Penn State Football: Studs and duds from the 2019 season
By Shane Lunnen
Worst Game
Easily the worst game for the Nittany Lions this season was their road trip to Minnesota. After an 8-0 start, Penn State found themselves ranked fourth in the first set of the College Football Playoff rankings. The good times soon ended on their road trip to Minnesota.
The game saw Sean Clifford throw three interceptions, all inside the Minnesota 10 yard line. The Lions’ secondary was absolutely torched by Tanner Morgan and the Gopher passing game. Despite the bad day, Penn State still had a chance to pull out the victory late but a questionable offensive pass interference call followed by Sean Clifford’s third interception sealed the Lions’ fate. The loss cost Penn State at minimum a Rose Bowl berth.
Best Game
There are several games to choose from here. The demolishing of Maryland on the road where the Lions played a near perfect game. The White Out victory over Michigan. However the 17-12 victory at Iowa wins out here.
The Lions were out gained 356 to 294 by the 17th ranked Hawkeyes, but Penn State won the turnover battle and ultimately on the scoreboard. There was a questionable overturn of a Pat Freiermuth touchdown and the officials also penalized the Lions eight times for 85 yards while only flagging the Hawkeyes once for five yards.
Next. 3 takeaways from Penn State Cotton Bowl win over Memphis. dark
Despite all of the road blocks and playing in always tough Kinnick Stadium, the Lions managed to squeak out a well earned win. It was also a night where Noah Cain shined, rushing for 102 yards and a touchdown. His most important runs came with under three minutes to play and the Lions clinging to their five point lead. Cain ran the ball five times and the Lions were able to run out the clock.