Time after time, the IU defense gave its offense opportunities.
It kept the Penn State offense off the field, forcing the Nittany Lions to punt nine times out of 16 ?possessions.
With 4:06 to go in the first half, still stuck in a scoreless tie, senior safety Mark Murphy picked off Penn State quarterback Christian Hackenberg.
Hackenberg turned to throw to his receiver out wide right, but Murphy read it perfectly and took the pass 47 yards in the other direction for a touchdown.
In the fourth quarter, the defense did it again.
Down by 3, freshman linebacker Greg Gooch intercepted Hackenberg just in time for a scoring opportunity with less than six minutes to play.
The IU offense went three-?and-out.
The Hoosiers (3-6, 0-5) couldn’t get a single offensive score in a 13-7 loss to Penn State (5-4, 2-4) on Saturday at Memorial Stadium.
“Obviously, the circumstances with injuries we’ve had is tough, but I think the biggest thing for us is we’re just going to keep fighting,” Murphy said. “We’re going to take it week by week. If the defense has got to shut them out, we’ll shut them out.”
Murphy’s pick-six was the first time the IU defense has scored this season. It was IU’s seventh interception of the year, putting it 10th in the Big Ten in total number of ?interceptions.
Defensive coordinator Brian Knorr emphasized last week the need for his team to score defensively.
Saturday, he got it.
“It was nice to see, but we expect to see that,” IU Coach Kevin Wilson said. “We want to start seeing more consistency like that. It’s something to ?build on.”
Entering the game, Hackenberg was averaging 255 passing yards ?per game.
IU allowed just 168 yards through the air Saturday, limiting Hackenberg to 12-for-29 passing.
The sophomore threw two interceptions and no touchdowns.
Senior linebacker David Cooper said they focused on being physical and getting to the quarterback, forcing him into difficult situations.
Five different Hoosiers sacked Hackenberg, who had been sacked 30 times the whole season.
“He’s a great passer, and he can sit back there and throw the ball,” Murphy said. “With any offensive line, you need to attack and win up front if you want to be successful on defense.”
Penn State rushed for 162 yards, but 92 of those came on one play.
Just seconds after Murphy’s touchdown, running back Bill Belton broke free down the left sideline for Penn State’s first and only touchdown of ?the game.
It was one of very few mistakes on the defensive end for IU. It was also the difference in a six-point game.
Senior defensive tackle Bobby Richardson said his defense played one of its best games yet. But at this point, time is running out on his season and career.
IU needs three wins in the last three games of the season to be eligible for a bowl game.
Richardson said they’re still playing for each other. Rather than look at the negatives, he tries to see the positives and how much better they can get.
“We’re fighting and scratching, especially on defense,” Murphy said. “We have to play better than we ever have before if we want to get these ?victories.”
