Blue White Illustrated

D E c E M B E R 4 , 2 0 1 6 B L U E W H I T E O N L I N E . c O M 3 gered really well, and Marcus [Allen] wrapped him up and finished off the play. Just a great team effort right there." THE BAD Early in the game, Penn State couldn't handle Wisconsin's size up front. The Badgers scored touchdowns on three of their first four possessions in building a 28-7 lead. For the game, Clement had 164 yards on 21 carries, while Bradrick Shaw added 62. "I thought their O-line was able to kind of dictate the first half," Franklin said. "Their D-line was able to dictate the first half. And then we were able to get some of our young guys settled down. And from that point on, we really made some plays." • All is forgiven in the wake of a rousing victory, but Franklin's decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 from Penn State's 42- yard line midway through the second quarter was made for second-guessing. The Lions weren't able to get the first down, and Wisconsin scored its fourth touchdown of the game five plays later. Franklin said he made that fourth- down decision – and another one later in the half that also proved unsuccessful – because his own defense was struggling. "It was always second-and-5, second- and-4, which, against that offense, you can't be," he said. "So we tried to be ag- gressive and go for it on fourth down. Didn't work either time. But our defense stepped up. We didn't really lose a whole lot the [second] time we did that." THE TAKEAWAY Except for Alabama, no Power Five team finished the season on a bigger roll than the Nittany Lions, and the victory over the Badgers, their ninth win in a row, only added to their momentum. A num- ber of pundits thought it might carry them into the College Football Playoff field, but when the rankings were an- nounced on Sunday a?ernoon, Pac-12 champion Washington received the final seed. Selection committee chairman Kirby Hocutt cited the Huskies' superior record (12-1 vs. 11-2), noting that Penn State lost decisively to Michigan and also fell to a Pitt team that finished with four losses. But the Rose Bowl is by no means a con- solation prize, especially for a team that began the season unranked and on no pundit's radar screen as a major bowl contender. It will be Penn State's first trip to Pasadena since the 2008 season, when it lost to USC, 38-24. The Lions' oppo- nent hadn't been announced as of press time, but there was a lot of buzz around the Trojans, with Colorado also in con- tention. "Our guys would obviously have loved to be in the playoff, but they're also ex- cited about the opportunity to play in a big bowl game and continue our season," Franklin told ESPN. "We've had a great year, and I'm really proud of our guys. They would love to have been in the play- off, we all would love to have been in the playoff, but we're still very, very appre- ciative of and honored by the opportuni- ties we have."

• Cover