Penn State looked rusty in the early parts of the team’s White Out game against Minnesota on Saturday night.
Leading just 17-10 at halftime, the Nittany Lions outscored the Golden Gophers 28-7 in the second half to claim a 45-17 victory. Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford hit Parker Washington for a 35-yard touchdown pass at the 11:59 mark in the third quarter, followed by a 16-yard touchdown rush by Nick Singleton, a 20-yard touchdown pass from Clifford to Mitch Tinsley and 30-yard rush by Singleton, the last two coming in the fourth quarter.
Here are five takeaways from Penn State’s 45-17 over Minnesota:
Penn State linebacker Curtis Jacobs stops Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim during the game on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
Curtis Jacobs played with his hair on fire (in a good way)
The junior linebacker had an outstanding start to the game. He had nine total tackles (four solo) and one tackle for loss in the first half. His first tackle came after he tracked down Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim on a 10-yard rush. Jacobs met up with Ibrahim nine more times for four tackles for loss. Both players are from the Baltimore area with Jacobs, a Glen Burnie native, playing high school football at McDonogh School (Owings Mills, Md.) and Ibrahim, a Baltimore native, playing at Good Counsel (Olney, Md.).
Jacobs finished the game with 14 total tackles (seven solo), which is a career-high in total tackles and two tackles for loss. It was just the game he’s been looking for in his third year with the program.
Defense wins games too
Penn State’s defense bashed Minnesota all game. It didn’t hurt that Golden Gophers backup quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis played like he had his helmet on backward. Kaliakmanis, a usual reserve for the injured Tanner Morgan, had barely any answer the entire game. He went 8-for-20 with 126 yards, one touchdown and one interception. While Penn State only notched one sack, the team had six pass breakups, seven tackles for loss and six quarterback hurries. If the Nittany Lions want a chance to beat Ohio State, they’ll have to hold CJ Stroud to under 200 passing yards just as they did tonight against Minnesota’s passer.
James Franklin can breathe easily after responding strongly
The Nittany Lions looked like they were asleep at the wheel with just a 17-10 lead at the completion of the first half. In weeks past and definitely in seasons past, Franklin’s teams didn’t come ready to play in the second half of a tight game. Penn State not only came ready to play in the second half, but the team looked dominant against a hard-nosed Minnesota team. Franklin has received much of the criticism from fans and media alike after last week’s blowout loss to Michigan. It was deserved. However, he prepped his team in the second half to play and Franklin and his whole coaching staff deserve credit.
Minnesota defenders try to stop Penn State running back Kaytron Allen during the game on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
Penn State’s offensive line deserves the game ball
The Nittany Lions offensive line held Clifford upright the entire game. Not one time was he sacked and he only was hurried two times in the game. Clifford went 23-for-31 (74%) for 295 passing yards, four touchdown passes and one interception. The running game was strong and it was due to the offensive line. The unit cleared holes for running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton, with the latter finding the end zone on a 16-yard rush with 6:33 left in the third quarter and 30-yard rush at the 6:35 mark in the fourth.
Sean Clifford bounced back from a rocky start in the first half
Clifford went 4-for-4 with 16 yards and two three-and-outs in the beginning of Saturday night’s game against Minnesota. In Penn State’s third drive, the team had a 2nd and 8 on their own nine-yard line and Clifford was picked off by Golden Gophers defensive back Justin Walley at the Minnesota 49. The elder statesman of the Nittany Lions looked disheveled and out of sorts. In the ensuing drive, Clifford went 3-for-4 on passes for 43 yards to set up a 41-yard field goal by Jake Pinegar at the 13:58 mark in the second quarter.
Still, it wasn’t the drive that he seemed to be looking for, or the one that the fans — who relentlessly booed him — were expecting. After Penn State’s defense stymied Minnesota on another drive, the redshirt senior quarterback hit tight end Tyler Warren on a 38-yard touchdown down the seams to complete a 7-play, 71-yard drive to give the Nittany Lions a 10-3 lead with 9:05 left in the first half. Clifford went on to finish off the next drive with an 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Theo Johnson to put Penn State up 17-3 at 4:01 in the second quarter. Clifford finished the half going 14-for-21 with 195 passing yards, two touchdown passes and one interception.
He could’ve very easily folded, especially with a White Out crowd booing him at the top of their lungs. He instead responded with two back-to-back touchdown drives to boost Penn State’s chances to win the game early.
Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford makes a pass during the game against Minnesota on Saturday, Oct. 22, 2022. Abby Drey adrey@centredaily.com
This story was originally published October 22, 2022 at 11:27 PM.
Kyle J. Andrews is a 2018 graduate of the University of Baltimore, home of the perennially undefeated Bees. Prior to heading to the Centre Daily Times, he spent times as a sports reporter for the Baltimore Sun Media Group, covering the Ravens and Orioles for 105.7 The Fan, Baltimore Beatdown and Fox Sports 1340 AM.
