UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — No. 16 Penn State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) leaned on its tight ends, who combined for two receiving touchdowns, in the Nittany Lions’ 45-17 victory over Minnesota (4-3, 1-3) in their annual White Out game Saturday night.
Penn State’s offense started out slow, going three-and-out on its first two series for the second game in a row. The Nittany Lions then turned the ball over on their third drive when quarterback Sean Clifford threw an ill-advised pass that was intercepted by Minnesota cornerback Justin Walley. Minnesota kicker Matthew Trickett converted a 35-yard field goal shortly after to give the Golden Gophers a 3-0 lead.
Penn State scored the game’s next 17 points, first getting on the board with a 41-yard field goal by kicker Jake Pinegar. On the ensuing drives, Clifford connected with tight ends Tyler Warren and Theo Johnson for touchdown passes of 38 and 18 yards, respectively, to put the Nittany Lions up 17-3 in the second quarter.
With just 32 seconds remaining before halftime, Minnesota running back Mohamed Ibrahim sneaked into the end zone from 3 yards out to trim the Golden Gophers’ deficit to 17-10 at the break.
After halftime, Clifford guided Penn State on its first of three straight touchdown drives. On Penn State’s first drive in the third quarter, Clifford threw a jump ball to Parker Washington that the wide receiver came down with in the end zone for his first touchdown catch of the year.
Freshman running back Nicholas Singleton got in on the action during the Nittany Lions’ next drive, darting into the end zone for a 16-yard rushing score to bring Penn State’s lead to 31-10. Clifford then threw his fourth and final touchdown pass by finding an uncovered receiver in Mitch Tinsley for a 20-yard score.
Minnesota tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford tacked on a fourth-quarter touchdown catch, but Singleton responded with another rushing score on the next drive to put the game on ice for Penn State.
First-half false starts
Minnesota’s offense struggled to get on the same page in the first half. Without sixth-year quarterback Tanner Morgan — who was held out with an injury — the Golden Gophers turned to redshirt freshman Athan Kaliakmanis to run their offense.
The results in the first half were far from optimal for Minnesota in front of Penn State’s White Out crowd. The Golden Gophers were called for three false start penalties in the first quarter and two more in the second frame.
Minnesota needed its backup quarterback to step up in a tough road environment in the Big Ten. But without the Golden Gophers’ starter of more than four years in Morgan, Minnesota’s offense appeared to be hamstrung for much of the night.
Up next
Penn State will welcome No. 2 Ohio State (7-0) to Beaver Stadium for perhaps its most difficult contest of the regular season next Saturday to cap off a grueling three-game stretch for the Nittany Lions that started with a 41-17 loss to No. 4 Michigan last week. As Penn State’s starting quarterback, Clifford is 0-3 against Ohio State, the flagship football school of his home state.
The Buckeyes have won each of their last six games in 2022 by at least 29 points after beating Notre Dame 21-10 in their season opener. Ohio State dismantled Iowa on both sides of the ball Saturday afternoon, holding the Hawkeyes’ offense to 158 total yards and scoring at least 10 points in each quarter of a 54-10 victory.
Penn State has not beaten Ohio State since 2016, when the Nittany Lions upset the Buckeyes 24-21 as double-digit underdogs during a White Out game. This upcoming Saturday at Beaver Stadium, meanwhile, will be a Stripe Out game for the home crowd.
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