Penn State outlasted Wisconsin in the Big Ten Championship Game, and Nittany Lions coach James Franklin believes his team should be in the College Football Playoff.
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On the next drive, McSorley connected with Saeed Blacknall for a crucial 40-yard touchdown, which cut Penn State’s deficit from 21 to 14 heading into halftime.
Or. should Big Ten champion Penn State, ranked No. 7 in the latest CFP rankings, leapfrog No. 6 Wisconsin (of course, after beating the Badgers), No. 5 MI (idle) and some other team. Since the third quarter of the IN game, the Nittany Lion D has yielded those three points – and only those three points – IN the second half.
Penn State forward Mike Watkins was dominant before foul trouble forced him to spend most of the first half on the bench.
The Nittany Lions (10-2) had trailed by 21 points late in the second quarter, but they came roaring back with a record-setting performance from quarterback Trace McSorley and a stout second-half performance from the defense to beat Wisconsin in a thrilling Big Ten title game, 38-31. It was the largest comeback in the six-year history of the game.
“Every time I turn on the TV or read an article, people said this year the Big Ten Conference was by far the strongest conference in college football”, Franklin said. Also, they are one of the hottest teams in the nation, having won nine consecutive games.
The Nittany Lions displayed a microcosm of their entire season: they started slow, falling behind the Badgers 28-7 in the second quarter. “You go out here and you try to prove to everybody that we’re a really good football team and we crumbled under the pressure tonight”. However, the Buckeyes could fall behind Clemson and even Washington based on the team’s lack of a conference title. The run game also saw much needed improvements, posting 241 yards against a Penn State defense that was known for its stout run defense. The Nittany Lions must wait to see if the selection committee rewards them with one of the four coveted playoff spots December 4.
Many, including die-hard Penn State fans, wonder whether that will be enough to jump up three spots in the committee’s rankings.
“I probably watched six out of their nine games”, Chambers said.
It was certainly a moment worth savoring.
And McSorley wasn’t the only one putting on a show. The pass rush and solid secondary that had terrorized opposing offenses for an entire year was nowhere to be seen in the second half, allowing a total of 384 yards and four touchdowns through the air. On Wisconsin’s opening drive, a 14-play, 81-yard march that chewed up eight minutes on the clock, Clement carried the ball eight times for 26 yards, grinding out a few yards at a time. The Nittany Lions scored four of their five touchdowns through the air.
“I thought the kids put it out there and played but obviously, didn’t make enough plays to win the game”, Wisconsin coach Paul Chryst said.
If you love big plays, this was your game.
Part of the reason why Alabama can survive sloppy games is a defense that allows just 11.4 points per game on average.
Wisconsin, which gained 241 rushing yards, pushed back with a 10-play, 51-yard drive in the final minutes of the game, but Penn State stopped Clement on a fourth-and-1 to thwart any final attempt to tie the game. Corey Clement ripped off a 67 yard run early in the game that almost killed some of us older Penn State fans. (Wisconsin is one thing; scaling Mount Saban is quite another.) And no other conference in the country entered the weekend with even a fleeting hope of getting more than one program into the CFP; the Big Ten, if you squinted, arguably had a faint hope of placing three into the bracket. As we mentioned earlier, Ohio State lost to Penn State. Stranger things have happened, but if the committee chose now as the right time for a third-place team in the Big Ten East Division to leap into the playoff, then that would be an all timer. Now, the lobbying can begin – if Franklin wants to.
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Big Ten Commissioner Jim Delany was on ESPN earlier Saturday calling Ohio State a lock and lobbying for a second team from his conference.
