UNIVERSITY PARK— Penn State had every reason to punt against Minnesota.
PSU had a 4th-and-1 at its own 34.
Up 28-0 early in the third quarter, not getting it on 4th-and-1 would have given the Gophers a chance to score a touchdown and cut it to 28-7.
Still a hefty deficit, yes. But remember, just one week prior, Penn State came into the second half up 28-6 on Washington and almost lost before holding on for a 28-25 win. Whether it was coach Matt Campbell wanting to put his foot down and bury Minnesota or whether he simply felt good about converting the first down or a combination of things, Penn State went for it.
Cam Wallace rushed for two yards, and although Minnesota challenged, the ruling stood, and Penn State kept the ball.
PSU ended up scoring on a four-yard pass from Rocco Becht to Ben Brahmer, Becht’s third TD pass of the night and Brahmer’s second touchdown reception.
Penn State still ended up losing the third quarter 14-7, but because it was 35-0 after that first drive, it didn’t matter.
Coming out firing had to have been a relief for Campbell and company.
Struggling in the third quarter against Washington wasn’t a one-time thing. In its first six Big Ten games, Penn State had been outscored 42-9.
So, yeah, it was good to get seven on the first drive.
“It’s a real problem, I’ll be honest with you,” Campbell told reporters after the Washington game. “My concern is, I think there’s times where it’s a mental maturity piece of it, in my opinion, that you’re up in some of those games, and like it’s a mental relapse. We’ve got to figure it out. It starts with the head football coach making sure.”
