Penn State put its College Football Playoff hopes in the hands of a third-string, true freshman TE and a long snapper.
It worked.
With 3:47 left and Penn State clinging to a one-point lead and perhaps its season, PSU faced a 4th and 1 from its 34.
It set up to punt, but a punt it was not. Long snapper Tyler Duzansky hiked it TE Luke Reynolds. Reynolds ran for 32 yards, setting Penn State up near the Minnesota red zone.
The Gophers never got the ball back, and No. 4 Penn State improved to 10-1 with a 26-25 win.
WHAT A CALL!
Penn State fakes it and picks up the first down. pic.twitter.com/n2t8kHrG4T— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024
After jumping out to a 28-0 lead vs. Washington and a 14-0 lead at Purdue, Penn State started slow in Minnesota.
Penn State went three and out on its first possession and then allowed a 9-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a 20-yard TD run by Marcus Major.
Minnesota increased the lead to double digits early in the second quarter with a field goal. That result could have been worse for Penn State since Minnesota started its drive at its 45 after PSU QB Drew Allar was sacked on 4th and 4.
Penn State’s offense got it together on its next possession, driving 75 yards in five plays for its first touchdown of the day. That touchdown came on a 45-yard pass from Allar to Omari Evans in which the nearest Gopher defender was in Wisconsin.
The nearest Gopher defender was somewhere in North Dakota. pic.twitter.com/O6dg6BIckk
— Joe Smeltzer (@joesmeltzer775) November 23, 2024
Penn State had a golden chance to take the lead not long after, when an interception by LB Dom DeLuca set Penn State up at the Minnesota 23-yard line. But Allar took another sack and all Penn State could muster was a 45-yard Ryan Barker field goal to tie the game at 10.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.It got worse later in the half.
With a little more than a minute left, punter Riley Thompson had his punt blocked, setting Minnesota up at the PSU 21. It took Minnesota just one play to capitalize, with a flea flicker from Max Brosmer to Jameson Geers going for a touchdown.
SOME MINNESOTA MAGIC! pic.twitter.com/awgGlRhdRS
— CBS Sports (@CBSSports) November 23, 2024
After that, it looked like PSU would go into halftime down by seven. But Allar and the offense had other ideas. The team drove 75 yards in 44 seconds— aided by a questionable, at best, pass interference call— to tie the game, with a 3-yard TD run by Allar capping it off.
"Even if it was in play I don't think it's a good call." – Gary Danielson on the pass interference call against Minnesota pic.twitter.com/lr3DtoXaTB
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024
From there, it looked like PSU had tied the game. Then, this happened.
TWO POINTS THE OTHER WAY!! pic.twitter.com/eZKC0VdZOx
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024
Minnesota went into halftime up 19-16.
The Gophers started the second half with the ball and ended their first possession with a field goal, pushing the lead to six.
Two possessions later, PSU took its first lead of the day, ending a five-play, 57-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard TD run by Nicholas Singleton that gave Penn State its first lead of the day.
Nick Singleton for SIX! @pennstatefball takes the lead in Minnesota. pic.twitter.com/8elEyLjsXh
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) November 23, 2024
PSU ends its regular season next Saturday against Maryland at Beaver Stadium. Kickoff is scheduled for 3:30.
