MINNEAPOLIS— Penn State is 10-1. It is still in a good position to make the College Football Playoff after the loss Minnesota 26-25. It wasn’t an easy win by any means, but it was one the Lions needed to keep their postseason hopes alive. This is what is said about the head coach James Franklins team locally and nationally after the road victory.

False kick saved the Lions

Writing for CBS Sports, Shehan Jeyarajah put Luke Reynolds’ fake 32-yard punt run squarely in the spotlight. It put Penn State in a 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 courageous fourth-down calls to give the Nittany Lions a chance to run out the clock and escape with a win,” Jeyarajah wrote. “Penn State, facing deep in their own territory on fourth-and-1, ran a fake punt that tight end Luke Reynolds took 32 yards into Minnesota territory. Four plays later, quarterback Drew Allar converted another fourth to ice the game. Then, on the final play, Allar made contact with the star tight end Tyler Warren. The three fourth-down conversions were a big swing after Penn State started the game 1-of-10 on third down.

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

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A look at the Lions’ game-changing play

Drew Allar was hoping for an easy dump Nick Singleton on 4th and 1 on the Minnesota 11. But Minnesota wisely took it away. So the Penn State junior had to improvise. After initially rolling to the right, he rolled back to the left and found himself 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 fake play-action, Singleton fled out of the backfield and into the flat,” McGonigal wrote. “Allar said they ‘expected’ Minnesota to step in to stop an inside run. But the Golden Gophers were disciplined enough to sink in and cover Singleton in the flat. Allar had to look elsewhere. He turned his eyes from right to left and thought about taking off.

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

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Penn State sealed its victory with a championship run

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

“In all, Penn State drove 72 yards in 12 plays, chewing the final 5:48 off the clock,” he wrote. “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 last 5:13 off the clock. This time, however, the tables were turned, and Franklin’s aggressive play-calling and good execution on offense made the difference in the win.

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Last word

This week it goes to BWI publisher Sean Fitz.

“Does the perception of Franklin’s ability as a coach change with this one phone call? Absolutely not,” Fitz wrote. “No one is suggesting that. A proper test of these abilities awaits in a month when the Nittany Lions take on a young Maryland squad at home next weekend. But every now and then you see the elements of progress taking hold and that’s something this team should be able to feel too.

“If Penn State, which admittedly still has a lot of clearing to do in the coming weeks before the stakes really get high, can add a little initiative to its internal resume, it could build confidence. A one-point win against an unranked team isn’t going to change the way this team has been talked about among the masses in recent 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.”

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