‘A sign of hope’: Nittany Lions stop downward spiral with close win over Indiana

James Franklin clapped twice and jogged through the Memorial Stadium tunnel to faint cheers from a hundred fans who withstood the wind and flying trash. A few assistants cracked smiles, but not many. And aside from Shaka Toney — whose four sacks proved vital — the Penn State players walked off without a peep.

It was a subdued celebration, but one they would take. After all, it was only three weeks ago that Franklin exchanged words with a heckler and Beaver Stadium’s heart ached after a one-point loss to Ohio State. And last weekend, the coach slowly strolled through the south end zone stunned as the student section offered a pity clap after a four-point loss to Michigan State.

But on Saturday night, the Nittany Lions finally found themselves on the right side of a close call. It wasn’t pretty — not by a long shot — but, boy, did the Nittany Lions need their 33-28 win over Indiana to keep this 2018 season afloat.

“You can’t put that in words,” Penn State linebacker Cam Brown said after a deep exhale. “We needed a sign of hope. We knew what we could do. We showed that in the last few games. We can play. We’ve just got to finish.”

And after losses to the Buckeyes and Spartans by a total of five points — games in which Penn State led in the fourth quarter — Nittany Lion fans had to be questioning late Saturday night whether Franklin’s squad would somehow botch another one.

In a game mired in mistakes — drops by wideouts, muffs by returners, etc. — Penn State held what seemed like a comfortable 33-21 lead. With 4:35 to go in regulation, the Nittany Lions had the ball. All it had to do was kill some clock and the game was theirs. But it wasn’t that easy.

Penn State used 29 seconds on a three-play drive, all of which were passes. One complete, two incomplete. Franklin defended the playcalling, saying he and offensive coordinator Ricky Rahne were going for first downs. Plus, running the ball didn’t work out in a four-minute situation against Michigan State seven days ago. But the Nittany Lions were averaging 6.1 yards per carry in the second half, never mind wind so bad Indiana kept its American flag furled for the pregame national anthem.

Naturally, the Hoosiers took advantage of those late-game shortcomings. Hoosiers quarterback Peyton Ramsey picked apart Penn State’s prevent defense on a 15-play, 85-yard touchdown drive. Then, almost predictably, the Hoosiers recovered an onside kick with 49 seconds left.

Voices of the few remaining Hoosier fans echoed throughout Memorial Stadium. Indiana’s bench erupted. And as popcorn boxes, plastic cups and napkins swirled on the Penn State sideline, the Nittany Lions were left speechless.

Penn State cornerback Amani Oruwariye — one week removed from culpability in a fourth-quarter collapse — thought of only one thing: Finish.

“We’ve been close in a lot of these games, and we just haven’t finished at the end,” the redshirt junior said. “That’s all that was going through my mind. Let’s finish. Let’s finish. Let’s get the W.”

Thanks in large part to Toney’s fourth sack, the Nittany Lions held on. The clock ran out on Indiana’s last-gasp upset bid, and the 14-point favorites escaped.

But moments after the clock hit zero, the Nittany Lions shook hands and went straight to the locker room. No alma mater was sung. A second-half undefeated run to the Rose Bowl was still alive, a third-straight loss was avoided, and the Nittany Lions barely basked in the win.

Perhaps it was the shaky finish that had Penn State feeling iffy. Really, at no point was this a runaway win. The Nittany Lions held a three-point lead at halftime and actually fell behind late in the third quarter. After the game, Franklin couldn’t say if the Nittany Lions got better on Saturday. He’ll have to watch the tape first to determine that.

But all that matters in the short term — with Iowa, Wisconsin and Michigan ahead — is the Nittany Lions got the win. They finished. And after the last couple games, that’s a step in the right direction.

“We’ve been in this situation before where we’ve lost a couple of games, and we’ve battled, and we’ve grown,” Franklin said. “Obviously, we all want it to be pretty. At the end of the day, you have to find a way to get wins .... It’s not always going to be the textbook example.”