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Penn State makes right calls late to escape Minnesota, close in on Playoff bid: Takeaways

24 November 2024Last Update :
Penn State makes right calls late to escape Minnesota, close in on Playoff bid: Takeaways

MINNEAPOLIS — No. 4 Penn State was on upset alert all day Saturday, but it escaped Minnesota with a 26-25 win to stay in strong position for a College Football Playoff bid.

Nursing a one-point lead late, the Nittany Lions converted three fourth downs to run out the clock, including a 32-yard fake punt in their own territory with under four minutes to play.

Penn State (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) fell behind 10-0 in the first half, but it overcame special teams miscues and got a stellar game from quarterback Drew Allar and another 100-yard performance from tight end Tyler Warren to survive against Minnesota (6-5, 4-4), a program that previously derailed top-five Nittany Lions teams in 2019 and 1999.

Here are some initial takeaways:

Penn State keeps Playoff fate in its hands

Saturday was more stressful than Penn State would’ve liked, but overall it played out exactly how the Nittany Lions needed it to. Entering the game, they had a 94 percent chance to make the Playoff, according to The Athletic’s projections model. Now, at 10-1 and ranked in the top five, Penn State simply needs to beat Maryland (4-7) next week at Beaver Stadium to lock up a Playoff bid, with a first-round game likely at home. Avoiding the upset allows Penn State to avoid putting its overall Playoff fate in the hands of a selection committee debate.

But Ohio State’s win against Indiana also keeps Penn State’s hopes for a Big Ten title game trip alive. In addition to beating Maryland, Penn State needs to root for a Michigan upset of Ohio State next Saturday. That would send the Nittany Lions to Indianapolis to meet No. 1 Oregon, where they’d have a chance to play for a Big Ten championship and first-round bye.

A mixed bag for special teams …

Penn State coach James Franklin said last week that at some point this season he needed his special teams to make the kinds of plays that can swing close games. That’s what was supposed to help separate this team as it closed out the regular season and readied for a Playoff run. Though Penn State has been fine on special teams this season, this was a frustrating performance from coordinator Justin Lustig’s group that ultimately was bailed out late by Luke Reynolds’ 32-yard run on a fake punt.

In the second quarter, backed up at their own 7-yard line, Riley Thompson’s punt was blocked. One play later Minnesota used a reverse flea-flicker to score a 21-yard touchdown. It was a momentum swing that ignited the home crowd.

Even when Allar answered with a 4-yard rushing touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first half, Penn State couldn’t get out of its own way. Kicker Ryan Barker’s extra point was blocked as defensive tackle Kaleb Artis, a redshirt sophomore, had a defender sprint untouched past him. Minnesota’s Ethan Robinson returned it for two points. It was the Gophers’ first returned point-after attempt since 2006. Artis wasn’t part of the extra point unit the rest of the game.

And yet, in the biggest moment of the game, on fourth-and-1 at its own 34 while holding a one-point lead, Penn State lined up for a punt and instead snapped the ball to Reynolds, a freshman tight end, who ripped off a 32-yard run that put the Nittany Lions in position to ice the game. For all that went wrong Saturday, special teams found a way to help finish the job late.

Those earlier special teams miscues were going to be under the microscope win or lose, but those lessons are a lot easier for Penn State to digest after a win.

… and fourth-down calls

On the Nittany Lions’ first two drives, they faced fourth-and-1 situations and punted both times. The first decision came after Penn State picked up just inches — if that — with a Tyler Warren direct snap on third down. It then punted from its own 34.

The Nittany Lions then punted on the next drive on fourth-and-1 at their own 46 after Nicholas Singleton picked up 1 yard on third-and-2.

Penn State has struggled in short-yardage situations in big moments this season, most notably against Ohio State. And trying to consistently get anything from the run game has been challenging. However, for a team that needs to be bold and aggressive and dictate how it wants to play, Penn State was too passive in both early situations, which speaks volumes about the lack of trust in short-yardage situations. Bizarrely, Kaytron Allen did not touch the ball once in the first half.

In the third quarter, Penn State punted on fourth-and-9 from the Minnesota 38. With Penn State trailing 22 to 16, Allar was demonstrative as he shouted while jogging off the field. Warren, the do-it-all tight end, hit a punt that traveled just 16 yards.

And yet, just as with special teams, fourth-down decisions in the fourth quarter saved the game. The Nittany Lions ended up going 3-for-3 on fourth down on their final possession, with the Reynolds fake punt followed by an Allar sneak and an improvised Allar pass to Warren, the latter of which allowed Penn State to run out the clock.

Conservative decisions held back Penn State early, but bold calls helped win the game late.

Penn State has a key offensive line injury to monitor

Penn State starting right tackle Anthony Donkoh grabbed at his right leg during the opening drive. He was helped off the field by trainers and then taken to the locker room on a cart. Donkoh later returned to the sideline on crutches. As Penn State staged a comeback, Donkoh walked up and down the bench encouraging the offense.

Wisconsin transfer Nolan Rucci replaced Donkoh. While the redshirt junior Rucci has played quite a bit this season, Donkoh has been one of the team’s best linemen. Should he miss any time moving forward, it would be a significant blow to a unit that struggled to open holes for a big chunk of Saturday’s game.

(Photo of Drew Allar: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)

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