Penn State Sports Magazine
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1524108
A U G U S T 2 0 2 4 31 W W W . B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . C O M / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / / T H E B I G P I C T U R E / / / / / / / rolled into State College. Fans were ques- tioning whether PSU was headed in the right direction, and Minnesota's 13-3 halftime lead seemed to confirm their worst suspicions. But on third-and-11 five minutes into the third quarter, McSorley hit Irvin Charles for an 80-yard catch-and-run touchdown, and the offensive thunder- clap seemed to awaken something in both the Lions and a lethargic home crowd. PSU went on to win when Barkley dashed 25 yards up the middle on Penn State's first play of overtime. While PSU's upset of Ohio State two weeks later is often cited as the moment in which the team returned to national prominence, one could make an argument that the comeback really started when Charles slipped a tackle at midfield and raced into the end zone. 8 Penn State 53, Memphis 39 Dec. 28, 2019 | Arlington, Texas It might seem counterintuitive to high- light a defensive player when the oppo- sition racked up 542 yards, but Micah Parsons was dazzling in Penn State's first Cotton Bowl appearance since 1975. The sophomore linebacker had 14 tackles, in- cluding 3 for loss and 2 sacks, and he also forced a couple of fumbles. On offense, Journey Brown rushed for 202 yards, the most ever by a Penn State running back in a bowl game. His touch- down runs of 32 and 56 yards were among the more rewatchable highlights of a game in which PSU set a school postseason re- cord with 396 rushing yards. With the game's two breakout stars — Parsons and Brown — both set to return in 2020, the victory by 10th-ranked Penn State over the 17th-ranked Tigers seemed to portend big things in the year ahead. Alas, the Cotton Bowl turned out to be the final PSU appearance for both. With the Big Ten waffling on whether to stage a season amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Parsons opted out, announcing in August that he planned to focus on his prepa- rations for the NFL Draft. He ended up being selected 12th overall by the Dallas Cowboys the following April and began his pro career on the same field where his college career ended. Brown was diagnosed with a heart ab- normality that forced him to medically retire from the game. His exit, coupled with the loss of Parsons, added an un- happy postscript to Penn State's Cotton Bowl victory, but the game itself remains one of the most entertaining of the Frank- lin era. 9 Penn State 28, Michigan 21 Oct. 19, 2019 | State College For a while, this series consisted of the Wolverines and Nittany Lions mash- ing unreturnable serves at each other, with the home team typically winning in lopsided fashion. Their 2019 matchup at Beaver Stadium seemed at first like it was going to follow that pattern. Clif- ford staked the seventh-ranked Lions to an early 21-0 lead, throwing for 2 touch- downs and running for another. The 16th-ranked Wolverines fought back, though, and had a chance to tie the score in the final moments. Facing fourth- and-goal from the 3-yard line with two minutes left, Shea Patterson was able to evade the Lions' pass rush and found an open Ronnie Bell in front of safety Lamont Wade in the end zone. But the ball slipped through Bell's hands, and the Lions ran their record to 7-0. Although the history of the series sug- gested otherwise, Wade said afterward that he knew the game was far from over even after the Lions jumped out to a big early lead. "This is Michigan, they aren't going to go down without a fight," he said. "I think we really stood up to the test." 10 10 Penn State 26, Central Florida 24 Aug. 30, 2014 | Dublin, Ireland Franklin sounded like he didn't want anything to do with the Croke Park Clas- sic, which had been scheduled during Bill O'Brien's coaching tenure as a way to maintain fan enthusiasm at a time when the Lions were banned from postseason play. The new PSU coach had enough to worry about in his very first game with- out having to deal with the logistics of an overseas trip. It ended up working out quite nicely, though. Christian Hackenberg threw for 454 yards and led the Lions on an eight- play, 55-yard drive in the final minute. Sam Ficken kicked a 36-yard field goal as time expired at Croke Park, a Dublin landmark better known for hosting Gaelic football and hurling. And just like that, the Franklin era was off to a rollicking start. ■ Playing what would turn out to be his final game for Penn State, linebacker Micah Parsons was unblockable in the Lions' 53-39 victory over Memphis in the 2019 Cotton Bowl. PHOTO BY STEVE MANUEL