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he reached the 3-yard line, Penix launched himself toward the pylon as Jaquan Brisker closed in. Did he hit the pylon, which in college football is positioned out of bounds? Did the ball bounce first in the white paint of the sideline? Was it even possible for the tip of the ball to have crossed the goal line in bounds, given its apparent positioning out of bounds? From the press box, the answer appeared to be no. But to the of- ficials on the field, the answer in real- time was yes, meaning that to overturn the call, replay officials had to see indis- putable evidence that Penix hadn't made the conversion. Some context is essential to under- standing just how significant the play was, both in the moment and for the Nittany Lions' season as a whole. Early in their visit to Bloomington, the Lions had suffered from problems that would go on to become the themes of their sea- son. They turned the ball over on a pair of interceptions and allowed Indiana to build a double-digit halftime lead. And then they stormed back in the second half. When Clifford connected with Jahan Dotson for a 60-yard touchdown strike late in the fourth quarter, the Lions took a 21-20 lead and forced Indiana into an obvious passing situation. Toney sacked Penix on back-to-back plays, then the Nittany Lion defense forced a turnover on downs, as Indiana threw an incompletion on fourth-and-21. With 1:47 left to play, the plan was to make the Hoosiers spend their final time- out, then get a first down and run out the clock. But Indiana made little attempt to stop Ford, and he crossed the goal line, giving the Lions an eight-point lead after the PAT but also allowing Indiana one more possession. The Hoosiers capitalized, engineering a late touchdown drive and two-point con- version to send the game to overtime. Penn State regained the lead on its first OT possession, as Clifford hit Washing- ton for a 7-yard touchdown, but Indiana wasn't done. Penix completed a third- down throw to Whop Philyor in the end zone, setting up the Hoosiers' winner- take-all two-point conversion attempt. When the booth affirmed the call on the field, Indiana began celebrating and Penn State headed dejectedly to the visitors' locker room at Memorial Stadium. "I did see the replay. I'm not going to voice my opinion on it," tight end Pat Freiermuth said after the game. "We shot ourselves in the foot too many times. We can't get ourselves in that situation." Asked whether he had been given an ex- planation from the officials, Franklin said explanations are never given following make-or-break, end-of-game calls. Without having seen a replay, he declined to offer an opinion about whether it was correct. "I never get to see anything before I get to you guys. I look at the Jumbotron, that's the best look," Franklin said. "I talked with the guys on the headset up in the booth to see what they saw. To me, you know, from what I was told, it could have gone either way. But if it's some- thing that could have gone either way, then it's inconclusive and the call stands." The play set a tone for both Penn State and Indiana. The Hoosiers rode their mo- mentum to a 6-2 finish with a 26-20 loss to Mississippi in the Outback Bowl. The Nittany Lions, meanwhile, were sent reeling. While a narrow escape at Indiana might not have propelled them to a vic- tory the following week against Ohio State, one can only guess as to the overall impact that singular play had on their 2020 season. ■ >> JOE KRENTZMAN & SON, INC. • Buyers and Brokers of Steel, Iron and Nonferrous Metals • Industrial Scrap Buyers • Container Service Available • Large Service Territory Since 1903 Lewistown, PA • Hollidaysburg, PA • DuBois, PA (800) 543-2000 • www.krentzman.net F irst i n S cra p

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