PSU earns road win (finally)

Indiana’s fumbling problems proved fatal in a 36-31 loss.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) — Penn State finally found a way to win on the road Saturday.

Force turnovers, convert them into points and let a hefty defensive linemen charge toward the end zone.

The Nittany Lions limited Indiana to 17 yards rushing in the first 57 minutes, recovered four second-half fumbles and eventually clinched the game on Rodney Kinlaw’s late touchdown run for a 36-31 victory.

“They’ve got a good football team here and I said it’s unfortunate you put the ball on the ground so many times,” coach Joe Paterno said he told Indiana coach Bill Lynch afterward.

The game plan and execution ruined Indiana’s big party plans.

With a season-best crowd of more than 41,000 at homecoming, the Hoosiers (5-3, 2-3) hoped to end the Big Ten’s longest bowl drought by clinching their first postseason bid since 1993.

Instead, it was a glum reminder of the biggest problem Indiana has had all season — fumbling — and this time, it cost them.

Quarterback Kellen Lewis lost three fumbles in the final 22 minutes, one ending a potential go-ahead touchdown drive and another ending the Hoosiers’ comeback hopes with 40 seconds left.

The Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2) turned three of the turnovers into short field goals and used the final one to run out the clock to snap a two-game road losing streak.

Part of the problem for Indiana was itself. Lewis lost one fumble when he didn’t tuck the ball cleanly and defensive end Maurice Evans ran smack into him for a sack. Lewis lost it again on the Hoosiers’ next offensive play when Evans grabbed him, spun him around and the ball squirted out.

Evans scooped up the first one and ran 55 yards, without a shoe, to the Indiana 13 before being dragged down from behind and then getting teased by his teammates after failing to score.

“I got up and they didn’t blow it dead, so I just ran,” he said with a laugh.

“I was hearing about it as soon as I got to the sideline.”

The other part was Penn State’s typically strong defense, which forced Lewis to throw 48 times.

Offensively, the Nittany Lions proved more resilient than good.

They battled back from early deficits of 7-0 and 14-6 by scoring two touchdowns in the last four minutes of the first half.

Anthony Morelli finished 22-of-32 for 195 yards with two touchdowns after throwing an early interception. Kinlaw ran 22 times for 66 yards including the clinching touchdown with 4:03 left, and Evan Royster carried 12 times for 68 yards and another score despite losing a fumble.