Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1420595
1 2 N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 1 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M With Indiana threatening in the final minutes of the third quarter, Penn State clamped down completely, first hold- ing the Hoosiers out of the end zone, then thwarting their attempt to sal- vage some points from the stalled drive. Ebiketie blocked their a 30-yard field goal attempt, returning possession to Penn State and keeping Indiana off the scoreboard for the first time since 2000. BEST KICK: Senior Jordan Stout has done so much for Penn State this year that he defies the "specialist" label. Handling punts, field goals and kickoffs, he's left us with a lot to choose from in this category, both for the pure excel- lence of his efforts and their impact on PSU's many field-position wins. For our purposes, his first punt of the evening against Auburn was an absolute bomb, rocketing from Penn State's 25- yard line to the Tigers' 24 for 51 yards. It turned into a 54-yard net gain after a 12-yard return and 15-yard penalty by Auburn were taken into account. BEST RETURN: In an area that Penn State would probably acknowledge has been less than stellar to this point in the season, Dotson's first punt return of the night against Auburn proved to be critical. With Tigers punter Oscar Chapman looking to pin the Nittany Lions deep, Dotson's nifty return allowed Penn State to start at the 29 with 9:11 left to play in the game. From there, Stout was able to swing field position again after a three-and-out, sending the Tigers back to their 25-yard line to face yet another long drive in the fourth quarter. The 16-yard return stands as Dotson's longest of the season. BEST DECISION: The decision to attempt a 24-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter after Stout had just missed a 23-yarder at Wisconsin wasn't necessarily bold, but it was the right call given the circumstances. Nailing the attempt, Stout brought the game back to even at 10-10 with 11:26 left to play and opened the door for Penn State to pull off an upset win. WORST DECISION: Although it ultimately didn't change the outcome of the game against Auburn, the of- ficiating that night was comically bad. The low point came when the SEC crew inexplicably forced Penn State into a fourth-and-11 punting situation early in the second quarter even though the Lions were actually facing third down. The mishap followed a bizarre intentional grounding penalty on what was clearly an instance of miscommu- nication on a deep pass. The down-and-distance error was called out by Penn State on the field, reviewed by the crew in the press box, and still wasn't rectified on a night when the officials struggled repeatedly, ultimately leading to a clarification of the blatant error in a statement by the conference. M O S T T E L L I N G M O M E N T : Whether or not it becomes the defining moment of the entire season remains to be determined, but Clifford's slow re- treat to the sideline in the second quar- ter of the Nittany Lions' loss at Iowa was a turning point of some sort. Facing a third-and-seven at the Hawkeyes' 15-yard line with 12-min- utes and change left in the second quar- ter, surveying his options in a five-wide set, Clifford had no chance to protect himself as Iowa linebacker Jack Camp- bell shot through the Nittany Lions' of- fensive line untouched. Overthrowing his target, Strange, Clifford absorbed a clean shot and crumpled to the turf. Shortly afterward, Clifford quietly ex- ited the playing field and headed toward the locker room, escorted by two team doctors while appearing to favor his ribs. He would not return to action, and the Nittany Lions' 17-3 lead at the time of his exit turned into a 23-20 loss. ■ Senior defensive end Arnold Ebiketie (17) kept Indiana off the scoreboard by blocking a 30-yard field goal attempt in the third quarter. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL