UNIVERSITY PARK — When Penn State placekicker Tyler Davis trotted out onto the field to attempt a last-second, 40-yard field goal to tie the game against Minnesota, Davis had never missed a kick for Penn State.
Up to that point, Davis was a perfect 16-for-16, but there was much more riding on this attempt than his streak. If he missed, the Nittany Lions would lose what was almost universally regarded as a season-defining game against the Gophers.
Davis didn’t miss. The kick was true and tied the game at 23-all with two seconds left and forced overtime. From there, the beleaguered Penn State defense and Saquon Barkley took care of the rest.
The Lion defenders were gouged for 469 yards by the Gophers, but they nevertheless rose to occasion in overtime. Minnesota ran three plays for minus yardage in its first overtime possession and was forced to settle for a field goal.
What happened next was vintage Barkley. On a play that the Gophers stopped time after time all afternoon, the sophomore took an inside handoff, froze a defender at the 15-yard line and high stepped into the end zone.
Minnesota lost its concentration for just a second and watched Penn State celebrate a 29-26 win.
“I think it (the win) was definitely something our players needed,” Penn State coach James Franklin said. “Everyone needed it, there’s no doubt about it. You kind of have some moments as a program … tonight is one of those nights.”
If the Penn State players and everyone involved with the program needed that win, none of them will be able to savor it for very long. Coming up Saturday, Oct. 8, will be the next undefeated team on the schedule, and fourth so far: the Maryland Terrapins.
Maryland is 4-0 with wins over Howard (52-13), Florida International University (41-14), University of Central Florida (30-24, 2 OT) and Purdue (50-7) on Oct. 1 in the team’s Big Ten opener.
The Terrapins couldn’t be stopped against the Boilermakers. The score was 29-0 at halftime, and Purdue didn’t score until the beginning of the fourth quarter. By that time, it was 36-0 and already in the win column for Maryland.
Maryland totaled 400 yards on the ground, with sophomore Ty Johnson gaining 204 yards and scoring two touchdowns on just seven carries. Lorenzo Harrison also picked up 78 yards and scored a touchdown, and dual-threat quarterback Perry Hills gained 55 yards and scored a touchdown as well.
Hills also completed eight of 13 passes for 87 yards and two scores.
Purdue, meanwhile, was held to just 10 yards rushing and 205 overall in what was a dominating and complementary performance by the Maryland defense.
Johnson, who is 5-foot-10, 205 pounds, leads the Maryland runners for the season with 333 yards on 28 attempts, but Harrison is right behind with 286 yards on 38 tries.
Hills has completed 61 percent of his passes for 550 yards and five touchdowns, and he has thrown just one interception — in the first Maryland possession of the Purdue game.
Receivers D.J. Moore and Teldrick Morgan have combined for 26 catches for 399 yards and four touchdowns.
Defensively, Maryland gives up only 14 points and 119 rushing yards per game, and the Terps have six takeaways and 14 sacks for 89 yards in losses.
“I feel really good about the start,” first year Maryland head coach D.J. Durkin said. “You want to be 4-0. I’m not surprised.
“We believe we’re going to win the games that we play. Our guys prepared well, and put themselves in a position to do well. We have good self-awareness on our team.
“We’re very honest with our guys. We know any team on our schedule can beat us. And we know we can beat any team on our schedule. It’s about doing the things that we can control to win a game. We’ve done this stuff so far.
“But, every week is a new week. That’s the beauty of the sport. It’s ‘What have you done for me lately?’ We’re 4-0, with a chance to go 5-0. We know we have a big task ahead of us (at Penn State).
“In college football, if you go on the road and get a win, that’s a big deal. We need to go win in a hostile environment. I’ve played there (at Beaver Stadium). I’ve coached there. We know what we’re up against. We need to have our best week of practice.”
For Penn State, this will be about going against another uber-motivated and prepared opponent. That has been the case so far in every game, and it will be the case again this week.
The last two meetings between these teams have both been one-point affairs. Maryland won 20-19 at Penn State in 2014, and Penn State came back to take a 31-30 win at Maryland last season.
Christian Hackenberg threw a fourth-quarter touchdown pass to Geno Lewis in the 2015 game, and then Penn State held on throughout the final 10 minutes for the win.
Hills, however, was a major headache for the PSU defense. He threw for 225 yards and a touchdown and ran 26 times for 124 yards and another touchdown. Fortunately, Penn State came up with five turnovers, including three interceptions, which allowed the Lions to win despite being outgained by more than 100 yards and held to just 48 yards rushing.
Against Minnesota, Penn State totaled 471 yards of offense — 335 through the air — and displayed a grittiness that it will need again.
However, two big penalties extended Minnesota possessions and — along with a 90-yard scoring drive in less than a minute before halftime — almost cost PSU the game. Those problems will certainly be addressed this week in practice.
Also, Penn State will be looking to improve its performance in the first half of games. In almost every instance so far, the Lions have started too slowly and been noticeably better in the second half. The slow starts have caused problems, and it’s difficult to come back from behind in game after game.
Still, Franklin sees things that he likes about this team.
“This was a game that we can really grow from,” he said after the Minnesota game. “There are a lot of things, obviously, that we have to get cleaned up but the most important thing is that these guys believe in themselves and believe in what we’re doing and how we’re doing it so that was big.
“They’re having a great time in the locker room. They are partying.”
Kickoff is set for noon at Beaver Stadium.
