Fernando Mendoza, No. 2 Indiana survive Penn State upset bid
By David Wasson
Published:
No. 2 Indiana turned in a frantic fourth-quarter comeback Saturday, as Omar Cooper Jr. snared a 7-yard touchdown catch with 36 seconds remaining to give the Hoosiers a 27-24 comeback victory against Penn State.
Heisman Trophy contender Fernando Mendoza faced a third-and-goal at the 7 against a Penn State defense that had already picked him off once in the quarter — but hit a leaping Cooper along the back of the end zone. Cooper got a toe down inbounds, an instant-highlight catch that was upheld by instant replay. Mendoza was 5-for-8 for 87 yards on the game-winning drive, and finished 19-of-30 for 218 yards.
Penn State (3-6), which fired coach James Franklin earlier this season after losses at UCLA and at home against Northwestern, turned in its best performance of the season against the Hoosiers. But it still wasn’t enough to upend the Hoosiers (10-0), who are nearing back-to-back College Football Playoff appearances.
Interim coach Terry Smith’s Nittany Lions took a a 24-20 lead when Nate Singleton rumbled for a 19-yard touchdown reception from freshman quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer with 4:20 to play. Grunkemeyer was starting just his third game after Drew Allar went down with a season-ending injury.
Penn State trailed 20-7 midway through the third quarter after Nicolas Radicic hit a 31-yard field goal. But the Nittany Lions roared back behind Singleton – who also tallied a pair of rushing touchdowns.
One of the reasons Franklin was let go by Penn State, which advanced to the College Football Playoff semifinals last year, was a dreadful 1-14 record against Top 5 teams. The last time the Nittany Lions took down a Top 5 team was 2016 against Ohio State.
The Hoosiers shocked the nation last year by going 11-2 and making the CFP field and started 2025 with an 8-0 record and a program-high No. 2 national ranking.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
