Trending
Penn State is shaking off its tough start to the Big Ten season.
The Nittany Lions hung on to defeat Washington, 28-25, on Saturday at Husky Stadium.
Penn State managed to win the game despite being outscored in the second half 19-0.
It was PSU's second straight victory since opening the conference season with four straight losses.
Quarterback Rocco Becht was especially sharp, completing 11-of-17 for 193 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He finished 16-of-27 for 240.
The Lions, now 5-4 overall, racked up 303 yards in the first half as their offense was equally effective through the air and on the ground.
Becht found Zay Robinson (24 yards) and Chase Sowell (45 yards) for first-half touchdowns and built leads of 14-3 and 21-3.
Sowell returned from a one-game absence due to injury to catch four passes for 125 yards, including a spectacular one-hander in the third quarter.
Carson Hansen rushed for 119 yards on 14 carries, and his 12-yard touchdown opened the scoring for the Lions.
Cam Wallace added 56 on seven carries, and his 48-yard TD extended the PSU lead to 28-6 with 2:44 left in the first half.
UW, however, came storming back in the second half.
After a Tyler Robles 47-yarder — his third - cut the deficit to 28-9, Washington quarterback Demond Williams hit Baron Naone with a 4-yard touchdown. The 2-point pass cut the Lions' lead to 28-17 with 3:55 left in the third quarter.
Penn State silenced Washington's next drive when Ibn McDaniels, a transfer from Syracuse, intercepted Williams on third-and-14 at the Penn State 25.
The Huskies, though, weren't deterred. They drove 69 yards and scored on a 6-yard Williams-to-Dezmen Roebuck touchdown with 7:40 remaining. A super 2-point play from Williams, who scrambled, spun out of trouble and found Naone at the edge of the end zone pulled the Huskies within 28-25.
That set the stage for a crazy finish.
The Lions melted the remaining 7:40 and didn't allow the Huskies to touch the ball again as Penn State converted two third downs and a fourth down.
The third downs both involved Washington penalties. On third-and-6 from the Lions' 29, Becht scrambled for nine yards. A targeted penalty on the play against UW's Jacob Manu resulted in his ejection, but the 15-yard infraction was offset by Sowell's unsportsmanlike penalty after he rushed into the scrum and hit somebody late. Still, the first down stood.
After Hansen's 36-yard run to the Washington 22, the Lions faced third-and-5 from the Huskies 17. Washington was then called for an illegal substitution, which gave the Lions five yards and a first down at the 12.
On third-and-6 from the UW 8, Becht picked up five tough yards up the middle and faced fourth-and-1 at the 2:00 warning. Becht ran a quarterback sneak/tush push to pick up the first down at the Washington 1 and then took three knees to end it.
Washington fell to 5-4 overall and 2-4 in the Big Ten.
The Lions, who improved to 2-4 in the Big Ten, host Minnesota on Saturday at 7 or 7:30. The kickoff time and TV network will be determined later tonight or tomorrow.
The Mirror will have all the details in Penn State Extra of Monday's print edition.
The Lion camp played with one of its favorite sons in mind.
Penn State broadcaster and former Hall of Fame player Jack Ham did not work Saturday's game after being hospitalized with what the university called a "medical emergency."
Ham, 77, was admitted to the University of Washington Medical Center.
He did arrive at Husky Stadium with the Nittany Lions on Saturday morning for the noon kickoff (Pacific time).
Ham is a member of both the College Football and Pro Football Hall of Fame, having also been a key contributor to the Pittsburgh Steelers winning four Super Bowls.
A Johnstown native and graduate of Bishop McCort High School, Ham has served as Penn State's color analyst, working with Steve Jones, since 2000.
Jones said after the game there are positive indications about Ham, and he was joining Matt Campbell and athletic director Pat Kraft to check on him. Another source called Ham “stable.”