Brendan Sorsby leads fight but Indiana Football loses a close one to Penn State

Indiana football lost a close one on the road against Penn State 33-24 on Saturday. The Hoosiers came into this game as 31-point underdogs and if not for some self-inflicted wounds, they may have pulled off the upset.

Redshirt-freshman Brendan Sorsby played a big role in the effort against Penn State, passing for 269 yards, 3 touchdowns and an interception. Sorsby took a beating in this one, taking a ton of big hits, but he battled to the finish despite coming up short.

Sorsby had plenty of praise for the guys around him after the offense finally showed a pulse for the first time in weeks.

“I felt really comfortable out there this week. I felt like Coach [Rod] Carey called a great game,” Sorsby said about the offense’s performance. “The O-line and receivers did a great job helping me out, our running backs ran the ball really well.”

Sorsby made some big plays to spark an offense that has struggled to score points all season. He threw a 90 yard touchdown pass to DeQuece Carter in the first quarter and later found Donaven McCulley for a 69 yard TD pass in the 2nd quarter.

Later in the game, the Hoosiers trailed the Nittany Lions 24-14 in the fourth quarter when Sorsby found Omar Cooper Jr. from 26 yards out for six to cut the deficit to 3.

Sorsby’s performance today, could end the season-long quarterback battle as it seems he has solidified himself as the starter, even with Dexter Williams II returning from injury. Sorsby still wants more from the offense moving forward in the season despite the positive performance.

“We gotta keep going, we can’t stop,” Sorsby said when asked about what the offense needs to do moving forward. “We gotta keep putting drives together and find ways to go score.”

With under six minutes to go, Penn State had the ball inside their own 20 with a chance to kill the clock, but the Indiana defense stepped up and defensive back Josh Sanguinetti intercepted Drew Allar’s pass, setting up the Hoosiers inside the Nittany Lions’ 25, down by three but the offense settled for a tying field goal on the ensuing drive.

“We played good enough to win the game just didn’t finish,” Tom Allen said postgame. “… It makes it even harder and hurt more.”

Not finishing drives has been a consistent theme this season for Indiana football and it cost them. They ran the ball on three consecutive plays before kicking the field goal.

Sanguinetti’s interception highlighted a strong showing from the defense which kept Indiana alive when the offense went stagnant. Penn State came into this week averaging 48.75 points-per-game at home this season and they struggled against the Hoosiers, only sustaining three drives longer than 35 yards.

 The front seven played a huge role, getting a ton of pressure and stuffing the run. The Hoosiers’ defense had 3 sacks and only allowed 3.1 yards-per-rush.

Linebacker Aaron Casey was a big part of the reason for the defensive success, making a ton of big plays. He had 10 total tackles, 1.5 tackles-for-loss, half a sack and a pass breakup.

Time of possession was an issue again as Indiana struggled to control the ball. Penn State had the ball almost 11 minutes longer than Indiana, and it seemed the defense was worn down by the end.

In the final minutes of the game, Drew Allar found KeAndre Lambert-Smith open down the field for a 57-yard touchdown, giving Penn State the lead for good. It was the longest play of the game for the Nittany Lions’ offense and fatigue could have played a factor as the defense had played a long grueling game up to that point.

“We played a really good team like this on the road and the kids battled, they fought,” Allen said about his team’s effort. “Very proud of them, all those guys in the locker room. They hung together, stayed together, they came here to win the game.”

Ultimately, Indiana could not overcome the muffed punt, fumble, missed field goal and interception, but they showed resilience in a close battle. The loss will sting knowing the chances the Hoosiers had to pull off the upset, but today showed progress from a team that has looked lifeless over the last four games.

SEE ALSO: HoosierIllustrated Live Blog: Indiana football at Penn State

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