No. 4 Penn State (10-1) overcame a first-half deficit and a couple special teams debacles to get past Minnesota (6-5) 26-25 on Saturday in Minneapolis, keeping the Nittany Lions’ playoff prospects in place.
The visitors trailed until late in the third quarter after a slow offensive start and blocked kicks that led to nine Golden Gopher points. Clinging to a one-point lead with more than five minutes remaining, Penn State converted a fourth-and-1 in their own territory with a fake punt that freshman Luke Reynolds took for 32 yards. With time winding down, Penn State faced another fourth-and-1 that Drew Allar converted with an 11-yard pass to tight end Tyler Warren to seal the victory.
Allar was 21-28 for 248 yards and a touchdown, and Warren caught eight passes for 102 yards. Nick Singleton led the rushing attack with 13 carries for 63 yards and a score.
Linebacker Dom DeLuca had an interception that led to a Penn State field goal, while safety Jaylen Reed led the Nittany Lions with 10 tackles. Zane Durant had 2.5 tackles for loss.
The Nittany Lions finish the regular season at home next weekend, taking on Maryland at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 30.
HOW IT HAPPENED
After Penn State went three and out on its opening drive, Minnesota marched 70 yards in nine plays for the game’s first score. Golden Gopher running backs Marcus Major and Darius Taylor split five carries for 45 yards, including Major’s 20-yard touchdown run as Minnesota took a 7-0 lead six minutes into the game.
The Nittany Lions couldn’t convert a third and short on their next drive. Following a defensive stop Penn State took over again at midfield, but again couldn’t get it done with the Gophers sacking quarterback Drew Allar on fourth and 5 from the Minnesota 33.
With the first quarter winding down, Minnesota moved into Nittany Lion territory with a 23-yard pass from Max Brosmer to Daniel Jackson to the Penn State 32. After 15 minues, the Gophers were on the move again with a 7-0 lead.
2nd Quarter
Penn State’s defense stiffened to start the second, but Minnesota extended its lead to 10-0 with a 48-yard Dragan Kesich field goal.
The Nittany Lion offense finally came alive on its next possession. A 19-yard Allar pass to tight end Tyler Warren was followed by a 9-yard Nick Singleton run and a short catch and run for another first down. Penn State then picked up the tempo and Allar found wide receiver Omari Evans wide open downfield for a 45-yard touchdown throw. Ryan Barker’s point after capped the five-play, 75-yard drive as Penn State narrowed the deficit to 10-7 with 10:48 left in the half.
The Gophers converted a third down on their ensuing drive, but on the next play Penn State linebacker Dom DeLuca picked off a Brosmer pass at the Nittany Lion 45 and returned to the Minnesota 23. A Jack Anderson sack of Allar on second down set the Nittany Lions back, however, and Penn State ultimately settled for a 45-yard Barker field goal to tie it at 10-10 with 7:50 remaining in the half.
Minnesota pounded the ground game to cross midfield, but consecutive tackles for loss by Zane Durant and Kobe King forced a Mark Crawford punt that pinned the Nittany Lions at their own 3.
Unable to pick up a first down, Penn State punted and Riley Thompson’s kick was partially blocked, setting the Gophers up at the Nittany Lion 21.
Minnesota capitalized immediately. Brosmer took a flea flicker and tossed to a wide open Jameson Geers in the end zone. The Gophers moved back in front 17-10 with just over a minute remaining in the half.
Three Allar completions and a pass interference call quickly got the Nittany Lion offense to the Minnesota 38, and a 28-yard completion to Warren had Penn State knocking on the door. Two plays later, Allar kept it for a four-yard touchdown run to pull the Nittany Lions with one at 17-16.
Barker’s point after attempt, however, was blocked by Minnesota’s Jack Henderson and Ethan Robinson ran it all the way back to give the Gophers two points and a 19-16 lead heading into the locker room.
3rd quarter
Minnesota opened the second half with a 23-yard pass from Brosmer to Elijah Spencer and continued to move methodically downfield to the Penn State 22. The Nittany Lion defense held on from there and the Gophers settled for a 42-yard Kesich field goal to widen their lead to 22-16.
Penn State took its first lead of the day after the two sides traded punts. Starting from their own 43, Allar and Warren hooked up for three consecutive completions to move the Nittany Lions to the Gopher 27. From there Singleton ripped off a 15-yard run and a 12-yard carry for the score. Barker’s PAT was true this time to finish off the five-play, 57-yard drive and put Penn State in front 23-22 with 3:43 remaining in the third.
With Minnesota moving to midfield as the third quarter finished, Penn State maintained its one-point edge heading into the final 15 minutes.
4th quarter
Brosmer fumbled on the opening play of the fourth and Penn State safety Zakee Wheatley recovered at the Gopher 41. Allar completed a 14-yard pass to Singleton and Warren took a shovel pass 12 yards to get the Nittany Lions to the 15. But after two runs that went nowhere and an incompletion to the end zone, Penn State once again had to settle for a field goal after a turnover. Barker connected on a 32-yard attempt to increase the Nittany Lions’ lead to 26-22 with 11:51 to go.
Another 23-yard pass from Brosmer to Jackson put Minnesota near midfield on its ensuing drive, and six plays later, Brosmer found Elijah Spencer for a 23-yard gain to the Nittany Lion 7. A run for a loss and consecutive incompletions, though, brought up fourth down, and Kesich came on to make a 26-yard field goal that narrowed Penn State’s lead to 26-25 with 5:48.
Facing fourth and 1 from its own 34, Penn State looked to be sending the ball right back to the Gophers. But freshman tight end Luke Reynolds took the snap on a fake and rumbled 32 yards to the Minnesota 34. On another fourth and 1 from the Gopher 25, Allar kept the ball on a push up the middle to pick up the first down at the two-minute warning.
After picking up another first down, the Nittany Lions again faced fourth and 1 from the Gopher 14 with 27 seconds remaining. Rather than kicking the field goal and giving Minnesota a slim shot at a win, the offense stayed on the field and converted as Allar connected with Warren on an 11-yard pass. With the Gophers out of timeouts, Penn State ran out the clock for a 26-25 victory.
