Late Penn State touchdown opens door for furious Indiana comeback

Indiana's upset of No. 8 Penn State on Saturday marked the Hoosiers' first win over a top-10 opponent since 1987. However, had the Nittany Lions opted against scoring a very late touchdown, the win almost certainly would not have happened.

After Penn State took a one-point lead on a 60-yard touchdown pass with 2:30 to play, the Hoosiers took over on their own 25-yard line needing a field goal to regain the advantage.

The Nittany Lions' defense held firm, sacking quarterback Michael Penix Jr. on back-to-back plays to force a turnover on downs at the Indiana 14 with 1:47 to play. The Hoosiers held one timeout, so Penn State could nearly run out the entire clock by kneeling.

With Indiana's defense well aware of the fact it needed a touchdown to get the ball back and have a chance to tie the game, the Hoosiers' defense allowed Penn State running back Devyn Ford to easily walk into the end zone. Ford realized shortly after scoring that he should've instead taken a knee on the 1-yard line.

The score put the Nittany Lions up 28-20 with 1:42 remaining and allowed Indiana to keep its final timeout.

Penix subsequently took the Hoosiers down the field before plunging in for the touchdown. He then converted the two-point conversion with a nifty quarterback draw to tie the contest with 22 seconds left.

Indiana almost immediately handed the game back over to Penn State by going for a very short squib kick following Penix's score, which led to the Nittany Lions' 57-yard, game-winning field-goal attempt. It fell just short, though, sending the contest to overtime.

After the Hoosiers forced the extra session, they ended the game on one of the most dramatic plays in recent memory.