Penn State was on the verge of a massive upset of No. 2 Indiana, but Hoosiers quarterback Fernando Mendoza and wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. had other ideas. 

Indiana survived Penn State, winning 27-24 on Saturday afternoon at Beaver Stadium thanks to an incredible 10-play, 73-yard drive that Mendoza authored.

The Nittany Lions were up 24-20 with 1:51 left in the fourth quarter, and Indiana had no timeouts. On the first play of the drive, Mendoza was sacked by defender Zane Durant for a loss of seven yards. 

The Indiana quarterback rallied his team back to the line of scrimmage and completed a 22-yard pass to Cooper to negate the sack and get a first down. Mendoza spiked the ball to stop the clock. 

On the ensuing play after the spike, Mendoza connected with E.J. Williams Jr. for 12 yards and another first down. Two plays later, Mendoza hit Riley Nowakowski for a 29-yard gain to move into Penn State territory. 

Mendoza then connected with Charlie Becker for another 17 yards to move to the Penn State 7-yard line. With 45 seconds left, Indiana gave themselves a chance to win the game. 

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It looked like Mendoza completed the comeback on second down. The Hoosiers quarterback connected with Becker on a slant in the end zone for a touchdown, but the referees blew the play dead because Penn State got a timeout at the last second. The Nittany Lions forced an incomplete pass on second down to force third down after the timeout. 

On third and goal, with the Hoosiers’ undefeated record on the line, Mendoza and Cooper saved the day. 

Mendoza, who was about to be clobbered by oncoming rushers, stepped into a throw and delivered a high pass to Cooper. The wide receiver skied for the catch and, in acrobatic fashion, just got his toe down in the end zone to complete not only an incredible touchdown, but the comeback as well. 

Penn State got the ball back with 35 seconds and one timeout, down 27-24, but couldn’t get into field goal range, and their Hail Mary attempt fell short. 

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Mendoza threw for 218 yards and had one touchdown with one interception in the win. Cooper had six catches for 32 yards and a touchdown. 

Indiana improved to 10-0 with the win and will look to keep it rolling against Wisconsin (2-6) next week. Penn State dropped to 3-6 with the loss and will look to rally against Michigan State (3-6) next week.

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HIGH SCHOOL FLAG FOOTBALL

CITY SECTION PLAYOFFS

FRIDAY’S RESULTS

Quarterfinals

OPEN DIVISION
#1 San Pedro 23, #8 Verdugo Hills 0
#4 LA Marshall 31, #5 Wilmington Banning 20
#3 Panorama 6, #6 LA Wilson 0
#2 Eagle Rock 18, #7 Narbonne 14

DIVISION I
#8 Carson 18, #16 Venice 7
#5 Franklin 20, #13 Sylmar 12
#11 El Camino Real 12, #3 Birmingham 7
#2 Bell 17, #7 Garfield 12

DIVISION II
#1 Sun Valley Magnet 34, #9 South East 8
#12 Angelou 19, #13 Mendez 6
#3 San Fernando 20, #6 Lincoln 7
#7 Sherman Oaks CES 18, #2 Crenshaw 12

DIVISION III
#9 Van Nuys 14, #1 South Gate 6
#13 Westchester 50, #12 Monroe 7
#6 Arleta 19, #3 LA Hamilton 6
#2 Hawkins 52, #7 Chatsworth 0

WEDNESDAY’S SCHEDULE

(Games at 3 p.m. unless noted)

Semifinals

OPEN DIVISION
#4 LA Marshall at #1 San Pedro
#3 Panorama at #2 Eagle Rock

DIVISION I
#8 Carson at #5 Franklin
#11 El Camino Real at #2 Bel

DIVISION II
#12 Angelou at #1 Sun Valley Magnet
#7 Sherman Oaks CES at #3 San Fernando

DIVISION III
#13 Westchester at #9 Van Nuys
#6 Arleta at #2 Hawkins

Note: Finals (all divisions) Saturday, Nov. 15 at Garfield High.

Colorado football’s third season with Deion Sanders at the helm has been met with considerable headwinds. The Buffaloes have dropped four of their last five games and enter a Week 11 matchup with West Virginia with a 3-6 record.

Nevertheless, Sanders continues to have the support of one of the university’s key athletic decision-makers. Rick George, Colorado’s athletic director, expressed confidence in the job Coach Prime is doing. George’s only preference would be for the team to pick up more wins.

“I’m proud of Coach Prime. It’s been a tough year what he’s been through. He’s been a trooper, been working hard, motivating. He’s doing the things I want him to do as coach. We just gotta win more FB games,” George told reporters.

George appeared to be referencing Sanders’ health battles, a closely followed topic leading up to the regular season. In July, Sanders announced doctors had removed his bladder after the discovery of a tumor. Sanders said there has been no evidence of cancer since the surgery.

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Doctors said a section of Sanders’ intestine was reconstructed to function as a bladder. Sanders faced questions about whether he’d be up for coaching after his health scare, but he remains steadfast in his commitment to Colorado.

Sanders was named head coach of the Colorado football program in December 2022. He took over a program that won just one game the previous season. Sanders, a charismatic NFL legend, immediately brought a spotlight to a program that had long been an afterthought.

This season, Sanders has routinely faced opposing teams with a sizable talent advantage. Coach Prime hasn’t been as successful in recruiting lately. Last year, Colorado made the leap to the Big 12 Conference. The Buffaloes won nine games in 2024 but have struggled to find replacements for two-way player Travis Hunter or quarterback Shedeur Sanders.

Hunter was the second overall selection in April’s NFL Draft, while Shedeur was drafted in the fifth round.

Kaidon Salter transferred from Liberty to Colorado in the offseason, but his uneven performances have opened the door for fellow quarterback Julian Lewis and others to see playing time.

Sanders barred players from speaking to the media after the Buffaloes’ 52-17 loss to Arizona last week. Saturday’s Colorado–West Virginia game is scheduled to kick off at noon ET at Milan Puskar Stadium.

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