Heisman-worthy comeback lifts No. 2 Indiana football over upset-minded Penn State: Likes, dislikes
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Indiana’s perfect season stayed alive by the distance between Omar Cooper Jr.’s foot and the ground Saturday, in a last-minute 27-24 win at Penn State.
Here's what I liked, disliked and what it means.
What I liked in IU football's last-minute win at Penn State
- Playmaking Mendoza. This is the Fernando Mendoza the Hoosiers will need in the College Football Playoff: dangerous with his arm, but still capable with his feet. Mendoza’s scrambling ability will never change games the way his throws do. But the threat of a quarterback capable of breaking the field, whether by design or when things break down, only makes life easier on an offense that’s already among the nation’s best.
- Becker standing in. Indiana undeniably lacked a certain rhythm without the consistent impact Elijah Sarratt provides at receiver. But Charlie Becker (seven catches, 118 yards) did his best standing in, winning his routes at the point of attack and making a handful of impressive, important catches. However long Sarratt sits, Becker looks capable of filling the gap he leaves, both in terms of consistency and highlight-reel moments. And these are promising moments for the future, in which Becker should be playing an important part.
- Heisman poise. So much of his second half was impatient and unimpressive. And then Mendoza stood up and delivered the drive of the season, and perhaps of his career. That two-minute drill, which included some remarkable catches — none more so than Cooper’s touchdown grab inside the game’s final minute. The entire drive was an origin-story moment for so many different players and personalities around Indiana football. And it kept the Hoosiers’ perfect season alive.
What I disliked in IU football's last-minute win at Penn State
- Mendoza’s second half. As Indiana’s run game failed to develop, and despite striking up that relationship with Becker, Mendoza looked like reverting back to those bad habits that followed him from Cal. He did not look like trusting his protection or cycling his reads consistently. Cooper, Mendoza’s No. 1 receiver with Sarratt out, was largely anonymous. The result was a turgid, impotent second-half offense until, of course, it wasn’t.
- Sarratt’s absence. Indiana’s got to make the best decision it can for Sarratt’s (and therefore Indiana’s) long-term future. There’s a lot more runway beyond this weekend because of the potential of a Big Ten title game appearance, then the playoff after that. But it was palpable the extent to which IU’s route combinations and passing game coordination didn’t function as well without Mendoza’s No. 1 receiver. Penn State kept Cooper quiet until the game’s final drive, and left Mendoza waiting in some long-developing dropbacks. Becker made some impressive plays in relief. Indiana still needs Sarratt back by December.
- Pass rush problems. Indiana could not quite speed up Ethan Grunkemeyer the way it did Malik Washington the week before, because the Hoosiers couldn’t win the line of scrimmage the same way. In fairness, it appeared to the naked eye the Hoosiers were staying pretty basic with a lot of their pressure schemes. But they never pressured Grunkemeyer consistently enough to really knock his rhythm the way they needed to. That can’t happen for this defense to function the way it must, and it showed as Indiana’s defensive effort waned across the fourth quarter.
What IU football's last-minute win at Penn State means
The Hoosiers escaped, but they earned their way out of State College.
When the long-tail story of this season is told, few moments will mean more than that fourth-quarter touchdown drive. Indiana (10-0, 7-0 Big Ten) will have plenty to chew on from that game, but a program for so long defined by failure is finally adding some genuine legend. Mendoza to Cooper will be a moment frozen forever in IU football history.
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This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: Indiana football score today at Penn State, game stats, likes, dislikes
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