3-6.
Inches away.
Penn State football dropped an agonizing 27-24 affair against the No. 2-ranked Indiana Hoosiers at Beaver Stadium on Saturday afternoon. While the college football world didn’t expect the game to even be a competition, the Nittany Lions fought valiantly until the last whistle.
Here’s how each Penn State position group performed against Curt Cignetti’s squad.
Quarterbacks: A
When Drew Allar went down with his season-ending injury against Northwestern, it was the fatal blow to Penn State’s already-disastrous campaign. Redshirt freshman Ethan Grunkemeyer was thrust into the QB1 spot in an impossible situation, especially with James Franklin’s firing the following day.
Grunkemeyer performed decently well against Iowa and Ohio State, but Saturday afternoon was the first time he really showed Penn State fans what he can do on the gridiron.
Terry Smith said it best.
“I thought he grew up in the second half. Obviously, coming out of halftime, we threw the interception, but he bounced right back,” Smith said. “He started making some good throws. He gave us a chance to win. He led us back. He took control of the huddle. I thought he was big-time, and just looking forward to him continuing to get better and continuing to develop.”
Grunkemeyer’s final line stood at 22-31 passing for 219 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. He held tough in the pocket and made crucial throws to keep the chains moving, especially enforcing his connection with Trebor Peña. One of Smith’s main offensive emphases since taking over has been extending the field and creating a deep passing game. Grunkemeyer showed off his arm and ticked that box for the first time.
While he did miss some routine underneath throws to Devonte Ross that would’ve given Penn State some first downs, Grunkemeyer’s overall performance can’t be praised enough. It’ll definitely start some conversations about the quarterback situation next year, no matter who Penn State hires.
Running Backs: A-
The senior running back took all the noise and shoved it in the trash. Singleton looked like his old self against the Hoosiers behind his 71-yard, two-touchdown rushing performance. He uncorked a 59-yard run in the fourth quarter that he almost took to the house, but Indiana dropped him at the 2-yard line. He punched it in two plays later.
Singleton didn’t only flash his speed on the ground. He scored a 19-yard receiving touchdown on a screen pass in the fourth quarter that really had the Beaver Stadium crowd believing an upset was imminent. While the game obviously didn’t end up that way, seeing Singleton score a hat trick and have a signature performance in his penultimate home game makes the loss a little easier to swallow.
Kaytron Allen, on the other hand, had his least productive game of the year. Even then, it wasn’t a horrible performance. Allen got 19 carries for 48 yards, averaging 2.5 yards per carry. He fumbled in the second quarter, which led to an Indiana touchdown.
Wide Receivers: B
Folks, this is not a drill. A Penn State receiver had an excellent game.
Trebor Peña played his best game in a blue and white uniform with his 99-yard performance against the Hoosiers. Grunkemeyer targeted Peña three times in the first quarter alone, and Penn State’s first big play came at the top of the second frame, when Peña picked up 43 yards on a deep pass up the middle.
The next two connections between the two went for 21 and 20 yards, respectively. Even with the reality of Penn State’s situation, seeing a connection form between Grunkemeyer and Peña provides some excitement for the final three games of the season.
Outside of Peña, Koby Howard reeled in two balls for 28 yards, highlighted by a 22-yard reception midway through the third quarter. Kyron Hudson had one catch for nine yards despite four targets. Grunkemeyer and Devonte Ross weren’t on the same page throughout the game, resulting in an empty game for the Troy transfer.
Tight Ends: B
Grunkemeyer wasn’t afraid to spread some balls to the tight ends against Indiana, either.
Khalil Dinkins caught four balls for 40 yards. Andrew Rappleyea caught three for 13, and Luke Reynolds snagged one for five yards.
It’s not flashy, but it’s serviceable. Rappleyea converted a crucial 4th-and-1 at the top of the second quarter. That drive ended in Penn State’s opening score.
Everybody knows it’s impossible to replace a talent like Tyler Warren. Despite the group’s struggles through the season, games like this are pivotal to building confidence. Eight positive touches and blocking involvement in a great rushing performance isn’t anything to scoff at.
Offensive Line: B-
While it wasn’t as bad as it was against Ohio State, the offensive line was roughed up once more against Indiana. Grunkemeyer was sacked twice, and Penn State really couldn’t get the run game going early. The Hoosiers totaled nine tackles-for-loss and three quarterback hurries as well.
Despite that barrage of pressure, Singleton and Grunkemeyer still had their best performances of the year. The big boys up front did enough for that, and that outweighs the few times Indiana overpowered them.
Front Seven: A-
Hello? Is this Jim Knowles’ Penn State defense?
The Nittany Lion front seven ravaged Indiana from the first snap to the final drive. Penn State pressured Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza a season-high 29 times, according to PFF. Knowles had no issue sending blitz package after blitz package, and the Beaver Stadium crowd definitely helped with Penn State’s ability to get Mendoza on the ground.
The Nittany Lions brought Mendoza down three times, with Dani Dennis-Sutton and Zane Durant both getting their hands on the Heisman candidate. Penn State also registered eight tackles-for-loss and six quarterback hurries.
Dom DeLuca led the way in tackles-for-loss with two excellent run reads in the first quarter. His two stops on Roman Hemby and Kaelon Black set the defensive tone early.
Amare Campbell and Zuriah Fisher followed suit with 1.5 tackles-for-losses of their own.
Yet, Penn State couldn’t bring Mendoza down when it mattered most at the end. Its best performance of the season will forever be overshadowed by that.
Secondary: B+
Talk about a redemption game.
One week after being slaughtered by Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith, and Carnell Tate, the Penn State secondary redeemed itself with an energetic, hard-fought performance against Mendoza.
While Indiana was without one of its top receivers in Elijah Sarratt, Penn State dug deep and held college football’s top-scoring offense to 27 points. Indiana averaged 46.4 before Saturday.
Audavion Collins stood out with five total tackles despite being burned by Omar Cooper Jr. a couple of times. However, this game was easily highlighted by King Mack and Daryus Dixson.
Mack picked off Mendoza on the sideline on Indiana’s drive after Singleton pushed Penn State within three points. The pick sent Beaver Stadium into a frenzy, and Singleton converted it into seven points with his 19-yard receiving touchdown. Mack sparked something in the crowd that died when Drew Allar threw the White Out-losing interception to Dillon Thieneman, and that hurried moment of belief encapsulated one of college football’s best games of 2025.
Outside of pass defense, Knowles had no issue bringing guys down from the second level for pressure on Mendoza around the edge to hit his blindside. Dixson had one sack and forced a fumble on the Heisman candidate, but Mendoza recovered it himself.
While Penn State’s secondary made a plethora of key plays, it’s inexcusable that it allowed Mendoza and the Indiana offense to drive 80 yards with no timeouts and score the go-ahead touchdown in less than a minute and a half. While Mendoza’s pass and Cooper’s catch in the back of the end zone for the lead were perfect, non-defendable moments of football magic, Penn State should have never allowed the Hoosiers to be in that position. It’s unfortunate for the Nittany Lions, but losing this game like that will forever leave a sour taste despite the amazing display of force.
But with how this season has gone, Penn State has to build on its wins. And it had plenty to celebrate against a top-tier opponent.
Special Teams: A-
Gabe Nwosu punted three times for 130 yards, averaging 43.3 yards per punt. He booted a 63-yarder, yet it resulted in a touchback. Indiana’s subsequent drive was its game-winning touchdown drive in the final two minutes. Nwosu pinned the Hoosiers at their own 14-yard line with a 26-yard boot in the second quarter.
Ryan Barker made his sole field goal attempt from 36 yards out. He was perfect on extra points.
Singleton returned two kickoffs for 50 yards, including a 33-yarder near the end of the first quarter. Peña returned one punt for 16 yards.