Penn State survives scare, beats Indiana

But whether it was the feelings of the day or a lengthy hangover from last week's Ohio State loss, the 19th-ranked Lions finally got their heads on straight and recovered from 10 points down to knock off the Hoosiers, 31-20, and keep their very faint BCS bowl hopes from dying altogether.

Penn State (9-2 overall, 5-2 Big Ten) overcame two interceptions by Daryll Clark on his first 10 snaps and an ungodly three fumbles by its special teams, two of which were lost by the punt return unit.

But the Hoosiers (4-7, 1-6) were able to score only seven points off the mistakes, and the Nittany Lions turned the tide on Indiana's only turnover - a 73-yard interception return for a score by linebacker Navorro Bowman midway through the third quarter.

"Bowman's interception obviously was a big play," said Joe Paterno, who picked up his 392nd career coaching victory. "He's a good football player and he showed that he can run. It was a lift obviously."

Clark, who admitted he was caught off-guard by how emotional he got on the bus ride from the football complex to the stadium, seemed to be in an early funk.

"I was just forcing stuff - stupid stuff," he said. "I can't blame anyone but myself. But we persevered. I apologized to the entire team in the locker room, let them know the first quarter was on me and it wouldn't happen again."

After Collin Wagner's 33-yard field goal got Penn State on the board in the second quarter, Graham Zug fumbled a punt return and Indiana's Trea Burgess recovered at the State 29. But the Hoosiers' Nick Freeland missed a 47-yard field goal and the Lions tied the game on the ensuing possession.

Freshman wide receiver Curtis Drake, from West Catholic, sparked the drive with a 26-yard gain on an end-around that ended with a facemask penalty against Indiana. Two plays later, Clark hit Evan Royster for a 12-yard touchdown with 6 seconds to play in the half.

Even with all the mistakes, the Lions had forged a 10-10 halftime tie.

"That was a huge momentum swing and that got good things going for us," offensive tackle Dennis Landolt said.

The Nittany Lions got their first lead thanks to Bowman, a redshirt junior who will graduate in December and may decide to enter the NFL draft rather than return.

Hoosier quarterback Ben Chappell attempted a screen pass that went off Burgess' hands and to Bowman. Defensive tackle Jared Odrick blocked Burgess, Bowman juked Chappell and he was on his way to his second defensive touchdown of the season.

"I was surprised," Bowman said. "I thought he was going to catch it and I was going to make a simple tackle. I'm glad the ball dropped into my hands and that I was able to score."

Royster and Clark both scored on short runs in the fourth quarter. Drake helped set up Clark's TD after catching a 28-yard pass from the senior quarterback.

The Nittany Lions received consistently fine play from their defense, particularly while waiting for things to settle down. The Hoosiers went scoreless in the middle two quarters and gained only 89 total yards.

"It wasn't surprising because we've fought through adversity earlier this season and got wins," Odrick said. "I think we're all confident in our abilities on defense and offense to be able to come back and show what kind of team we are."

The Lions need to show it again next week at Michigan State to have any chance of finishing in a tie for first in the Big Ten.

Contact staff writer Joe Juliano at 215-854-4494 or jjuliano@phillynews.com