Penn State’s complementary football prevails through early explosive disasters.

On paper, Penn State’s matchup against Indiana was anticipated to play out a certain way, but the result was far from expected.

The Nittany Lions played toe-to-toe with the Hoosiers until ultimately winning 33-24 — by no means was it perfect.

Beaver Stadium’s fans were put through the wringer of emotions when it looked like Penn State started to lose control of the game. The crowd didn’t hesitate to vocalize its displeasure with the offense and booed them off the field when they failed to convert early third downs.

“Nobody’s more frustrated than us,” Drew Allar said. “There were just simple things again that we were missing or not doing in the beginning, and then we finally fixed those things and were able to adjust to what [Indiana] was doing and keep the game rolling.”

It’s no secret that fans’ frustrations from the Ohio State result lingered through Happy Valley all week and were loudly demonstrated throughout the early explosive Hoosier success.

With the offense’s inability to generate long drives early, Indiana’s 90-yard touchdown in the opening quarter stunned the stadium into silence.

Indiana’s quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who made his collegiate debut against the Nittany Lions last season, showed unexpected poise against the defense that contributed to some of Indiana’s early momentum control and turned some of the Nittany Lions faithful against the blue and white.

“We can’t satisfy every fan in the stands,” KeAndre Lambert-Smith said. “You hear it, but you don’t pay attention to it because when we score a touchdown you’re gonna hear them cheering.”

Well, the wide receiver certainly was a factor in the roars’ return which echoed through the stadium during later portions of the game: Lambert-Smith caught the 57-yard touchdown for the go-ahead score.

But how was Penn State able to flip the switch and generate an offense capable of wreaking havoc?

The answer’s simple: a return to identity. Specifically, it’s complementary football identity.

Big defensive stops and turnovers provide the Nittany Lions with more willpower to roar their way to the end zone. Building off the momentum generated by the other side of the ball is when Penn State becomes the most dangerous, and that’s what it achieved again Saturday afternoon.

“The defense really stepped up for us, and I think that just helps our confidence,” Theo Johnson, who also reached the end zone in the matchup, said. “Stepping up and making big plays impacts the entire organization.”

A pivotal stop on fourth-and-three by the Penn State defense set up the offense’s drive that tied the game at 14. On Indiana’s next possession, Jaylen Reed’s interception allowed the unit to edge the Hoosiers with a field goal going to halftime.

“We’re a whole team, a whole unit, and we’re able to help each other,” Johnson said.

That help continued as time dwindled in the fourth quarter: after an interception, the Hoosiers were in a position to score and reclaim the lead, but Penn State’s red zone defense forced a tying 35-yard field goal instead.

The Nittany Lions make their opponents pay through this complementary football identity.

Although there were “uncharacteristic mistakes” made, according to James Franklin, Penn State prevailed by utilizing each component of its team to find a way to win.

Getting an offensive groove wasn’t an easy hurdle to clear, but when the defense alleviated some of the pressure, the offense could methodically attack and, in this case, allow Allar to confidently throw the game-winning touchdown.

Amanda Vogt is a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact her, email amandaevogt@gmail.com.