LIVE BLOG: Follow along with the Penn State-Indiana football game

END OF GAME (Josh): Penn State 45, Indiana 14. Saquon Barkley finishes with a TD pass, a kick-return TD and more than 200 all-purpose yards. So, as we like to say, Saquon Barkley doing Saquon things. We’ll have plenty of stories on this game. So, as a reminder, be sure to check out the rest of our football stories right here.

4:13 left in 4th Quarter (Josh): I walk down to the media room, and what do I miss? A Penn State record and a blocked field goal? No fair, man. No fair. Still, Hamilton is having himself a game. That’s nine catches for 122 yards and three TDs. This has to be the best game of his career — and it’s the game where he set the program record for career receptions. Ain’t that poetic?

7:36 left in 4th Quarter (Ryne): Tyler Davis has a 42-yard field goal attempt blocked. Davis missed a 21-yard attempt and connected on a 42-yard attempt earlier in the game.

9:25 left in 4th Quarter (Ryne): DaeSean Hamilton becomes Penn State’s all-time leader in receptions. Hamilton surpassed Deon Butler’s record on a 25-yard catch — the 180th of his career.

13:30 left in 4th Quarter (Josh): Penn State has this game in hand right now. Jason Cabinda has 13 tackles, DaeSean Hamilton has seven catches for 81 yards and two TDs, and Saquon Barkley has a 98-yard kick return for a TD. Despite all that, you really didn’t need to watch this game after the first quarter. Penn State led 28-0, and it was essentially on autopilot afterward. It struggled in the second quarter, but it had enough of a cushion that it didn’t really matter.

Third Quarter

3:22 left in 3rd Quarter (Josh): Well, that’s one hell of a way to make history. DaeSean Hamilton is now tied with Deon Butler in the record books for all-time career receptions at Penn State (179). I initially thought they were going to tag Hamilton with offensive pass interference for maybe pushing off the defender, but there was no foul on the play — and PSU essentially delivered the knockout punch with that score. PSU 38-14.

5:50 left in 3rd Quarter (Josh): Kicker Tyler Davis rebounds with a 35-yard FG after missing a 20-yarder earlier in the quarter. Penn State is up 31-14, but it doesn’t feel like the Lions have outplayed Indiana since the end of the first quarter. The offensive line is struggling, and the offense is sputtering in the red zone.

9:05 left in 3rd Quarter (Josh): Saquon Barkley appeared to suffer a minor injury — as trainers ran over to him. But he bounced back up and looks fine. Imagine he’ll be back in a few plays. This offense needs an explosive play.

11:44 left in 3rd Quar, ter (Josh): Tyler Davis, who was nearly automatic last season, just missed a 20-yard field goal. What a bad start to the second half. PSU once again gets close to the end zone — and has nothing to show for it. Maybe Robbie Gould can give Davis a call; worked for Sam Ficken.

John McGonigal’s Halftime Takeaways

After a hot start, the No. 4 Nittany Lions lead Indiana 28-14 at halftime on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium.

Here are three takeaways from the first half:

1. Barkley is a magician

Man, Saquon Barkley really knows how to wow people — and I’m not even talking about the 98-yard kickoff return touchdown to open the afternoon.

Later in the first quarter, Trace McSorley flipped a high checkdown pass in Barkley’s direction, and the back snared it with one hand. Then, he proceeded to dance around a few Indiana defenders and race for a 36-yard gain.

The kid is just unreal.

2. Hoosiers getting to McSorley

Indiana’s pass-rush and blitz schemes made that first half hard on McSorley.

The Hoosiers have four sacks for a combined loss of 31 yards. Three of the four takedowns have come on third down.

Additionally, toward the end of the second quarter, McSorley was flushed from the pocket and forced to throw on the run because of the Hoosier pressure. The result? An interception.

Indiana is getting after it.

3. Hamilton’s history

Today might be the day DaeSean Hamilton sets a new program record.

The senior wide receiver entered Saturday eight catches away from passing Deon Butler to claim the No. 1 spot on Penn State’s all-time receptions list. Hamilton had four catches in the first half for 40 yards.

At this rate, Hamilton will be a program record-holder by the end of Saturday.

SECOND QUARTER

0:44 left in 2nd quarter (Josh): Beaver Stadium just got incredibly quiet after that Hoosiers TD. I mean, the quietest it’s been all game. PSU still leads, but it’s 28-14 right now. I might’ve spoken too soon when I thought the rout was on. Special teams have gone incredibly well for Penn State, but the offense has struggled in the second quarter. They have just 18 — 18! — total offensive yards this quarter.

4:16 left in 2nd quarter (Josh:) And Mike Gesicki’s third catch of the game, he falls to the turf with an injury but then walks off the field under his own power. Looks as if it might be an ankle issue. We’ll see what happens on the next drive.

6:16 left in 2nd quarter (Josh): Main cause for concern this game: PSU’s offensive line hasn’t done a spectacular job so far. It’s allowed four sacks and six tackles for loss on 34 offensive plays. You can tell Saquon Barkley has been on the verge — at least twice — of breaking one open. So you have to think that’s just a matter of time, even if IU’s aggressive defense is causing the OL some issues.

10:21 left in 2nd quarter (Josh): Maybe lost in PSU’s special-teams performance — and two special-teams TDs — is the fact that punter Blake Gillikin has been doing pretty darn well, too. He punted three times for an average of 49 yards, and two of his three punts were inside the 20. The defender had to backpedal on that last one, as it went 57 yards and gave IU terrible field position.

12:40 left in 2nd quarter (Ryne): Penn State goes three-and-out on its first offensive possession of the quarter after Trace McSorley is sacked on third down for a loss of 11 yards. Indiana takes over at the 33-yard line after a 50-yard punt by Blake Gillikin.

14:01 left in 2nd quarter (Josh): Well, Indiana finally scored ... but it’s probably too late already. PSU 28-7. On a side note, I have to say I’m digging the diamond end zones. I think PSU should consider doing that every week. Just my two cents.

15:00 left in 2nd quarter (Josh): Here is your weekly Saquon Barkley highlight. My goodness:

FIRST QUARTER

End of 1st quarter (Josh): After that TD catch by DaeSean Hamilton, he needs just five more catches to break Deon Butler’s Penn State career receptions record. Butler has 179 catches; Hamilton has 175. PSU leads 28-0 after the first quarter.

2:01 left in 1st quarter (Josh): I’m 32 years old. There has not been a more fun, or entertaining, college football player to watch than Saquon Barkley since I’ve been watching college football. There just hasn’t. Melvin Gordon was great; Vince Young was exciting. Barkley is transcendent. He just palmed the ball out of the air and gained 36 yards. This guy has more highlights in one game than most players have in a season. As soon as we find a video on that, we’ll post it right here. Crazy.

3:21 left in 1st quarter (Josh): The Hoosiers couldn’t be playing worse on special teams if they tried. On 4th-and-long, IU just committed a rough the punter penalty to keep PSU’s drive alive. Well, good news, Penn State fans: You won’t have to take extra blood-pressure medicine tonight — because I don’t think this one will be decided on the last play.

6:34 left in first quarter (Josh): I don’t think Penn State needs Indiana’s help to win this one ... but the Hoosiers just keep giving it away. This is already Penn State’s best special-teams effort since ... I don’t know ... maybe nine years? After IU fumbled on a punt return, PSU’s Nick Scott scooped it up and ran in for the score. That’s TWO special-teams touchdowns in the game’s first nine minutes for the Nittany Lions. What a crazy start. PSU up 20-0 pending the PAT.

8:45 left in first quarter (Josh): Let’s just take another look at Saquon Barkley’s 98-yard kick return earlier this quarter. It was the first such return since 2008:

11:41 left in first quarter (Josh): Will you look at that? Trace McSorley scored the short touchdown without lining up under center. It’s now PSU 14-0 just 3:19 into the game. The rout appears to be on already.

13:00 left in first quarter (Josh): Hey guys, I don’t think Penn State is going to start out slow this time. What a start by the Nittany Lions — kickoff return TD, fumble recovery, and they’re about to score again.

14:46 left in first quarter (John): Well, that’s why Saquon Barkley is back to return kicks. Barkley housed the opening kickoff 98 yards for a score, shaking the press box and bringing the Beaver Stadium crowd to its feet. That’ll boost the all-purpose yards tally.

PREGAME: 30 MINUTES TO KICKOFF (John): Penn State’s retro uniforms are looking sharp — especially the white cleats. The 1979 Sugar Bowl-style spikes were a hit with players, and the Nittany Lions were all smiles sporting them during warmups. The uniform also includes a stripe along the pants, striped socks and numbers on the helmets. CDT photographer Abby Drey captured a few aspects of the unis.

PREGAME: 1 HOUR TO KICKOFF (John): One note from Indiana’s warmups: cornerback Rashard Fant was stretching with the team. This might not mean a lot to Penn State fans, but it should. Fant — a second-team All-Big Ten selection in 2016 — was questionable entering today’s game with an injury. Fant led the conference and ranked second national last year with 17 pass breakups. He also picked off Trace McSorley in Penn State’s 45-31 win last season. If Fant can go, it’ll be a huge boost for the Hoosier defense.

PREGAME: 2 HOURS TO KICKOFF (John): Good afternoon, folks — Week 5 is upon us. The No. 4 Nittany Lions host Indiana at 3:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium, and while anything can be “football weather,” it’s a fine day for some pigskin. There’s going to be a retro feel to today’s game: There are blue and white diamonds in the end zones, the videoboards will sport a flipboard display, and much to the dismay of many Penn State purists, the uniforms will look a little different.

While the atmosphere around Beaver Stadium may scream 1950s, the offenses certainly won’t. Expect plenty of points as Penn State and Indiana hit the field — and we’ll be here to update you through it all. Here on the live blog, we’ll supplement your game-watching experience with analysis, thoughts and maybe a few quips (Josh is a funny dude...sometimes). Stay with us throughout the day.

PREGAME: 2.5 HOURS TO KICKOFF (Josh): Our camera man Dan Nelson caught the team as it arrived in the blue buses. Video is below:

Who: No. 4 Penn State (4-0) at Indiana (2-1)

Where: Beaver Stadium

When: 3:30 p.m.

TV/Radio: BTN/WQWK 1450

Previews: Click here

This story was originally published September 30, 2017 at 1:53 PM with the headline "LIVE BLOG: Follow along with the Penn State-Indiana football game."