Indiana survives upset against Penn State, narrowly avoids College Football Playoff fall

Omar Cooper Jr.‘s toe scraped the back of the end zone with 36 second left in regulation, helping Indiana defeat Penn State 27-24. Head coach Curt Cignetti said after the game that he’s never seen anything quite like Saturday’s comeback.

The Hoosiers led the Nittany Lions 20-10 to begin the fourth quarter, but Penn State was able to score 14 unanswered points against the Hoosiers down the stretch. A touchdown reception by Nick Singleton gave Penn State a 24-20 lead, and it looked to have helped secure the upset win for the moment.

However, Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers down the field on a 10-play, 73-yard drive that spanned 75 seconds. He’d find Cooper in the back of the end zone on 3rd & goal for one of the most spectacular catches you’ll see in college football this season.

INDIANA REGAINS THE LEAD👀

WOW..

(via FOX)
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— On3 (@On3sports) November 8, 2025

If Penn State were able to pull off the upset, it would have meant the Hoosiers were no longer among the unbeaten in the College Football Playoff race. That would have put Ohio State and Texas A&M by themselves as the two undefeated teams left in contention since Texas Tech beat BYU on Saturday.

The Buckeyes, Hoosiers and Aggies continue to separate themselves down the stretch in November. Ohio State is currently leading Purdue by multiple scores in the second half and Texas A&M is playing Missouri this afternoon.

At 10-0, Indiana’s chances at making the College Football Playoff are as high as they’ve ever been. If they would have lost, they’d no longer control their chances at making it to Indianapolis to play in the Big Ten title game.

There are several one-loss teams in the conference, and it could have made things complicated for the Hoosiers in the final weeks of the season. Instead — the Hoosiers march forward among college football’s elite.

They did so without one of their top receivers during the contest, Elijah Sarratt. His 10 touchdown receptions lead the Big Ten, and is one of four FBS wideouts with at least 10 scoring receptions this season. Instead, it was Cooper stepping up to make the big-time grab. Charlie Becker also emerged as a possible star in the making as well with career-highs across the board with seven receptions for 118 yards.

“We played a little short-handed, but that’s part of the deal for every team in America,” Cignetti said. “And we got to play better in a lot of different areas, and we’re lucky to win. But I am so proud of these kids.”

Indiana will move forward to Week 12, where they’ll host Wisconsin. They’ll round out the regular season on the road vs. Purdue.