Penn St. downs Indiana
STATE COLLEGE — Aided by crutches, star linebacker Michael Mauti stood arm-in-arm with his Penn State teammates to sing the alma mater after what should have been a satisfying win over porous Indiana.
Quarterback Matt McGloin and receiver Allen Robinson had career days, but the Nittany Lions’ 45-22 victory Saturday was tempered by what appeared to be a serious left knee injury to Mauti. The fiery senior helped keep most of the team together in a stormy offseason marked by NCAA sanctions.
The rest of his teammates responded Saturday the best they could — by clinching a winning record for the year, an accomplishment few prognosticators thought Penn State (7-4, 5-2 Big Ten) could reach following the turmoil. Just one game remains for Penn State in a season of change — next week against Wisconsin.
“This team is a bunch of resilient guys,” first-year coach Bill O’Brien said. “When a guy like (Mauti) who’s a leader on a football team goes down in a game, it was a good response ... They knew what they had to do.”
McGloin threw for a career-best 395 yards and four touchdowns, while Robinson burned the Hoosiers for a career-high 197 yards and three highlight-reel scores.
