IU @ Penn State

The #10 ranked Penn State  offense finally found a way to be explosive when it mattered most. Drew Allar threw three touchdown passes, including a 57-yarder to KeAndre Lambert-Smith with 1:46 to play, and No. 10 Penn State’s defense forced a late safety to beat Indiana 33-24.

Indiana capitalized with two long touchdown passes to take a 14-7 lead.

The Hoosiers opened the scoring when wideout DeQuece Carter slipped past Penn State’s secondary and Sorsby found him for a 90-yard score. Two possessions later, Indiana’s Donaven McCulley was left uncovered by a blitzing defense and race unchallenged for a 69-yard touchdown.

Penn State took control in the second quarter after Singleton scored on a 2-yard run and Jaylen Reed intercepted Sorsby at midfield.  

The Hoosiers played their best game in a long time. They entered with the worst statistical run defense in the Big Ten and held Singleton and Kaytron Allen in check for the most part.

Costly mistakes in all three fazes  led to the Hoosiers' demise. 

A muffed punt led to a touchdown, (special teams)

An avoidable interception led to a field goal. (offense)

A blown coverage in the final minuets led to the winning touchdown. (defense)

They’ll need to win their next four to become bowl eligible for the first time since 2020.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

The Associated Press

IU v Rutgers

Gavin Wimsatt ran for three touchdowns and 143 yards as Rutgers became bowl eligible with a 31-14 road victory over Indiana.

The Scarlet Knights (6-2, 3-2 Big Ten) equaled their best start since 2012 and tied a program record for conference wins.  

Indiana drove to an opening touchdown as Brendan Sorsby threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to Omar Cooper Jr., but Rutgers responded with two touchdowns. Shaquan Loyal came off the edge to block a punt and Eric Rogers scooped and scored from 17 yards out in the second quarter to make it 14-7.

The Hoosiers tied the game on a Sorsby 4-yard run and appeared to be headed to halftime tied but returner Jaylin Lucas, the reigning Big Ten’s Specialist of the Year, muffed a punt and Rutgers recovered at Indiana’s 25 with 28 seconds remaining. The turnover led to a Rutgers field goal for a 17-14 halftime lead.

Humbled by three losses to ranked teams as well as to then-unbeaten Maryland, the Hoosiers were unable to turn a losing season around despite taking an early lead. Pressure is mounting on Allen, who received a seven-year extension in 2021. The home crowd booed after the Hoosiers ran unsuccessfully on a third-and-7 play in the second quarter, settling for a punt. It would take $20 million to buy out the remainder of Allen’s contract.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

IU @ Michigan

J.J. McCarthy threw a tiebreaking, 2-yard touchdown pass to Roman Wilson late in the first half and No. 2 Michigan pulled away to pummel Indiana 52-7.

Indiana (2-4, 0-3) took a 7-0 late late in the first quarter when Brendan Sorsby threw a lateral out wide to Donaven McCulley and the receiver heaved a 44-yard pass to Jaylin Lucas, who was wide open against a defense that was fooled by the trick play.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

IU @ Maryland

Taulia Tagovailoa threw for 352 yards and accounted for all six Maryland touchdowns, leading the Terrapins to a 44-17 rout of Indiana and their first 5-0 start since 2001.

Tai Felton caught seven passes for 134 yards and three first-half TDs for the Terrapins, who are 2-0 in Big Ten play for the first time since joining the league before the 2014 season. Now they face their first big test of the season when they play at No. 4 Ohio State next weekend.

Tagovailoa's five touchdown passes were one shy of the school record, set by Frank Reich in his famous comeback victory over Miami in 1984.

The Hoosiers enjoyed a significant edge in time of possession, but that was mostly because Maryland scored so easily. Sorsby and Jackson are both redshirt freshmen, so it will be interesting to see who Indiana goes with in its next game.

Sources:
The Helmet Project found here:
http://nationalchamps.net/Helmet_Project/index.htm
Photo © The B1G Network
http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1145292-power-ranking-all-124-college-football-stadiums

https://apnews.com/hub/college-football