Here Come the Penn State Freshmen
Penn State linebacker Ellis Brooks, who was 5 years old when his team last pulled off a moment like this, said his antenna went up on fourth down.
Joe Milton, Michigan's 6-5, 240-pound quarterback, moved from shotgun to under center on 4th-and-1, leading Brooks to suspect a sneak. All he wanted was to fill his gap and remove the option.
Then Brooks and teammate Shaka Toney delivered a fourth-down stop that, like it did 16 years ago, might redefine a team.
"Circumstances won't make us," Brooks said. "We make our own circumstances."
That defensive stop, with 5:37 remaining in the game, essentially sealed Penn State's 27-17 win over Michigan, its first in Ann Arbor since 2009. It also carried a reminder of the 2004 team that ended Penn State's last six-game losing streak with a goal-line stand against Indiana.
After that game 16 years ago, former Penn State assistant coach Jay Paterno predicted that the team "might not lose until 2006," a sentiment few expected to come true. And yet, it nearly did. The Lions went 11-1 the following season, won the Big Ten title defeated Florida State in the Orange Bowl.
Could it happen again? On Saturday, defensive tackle PJ Mustipher said that, although "the monkey's definitely been lifted off our back," it will matter only if Penn State makes this victory count.
"It can’t just be a one-win thing," Mustipher said. "It has to continue these next couple weeks, and that's how we have to finish out the season. I think that's what we're going to do. We're going to use this as a momentum shift in our season and continue to win football games."
Eleven months after their last victory (in the 2019 Cotton Bowl), the Lions finally held a locker-room celebration. The mood was "electric," Mustipher said, and Franklin couldn't contain both his joy and relief in the moment.
Still, because this year isn't over, the 2020 reminder had to come. Toney, who joined Brooks on the elemental stop, told his teammates to continue their virus-mitigation measures, because some teams have seen COVID-19 spikes after big victories.
That's the known factor Penn State has been confronting all season. Plenty more obstacles (some known, some still private) have made the year even more grueling.
The list of key missing players (Micah Parsons, Journey Brown, Noah Cain, Pat Freiermuth, Tariq Castro-Fields) is known. On Saturday, Penn State further played without starting back Devyn Ford, who was injured last week and, Franklin told ABC, did not attend the game because of a family death.
That promoted freshman Keyvone Lee to become the team's third different starting back. Lee responded by rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown, producing the team's first 100-yard game by a running back since Journey Brown in the Cotton Bowl. It also was Penn State's best game by a freshman back since Saquon Barkley ran for 194 against Ohio State in 2015.
Penn State started true freshmen at running back, receiver (Parker Washington) and Theo Johnson (tight end) for the first time in school history. Washington, who caught nine passes, had the best receiving game by a Penn State freshman since DaeSean Hamilton (14 catches against) Ohio State in 2014.
Five of Penn State's offensive starters were first- or second-year players. The Lions had three available cornerbacks, with Castro-Fields and Keaton Ellis not playing, and held Michigan to 112 yards passing. And quarterback Sean Clifford was starting again after throwing two interceptions last week against Iowa.
But he (and Penn State) didn't commit a turnover for the first time this season, they turned Drew Hartlaub's adept fumble recovery into a field goal, receiver Isaac Lutz came off the bench to make his first three catches of the year and backup quarterback Will Levis scored a diving touchdown in his goal-line package.
For the first time this season, Penn State didn't overwhelm itself with duress and had answers for the critical moments it faced. Those even extended to Friday-night preparations.
Because of Michigan state laws regarding meals and gatherings, Penn State couldn't eat together or meet in-person at their hotel Friday night. Further, Franklin said, the hotel WiFi didn't work, meaning the players and coaches couldn't even conduct virtual meetings.
"They stood in the corner and they took body blows and head shots and they kept swinging, and I’m just really, really proud of the guys," Franklin said.
And still, because the season has gone wrong so many ways, Penn State was concerned about a fluky fourth-quarter play that could have changed the game. Cornerback Daequan Hardy forced a strip-sack fumble, Toney batted the ball back onto the field and end Jayson Oweh recovered it.
But the third-down play was ruled a penalty (illegal batting on Toney), and Michigan was awarded 10 yards and a first down (according to Rule 9-4-1-c of the NCAA rulebook). Franklin called it "interesting," Toney clearly didn't agree on the sideline and the defense returned to the field.
This season, Franklin said, Penn State has withered under moments like that. But this time, Brooks' read of Milton jarred those demons free.
"I don't know if anybody has slept right since Oct. 23," Mustipher said, echoing a team-wide chorus about the strain of losing. This being Thanksgiving week, Franklin didn't host players and parents at his house after practice. Those families weren't at Michigan Stadium on Saturday. And Franklin still can't get over the fact that "there's nobody giving you the middle finger on the ride up to the stadium."
Maybe this victory will right the other elements, as that victory over Indiana did for Penn State in 2004. At the very least, it will renew one team tradition.
"We'll have victory Monday dinner," Franklin said, "which is going to be the most delicious thing I’ve tasted in my life."
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