With its back against the wall, the Penn State football team came out fighting.

Needing three wins to be bowl eligible, the Nittany Lions (4-5, 3-4 Big Ten) got their first against Indiana in a 28-14 victory.

And they turned to junior quarterback Matt Senneca to lead them against the Hoosiers. Senneca, who has already taken the blame for losses this season and has received a lot of criticism, didn't disappoint against the Hoosiers.

Senneca had a career day, throwing for 278 yards and a shovel pass that went for a touchdown to tailback Larry Johnson in Penn State's win. Senneca used a patient offensive attack, registering a touchdown in every quarter, and keeping the pressure on the Indiana offense to answer the Lions' scores.

Senneca drove the Lions 97 yards to tie the game at seven, hitting tight end John Gilmore for 34 yards on a third-and-long and then connecting with wide receiver Tony Johnson, who made a spectacular one-handed catch. Johnson finished the game with five catches for 132 yards, a career high for the sophomore.

The 97-yard drive, which culminated in a Senneca sneak for a touchdown, was the longest offensive drive for Penn State in three years.

"We knew that he could do it," Tony Johnson said. "I am glad that he came out and silenced his critics. Today he went out and proved them wrong."

Senneca, who was booed early in the first quarter after the Penn State offense went three-and-out, didn't allow for any criticism with his performance against the Hoosiers. Not only did he make the key passes, but the Lions receivers started catching the ball. Besides his circus catch, Tony Johnson connected with Senneca on a post route that went for 60 yards.

Coach Joe Paterno has been blaming Senneca's earlier performances on bad luck, but Paterno had no excuse for Senneca against the Hoosiers -- he didn't need any.

Senneca had his best numbers ever, in a must-win game for Penn State. The Beaver Stadium boos quickly turned to cheers in the first quarter and continued throughout the rest of the game.

"He has had some bad luck and was never able to get in a groove because balls were dropped or this happened or that happened," Paterno said. "He played a really fine football game, and I couldn't be happier for the kid."

Larry Johnson, who scored a career-high three touchdowns, said Penn State's 97-yard drive to tie the game at seven was more of a confidence builder than anything.

"After an effort like that, it gets your emotions and your spirits up and you think that you can do anything," Larry Johnson said. "If you can come back from 97 yards, you feel like you can do it from 50 or 40 yards."

The offense has always been confident that Senneca could do that, but Saturday against Indiana Senneca proved he can lead Penn State down the field and into the end zone multiple times. Every quarter he somehow found a way to get the Lions a score.

Whether it was him sneaking the ball over the goal line, shovel passes to Larry Johnson or traditional drives, Senneca found a way to win the game for Penn State.

"He was outstanding," linebacker Dave Benfatti said. "He showed everyone today that he was good, and he could come through in the time of need."