Nittany Lions overwhelm the Hoosiers, 45-14
BLOOMINGTON, IND – The No. 15/16/16 Penn State football team (7-2, 4-2 Big Ten) defeated the Indiana Hoosiers (3-6, 1-5 Big Ten), 45-14, Saturday afternoon at Memorial Stadium.
The game featured a complementary effort on both sides of the ball with the offense racking up 483 total yards and the defense registering 16 tackles for loss. Freshman running back Kaytron Allen highlighted the offense’s performance with 158 scrimmage yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Of the defense’s 16 TFLs, six of them were sacks, while the unit also pulled in three interceptions in a dominant performance. Twelve different players picked up at least a 0.5 tackle for loss in the contest. The 16 TFLs ties the program record for TFLs since it became an NCAA statistics in 2000. The Lions also had 16 TFLs against Kent State in 2018.
With their rushing scores today, freshmen running backs Allen and Nicholas Singleton have both accumulated eight rushing touchdowns on the season to tie Noah Cain for the freshman season program record.
Sean Clifford completed 15-of-23 passes for 229 yards and one interception. Drew Allar pitched in 75 passing yards and two scores, going 9-for-12. Ten different receivers caught passes from the two signal callers, led by Mitchell Tinsley with five catches for 63 yards.
Kobe King paced the defense with eight total tackles, including 2.5 tackles for loss. Kalen King and Dani Dennis-Sutton both recorded their first career interceptions in the contest.
The Nittany Lions scored first on a 1-yard touchdown carry by Singleton with 6:50 remaining in the first quarter. The score was set up by a 27-yard catch by Tinsley to put Nittany Lions inside the 5-yard line. Indiana tied the game on the next possession, constructing an eight-play, 75-yard scoring drive, capped off by an 11-yard touchdown reception by A.J. Barner.
Penn State was intercepted on its own 31-yard line on the next drive, but the Nittany Lion defense stood tall and pushed the Hoosiers back 13 yards to force a punt.
Allen broke the tie with an 11-yard touchdown run with 9:25 left in the second quarter. Allen also hauled in a 27-yard pass that led to his own score. Penn State’s drive was kickstarted by a 19-yard punt return by Parker Washington that set up the offense inside Indiana territory.
The Nittany Lions opened up a two-score lead on another Allen rushing touchdown. This time, it was a 6-yard score with 5:04 left in the first half.bWith less than a minute left in the second quarter, Jake Pinegar connected on a career-long 50-yard field goal to put the Nittany Lions up 24-7.
Kalen King recorded his first career interception with 11:15 left in the third quarter. The pick came as the Hoosiers were trying for a long strike into the red zone, and it gave Penn State the ball at their own 4-yard line. The Nittany Lions promptly marched 96 yards down the field on seven plays to score and take a 31-7 advantage. The touchdown was Allen’s third rushing score of the day, and his eighth this season.
Penn State scored once again off an interception late in the third quarter as Drew Allar hit Harrison Wallace III. The score was Wallace’s first of his career. This time it was Dani Dennis-Sutton that recorded the pick that led to the Nittany Lion touchdown.
On the ensuing possession, Daequan Hardy recorded the Nittany Lions’ third interception of the game and returned the ball 18 yards to the Indiana 4-yard line. Allar then found Theo Johnson in the end zone to put Penn State up 45-7.
Indiana rounded out the scoring for the game with a 1-yard score by Jaylin Lucas with 6:16 left in the fourth quarter.
