No. 4 Penn State football (10-1, 7-1 Big Ten) survived Minnesota (6-5, 4-4 Big Ten) 26-25 on Saturday at Huntington Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

The Nittany Lions struggled against the Golden Gophers in the first half. Marcus Major had a touchdown and 33 yards, while Jameson Geers caught a touchdown off a flea flicker. Drew Allar had a passing and rushing touchdown, but those and a Penn State field goal weren’t enough as Minnesota’s safety off of a blocked extra point gave the home team a 19-16 lead at halftime.

Penn State struggled to get things going in the second half, and a Minnesota field goal put the Nittany Lions on the brink. However, a touchdown and another Penn State field goal, followed by a gutsy final drive, gave the Nittany Lions a narrow escape from a second defeat.

How It Happened

Nick Singleton opened the game with a four-yard run, and Allar found Trey Wallace for a five-yard gain. Tyler Warren’s attempted run was short, which forced Penn State to punt.

Major was tackled for a loss, but Max Brosmer fired a 20-yard pass to Daniel Jackson. Darius Taylor bulldozed his way for a 10-yard gain, then got another four yards to set up 3rd-and-6. Brosmer’s pass was short, but Minnesota remained on the field. Taylor barely escaped a tackle and ran 12 yards to Penn State’s 20-yard line. Then, Major raced into the end zone to give the Golden Gophers a 7-0 lead with 8:57 left in the first quarter.

Singleton caught a nine-yard pass but was stuffed on the next play to set up 3rd-and-1. However, Allar picked up the first down on a quarterback sneak. He completed an eight-yard pass to Liam Clifford, which brought up 3rd-and-2. Singleton was held short, and the Nittany Lions punted from their 46-yard line.

Former Nittany Lion Cristian Driver rushed for five yards, then Taylor suffered a two-yard loss. Brosmer’s pass was only good for a yard, and Minnesota punted deep in its territory.

Wallace caught a 12-yard pass to reach Minnesota’s 38-yard line. A tackle for loss and incompletion brought up 3rd-and-11, and Allar only picked up six yards to make it 4th-and-5. He was sacked to cap off another unsuccessful drive.

Tony Rojas sacked Brosmer for a four-yard loss. Major gained four yards, and Jackson made a 23-yard catch to extend the drive. On 3rd-and-9 three plays later, Taylor only gained a yard. Dragan Kesich’s 48-yard field goal made it 10-0 with 12:56 left in the second quarter.

For the first time, Allar connected with Warren for a 19-yard gain. Singleton ripped a nine-yard run, then caught a three-yard check down. But two plays later, Omari Evans hauled in a 45-yard dot in the end zone to make it 10-7 Minnesota with 10:48 remaining in the second quarter.

Playing catch

pic.twitter.com/VVk2TH3W56

— Onward State (@OnwardState) November 23, 2024

Two Taylor runs combined for a first down. But then, Brosmer’s pass was intercepted by Dom DeLuca at the 45-yard line and returned to Minnesota’s 23-yard line.

Beau Pribula scrambled four yards, but Allar was sacked for a nine-yard loss. His pass on third-and-long was incomplete, but Ryan Barker’s 45-yard field goal tied it 10-10 with 7:50 left in the second quarter.

Major and Taylor combined for 15 yards to reach the 41-yard line. They got another nine yards to inch closer to crossing midfield. Two short Brosmer runs got another first down. He completed a five-yard pass to Jackson, but Major was dropped three yards back. On 3rd-and-8, Taylor was tackled for a five-yard loss to force a punt.

From the three-yard line, Singleton picked up two yards. Warren caught another two-yard pass to bring up third down, but Allar threw an incompletion to force a punt. The punt was blocked, and Minnesota took over at Penn State’s 21-yard line.

On the first play, Geers was wide open on a flea flicker for a touchdown. Minnesota regained a 17-10 lead with 1:03 left in the first half.

Singleton caught a five-yard pass, then Wallace made an 11-yard catch. Singleton ran out of bounds after another reception, and Minnesota was called for pass interference on the next play to put Penn State on Minnesota’s 38-yard line. Warren caught a 28-yard pass, and Wallace’s six-yard reception put the Nittany Lions on the four-yard line. Allar dashed into the end zone to get six points. Then, the field goal attempt was blocked and returned for a safety. Minnesota gained a 19-16 lead with 19 seconds remaining in the half.

Elijah Spencer made a 23-yard catch to begin the second half. On 3rd-and-4, Taylor picked up a first down. Brosmer completed a 13-yard pass to Jackson, but the drive stalled. Kesich’s field goal made it 22-16 with 9:59 left in the third quarter.

Kaytron Allen got involved with an eight-yard run, then Wallace caught an 18-yard pass. Allen bulldozed his way another six yards, and Singleton ran four yards. Three plays later on 3rd-and-9, Allar threw an incompletion.

Minnesota went three-and-out. From the 43-yard line, Allar tossed a screen pass to Warren for a 12-yard gain. They connected again for an eight-yard gain, and again for a 10-yard gain. Singleton danced around the Gophers for a 15-yard run, then barreled into the end zone for a touchdown. Barker’s extra point gave Penn State a 23-22 lead for the first time with 3:43 remaining in the third quarter.

Brosmer scrambled eight yards, and Taylor got a first down. Brosmer ran again for four yards, and an offsides call made it 2nd-and-1. Taylor easily gained another first down, and Nick Kallerup picked up five yards. Then, Brosmer dropped the snap, which Zakee Wheatley recovered.

From Minnesota’s 41-yard line, Singleton caught a 14-yard pass. Warren advanced 12 yards, but Allen was stuffed the next two plays. On 3rd-and-10, Allar threw an incompletion in the end zone. Barker nailed a field goal to make it 26-22 with 11:51 left in the fourth quarter.

Jackson made a 23-yard catch to open Minnesota’s drive. Runs by Brosmer and Taylor brought up 3rd-and-3, and Brosmer fired a six-yard pass to Jackson. Taylor gained eight yards, then Spencer got to Penn State’s seven-yard line. Major was stuffed, and Brosmer threw an incompletion. He fired another incomplete pass, and Kesich’s field goal made it 26-25 with 5:48 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Singleton ripped a six-yard gain, but Allen was tackled for a five-yard loss. Allar’s rush did not reach the line to gain. Then, Penn State faked the punt, as Luke Reynolds rushed 32 yards. Two more rushes brought up 3rd-and-1. Warren was stuffed to bring up a fourth down. On the tush-push, Penn State picked up the first down on 4th-and-1. Singleton was stuffed twice to bring up 3rd-and-10. He picked up nine yards, and the offense stayed on the field. Allar danced in the pocket and completed an 11-yard pass to Warren to end the game, and Penn State escaped Minneapolis with a 26-25 win.

Takeaways

• The final drive was extremely gutsy. A fake punt, a tush-push, and an 11-yard pass all happening on short fourth downs were risky yet necessary in securing the win. Without those calls being successful, Minnesota would’ve had a big opportunity to walk the game off.
• A slow start made this tough for Penn State. Minnesota therefore had momentum throughout a large portion of the game, which amplified the difficulties of playing on the road.
• Drew Allar wasn’t as efficient as he’s been in the passing game as he missed multiple throws that were manageable. However, he finished the game with 244 passing yards, two total touchdowns, and a 75% completion rate. His throws toward the end stood out and were huge in getting the win.
• The defense had tough moments, but nine tackles for loss as well as two turnovers disrupted Minnesota throughout the game. Those were consistently drive-killers and sometimes momentum-changers against a gritty team.

What’s Next

Penn State finishes the regular season against Maryland at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, November 30, at Beaver Stadium. The game will be televised on the Big Ten Network.