Fourth-Ranked Penn State Comes Back and Hangs On for 26-25 Win at Minnesota
Saturday, November 23, 2024
In an entertaining game featuring a fake punt for a first down, a quick kick, three final-drive fourth-down conversions, and a defensive point-after, the No. 4 Penn State Nittany Lions beat the Minnesota Gophers 26-25. The win upped Penn State’s record to 10-1—its only loss to Ohio State—while the Gophers dropped to 6-5, 4-4 in the Big Ten, with their final game next week at Wisconsin determining the prestige of the bowl bid they will get.
The Gophers scored on their first possession with Marcus Major capping a 70-yard drive with a burst through the line for a 20-yard touchdown and got a 48-yard field goal from Dragan Kesich early in the second quarter.
Moribund through its first three possessions, the Nittany Lions before getting a big play, a 45-yard scoring pass from Drew Allar to a wide-open Omari Evans, who had beaten Gophers cornerback Ethan Robinson. Penn State got the ball back quickly as linebacker picked off an underthrown pass by Brosmer and ran it back 32 yards to the Minnesota 23, setting up a tying 45-yard field goal by Ryan Barker.
The Gophers took advantage of a pair of punts, their own on a punt by Mark Crawford downed at the Nittany Lions 3, and then, after holding Penn State, getting a partially blocked punt by Derik LeCaptain for great field position at the 21. Minnesota went for a trick play, one that left Jameson Geers alone in the end zone for a touchdown pass with 1:07 left in the half.
Penn State moved the ball 75 yards in 44 seconds for a touchdown that would apparently tie the game. However, Jack Henderson blocked Barker’s kick with Ethan Robinson picking up the bouncing ball and running it back 88 yards for a defensive point-after and two points to allow Minnesota to take a 19-16 lead into the locker room.
Kesich added a field goal on the Gophers opening drive of the second half, but the Nittany Lions finally took the lead late in the quarter, 23-22 on a 12-yard touchdown run by Nicholas Singleton after a 12-yard pass to Singleton (and a, this time, successful conversion by Barker). This five-play, 57-yard drive started with three-completions from Allar to all-purpose tight end Tyler Warren, the team’s leading receiver.
Warren lined up on the line, in the slot, behind center to take a couple of direct snaps, on one of which he executed a left-footed quick kick. The senior led all receivers in the game with 81 catches for 102 yards.
Another turnover led to three more Penn State points as, on the first play of the fourth quarter, Brosmer had trouble controlling the snap, and Zack Wheatley recovered on the Minnesota 41, setting up a 32-yard field goal for a 26-22 lead.
The Penn State defense bent but didn’t break as the Gophers drove to the 7. A second-down attempt was a pass to tackle-eligible Aiereonte Esery, an incompletion as Brosmer overthrew him and one that would have been anyone’s guess to the outcome even if it if it had been completed. An incompletion in the end zone on third down missed the opportunity to go ahead, and the Gophers settled for a Kesich field goal to bring them within one with 5:58 left.
Penn State never gave the ball up after that, although they had to pull off a fake punt from their own 34, a play that worked when the ball was short-snapped to Luke Reynolds, who rumbled to the Minnesota 34. The Nittany Lions converted two more fourth-down plays, the final one from the 14, eschewing a field goal and instead getting a first down as Allar scrambled to his right and then threw to Warren on the left for a first down at the 3. With Minnesota out of time outs, the Nittany Lions let the clock run out for a one-point win.
Singleton led the rushers with 63 yards while Taylor had 58 and Major 37 for the Gophers. Allar was 21 for 28 passing for 244 yards and a touchdown. Brosmer wasn’t as effective, completing 15 of 23 with a touchdown and interception. Daniel Jackson caught 6 passes for 90 yards while Elijah Spencer covered 46 yards on a pair of catches.