The city of IndianapolisWhen Penn State last played at Lucas Oil Stadium, James Franklin’s team came back in the second half and won. On Saturday, such was not the case.
On Saturday night, Penn State was defeated by Oregon 45-37 in the Big Ten championship game. Although the Nittany Lions put up a fight, Penn State lost the most important game of the season due to errors.
We’ll all now wait to find out Penn State’s College Football Playoff fate on Sunday afternoon when the CFP selection committee makes its announcement.
Here are some key points from Penn State’s loss in the Big Ten championship.
Too many times, Penn State put itself in danger.
You have to play clean if you want to defeat the nation’s top squad. That was not done by Penn State.
Throughout the great majority of the game, Drew Allar performed admirably and made some spectacular throws. However, two of the interceptions were vicious. The Ducks got the ball at the 1-yard line after the first, which was essentially a pick-six. And the game ended in the last seconds thanks to his second interception. Allar wasn’t solely to blame, though.
There were undoubtedly some dubious calls made by the officials. However, Oregon drives were prolonged and the Ducks were able to increase their lead thanks to four personal foul fouls in the first half. In a game this size, that is not possible.
It was too difficult to close the WR talent disparity.
The wide receiver position was the team’s biggest uncertainty going into the 2024 campaign. During the regular season, that question was never addressed. Additionally, the problem was exacerbated against Oregon, an offense that had many game-changing players.
Penn State had two wide receiver catches through three quarters. Andy Kotelnicki, the offensive coordinator, created a well-planned 22-yard touchdown pass that was secured by Omari Evans. Harrison Wallace III also grabbed for a third down. That was it. Two catches. Lately, Wallace scored. However, Penn State’s receivers did not contribute to the game for the great portion of it.
Tez Johnson of Oregon, meanwhile, outran a struggling Penn State secondary. With 11 catches, the quick receiver gained 181 yards and scored a touchdown. Furthermore, he wasn’t the only one who was open. Gabriel simply thought Johnson was better than Traeshon Holden and Evan Stewart.
This season, Tyler Warren has been able to conceal numerous issues with Penn State’s passing offense. Additionally, he is essentially a high-end receiver due to his output. However, when discussing game-breakers at wideout or yards after the catch Another illustration of the stark talent disparity between Penn State and the Oregon and Ohio states worldwide was Saturday.
That is a criticism of both hiring and training. And Penn State will have to address this issue once more as the 2025 offseason approaches.
This group has battled
Look, the Nittany Lions were having a rough start. Those unusual personal foul penalties helped Oregon score touchdowns on its first three drives. Allar’s initial INT might have had disastrous consequences. Two minutes into the second quarter, Oregon had a 28–10 lead.
Penn State has the option of packing it in. The players might have lost their minds. They have the option to drop their ball, head home, and begin getting ready for the CFP. However, they didn’t.
Penn State demonstrated once more how resilient they are. Recall that this is the same squad that triumphed in OT after trailing by 14 points against USC. This is the same squad that overcame halftime deficits to defeat Bowling Green, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. Therefore, we shouldn’t be shocked. However, facing a deficit of that magnitude against the nation’s top team is a different matter.
It might have gotten out of control. There was potential for a blowout with this. Rather, after two quarters, the Nittany Lions were behind by a touchdown. They secured themselves. They made a few defensive stops. And to end the half, they roared to consecutive touchdown drives.
There’s merit to that kind of teamwork and determination.
Nick Singleton has returned.
Over the last two weeks, we’ve heard that Singleton is in the best health he’s had in a long time. That had a significant impact on Lucas Oil Stadium’s turf.
The standout running back for Penn State was once again his explosive self. Singleton got nine touches and 116 scrimmage yards (82 rushing, 34 receiving) in the first half alone. He caught a touchdown pass from 22 yards out. And on Penn State’s first possession, he broke off a 41-yard run.
If you feel like Singleton hasn’t had one of those hallmark runs in a long time, that’s because it has. Singleton had not rushed for forty yards since the non-conference. Which is understandable given that Singleton suffered a beating in the Big Ten opening against Illinois, missed the next game against UCLA, and spent the next month dealing with bumps and bruises.
Singleton, however, fought his way back. And he was all the way back on Saturday.
Combine Singleton with Kaytron Allen s season-best performance (124 yards), and Penn State has a non-Tyler Warren option on offense to lean on in the CFP.
Penn State shouldn’t be eliminated from the CFP.
Penn State doesn t deserve to fall in the CFP seeding. Entering the Big Ten title game, the Nittany Lions were projected to be the No. 5 seed. And they should stay there. They hung 37 points on the ninth-best scoring defense in the country. And it s not Penn State s fault that Ohio State lost in embarrassing fashion to Michigan, forcing them to play Oregon.
But we don t know how the CFP committee will handle a power conference championship loser in the 12-team format; we don t have a precedent for that yet. And I could see the committee dinging the Nittany Lions for losing to Oregon more than Ohio State did in Eugene.
If that happens, we re talking about Penn State being the No. 7 or 8 seed. I don t think the Nittany Lions will fall out of hosting a first-round playoff game at Beaver Stadium. That would be ridiculous. But Penn State could have a tougher path than it would have before this game.
We ll find out Penn State s CFP fate on Selection Sunday.
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Johnny McGonigal
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