After a miserable five weeks in a row, Penn State nearly pulled off the upset of the season so far in college football, falling to No. 2 Indiana, 27-24, on Saturday afternoon in the first game at West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium in the Terry Smith era.

It’s a microcosm of how this season has gone for the Nittany Lions, as they have dropped to 3-6 on the season.

Indiana quarterback and Heisman hopeful Fernando Mendoza hit Omer Cooper Jr. for a 7-yard touchdown pass with 36 seconds left for the game-winning touchdown.

Indiana players celebrate following an NCAA college football game against Penn State, Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025, in State College, Pa. (AP Photo/Sam Balkansky)

For a day, everything seemed to click on all cylinders for the Lions in their first Big Ten win. Ethan Grunkemeyer was 22 for 31 with 219 yards with a touchdown and an interception.

Nicholas Singleton had all three touchdowns for Penn State. He finished with 10 carries for 71 yards and two TDs on the ground, while also getting three catches for 22 yards and a score through the air.

Lion running back Kaytron Allen fumbled deep in their own end late in the first half, and Indiana scored late in the first half to take a 17-7 lead to halftime.

Had Allen held onto the ball, the Lions probably would have went to the locker room down 3 instead of 10, and had possession of the ball to start the second half. It may have still been unlikely, but it would have been a better shot at one of the biggest upsets in college football season.

Trebor Pena caught six passes for 99 yards.

On the defensive side, A.J. Harris led the way with eight tackles. King Mack had an interception in the fourth quarter.

Indiana is now 10-0 on the season with contests against Wisconsin and Purdue to end the regular season.

Penn State (3-6 overall, 0-6 Big Ten) travels to Michigan State next weekend. The Spartans, who are also 0-6 in Big Ten play, are idle this week. Kickoff is at 3:30 p.m. and will be televised either on CBS or the Big Ten Network.

Full coverage can be found in Monday’s edition of the Mirror.