Fake punt saved Penn State; Lions' magical final play, and more of what they're saying about the Minnesota win

MINNEAPOLIS — Penn State is 10-1. It continues to be in good position to make the College Football Playoff after beating Minnesota 26-25. It was hardly an easy win, but it’s one the Lions needed to keep their postseason hopes alive. Here’s what’s being said about head coach James Franklin’s team locally and nationally following the road triumph.

Fake punt saved the Lions

Writing for CBS Sports, Shehan Jeyarajah put Luke Reynolds’ 32-yard fake punt run squarely in the spotlight. It put Penn State in position to run out the clock, Which, it did, thanks to two more fourth down conversions to seal the game.

“Penn State coach James Franklin made gutsy fourth-down calls to allow the Nittany Lions to run out the clock and escape with a win,” Jeyarajah writes. “Facing fourth-and-1 deep in their own territory, Penn State ran a fake punt that tight end Luke Reynolds took 32 yards into Minnesota territory. Four plays later, quarterback Drew Allar converted another fourth down to ice the game. Then, on the final play, Allar connected with star tight end Tyler Warren. The three fourth-down conversions were a major swing after Penn State started the game 1-of-10 on third down. 

“The Nittany Lions entered the day at No. 4 in the College Football Playoff Rankings with a red carpet if they could handle close games against Minnesota and Maryland. Things got far too close for comfort during the win against the Golden Gophers, but style points aren’t needed at this point in the season.”

Read the full story here.

Inside the Lions’ game-sealing play

Drew Allar was hoping for an easy dump off to Nick Singleton on 4th and 1 at the Minnesota 11. But, Minnesota wisely took it away. So, the Penn State junior had to improvise. After initially rolling right, he rolled back to his left and found wide open Tyler Warren at the three. He caught it to seal the victory. PennLive’s Johnny McGonigal took a closer look at how it happened in his postgame story.

“After the play-action fake, Singleton bolted out of the backfield and into the flat,” McGonigal writes. “Allar said they were “anticipating” Minnesota would squeeze in to stop an inside run. But the Golden Gophers were disciplined enough to sag off and cover Singleton in the flat. Allar had to look elsewhere. He flipped his eyes from right to left and thought about taking off.

“Warren was open. Wide open. Koi Perich, Minnesota’s talented freshman safety, lost the all-world tight end in coverage. And Allar made him and the Golden Gophers pay. After Warren secured his eighth catch of the night, he dropped to the turf and let the clock melt away.”

Read the full story here.

Penn State sealed its win with a championship drive

That’s the take of SI’s Sam Woloson, and it’s hard to dispute. Penn State wanted to end the game on its terms and did exactly that in Minneapolis.

“In total, Penn State drove 72 yards in 12 plays, chewing the final 5:48 off the clock,” he writes. “It was reminiscent of the Ohio State game, when Penn State failed to score a touchdown in the red zone, and then the Buckeyes milked the final 5:13 off the clock. This time, though, the roles were reversed, and Franklin’s aggressive play-calling and the offense’s good execution made the difference in the win.”

Read the full story here.

Final word

This week, it goes to BWI publisher Sean Fitz.

“Does the perception of Franklin’s abilities as a coach shift with this one call? Absolutely not,” Fitz writes. “Nobody is suggesting that. There’s quite a test awaiting those abilities in a month if the Nittany Lions take care of a fledgling Maryland squad at home next weekend. But once in a while, you can see the elements of progress take hold and that’s something this team should be able to sense as well. 

“If Penn State, who admittedly still has plenty to clean up in the coming weeks before the stakes get really high, can add a bit of initiative to its internal resume, that can bring about confidence. A one-point victory against an unranked team isn’t going to change the way this team has been talked about among the masses for the last few weeks. But the steps forward and, most importantly, the addition to the win column are certainly worth celebrating for the Nittany Lions as Senior Day approaches.”

Read the full story here.