The State CollegeAs James Franklin and Penn State players flocked to Beaver Stadium field to shake hands with Maryland and celebrate the outcome of a surprise final Saturday of the regular season, fireworks went out behind the scoreboards.
Everyone was aware of the next destination for the Nittany Lions. However, Penn State’s destination was announced over the stadium’s speakers in case anyone missed the memo.
Additionally, your Penn State Nittany Lions have secured a spot in the Big Ten championship game against the Oregon Ducks in Indianapolis thanks to their victory today!
The crowd at Beaver Stadium lost it. Coaches and players raised their hands. They exchanged hugs. Everyone’s faces were plastered with smiles. It was pure bliss.
With a 44-7 victory over Maryland, Penn State guaranteed a berth in the Big Ten championship game. Michigan shocked Ohio State earlier in the day, defeating their fierce foe as a three-touchdown favorite. That defeat made room for Penn State because of their tiebreaker edge over Indiana. And with pleasure, the Nittany Lions prevailed.
Franklin’s squad qualified to play No. 1 Oregon for the conference title after finishing 11-1 overall and ranked No. 4 by the College Football Playoff committee. Next Saturday, the Nittany Lions and Ducks will play at Lucas Oil Stadium at 8 p.m.
After defeating Wisconsin in 2016, Penn State earned their first trip to the Big Ten final in almost ten years. The Nittany Lions are eager to return.
Our staff is resilient… According to quarterback Drew Allars, we’re battle-tested. And it means a lot to us to win a conference championship, particularly in a conference like the Big Ten that is so rich with excellent teams, players, and coaching staffs. Additionally, we don’t take it for granted.
In addition to having the chance to participate in games like this, the main reason I and many other people came here was to develop both on and off the field. Additionally, they don’t occur annually. The opportunity that lies ahead of us excites me greatly.
The Nittany Lions and Allar have made great progress. Only a few weeks ago, after Penn State’s Nov. 2 loss to Ohio State, some Beaver Stadium fans jeered. In the new 12-team structure, their chances of making the College Football Playoffs were still very much alive. However, it appeared that one of the team’s preseason objectives—winning the conference—was no longer in the cards.
Penn State had a heartbreaking start to the month. However, the Nittany Lions backed up their statements to end November after stating that they would have to erase that defeat. During the White Out, they controlled Washington. Purdue was demolished. At Minnesota, they also won a hard-fought game.
The same squad that defeated USC in OT and made it through Wisconsin without Allar due to injury bounced back from the Ohio State defeat. Previous Penn State teams from 2017, 2018, etc., didn’t accomplish that. However, this group recovered. On the road, this squad was unbeaten. This team simply kept winning.
When questioned about the post-Ohio State surge, senior safety Jaylen Reed responded, “I saw us evolve a lot.” You have to flush it when you lose a game like that against someone you really want to defeat, especially when chances like this one come up, like the one we’re playing next weekend. We most likely wouldn’t be in this situation heading into the Big Ten championship the next weekend if we hadn’t flushed and hung our heads.
Naturally, the Nittany Lions needed some assistance to travel to Indianapolis.
Last week’s victory over Indiana by Ohio State opened the door for the Nittany Lions to get to the Big Ten championship game. To maintain that optimism, though, they needed to defeat Minnesota, which they accomplished.
Few anticipated that Michigan would defeat the Buckeyes on Saturday, let alone hold a five-loss record against No. 2 Ohio State. However, both the Nittany Lions and the Wolverines performed their duties.
Control what you can control is one of Franklin’s tenets, which he has taught his players. Winning was the only thing the Nittany Lions could control. That’s what they did.
Edge rusher Abdul Carter stated, “We’ve been working for this since the winter, since the spring, since camp, during the season.” The work simply never stops. And we merited it.
They now stand a chance of defeating Oregon and taking home the Big Ten championship. It won’t be simple. The Ducks, who went into the last weekend of the regular season as the only team still unbeaten in college football, have already began as the Nittany Lions’ underdogs.
However, a notable accomplishment would be the Nittany Lions winning the Big Ten in the conference’s inaugural season with 18 members if they defeat the Ducks. Additionally, Penn State would receive the associated first-round CFP bye.
In recent weeks, some fans have argued that the Nittany Lions might not benefit from making it to the Big Ten championship game because of the possibility of injuries and the potential impact a loss could have on Penn State’s CFP seeding. Don’t tell the players that, though.
It means a lot to us, this program, and the community to win the Big Ten championship. “tailback,” said Nick Singletons. We’d want to go out. We also hope to win it.
Stories by
Johnny McGonigal
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