Final Takeaways From Penn State's Win at Minnesota

The Nittany Lions essentially booked their spot in the College Football Playoff with a one-point win over the Gophers.

Penn State Nittany Lions quarterback Drew Allar runs the ball against the Minnesota Golden Gophers during the fourth quarter at Huntington Bank Stadium. / Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

MINNEAPOLIS | Penn State's 26-25 win at Minnesota appears from the box score largely as an escape. The Nittany Lions forced two turnovers but went 1-for-11 on third down. They allowed two special teams blocks but converted three 4th-and-1 plays in the fourth quarter. Down by 7 points, they scored a touchdown with 19 seconds left in the first half yet somehow still entered halftime down by 3.

So yes, Penn State advanced by surviving. However, Penn State also tendered its playoff application Saturday night at Huntington Bank Stadium. The Nittany Lions might get soft marks in perception rankings but they also hardened by winning a game they largely didn't play well enough to win — against an ornery team that has lost four times by one possession this season.

"It felt like joy, for sure," running back Nicholas Singleton said. "Minnesota's a good team. We played four quarters with them. We ended the game on our terms, which means a lot."

Final takeaways from Penn State's fifth road win of the season, something the team hasn't done since 1994 (more on that later).

RELATED: The Penn State football report card: Minnesota edition

A moment to savor for James Franklin

After finishing his post-game press conference — one that didn't include a lot of joking — Franklin paused in the Huntington Bank Stadium tunnel with a few players. After greeting quarterback Drew Allar, Franklin rang the Governor's Victory Bell, the trophy of the Penn State-Minnesota game. "Bow your heads," he shouted. "Close your eyes." This was a moment for Franklin to savor — review, certainly, but also savor.

Franklin had an erratic day before the final series. He skipped a few fourth-down attempts early and agreed to a pooch punt on 4th-and-9 with Tyler Warren in the third quarter. Those moments, coupled with Penn State's special teams mistakes and inability to score touchdowns after turnovers, put this game in jeopardy.

They also reminded of something Franklin said before the game: "I think a lot of the well-coached teams understand, before you can learn to win, you've got to learn how not to lose." That was in reference to turnovers but also served as an undercurrent to this game. For a while, Franklin and Penn State appeared content with extracting a win by making sure they didn't lose. That had to end in the fourth quarter.

Penn State converted three 4th-and-1 plays, one on a fake punt, and ended it. The fake punt was most telling, an admission that Franklin was uncomfortable calling a run play on 4th-and-1, perhaps right considering that the Nittany Lions finished 1-for-4 on third downs of 1-4 yards (and 1-for-11 overall). That's probably the call of Penn State's season, one that guaranteed a first-round playoff home game if the Nittany Lions beat Maryland. It also demonstrated that Franklin, who often speaks of being "bold and aggressive" across the program, understands the stress points when its vital to make that move on the field.

'It's actually a play that I wanted,' Drew Allar says

Before Penn State's final 4th-and-1 conversion of the game, the Penn State quarterback suggested a play: a play-action pass with Nicholas Singleton as the intended receiver in the right flat. Franklin liked it, offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki liked it and Penn State ran it.

The play didn't work that way: Singleton was covered, and Allar needed to freelance a bit to extend his throwing window. That's when he saw Warren crossing the field to his left, settling in an uncovered space for 11 yards. The play, from beginning to end, belonged to Allar.

"It’s actually a play that I wanted," Allar said. "I felt like it was a longer 4th-and-1. I asked coach Franklin, and he thought about it. Then Coach K liked it. The main goal was to get it to Nick in the flat, because we were anticipating them squeezing in trying to stop some sort of inside zone or quarterback sneak. We were just going to try to outflank them."

Whch Allar did. He had a trying day, completing 21 of 28 passes for 244 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions but still lamented a few throws, notably missing a wide-open Omari Evans in the end zone in the second half. Allar also let his temper boil over on the pooch punt, which prompted Franklin to have a chat with him on the sideline.

Both Allar and center Nick Dawkins said Minnesota's defensive linemen were mimicking Penn State's cadence (something that Allar fumed over at West Virginia as well), and he wanted a timeout. But Dawkins snapped the ball to Warren for the punt. The quarterback needed a minute to compose himself.

"I just have to do a better job of staying composed and poised," Allar said. "I kind of let my emotions flare a little bit. Once I got back to the bench, I was fine and took a couple deep breaths. Coach Franklin came over to me and reminded me of that. It’s an area I’m still learning about myself and trying to grow. I want to pick more spots to do that stuff. That wasn’t necessarily the situation to do that. It was just a learning opportunity. I’m kind of glad it happened because I know if that situation happens again how to react."

For Penn State, a pretty nice little Saturday

After gathering their breath, the Nittany Lions learned that college football went pretty well for them Saturday. They kept their home playoff plans intact, which was more than two SEC top-10 teams could say. No. 7 Alabama lost at Oklahoma and No. 9 Ole Miss lost at Florida, sullying their playoff resumes with three losses. One still might get in, but the ride to the finish will be tense.

Meanwhile, Penn State's top-25 win hung there with one of the day's wildest finishes. Illinois delivered a brutal beat upon Rutgers, which called timeout before a 58-yard field-goal attempt that Illini coach Bret Bielema chose to forgo. Then this happened.

Pray for Rutgers Football fans

They called a timeout to ice the kicker who missed the 58-yarder…

Illinois got the play back and answered with THIS

pic.twitter.com/EopkahUCO0

— Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) November 23, 2024

So Penn State solidified its spot in the top-5, kept its key win in place and rose above the two-loss SEC playoff conversation. The Nittany Lions also remained in contention for a spot against Oregon in the Big Ten championship game. If you want that to happen, root for Michigan to beat Ohio State.

An injury to watch

Right tackle Anthony Donkoh, injured on Penn State's second offensive snap, spent the remainder of the game on the sideline with crutches. When healthy, Donkoh has been one of Penn State's most effective linemen this season. Trouble is, he has played through some issues that limited his effectiveness. Whether he can be ready for the late-December playoff is a significant story line for Penn State's offensive line.

Noteworthy

Franklin can complete his first 11-win regular season at Penn State with a win over Maryland. Penn State also is one of three current teams (with Oregon and Ohio State) to win at least 10 games in each of the past three seasons.

According to Penn State communications, this is the first season since 1985 in which the team has gone 5-0 on the road. But the 1994 team also went 5-0 in games away from Beaver Stadium, to parse the term. The Nittany Lions defeated Temple at Franklin Field in Philadelphia, which wasn't considered a true road game.

Safety Jaylen Reed made a team-high 10 tackles and perhaps the game's most underrated play. Reed might have stopped a Minnesota touchdown midway through the fourth quarter, tackling receiver Elijah Spencer at the 7-yard line after a 23-yard gain. Penn State stopped the next three plays, including a trick-play pass attempt to an offensive tackle, and the Gophers settled for a field goal. Penn State took possession and never gave back the ball.

More Penn State Football

Luke Reynolds gets some special teams redemption against Minnesota

What they said after the Nittany Lions' win over Minnesota

What we learned from Penn State's wild win vs. the Gophers