Fernando Mendoza Makes Heisman Statement, Fans Stunned by Cooper's TD as IU Beats PSU
Fernando Mendoza found Omar Cooper Jr. for one of the greatest and most clutch touchdown catches you'll ever see to lead No. 2 Indiana to a 27-24 road victory over upset-minded Penn State.
The Hoosiers entered this game at 9-0 against a 3-5 Penn State team that had lost five straight matchups entering Saturday. Indiana held a 20-7 lead in the third quarter, but PSU responded with 17 straight points, including a pair of Nicolas Singleton touchdowns in the fourth quarter.
Down 24-20, Indiana got the ball back on its own 20-yard line with 1:51 left. Mendoza then went to work, completing passes of 22, 12, 29 and 17 yards to get the Hoosiers down to the Penn State seven-yard line.
On third-and-goal, Mendoza heaved the ball to the back of the end zone, where Cooper levitated and somehow tapped his toe inbounds before he was shoved out of bounds.
Penn State got the ball back and got as far as the Indiana 48-yard line but simply ran out of time. A last-second Hail Mary attempt fell incomplete.
And with that, Indiana survived a great upset attempt from Penn State to move to 10-0.
Fans and analysts alike were both impressed with the last-minute efforts from Mendoza, a bona fide Heisman Trophy candidate, as well as Cooper, whose remarkable display stunned fans.
Overall, this wasn't a great game for Mendoza, who completed 19-of-30 passes for 218 yards, one touchdown and one interception. He did rush for 20 yards and one touchdown, but the Hoosiers' offense had just 30 yards over three fourth-quarter drives prior to the final score.
That performance could be seen as a bit concerning, given that it was against a struggling Penn State team that's been in a tailspin after a 3-0 start. PSU has snce fired head coach James Franklin and lost starting quarterback Drew Allar to a season-ending ankle injury.
However, the Hoosiers got it done when needed most.
Mendoza, the Cal transfer, has now completed 71.3 percent of his passes for 26 touchdowns (five interceptions) and 2,342 yards while rushing for 240 yards and five more scores on the year. He should be heading to New York in a month's time as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Much credit also goes to Cooper, who has 52 catches for 701 yards and nine touchdowns in 10 games. He's first in catches and receiving yards and second in receiving touchdowns on an Indiana team that should be entering the Big Ten Championship Game next month with a 12-0 record (9-0 in conference) with victories over two-win Wisconsin and two-win Purdue to close the regular season.
The Badgers are up first next Saturday in Bloomington at noon ET.
