Second-half comeback has Penn State singing again
STATE COLLEGE » After posing for photos with the Land Grant Trophy and singing the alma mater Saturday at Beaver Stadium, several Penn State seniors tried to take in the scene.
Antonio Shelton and Shaka Toney lay on their backs in the middle of the field.
Lamont Wade grabbed a sign that was hanging in the south end zone and wrapped himself in it.
Michal Menet and Will Fries stood near midfield wearing wide smiles. Isaac Lutz walked alone and looked up at the empty stands..
Then they punctuated the celebration after their 39-24 comeback victory over Michigan State on Senior Day with a victory lap. With no one to cheer for them, not even their parents, allowed inside because of COVID-19, it was a surreal scene.
“It was the final lap, I guess you can say,” Menet said. “I’ve seen guys do it in the past. We were all talking about how fast it goes. We were talking about being on the seventh floor of Beaver Hall as freshmen.
“We all share an incredible journey. It’s been tons of fun. I’m incredibly grateful. We’re going to love each other until the day we die.”
They helped keep the Nittany Lions (3-5) together after the worst start in school history and beat the Spartans (2-5) for their third straight win. They’ll soon learn who and where they’re playing next weekend during the Big Ten’s championship week.
But they didn’t really care after they rallied from an 11-point halftime deficit and outscored the Spartans 29-3 in the second half.
“You don’t let anybody come into your house, sit on your couch, eat a sandwich and think it’s going to be sweet,” Toney said. “I think everybody came in the locker room at halftime, calmed down, fixed some things and made adjustments.
“The second half showed what kind of team we are.”
Freshman quarterback Payton Thorne shredded the Penn State secondary and led Michigan State to a 21-10 lead at halftime. The Lions looked like a different team on offense and defense in the second half.
They opened the third quarter with a 75-yard drive that Sean Clifford capped with an eight-yard pass to freshman Parker Washington. Clifford then found Jahan Dotson for a two-point conversion that cut it to 21-18.
Later in the third, the Spartans were in position to take another 11-point lead, gaining a first down at the Penn State 4. Connor Heyward slipped on a first-down run; Jonathan Sutherland tackled Thorne for a one-yard loss; and Simmons broke up a pass at the line.
Michigan State settled for Matt Coghlan’s 23-yard field goal and a 24-18 lead, but not reaching the end zone changed the game’s complexion.
“The crucial thing for defenses these days is not giving up touchdowns,” Toney said. “It’s something we didn’t do our best at this year. In the red zone, we have to stand up. Three points is a whole lot better than seven.
“We put them in a whole different mindset. Who knows how that game ends if we give up a touchdown there?”
Penn State then proceeded to break it open by scoring three touchdowns in less than four minutes.
Backup quarterback Will Levis, attempting passes for the first time in three weeks, fired a strike to Dotson for a 36-yard gain before Clifford returned and found Washington for 26 yards. That set up Levis’ one-yard run that gave the Lions a 25-24 lead with two seconds left in the third.
A few minutes later, Clifford faked a short pass to Dotson and threw to a wide-open Washington for a 49-yard score. Washington finished with four catches for 95 yards.
“Parker’s a great talent,” Dotson said. “He has all the intangibles to be a great player. It’s so cool to
watch him because you know you were in his shoes. Now he’s a veteran. He’s making plays every day, Saturday specifically. He showed his talents today.”
Then Dotson did that, returning a punt 81 yards for a touchdown that made it a 15-point game with
11:24 to go. He broke one tackle and sprinted down the left side of the field behind a cadre of blockers.
“The punter out-kicked the coverage,” Dotson said. “One rule we have is never let the first guy tackle you. I made him miss and my teammates gave me a lane. I got through it to the end zone.”
On offense, Dotson finished with eight receptions for 108 yards. Clifford missed open receivers in the first half, but he was much better in the second half and finished 17
for-27 for 232 yards and two scores. Levis completed all three of his attempts for 54 yards.
On defense, Simmons made seven tackles, including two in the
backfield and 1½ sacks, in place of injured end Jayson Oweh.
Coach James Franklin told Steve Jones and Jack Ham on Penn State’s post-game radio show that he “set off some explosives” at halftime.
“I didn’t really say a whole lot to them,” Franklin said later. “It’s about corrections. It’s getting everybody on the same page with how they’re trying to attack us offensively and defensively and making subtle adjustments that we needed to make.”
Now they have a three-game winning streak as they await for their opponent next week. It’s been a remarkable turnaround.
“Guys just started to invest and try to get better every day,” Menet said. “Maybe in the beginning of the season, we had too many individuals. We didn’t buy in enough to our culture and our process.
“We’ve now put some good games together and built momentum. It was awesome to get a win on Senior Day.”