Officially, it was a home game for Indiana. But geography determined otherwise.
When the Hoosiers “hosted” Penn State Saturday at FedEx Field, their cream and crimson-clad fans were outnumbered by those in Nittany Lions’ white, roughly four to one.
On the field, Penn State’s edge was not so clear. For the first 43 minutes, the teams played to a standoff before a blocked punt changed the game.
When Penn State junior Andrew Dailey smothered the ball off the foot of Indiana’s Chris Hagerup, sophomore James Van Fleet scooped it off the turf and ran 21 yards for a touchdown, giving Penn State a boost on its way to a 41-24 victory before 78,790.
| Notes |
| » Four Penn State players missed the bus to FedEx Field and were disciplined. Paterno identified one as senior defensive tackle Ollie Ogbu. Another starter on the line, junior Devon Still, was also benched. |
| » Sophomore defensive end Sean Stanley (Gaithersburg) was suspended for the game for an undisclosed incident this week. |
| » Other local players who contributed for Penn State were sophomore cornerback Stephon Morris (Eleanor Roosevelt), who had three tackles, senior linebacker Bani Gbadyu (Quince Orchard), who had two tackles, and sophomore wideout Brandon Moseby-Felder (Oxon Hill), who had two catches for 10 yards. |
| » FedEx is the 66th stadium Paterno (401-133-3) has coached in. |
| » The Lions are 14-0 all-time against Indiana. |
It was a rare heroic moment for Van Fleet, a walk-on linebacker from Williamsport, Pa., who paused when he was asked the last time he scored a touchdown.
“Pop Warner?” he said.
It was a rare neutral field game as Indiana opted for FedEx over its home, Memorial Stadium, which seats 50,180, which is more than 40,000 less than FedEx, the largest stadium in the NFL. There was nothing neutral about the support, however.
“Absolutely,” said Penn State safety Drew Astorino, when asked if it felt like a home game. “They dominated the stadium, so it was nice.”
It was a happy homecoming for several Nittany Lions, who grew up in the Washington area. Senior running back Evan Royster (Westfield), the all-time rushing leader at Penn State, carried 16 times for 48 yards and scored the game’s first touchdown.
Sophomore Devon Smith (Eleanor Roosevelt/Westlake), one of 12 Lions from Maryland, set up Penn State’s second touchdown with a 45-yard reception. He also set up a field goal with a 20-yard punt return.
“It’s a dream come true. I lived in the apartments, right across the street, two minutes away,” said Smith. “Great time playing in Redskins Stadium.”
After falling behind 14-0, Indiana (4-7, 0-7) threatened to spoil the party. The Hoosiers were coming off a humiliating 83-20 loss to Wisconsin, but senior quarterback Ben Chappell (22 of 41, 235 yards, 2 touchdowns) and junior wideout Tandon Doss, who accounted for 151 yards rushing and receiving, were determined to compete.
When Chappell threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Smith, Indiana tied it 24-24 with 6 minutes, 11 seconds left in the third period.
The next time the Hoosiers got the ball, however, they surrendered the decisive punt block. Five plays later, Chappell threw high and was picked off by Astorino, setting up Collin Wagner’s second field goal for a 34-24 lead.
The next time Penn State got the ball, wideout Derek Moye made a sliding, 29-yard catch at the goal line to set up the clinching touchdown, a 1-yard plunge by freshman Silas Redd (9 carries, 50 yards).
“I was disappointed,” said Penn State coach Joe Paterno. “I was concerned. We had a god lead and we let it get away.”
Penn State (7-4, 4-3) opened with precisely-orchestrated drives of 87 and 99 yards as sophomore quarterback Matt McGloin hit 10 of his first 11 passes for 142 yards as the Nittany Lions took a 14-0 lead. McGloin had the first 300-yard game of his career, completing 22 of 31 passes for 315 yards and two touchdowns.
“We had a great script this week,” said McGloin. “I was very comfortable today. Things were clicking early on. We moved the ball very well.”
After Indiana fell behind 14-0, Chappell directed a 78-yard scoring drive that was so efficient, the Hoosiers never faced third down. A 4-yard touchdown run by senior Trea Burgess cut the lead in half.
The Nittany Lions answered with a field goal to go up 17-7, then they appeared to take command as linebacker Nate Stupar returned a fumble by Chappell 40 yards for a touchdown. But instead of grabbing a 24-7 lead, Penn State was denied as Chappell was ruled down, after a lengthy booth review.
Chappell took advantage of the reprieve, firing a 46-yard strike down the sideline to Doss. Two plays later, Chappell lofted a pass toward the corner of the end zone that senior wideout Terrance Turner pulled to his stomach to cut the Hoosiers’ deficit to 17-14.
Indiana kept up the pressure at the start of the second half as senior linebacker Tyler Replogle and senior end Darius Johnson combined to throw Royster for a loss on 4th and 1. Again, Chappell struck quickly with a 29-yard catch-and-run completion to freshman wideout Duwyce Wilson, which set up a 49-yard field goal by freshman Mitch Ewald for a 17-17 tie.
“There was no doubt in my mind that they were going to come out and fight and be ready to play,” said Penn State wide receiver Brett Brackett, who caught a touchdown pass. “It was good for us to show some persistence – sticking with it on offense.”
Penn State responded with a 70-yard touchdown drive that was all Moye. The 6-foot-5 junior made a first down catch, then ran 27 yards on an end around. Three plays later, he got wide open on the sideline and caught a 21-yard touchdown pass.
Indiana retaliated as Doss came from the slot, took a handoff running left and cut upfield for 39 yards, setting up the tying score.
But then, everything changed with the punt block.
“We felt like we couldn’t turn the ball over, and that really hurt us,” said Indiana coach Bill Lynch. “The next series after the score, we had the one turnover, an interception. So we had a bam-bam, back to back.”
Also helping fuel the Nittany Lions were their boisterous fans.
“I thought it was an awesome thing, awesome experience to play in a place like this,” said Brackett (5 receptions, 66 yards). “The atmosphere was great and we had a lot of fans.”
