Penn State football is off to a rocky start as they took a loss of 35-36 in overtime against the Indian Hoosiers during the first game of the season on Oct. 24.
Much to Nittany Nation’s surprise, the Big Ten approved on Sept. 16 to delay the start of fall sports until late-October. Meaning that Penn State football was back! However, they only had a month to prepare for their shortened, nine game season.
The limited amount of preparation time, the lack of spring season workouts, and a new offensive coordinator proved to be disadvantages for Penn State on Oct. 24.
The Nittany Lions started off strong in the first quarter with a touchdown scored by tight end, Pat Freiermuth followed by a successful PAT by #92 kicker, Jake Pinegar. Penn State was able to make it through the first quarter without an Indiana score, paving its way to victory with a score of 7-0.
After an unsuccessful first quarter, Indiana showed its strength in the second quarter after scoring two touchdowns and a field goal. Penn State, unable to score, entered halftime down by ten points with a score of 7-17.
However, the Nittany Lions bounced back in the third quarter with #14 quarterback, Sean Clifford scoring a touchdown and Pinegar securing the PAT, bringing the score up to 14-17.
The last quarter prevailed as the most intensive quarter of the game thus far. Indiana kicker, Charles Campbell started off with a successful field goal widening its lead against Penn State. But, the Nittany Lions fought back securing an eight point lead against the Hooisers after #28 running back, Devyn Ford and #5 wide receiver, Jahan Dotson, scored two touchdowns back to back. However, Indiana wasn’t backing down without a fight as they scored a touchdown and two-point conversion within the last minute of the fourth quarter. The Hoosiers closed the gap and ended with a tie against Penn State. The results of overtime would be the final determinant in who won the first game of the season.
Penn State started out on offensive after losing the coin toss to Indiana. They created a seven point lead against the Hoosiers in the first half of overtime. However, the Nittany Lions were unable to block a Hoosier touchdown, resulting in yet another tie. Indiana attempted a controversial two-point conversion to break the tie. The play ended up going under review by referees after suspicions were made that the ball never reached the end zone and that the player was out of bounds. To Penn State’s dismay, the referees called the play in favor of Indiana, who won against Penn State, 35-36, for the first time since 2013.
Saturday marked the first time since 1987 that Indiana won a game against a top ten ranked school. Even though Penn State had the most yardage and number of first downs, it wasn’t enough to pull them out on top.
This upcoming Saturday on Oct. 31, Penn State hosts its first home game of the 2020 season against Ohio State. Ohio State is currently ranked third in the nation, while Penn State is currently ranked at 18th after its loss against Indiana.
This week’s match up will be Ohio State’s first big test of the season and Penn State’s hardest game of the year, making it the College Gameday game of the week. If Penn State can pull off an upset it should set them up for the rest of the season and a shot at the playoffs in December.
Kerri Hoover
Kerri Hoover is in her third year working on the Eagle Eye staff and currently serves as the President and Editor-in-Chief. As a Lock Haven University senior, she majors in Communication with a triple-concentration focus in Advertising & Public Relations, Electronic Media, and Journalism. With her versatile skill set, Kerri hopes to pursue a career working as a social media content creator, journalist, or video editor. On the rare occasion Kerri isn’t working in the newsroom, she can be found hanging out with her friends, working at the PUB, or creating content for the LHU Media and Journalism Department.
