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In need of a miracle, down four points with the clock quickly ticking down, No. 2 Indiana was looking their first loss of the season squarely in the eyes until wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. played hero. The junior reeled in a seven-yard pass from quarterback Fernando Mendoza, just getting his foot in bounds to secure the 27-24 win over Penn State to keep their dream season alive in State College, Pennsylvania, on Saturday, improving to 10-0 on the season. The late dramatics came after it seemed like Indiana would have no issues getting the program’s first-ever win in Happy Valley, up 13 points in the third quarter. But with the intense Beaver Stadium crowd behind the home team despite its struggles all season, the Hoosiers found themselves in unfamiliar territory after Penn State rallied to make it a close game down the stretch. In the fourth quarter, the Nittany Lions took a 24-20 lead after quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer connected with Nicholas Singleton for a 19-yard score. Mendoza, a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy, had his “Heisman moment,” orchestrating a 10-play, 80-yard drive that led to the Cooper Jr. touchdown. The 22-year-old former University of California, Berkeley transfer finished the game with 218 yards, one touchdown throwing, another on the ground and an interception. Cooper finished with six receptions for 32 yards along with the score. “It was late in the game, I threw a pick, that’s on me. The team still had belief. The defense still had belief. Special teams had belief. This guy believed, he was open and I missed him a couple times,” Mendoza told the Fox broadcast while standing alongside Cooper Jr. “But it all came around in the end. … With amazing teammates and coaches for being able to rally and get the win here in a hostile environment against a great team.” The Nittany Lions were unsuccessful in finding a miracle for themselves as a late second Hail Mary attempt fell short. The storied Penn State program now drops to 3-6 with a 0-6 record in Big Ten conference play this season. The Penn State program came into the season ranked No. 2 in the national with championship aspirations under then-head coach James Franklin following a semifinal appearance in the College Football Playoff last season. However, the school fired Franklin last month after early season struggles that found the program sitting at 3-3. Now, under interim coach Terry Smith, the Nittany Lions are riding a six-game losing streak with three games remaining on the season. Indiana will host Wisconsin next week while Penn State heads to East Lansing, Michigan, to take on Michigan State.
