Clifford leads Penn State past MSU, 39-24
STATE COLLEGE, PA. » Little by little over the last three games, Penn State has come closer to being the team coach James Franklin thought he’d have before the season began.
A come-from-behind, 39-24 win over Michigan State on Saturday is evidence enough for Franklin to know the Nittany Lions have put their early-season struggles behind them.
“The resiliency that we have shown, I’m proud of them,” Franklin said. “It’s not something that we’ve experienced or been through, so to find a way to show that type of heart, I’m very proud of them. The last three weeks we have found ways to win which is really what we’ve done for the last seven years.”
Quarterback Sean Clifford completed 17 of 27 passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns and added 48 yards and another touchdown on the ground. Parker Washington hauled in a pair of touchdown passes for the Nittany Lions (3-5) who trailed 21-10 at halftime.
Backup quarterback Will Levis added a rushing touchdown and receiver Jahan Dotson returned a punt 81 yards for a score for the Nittany Lions who won their third straight.
“It’s nice to see the team playing complete games,” Clifford said. “When the defense needs help, the offense is stepping up. When the offense needs help, the defense is stepping up.”
Payton Thorne made his first start at quarterback and completed 22 of 39 passes for 325 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for the Spartans (2-6).
But despite a strong start, the Spartans couldn’t keep up as the game progressed. They scored just three points after halftime, and the Nittany Lions scored 21 unanswered points to close out the game.
“There’s no such thing as a safe lead, especially in college football,” Michigan State coach Mel Tucker said. “We all know you’ve got to play for 60 minutes. You’ve got to play for four quarters.”
Penn State had trouble in the first two.
Except for a 24-yard field goal from Jake Pinegar and a 31-yard touchdown run from Clifford two possessions later, the Nittany Lions sputtered in the first half. They mustered just 50 rushing yards on 19
other carries, converted just four of eight third downs, committed four penalties and went three-and-out on their final drive of the half with 1:21 left and all three timeouts.
The Spartans were much more efficient thanks to Thorne’s arm.
The freshman quarterback found a wide- open Jalen Nailor down the middle for a 45-yard score that made it 7-3. About seven minutes later, Thorne threaded a pass through tight coverage to Tre’Von Morgan from 26 yards out to put the Spartans up 14-10.
Michigan State went up 21-10 when Nailor outleapt a defensive back to snag a jump ball in the corner of the end zone with 1:26 to play in the half.
But Penn State came out of halftime with more energy.