UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — It was Penn State early and often as it sunk the Minnesota Golden Gophers 42-14 Saturday night at Beaver Stadium.
The game featured a fumble on the first drive for Minnesota and the Nittany Lions never looked back as they jumped to a 28-0 halftime lead before a touchdown on their first and last drives of the second half cemented the scoring effort for the home team.
Penn State didn’t need to throw the ball, but when it did, it was largely successful with the Nittany Lions scoring four touchdowns on only 11 total completions.
GROUND AND POUND
Photo courtesy of Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
It was a blustery and wet night with a constant mist and some steady rain throughout the contest, but regardless of the weather, Penn State felt no need to test the air against Minnesota.
The Nittany Lions were rewarded well for their game plan with Carson Hansen rushing for 126 yards on 12 carries in just one half of action. He had rushes of 34, 46 and 22 while Cam Wallace added rushes of 12 and 23 for Penn State.
Hansen left the game after his 22-yard run, but he wasn’t quite needed for the second half given the score and performance by the offense.
Penn State RB Carson Hansen Heads to Locker Room Late in 1st Half
It was yet another dominant running attack that has seemingly found their groove after the bye week.
The Nittany Lions finished with 229 yards on the ground.
BIG BEN
Photo by Matt Lynch, Nittany Sports Now
While Penn State didn’t need to throw the ball, Rocco Becht and the offense made it count when they did. 6-foot-7 Ben Brahmer was on the receiving end for two of Becht’s touchdowns.
Brahmer now has a team-high five receiving touchdowns.
Add Nittany Sports Now as a preferred source in Google! Click here to add us.Both touchdowns were things of beauty for the tight end and he’s been Mr. Reliable all season for Becht and the offense.
Becht ➡️ Brahmer !
Watch on FS1 x @PennStateFball https://t.co/tF2pkMrNGJ
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) November 15, 2026
BENJAMIN BRAHMER AGAIN 🤯
Watch on FS1 x @PennStateFball https://t.co/YIr6JBko5F
— Penn State On BTN (@PennStateOnBTN) November 15, 2026
GOING FOR THE JUGULAR … SORT OF
Penn State erupted for 28 first half points against the Golden Gophers and were dominant on both sides of the football. Head coach Matt Campbell mentioned being more aggressive in the second half rather than letting the game play the Nittany Lions.
Everything Matt Campbell Said Ahead of Minnesota To Clinch Bowl Eligibility
They did that on the first drive of the second half which featured Penn State going for it on fourth down and converting at their own 34 yard line. Becht finished the drive with a four-yard touchdown pass to Brahmer.
The Nittany Lions gave up a touchdown to Minnesota on back-to-back drives while the offense stalled out and never got much going until backup quarterback Alex Manske took over late in the fourth quarter.
Manske led Penn State on a six-play, 52-yard touchdown drive finished by a 22-yard touchdown from Manske to James Peoples.
