'We Just Played Gutsy'
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford returned with fire, the defense made a fourth-down stop after a moment of chaos and a five-game losing streak ended Saturday at Michigan Stadium.
Penn State defeated the Wolverines 27-17 to avoid its first six-game losing streak since 2004. How did it happen? Let's break it down.
-Coach James Franklin was beside himself describing the win, his first at Michigan Stadium and the program's first there since 2009.
"We just played gutsy," he said. "... They stood in the corner and took body blows and head shots and they kept swinging, and I'm just really, really proud of them."
-A perfect example of that: The Lions thought they had forced a game-changing turnover in the fourth quarter on three athletic plays from Daequan Hardy (forcing a fumble), Shaka Toney (keeping it inbounds) and Jayson Oweh (recovering the ball).
Alas, Toney's play was a penalty, giving Michigan renewed life and a first down. But Penn State ended the drive later on a fourth-down sneak by Michigan quarterback Joe Milton. Defenders Ellis Brooks and Toney made sure Milton came up short, and the Lions were able to run out the clock on their next offensive series.
-Penn State seized control 27-17 with a 12-play, 5-minute scoring drive in the fourth quarter that backup quarterback Will Levis capped with a 2-yard touchdown run. The drive included some strong outside runs by freshman back Keyvone Lee and two third-down conversion receptions by receiver Jahan Dotson.
The drive might have been among Penn State's best of the season, considering the situation. The Lions settled for a field goal on their previous series, then gave up a Michigan touchdown after making some mistakes (an out-of-bounds kickoff, an offside penalty on 3rd-and-4). For a team that has made its own duress so often this season, the drive helped cleanse some of that.
-Quarterback Sean Clifford and running back Keyvone Lee orchestrated a strong opening drive, which Lee capped with a 6-yard touchdown run. The 10-play, 75-yard touchdown series was Penn State's first on a game-opening drive since the opener against Indiana.
-Coupled with that, Penn State forced Michigan to punt on its first offensive series. That further marked the first time Penn State has 1) scored on its opening drive and 2) held an opponent without an opening score since the Indiana game.
-Clifford played a strong game, rushing for 73 yards and a touchdown, while Lee had a breakthrough (22 carries, 134 yards and a score). More important, Penn State's offense did not turn over the ball for the first time this season.
-Penn State had a chance to go up 14-0 on its second series, but an unfortunate sequence forced a missed opportunity. Will Levis entered at quarterback on 4th-and-1, a play in which Michigan began with 12 defensive players on the field.
Instead of a quick reactive snap, Penn State's offense checked the sideline, and a freshman running back jumped offside. On 4th and 6, kicker Jordan Stout missed a 49-yard field goal.
-The Lions botched another sequence at the end of the first half. Drew Hartlaub showed exceptional hand-eye coordination, recovering a fumbled punt for the game's first turnover. The Lions moved that to 1st and goal at the 5-yard line with 35 seconds remaining and a timeout.
But instead of running a play on first down, the Lions oddly spiked the ball. Two incomplete passes later, the Lions settled for a Jake Pinegar field goal and took the timeout into halftime.
-Nevertheless, Penn State led at halftime for the first time this season, held its largest lead of the season and outscored an opponent in the second quarter for the first time this season. Prior to outscoring Michigan 10-0 in the second quarter, the Lions had been outscored 77-16 in its previous five second quarters.
