Second half plagues Hoosiers

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. – With the score tied 10-10 and 6:54 remaining in the third quarter, junior quarterback Ben Chappell dropped back and threw a short screen pass to junior running back Trea Burgess.

But the high-floating ball bounced off the outstretched fingertips of Burgess and landed directly into the hands of Penn State linebacker Navorro Bowman, who ran 73 yards for a touchdown and a seven-point advantage.

For the Hoosiers, it was all downhill from there.

“It turned out to be really huge,” senior running back Bryan Payton said of the interception. “I don’t know what they were saying in the locker room or what their psyche was, but I’m sure they needed that. Any time you get sudden change like that, it hurts.”

IU lost to Penn State 31-20 in State College, Pa., and fell to 4-7 on the season. The defeat eliminates any chance of a bowl game berth for IU.

Chappell was 32-51 for 298 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. The Hoosiers’ running backs had a total of 48 yards on the ground and scored no touchdowns.

In contrast, Penn State totaled 181 yards rushing and mounted two touchdowns.  

The Nittany Lions’ ability to control the second half proved to be the difference on Saturday.

In the third quarter, Penn State had possession for more than 11 of the 15 total minutes. The final drive of the quarter for the Nittany Lions used the remaining 5:50 on 14 plays as they marched to the IU 2-yard line.

On the first play of the fourth quarter, Nittany Lion running back Evan Royster rushed for a 2-yard touchdown to make the score 24-10.

“They weren’t doing anything special, just running a little outside-bounce play,” IU senior linebacker Matt Mayberry said. “They just got the yards that they needed.”

IU responded with a 38-yard field goal from freshman kicker Nick Freeland on their next drive.

Unfortunately for the Hoosiers, Penn State did not back down.

With 10:37 remaining in the fourth quarter, Nittany Lion quarterback Daryll Clark led a 12-play drive that culminated in the senior passer rushing one yard for a touchdown to go up 18 points.

The Hoosiers answered with an efficient drive of their own.

Chappell calmly moved the ball downfield, using six completions to reach the Penn State 5-yard line. He then connected with sophomore wide receiver Tandon Doss in the back of the end zone to bring IU to within 11 points with 1:08 left in the game.

The small amount of time remaining provided little chance for a Hoosier comeback, and the game ended in a victory for the Nittany Lions.

“It’s pretty disappointing,” Chappell said. “We moved the ball in the first half, got some turnovers that we didn’t capitalize on. We just didn’t make the plays.”

Chappell’s 51 attempted passes were the most he has thrown for one game in his career. IU’s inability to run the football, particularly in the second half, was a main reason for that statistic.

The Hoosiers’ effective defense in the first half was also not the same in the final 30 minutes of the game.

Clark constantly found open receivers, and Penn State’s rushing attack of Royster and Stephfon Green appeared to wear down the IU defensive line in the final minutes.

IU coach Bill Lynch said his team fought hard, but could not capitalize when it needed plays most.

“Well, it was a good, hard-nosed football game,” Lynch said. “I really thought our kids came out and played hard and created some turnovers, but we just did not take advantage of enough of them. Give (Penn State) a lot of credit. That’s an outstanding defensive football team they have.”