Penn State Football 2018 Season Rewind: Nittany Lions survive scare in Week 1

Week 1 presented a tough test for Penn State football 

Penn State football entered the 2018 season with some high expectations after defeating Washington in the Rose Bowl the previous year. The Nittany Lions, despite losing star running back Saquon Barkley, returned a loaded team and had their eyes on a spot in the College Football Playoff.

The Nittany Lions opened the regular season ranked No. 10 and were facing an opponent in Appalachian State that was no stranger to pulling off a major road upset against a ranked opponent.

Penn State jumped out to a quick, seven-point lead in the first quarter when Trace McSorley capped a seven-play, 75-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown run. It was a great start for the Nittany Lions, but it didn’t last. The Mountaineers answered on the ensuing kickoff with a 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. They added a field goal to take a 10-7 lead after the first quarter.

A Jake Pinegar field goal was al the Nittany Lions could muster in the second quarter, and they surprisingly went into the half tied.

Starting slow, but turning it on in the second half had been a trademark of James Franklin’s Penn State teams during his tenure. That again appeared to be the cause against Appalachian State. A second touchdown run by McSorley, followed by a Ricky Slade run, put the Nittany Lions up by 14 points heading into the final frame.

It appeared that Penn State would finally be able to pull away, but the pesky Mountaineers had other plans. After trading touchdowns to start the fourth quarter, Appalachian State reeled off three-straight touchdowns to shock the Beaver Stadium crowd.

Up by 14 with just over 10 minutes to play in the game, Penn State suddenly found itself down by seven with under two minutes to go. Fortunately, the Nittany Lions had a little bit of magic up their sleeves. True freshman wide receiver KJ Hamler started Penn State’s last drive of regulation with a 52-yard kickoff return that actually should have probably been downed in the end zone.

Fortunately, Hamler decided to make a play, and that gave the Nittany Lions the spark and the field position they needed.

McSorley took over and looked as cool as every, leading Penn State on a seven-play drive that culminated with a touchdown pass to Hamler to tie the game.

Penn State’s defense nearly failed in holding Appalachian State, as the Mountaineers easily drove down the field, but missed a 56-yard field goal, sending the game into overtime.

Running back Miles Sanders rushed the ball four times for 25 yards in overtime and scored the touchdown to put the Nittany Lions ahead. Appalachian State took its possession and again drove down the field, but a first-down throw from the 15 was picked off by Amani Oruwariye at the goal line to preserve the Penn State victory.

It certainly wasn’t pretty, but Penn State was able to fight through adversity in Week one and pull out a big win. An upset would have severely hindered Penn State’s hopes of playing for a national title.