Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1439730
J A N U A R Y 2 0 2 2 2 5 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M P enn State's regular season ended with a White Out of an alto- gether different sort, with snow blanketing the field at Spartan Stadium and the Nittany Lions on the short end of a 30-27 score against Michi- gan State. It was a frigid conclusion to a season that began with the Lions on a hot streak. And while PSU still received an invita- tion to a New Year's Day bowl in a sunny Southern locale, a date with Arkansas in the Outback Bowl on Jan. 1 in Tampa, its 7-5 finish (4-5 Big Ten) did not sit well with anyone in the program. Penn State opened the 2021 season with five consecutive victories and rose to No. 4 in the Associated Press poll. But when fifth-year senior quarterback Sean Clifford was knocked out in the second quarter of the Lions' visit to third-ranked Iowa on Oct. 9, his injury led to a 23-20 loss, and that in turn started a tailspin from which the team never fully recov- ered. Penn State closed the regular season by dropping five of its last seven games. Along the way, there were a few odd- ball moments, like when the Lions were shortchanged out of a play against Au- burn after the officials lost track of the downs. Later, there was a beef with Iowa when Hawkeyes coach Kirk Ferentz insinuated PSU was faking injuries to stop the clock. And there was a matchup against Illinois that devolved into a nine- overtime rock fight in which neither team could generate the three yards needed to decide the matter until the Illini merci- The Nittany Lions ran hot and cold during a challenging 2021 campaign M AT T H E R B | M AT T @ B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M A Tale Of Two Seasons Receiver Jahan Dotson had vowed to put together a 'legendary' senior season, and he largely delivered, totaling 91 catches for 1,182 yards and 12 touchdowns. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL