Indianapolis— Penn State fought hard but ultimately, the defense didn’t get enough stops to win the Big Ten championship.
Thus, Penn State lost to Oregon, 45-37 in Indianapolis.
A big 4th down conversion followed by a 3-yard Jordan James touchdown run put one of the final nails in Penn State’s coffin.
A late INT by Drew Allar officially sealed the deal.
Oregon wasted no time getting everything started, going 84 yards on nine plays in 4:20 to take the lead. A 28-yard TD pass from Dillon Gabriel to Kenyon Sadiq capped off the drive, with Sadiq hurdling Penn State CB Jalen Kimber.
HURDLE FOR THE TOUCHDOWN@Oregonfootball strikes first 🔥
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/Y1YNcZ6HTC
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 8, 2024
Penn State answered on its first offensive possession, albeit not with a touchdown. But the team did get a Ryan Barker field goal to pull to within four.
Oregon’s offense kept it going on the next drive. Gabriel’s second TD pass— a two-yarder to Sadiq, who caught his second—capped a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive that took 4:09.
Penn State threw a punch right back on its next possession. A 22-yard pass from Allar to RB Nicholas Singleton got the game back to single digits, ending a 7-play, 75-yard drive that took 1:57.
SINGLETON FOR THE TD@PennStateFball finds the end zone for the first time tonight 🔥
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/XcxiAATsZz
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 8, 2024
But once again, Oregon’s offense carved the Penn State defense up, driving 60 yards in seven plays to go back ahead by two scores. Gabriel’s third touchdown pass, this one a four-yarder to tight end Terrance Ferguson, capped it off.
Before too long, teams went from bad to worse.
Oregon DB Dante Manning picked off an Allar pass and returned it to the one. The next play, Jordan James ran it in to put Oregon up by three scores.
INTERCEPTED BY OREGON AND TAKEN TO THE 1-YARD LINE 🦆🔒@Oregonfootball
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/ZRGG2TUjTK
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 8, 2024
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.But Penn State wasn’t done yet.
On the next possession, PSU went 75 yards on eight plays in 3:16 to push the game back to two scores. Allar hit Omari Evans for a 22-yard strike to end it.
Just what Penn State needed. pic.twitter.com/7v0BnVH6rN
— CBS Sports College Football 🏈 (@CBSSportsCFB) December 8, 2024
Oregon drove on its next possession but settled for a field goal, and the teams went into halftime with Oregon up 31-24. The combined 55 points made for the highest-scoring first half in Big Ten title game history.
The second half did not get off to a good start.
Barker missed a 40-yard FG at the end of Penn State’s first possession, and Oregon responded by going 77 yards in just five plays for a score, pushing its lead back to two possessions. Gabriel threw his fourth TD pass and his second to Tez Johnson.
Once again, Penn State punched back.
A drive that started at the 3-yard line— aided by a personal foul on Oregon— ended with Kaytron Allen punching one in from a yard out. Penn State then decided to go for two, and it didn’t work, making the score 38-30.
Oregon put the game to bed on the next possession.
Penn State did score a touchdown with 3:47 left on a pass from Allar to Harrison Wallace III and got the ball back, but Allar’s second pick sealed it.
The good news for Penn State is that, barring committee malpractice, PSU will be in the College Football Playoff. It’s just a matter of where the team will be seeded.
