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After holding off a Washington rally in the second half last week for its second Big Ten win last week, Penn State is looking to become bowl-eligible with a win later tonight.
Here are five keys to a victory over thee Minnesota Golden Gophers back on the home turf of West Shore Home Field at Beaver Stadium.
1. Finish games: It goes without saying, but the second half at Washington was unacceptable. The first half was probably Penn State's best 30 minutes of the season, but second half collapses have become the norm with the Lions trailing Big Ten opponents, 88-40.
There is a sense of urgency with Matt Campbell to get the problem fixed. The Lions are 9.5-point favorites, and now is the time to step on the gas coming out of halftime.
2. Keep feeding Sowell: That one-handed reception that Sowell made last week was one of the best catches Nittany Lion fans have seen in quite some time.
It hasn't been easy in the absence of Koby Howard, but Sowell has more than stepped up. There's almost no question that he improved his draft stock over the Big Ten portion of the schedule, even though he missed the Purdue game. Sowell is easily Becht's most trusted target, so let him fill up the stat sheet.
3. Offensive line continues to improve: Let's face it. The first four games made fans question if the five guys up front were good enough for the toughness of a Big Ten schedule. The last two games have restored some faith in that group.
All five starters -- Malachi Goodman, Trevor Buhr, Brock Riker, Cooper Cousins and Anthony Donkoh -- could return next season. Another solid performance against the Golden Gophers will instill some faith that they are also the right guys for next season.
4. More from the defensive line: Just two weeks ago, Yvan Kemajou got the first sack of the Big Ten slate for the front four. Kemajou also split a sack with Ty Blanding last week.
It still hasn't been enough from the defensive line. That unit has to improve going into 2027. Maybe it's time for another edge man other than Kemajou to get home to the quarterback.
5. Better placekicking: We're used to seeing left-footed placekicker Ryan Barker be Mr. Reliable over his career. He missed a total of three field goals in his first two years as the Lions' starter. He's already missed four times this season.
Some of those were tough kicks, including coming up just short on a 56-yarder against Purdue two weeks ago. But he's also missed kicks that he would tell you he should make. It's nothing to panic over, but it's worth monitoring. He didn't attempt any last week.