Three takeaways from Penn State football’s 27-24 last-second loss vs. Indiana
Penn State came up short against a top-5 opponent for the second week in a row, losing to Indiana 27-24 Saturday afternoon in Beaver Stadium. The loss is the Nittany Lions’ sixth in a row and drops them to 3-6 on the season and 0-6 in the Big Ten.
The Nittany Lions nearly held on for the upset win. But, with a 24-20 PSU lead and less than two minutes left in regulation, Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza led the Hoosiers on a 10-play, 80-yard game-winning TD drive. Indiana’s final offensive play culminated in a toe-tapping 7-yard TD catch by Omar Cooper Jr.
The game ended on a failed Penn State Hail Mary attempt that fell incomplete about 5 yards short of the end zone.
Here are three takeaways from Penn State’s loss to the undefeated No. 2 Hoosiers:
Bowl outlook grows bleaker for PSU
Saturday’s loss, while expected, makes it far less likely that Penn State makes a bowl game this season. The Nittany Lions would have to win out with road games against Michigan State and Rutgers and a home game against Nebraska. And while all of those games are winnable on their own, it’s unlikely Penn State is able to win all three.
And so, a season that began with championship expectations is likely going to end without any postseason at all — making this one of the most disappointing seasons in Penn State football history. All that’s left is the final loss to completely eliminate the Nittany Lions and mercifully end the season on Nov. 29 rather than dragging it out into late December.
Jim Knowles had his best day as Penn State’s DC — until final drive
The Nittany Lion defense has struggled mightily since linebacker Tony Rojas went down with an injury the week of the UCLA game — which made Saturday’s performance even more surprising. Indiana has, arguably, the best offense in the country with the best quarterback in Fernando Mendoza, and the Hoosiers still struggled at times against the Nittany Lions. Knowles’ defense made things difficult for the IU quarterback by mixing up coverages and pressure looks, making him hesitate and hold onto the ball. That forced the Indiana offense to sputter more often than usual and kept Penn State in the game. And Indiana’s best plays were more about Mendoza’s excellence than Penn State’s defense failing.
Knowles is excellent at devising game plans and especially excels in that regard against the best opponents. But, once again, Knowles’ defense still couldn’t come out on top when it mattered most. With the game on the line, the defense surrendered an 80-yard touchdown drive by the Hoosiers in the waning minutes. Knowles was almost perfect Saturday. But “almost” has still led to a 3-6 overall record.
Ethan Grunkemeyer unlikely to be PSU’s starting QB in 2026
There is no doubt about it — Penn State quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has not been put in a position to succeed. He’s a redshirt freshman who was thrust into a starting role after Drew Allar suffered a season-ending injury against Northwestern, and he’s in an offense that struggled even with Allar at quarterback. His wide receivers haven’t been good, and the offensive line still hasn’t been as good as anticipated.
With all of that being said, Grunkemeyer still hasn’t shown enough to warrant a long look at being the Penn State starting quarterback after this season. He hasn’t shown off any elite skills that would make whoever the next head coach is decide to stick with him next year. That’s not to say he can’t get there, but he’s going to have to show significant improvement down the stretch to make a good case for being the team’s starting quarterback in 2026. He rarely looked downfield Saturday against Indiana, as he’s essentially been relegated to being a dink-and-dunk QB.
This story was originally published November 8, 2025 at 3:42 PM.
