosiers Fall in Back-and-Forth Battle With No. 10 Penn State

11/12/2016 5:51:00 PM | Football

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Defense matches program record for backfield tackles

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Hoosiers football team suited up for their third game this season against a top-10 opponent, hosting No. 10 Penn State at Memorial Stadium. Both teams provided a compelling contest, which featured six lead changes and two ties, but the Nittany Lions (8-2, 6-1) left with a 45-31 win over Indiana (5-5, 3-4).

"It was a strong performance down the stretch. Penn State, I thought really played well in the fourth quarter," said Indiana head coach Kevin Wilson. "We had a hard time getting anything going and stopping. A lot of credit to the way they finished; we've got to finish better. We were scrapping around just trying to see if we could get a force in at the end. As hard as we play and as proud as you are and as much as you love them, we've got to finish better, and I've got to coach a little bit better as far as play calling, get the offense going down the stretch."

Indiana's defense dominated the line of scrimmage as the unit posted 16 tackles for loss, believed to be tied for the most in school history. The effort contained Penn State tailback Saquon Barkley to just 58 yards on 1.8 yards per carry. That mark is the lowest single-game rushing average of Barkley's career.

"They have a great running back, one of the best in the country. The big thing this week was we wanted to stop the run to give us a better chance and make them one-dimensional," said redshirt junior Rashard Fant. "A lot of the success was we were getting pressure and they were just tossing the ball up there. There were jump balls all over the field. They made plays, we made plays, but at the end of the day they made more than we did."

Tegray Scales championed the effort in corralling Penn State's ground game, recording eight tackles and three tackles for loss with a quarterback hurry. Indiana's secondary caused problems for Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley as well. Fant and Tony Fields earned interceptions, while A'Shon Riggins and Jonathan Crawford notched two breakups apiece. Greg Gooch, Jacob Robinson, and Nile Sykes recorded sacks.

"It's a huge credit to Tom Allen and Mark Hagen because Mark's got some guys that are just playing hard," Wilson commented on the defensive unit. "I don't know if individually, collectively, if there's one guy you say that guy is a difference maker, but they're a difference as a group. They play with fire. They play with passion. They fight and scratch. It's relentless in the way they play. A lot of respect for what their coach is doing, a lot of respect for those kids because they play their tails off."

Devine Redding hit the century mark for the fifth time this year, ending at 108 yards with two touchdowns on 23 carries. His performance ensured success for the Hoosiers in the end zone, including a sequence where two carries and 19 yards led to Indiana's tying touchdown at 14-14.

Richard Lagow held his own in the quarterback dual with McSorley. Lagow completed 23-of-40 passes for 293 yards and two touchdowns: a 5-yard flat route to Ricky Jones in the first quarter, and a 40-yard teardrop to Nick Westbrook in the end zone.

Lagow and the Hoosiers went deep, and it worked well. Four receivers—Westbrook, Camion Patrick, Luke Timian and Donavan Hale—hauled in catches of more than 20 yards. Patrick's catch, a 52-yarder by Zander Diamont on his only throwing attempt, allowed Indiana to set their sights on a lead-extending 24-14 touchdown. Mitchell Paige led the reception tally, grabbing six-of-eight targets for 43 yards.

McSorely's 10-yard scamper across the goal line was all that separated Indiana and Penn State after one quarter. Jones' score on third-and-goal tied the game early in the second. Penn State took the lead again via McSorely, this time through the air, but IU countered with Redding's 12-yard dash. Redding took the rock to the left and bounced off the Penn State defense to tie the contest, 14-14, at halftime.

A 34-yard pass from Lagow to Westbrook lined Indiana up for their first lead of the game on the opening drive of the third quarter. Three Alex Rodriguez carries for eight total yards set the table for Griffin Oakes' 47-yard field goal. The make is Oakes' 49^th career field goal conversion, the second-highest career mark in program history.

Redding notched his second touchdown to extend the Hoosiers lead at 24-14, but Penn State retaliated with a quick drive that included a 43-yard pass to Saeed Blacknall and a 21-yard touchdown strike to Chris Godwin. In the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions regained the lead on Barkley's first of two touchdowns, the first from four yards out.

Lagow amassed his best drive of the game on the following possession. He extended the drive with an 11-yard gain to Paige, and followed with a 22-yard connection to Patrick. The touchdown came from Penn State's 40-yard line, when Lagow put his pass on a string headed towards Westbrook in the end zone. It gave the Hoosiers a three-point lead, 31-28, midway through the fourth quarter.

Penn State and Indiana stalled on consecutive drives before the Barkley took the decisive lead on a two-yard touchdown. The Nittany Lions scored two more times—a field goal make and a defensive scoop-and-score—to finalize the margin at 45-31.

IU goes back to work next week in preparation for their final road game of the regular season, and it will be one of their toughest opponents to date. The Hoosiers are headed to the Big House for a game at No. 3 Michigan (9-0, 6-0) on Saturday, Nov. 19. The game is set for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff and will air on the ABC/ESPN family of networks.