MINNEAPOLIS— James Franklin had a decision to make, a decision that could hurt or strengthen Penn State’s dreams of reaching the College Football Playoff and competing for a national title.

Penn State, which led Minnesota by one point with 29 seconds left in regulation, faced a fourth-and-1 at the Golden Gophers’ 14-yard line. The Nittany Lions could have attempted a chip shot field goal to extend their lead to four points, giving Minnesota the ball back with a chance to win. Or they risk it. They could go for it in hopes of converting and ending the game.

Franklin said they wanted to “end the game on our terms.” So they went for it. What followed was a moment that everyone – players, coaches and fans – will remember for a long time.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar feigned a handoff to tailback Nick Singleton, scrambled around and found an open Tyler Warren on a cross at the last second. The star tight end secured the catch at the 3-yard line, went in and bled out the clock, giving Penn State a 26-25 win.

The Nittany Lions avoided the upset. They held off the Golden Gophers, improved to 10-1 on the season and kept the College Football Playoff in their sights. With a win against Maryland next week, Penn State will likely host a CFP first-round game at Beaver Stadium.

But that’s not on the table without Franklin’s decision, Allar’s throw or Warren’s catch.

The Nittany Lions could have played it safe. They could have sent placekicker Ryan Barker down the field to make a 31-yard field goal. However, two things worked against that. First, Penn State already had an extra point attempt blocked and turned back earlier in the game. Franklin said this was on his mind when he decided to leave the offense on the field.

The other aspect of this, though, is the confidence Franklin and offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki have in Allar, Warren and the rest of the offense.

Franklin milked every second and waited until the end of the play clock before calling a timeout to discuss matters. Singleton said the entire offense walked to the sideline and begged to go for it. Allar immediately went to Franklin and proposed the play which was ultimately called.

“It’s the play I wanted because it was a longer fourth-and-1,” Allar recalled. “I asked Coach Franklin what he thought, and then Coach K liked it.”

The primary option wasn’t actually Warren. It was Singleton, who set up fourth-and-1 with a nine-yard run on third down. After the play-action fake, Singleton fled out of the backfield and into the flat. Allar said they “expected” Minnesota to make an effort 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.

“I felt someone looping, so I thought, ‘Okay, I’ll step up and try to get the first one down,’” Allar said. “Then I saw Tyler waving his hands.”

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.

The Nittany Lions escaped with a victory and with their CFP dreams fully within reach – thanks to Franklin’s decision-making, Kotelnicki’s confidence and the execution of Allar, Warren and their teammates.

“(Kotelnicki) talks about winning the game and not being afraid to shoot and do things like that,” Warren said. “As an attack, we like to play for a coach like that. And Coach Franklin tricks him into doing it. That’s the kind of coordinator he is.”

“It just shows that we’re aggressive,” Singleton said. “We want to win. And we found a way to win.”

• BETTING: Check out our guide to the best PA sports bookswhere our team of sports betting experts reviewed the experience, payout speed, parlay options and odds quality across multiple sportsbooks.
• Sign up for Penn State newsletters from PennLive, the daily newsletter Penn State today and the subscriber-exclusive Penn State Insider