With heavy heart, Brown has big day in Penn State victory
STATE COLLEGE » Some Penn State players admitted their preparation for Saturday’s regular season finale wasn’t what it needed to be. They said they sleepwalked through a sluggish first half against Rutgers, the worst team in the Big Ten.
Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, running back Journey Brown played with plenty of motivation, dedicating his performance to his 17-year-old cousin, Paige Fabela, who died last Sunday.
“I just felt I had to put on for my little cousin Paige,” Brown said. “I feel like I did. I did it for him and his immediate family and I did it for the seniors in the Penn State family.”
Brown carried 16 times for 103 yards and three touchdowns as No. 10 Penn State beat Rutgers, 27-6, before a crowd of 98,895 at Beaver Stadium.
“That’s like my brother,” linebacker Micah Parsons said of Brown. “I told him after the game, ‘You made your cousin so proud. I’m proud of you.’ He put the offense on his shoulders and made a lot of big runs and scored crucial touchdowns.”
Despite being outgained
383-333, the Nittany Lions
(10-2, 7-2 Big Ten) clinched their third 10-win season in four years and increased their chances of landing a New Year’s Six bowl berth.
Will Levis, making his first start at quarterback in place of injured Sean Clifford, rushed 17 times for 108 yards. Penn State also played without defensive end Yetur Gross-Matos and cornerback Tariq Castro-Fields, then lost cornerback John Reid to injury in the first half.
Rutgers (2-10, 0-9) gave Penn State all it could handle in the first half, rolling up a 243-129 advantage in yards. Yet the Lions managed a 7-3 halftime lead on Brown’s two-yard touchdown run.
The second half was a different story, Penn State taking command on offense and defense.
“We woke up,” safety Garrett Taylor said. “There was a lot of holding people accountable in the locker room at halftime. We knew that was not the kind of game we wanted to play. That’s not who we wanted to be. Guys took it to heart.
“We played a lot harder. We wanted it more. It showed on the scoreboard.”
Penn State scored on its first possession of the third, moving 74 yards on three plays: Levis’ 49-yard run, Brown’s 7-yard gain and then his 18-yard touchdown burst.
After Rutgers trimmed it to 13-6 on Justin Davidovicz’s 38-yard field goal to open the fourth quarter, the Lions broke it open. Levis found wide receiver Jahan Dotson for a 44-yard touchdown on third-and-15 with 12:16 to go.
Several minutes later, Brown made a wonderful
32-yard run to set up his one-yard score, which made it 27-6 with 5:13 to go. He finished with his third 100yard game in the last four weeks.
“He’s playing with confidence right now,” coach James Franklin said. “The other thing I’m going to tell you is that I don’t think I’ve been around a kid who has overcome more adversity in his life than him. He’s a special, special kid. He’s been phenomenal. I could not be prouder of him.”
Rutgers also had trouble stopping the 6-3, 229-pound Levis, who helped the Lions rush for 252 yards. He completed 8 of 14 passes for 81 yards.
“There were plays that needed me to run the ball and I kind of just did my job,” Levis said. “I saw the lane, just went with it and made some plays here and there. But it was really special.”
Sixteen Lions seniors were recognized before their final home game, including former Gov. Mifflin standout Jan Johnson, but the day belonged to Brown, who played with sadness and fire in his heart.
After scoring in the first quarter, he jogged to the sideline and broke down in tears in the arms of running backs coach Ja’Juan Seider.
“That first touchdown, I knew I was playing for Paige today,” Brown said, “for my Uncle Donny, my cousins Camryn, Jordyn and Brandon. I get very emotional when I think about that kind of stuff. The family I have here at Penn State, those guys have supported me. I never felt alone when he passed away.”