The Penn State-Indiana Report Card

Grading the Nittany Lions after their 33-24 victory over Indiana at Beaver Stadium.

STATE COLLEGE, Pa. | Penn State quarterback Drew Allar turned to the huddle with 2:56 remaining in a tie game against Indiana and said, "the time is now." Then he delivered on his promise.

Allar's 57-yard touchdown pass to KeAndre Lambert-Smith ultimately lifted the Nittany Lions to a 33-24 win over Indiana, allowing Beaver Stadium's announced crowd of 107,209 to exhale collectively. This was a grind against a 32-point underdog that gave Penn State night sweats in the middle of the afternoon. It wasn't a performance to save in the favorites tab but did prove that these Lions can extract their best from key moments, if not for 60 minutes.

How to grade a so-so game that finished with some shine? Let's give it a shot.

RELATED: Penn State's late heroics deny Indiana a major upset.

OFFENSE: B-

Allar and Lambert-Smith didn't connect the first time Penn State called that deep shot earlier in the game. But on the second, the quarterback noticed an Indiana safety playing low, nodded to Lambert-Smith and made his best throw of the day (and perhaps the season). It washed away an otherwise hit-and-miss game that included Allar's first career interception. Throwing that didn't matter nearly as much as responding to it. 

Otherwise, Penn State's offense often flailed against one of the Big Ten's least-challenging defenses. Rutgers averaged 5 yards rushing per carry against Indiana last week; Penn State averaged 3.1. The Lions dropped two critical passes, had five runs stopped for no gain and were uneven again on third-and-short (4-for-9). Yet Kaytron Allen looked assertive on the Lions' third-quarter touchdown drive, Nicholas Singleton converted a 3rd-and-20 reception and tight end Theo Johnson made a terrific catch in the end zone. Props for the resiliency, but this offense has been a two-week work in progress. Allar should run more, too.

DEFENSE: C

The nation's 122nd-ranked scoring offense became the first team to score 21 points on the Lions this season. Indiana did so with three big touchdown passes against a secondary that communicated poorly on those plays. Indiana quarterback Brendan Sorsby, who entered the game with a completion rate of 50.6 and a long pass of 35 yards, beat the Lions deep for touchdowns of 90 and 69 yards. The Hoosiers had a season-high 220 first-half yards against Penn State, 159 on two plays. Then again, Jaylen Reed picked Sorsby's ill-conceived cross-body throw late in the first half to set up a field goal. Huge play.

Then after allowing the fourth-quarter tying touchdown, Penn State drew its final line in the sand. The Lions stopped three straight red-zone run plays after Allar's interception (Abdul Carter at the center of two), and Dani Dennis-Sutton's sack-fumble led to a safety that punctuated the win. A timely effort, but certainly not their best.

SPECIAL TEAMS: B

Active day here. KJ Winston Jr. recovered a muffed punt, leading to the Lions' first touchdown, and Alex Felkins made a season-long 50-yard field goal, and just missed a 51-yarder. Nicholas Singleton punched himself for not breaking a 50-yard kickoff for a touchdown ("I was kind of mad about that," he said), and Daequan Hardy's acrobatic punt return for a score was recalled by a penalty. All in all, a pretty good day (same goes for Indiana's punters, who averaged 57.5 per attempt).

COACHING: B-

Tough day for coordinators Manny Diaz and Mike Yurcich, who seethe at breakdowns. Diaz in particular looked unnerved at the secondary breakdowns, one of which followed a cornerback blitz that left a receiver wide open. Yurcich took deep shots (Franklin said they called eight) and finally hit at the end. But you wonder whether the coordinator hasn't turned his quarterback timid by constantly emphasizing ball protection.

OVERALL: B-

Penn State won without its best stuff, which was positive, but left fans wondering again: What is the team's best stuff, especially on offense? At times the Lions looked broken offensively, pressed to make something positive happen, and then Reed, Johnson, Lambert-Smith and Dennis-Sutton came through with big plays. Meanwhile, Allar turned in a textbook response to his first interception, dropping one in Lambert-Smith's pocket for the game-winner. Just when you thought you were out, they pulled you back in.

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AllPennState is the place for Penn State news, opinion and perspective on the SI.com network. Publisher Mark Wogenrich has covered Penn State for more than 20 years, tracking three coaching staffs, three Big Ten titles and a catalog of great stories. Follow him on Twitter @MarkWogenrich. And consider subscribing (button's on the home page) for more great content across the SI.com network.