Penn State football loses 21-17 in close game to the Michigan Wolverines at Beaver Stadium
Penn State football lost its fourth game in its last five contests Saturday afternoon when it fell to the Michigan Wolverines, 21-17, in Beaver Stadium.
The Nittany Lions opened the game with a clear edge in the first quarter. They opened the game’s scoring by hitting a 42-yard field goal after successfully attempting a fake punt. Punter Jordan Stout hit linebacker Curtis Jacobs for an 18-yard gain to convert, but the Nittany Lions stalled out from there and Stout had to come back out to break the scoreless tie.
They were in position to score again, but a fake field goal attempt from the two-yard line went awry. Stout took a pitch and was brought down by the Michigan defense quickly, fumbling the ball as he went down.
However, Penn State’s defense held the Wolverines to three plays on the ensuing drive to get the ball back to the offense before the end of the quarter.
Michigan was able to get the lead on its first drive of the second quarter, driving down the field on a 15-play, 90-yard drive that was punctuated with a 21-yard passing touchdown from quarterback Cade McNamara to wide receiver Roman Wilson.
The Wolverines held the lead through the second quarter on the back of its defense, although Penn State was able to put a scoring drive together that ended with a 52-yard Stout field goal.
Michigan opened the second half with another long touchdown drive, this time going 75 yards in nine plays. Wilson finished it off with a two-yard touchdown reception from McNamara to make it two receiving touchdowns on the day.
The Nittany Lions were eventually able to tie things up on a long drive that was capped off by a Tyler Warren receiving touchdown, the tight end’s first of the season, and a Jahan Dotson two-point conversion.
Penn State then took the lead after redshirt senior defensive end Arnold Ebiketie earned a strip-sack, his second sack of the game. Stout put his third field goal through the uprights to give Penn State the 17-14 lead shortly thereafter.
Michigan came back to score a touchdown following the field goal on a 47-yard catch and run by Erick All to take the 21-17 lead.
That was all the Wolverines would need, closing out the game and winning 21-17 to drop Penn State to 6-4 on the season.
Player of the game
Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson: Michigan’s pass rush looked like the best one Penn State has seen all season and Hutchinson was a key reason for that. He made a mess of the backfield nearly every time Clifford dropped back to pass in the game and finished with three sacks to show for it. There were several occasions when the Wolverines needed to get pressure and more often than not Hutchinson was able to do it.
The Nittany Lions have played plenty of talented players this season, but Hutchinson might be the most talented of all. He’s a likely top-15 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft and showed why against Penn State.
Stat of the game
4.4: That’s how many yards Keyvone Lee averaged per carry in the game. Lee established himself as the best running back Penn State has on the roster. He went down with an injury in the fourth quarter, but returned soon after and it seems clear that he’s the best runner the Nittany Lions have. Lee gets downhill and fights for extra yards, and has seemingly rid himself of the issues that plagued him early in the season. He had issues with fumbling and losing yards by trying to do too much but Saturday he held onto the ball and always seemed to fall forward when he was given a carry.
Up next
vs. Rutgers: Penn State stays home for its next matchup, taking on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights next week at Beaver Stadium. The game will be the team’s second straight noon kick.
Rutgers has lost 14 straight games against the Nittany Lions, dating back to 1989. The Scarlet Knights entered this weekend 4-5 overall and 1-5 in the Big Ten, with their only conference win coming against Illinois in late October.
This story was originally published November 13, 2021 at 3:37 PM.
