Penn State builds big lead, holds off Washington for 2nd straight Big Ten win [updated]
· Yahoo Sports
SEATTLE – One hundred and five years ago, the Penn State football team traveled across the country by train to play Washington at Husky Stadium.
Appropriately, the Nittany Lions looked like a runaway locomotive in the first half Saturday and built a 22-point lead in their second game in Seattle.
Visit umafrika.club for more information.
But the Huskies slowed Penn State’s offense in the second half as if they threw gobs of molasses under the Lions’ wheels and pulled within three points.
Somehow, though, they collected themselves, held the ball for the final 7:40 and turned back Washington 28-25 for their second straight Big Ten victory.
“It was great to win a football game where everything was going against us a little bit, very reminiscent of the Wisconsin game (a 24-20 loss in September),” Penn State coach Matt Campbell said. “It was great to be able to catch ourselves and win the game.”
The Lions (2-4 Big Ten, 5-4) drove from their 25 to a game-clinching first down at the 1 behind Rocco Becht’s quarterback sneak on fourth down, Carson Hansen’s 36-yard burst and two Washington mistakes.
Becht scrambled for 9 yards on third-and-6 early in the drive and took a hit to the helmet from Washington linebacker Jacob Manu at the Penn State 38. Wide receiver Chase Sowell took offense and bumped Manu, drawing an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
The Big Ten crew then reviewed the play for targeting and ejected Manu, which nullified Sowell’s penalty.
“Obviously that was a frustrating situation on the personal foul,” Campbell said. “But I don’t know if it should have gotten to that point. I thought our kids had the ability to re-focus with the timeout.”
Two snaps later, Hansen ran off the left side and into open field to the Washington 22. Hansen was then stopped short of the chains on third down, but the Huskies had too many men on the field. That gave Penn State a first down at the 12.
After Hansen’s short run, Becht carried three straight times and picked up the first down on fourth-and-1 from the 3 to seal it. He took a knee three times before time ran out.
“We told each other we had a chance to win the game on our terms,” right tackle Anthony Donkoh said. “We’ve been playing with our food all night. Let’s end the game on this drive.”
The Lions had gained 36 total yards and two first downs in the second half before their monumental drive.
“The last drive was incredible by all those guys,” Becht said. “We stayed resilient. We had the urgency and conviction to stay together and run that clock out.”
Becht completed 16-of-27 passes for 240 yards and two touchdowns, Hansen carried 14 times for 119 yards and one TD and Sowell caught four passes for 125 yards and one score, including a spectacular one-handed catch for 36 yards in the third quarter.
Defensively, Penn State contained Washington (2-4, 5-4) in the first half before Demond Williams Jr. got rolling. He threw two touchdown passes and two successful two-point conversions to help pull the Huskies within three points.
“I thought we had an opportunity there in the second half,” Washington coach Jedd Fisch said. “I was convinced after we made it 28-25 that we were going to get a stop, get a score, win that game and have a pretty remarkable comeback.
“We can’t put ourselves in that position.”
Williams finished 19-for-33 passing for 172 yards with one interception by Penn State reserve Ibn McDaniels. Linebacker Tony Rojas appeared to sack him in the end zone in the second quarter or force an intentional grounding penalty. But the officials ruled it an incompletion.
Penn State could have taken an even bigger lead in the first half had running back Quinton Martin Jr. been able to catch Becht’s pass when he was behind the secondary in the second quarter.
Some might call it an ugly win, but the Lions’ flight home was a happy one. They improved to 5-0 against the Huskies.
“I just feel like we’re growing in a lot of different areas,” Campbell said. “It’s awesome to watch the growth happen. Obviously everybody wants the growth to happen instantaneously. The reality is that we are starting to become a real football team and that part is exciting.”