Penn State headed into its home game with Indiana looking for a bounce-back win, but it was the Hoosiers who made noise early.
Midway through the first quarter, Indiana was backed up deep in its own territory. That's when quarterback Brendan Sorsby dropped back and hit wide receiver DeQuece Carter down the sideline. With the help of a couple blocks and Carter's breakaway speed, he took it 90 yards for the touchdown.
With the big play, the 2-5 Hoosiers took an early 7-0 lead over the Nittany Lions. Needless to say, the crowd in Beaver Stadium was less than thrilled with the early score, as evident by this fan's reaction.
90 YARD ??
pic.twitter.com/bJn41OR69l— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 28, 2023
Luckily for her, Penn State tied the game at 7-7 just minutes later.
Carter is a transfer from Fordham who was a 1,000-yard receiver last season. He has struggled to find his place in Big Ten play so far, catching only 10 passes for 109 yards coming into this game. Carter nearly doubled his production on the season on just one play against Penn State.
The big play was also an important one for Sorsby, who has officially taken over as the full-time starter for the Hoosiers. Hitting on a pass like that against one of the best defenses in the country will win over the approval of his coaches.
Indiana needs to win out in order to have a chance to make a bowl game, hitting on big shots like that will give the Hoosiers a fighter's chance against the superior Penn State team. As for the Nittany Lions, they're just trying to avoid any slip ups before facing off with Michigan in a couple weeks, as they try to keep their Big Ten champion hopes alive after a loss to Ohio State last week.
