INDIANAPOLIS — Heading into Saturday's game in the RCA Dome, both Penn State and Indiana were trying to put a positive spin on what had, so far, been a disappointing season.
One team succeeded.
In a see-saw battle that included four ties and five lead changes, Ryan Primanti nailed a 39-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining to put the Nittany Lions (4-5, 3-2 Big Ten) up for good, 27-24, dropping the Hoosiers to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the conference.
"I told my players, I thought they played extremely hard," Indiana coach Cam Cameron said. "It's just one of those ball games where the team that got the ball last won."
Said Penn State coach Joe Paterno, who closed to within two wins of Paul Bryant's career victory record: "They played awfully hard — both teams. That's a tough game for anybody to lose."
With the win, the Lions kept their hopes for a bowl game alive. However, they must win each of their remaining three games to be eligible.
"We're in the playoffs now," defensive back James Boyd said. "Now we have three more. We can't stop. One and we're done. It's really on the line now."
Following a 16-play, 68-yard Indiana drive that chewed up 6:55 and ended with a 29-yard Andy Payne field goal in the fourth quarter, seemingly extending the game into overtime, Penn State quarterback Rashard Casey put together a two-minute drill that would've made John Elway proud.
With just less than two minutes remaining and no timeouts remaining, Casey marched the Lions down the field by completing 5 of 6 passes for 38 yards and rushing once for a gain of 14, setting up Primanti's game-winner on first down.
"I'll tell you, I did some of the greatest coaching you've ever seen in your life," said Paterno, laughing. "No, go ask Casey how he engineered it. I didn't. We're standing on the sidelines. He's the one controlling the game."
The Penn State signal caller threw for 198 yards, while completing 18 of 23 passes and rushing for 27 yards. But, most importantly, he didn't throw an interception.
Indiana quarterback Antwaan Randle El was not so lucky. Despite rushing for 66 yards on the day and initiating the option game that opened Levron Williams up for 135 yards on 20 carries, Randle El was picked off three times, including interceptions on his first and last pass of the day, and threw for only 88 yards.
Penn State was not immune from the turnover bug, however, as the Lions were forced to overcome a crucial giveaway of their own, as running back Eric McCoo put the ball on the turf in the third quarter while trying to fight his way in for a touchdown. Indiana defensive back Sharrod Wallace recovered the fumble and ran it out to the 31-yard line, where Casey pushed him out of bounds.
Following the recovery, Randle El led Indiana on another time-consuming scoring drive, which was capped by Williams' second touchdown of the day. The junior running back fumbled at the goal line as well, but was able to recover and give the Hoosiers a 21-14 lead.
But Penn State's Larry Johnson Jr. returned the ensuing kickoff to the 46-yard line, sparking another Penn State scoring drive.
And after the two teams traded field goals, Casey worked his magic and Primanti ended a long day for the Hoosiers — and their coach.
"It's been a heck of a day," said Cameron, whose wife had given birth to a daughter, Elizabeth Anne, earlier in the day. "Give Missy credit. She got things done. Mom did her job. Dad didn't."
